Last day to submit!

Sometimes we just need a prompt to free us from our fear of the blank page. That’s why we’re challenging writers to create new stories of up to 1,000 words based on the artwork of Edward Hopper. While Hopper is best known for his masterpiece, Nighthawks, we want writers not only to draw on the striking images and characters from any of his works, but also to be inspired by his use of light and dark, his sense of constructed tableaus, and his unnamed characters. We ask writers to interrupt these themes widely and at a slant, to develop stories that defy our sense of normalcy. We want stories that play in the shadows, that aren’t afraid to show us the forgotten worlds, both real and imaginary. Take these scenes to new heights with precise language and unique characters. Create something amazingly weird and poignant. Flash fiction is all about augmenting the rules while still creating a sense of story and consequence, of velocity and depth, of something we won’t forget.

You’re invited to submit to the Fractured Lit Ekphrastic Hopper Challenge from April 27 to May 10, 2026.

Here are some great places to get inspired by Hopper’s works:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

The Walker Art Center

*Works by Hopper are not limited to the ones on these websites*

We‘re excited to offer the winner of this prize $500 and publication. All entries will be considered for publication at our regular rate of $75/$50, depending on length.