2024 Micro Prize Winners and Shortlist

We’re excited to announce the three winners chosen by Judge Deb Olin Unferth!

1. Our Father by Theresa Sylvester

“This is an astonishing story, revealing so much about the father in a few words, the complexity of his relationships with his children and the women who bore them. We come to realize this father was mostly absent, and they are mourning for something that was always only half there, and yet we love him as they loved him. We love his style, his smile, his flashy car. He is so singular, his personality leaps off the page. And ending with a lullaby from another world is masterful, heart-breaking, lyrical, brave. This is the work of an accomplished writer.” ~DOU

2. Secret to Marriage by Laura Sciortino

“I love how original and weird this piece is, and how sensitively it captures the quiet sadness of a husband who must watch his wife grow literally out of his reach. Something I learned rather late in life is that marriage is an ongoing project of each letting the other grow, even if it means growing in a way the other doesn’t understand, even if it means growing in a way the other can’t share, and yet still loving that person, still staying by their side. I’m deeply impressed that the writer chose surrealism to express this truth. The story is funny, sad, full of longing.” ~DOU

3. I Come from Aliens by Janet Fancher

“This piece wrecked me. This portrayal of dementia, this accounting of loss, is so quiet, observant, and loving. My favorite part is the ending: the two, the father and the narrator, miming a game played so many times, so long ago, that even across so much psychic space, they both know exactly what to do. I’ve always suspected that we connect more with our bodies and movements than we do with words. Father and child throwing a ball back and forth in the backyard. Ancient wires reconnecting, primal energies rising, traditional bonding remembered instinctually. Really beautiful.” ~DOU

Also Publishing:

Neighborhood by Linda Shapiro and One Night, the Moon Starts Crying by Francine Witte

Shortlist:

1. Runaway by Shauna Andrews
2. Dad Never Gave Me a Rabbit’s Foot by B. Bilby Garton
3. Fifteen Shades of Pink by Christine H. Chen
4. To Play the Blues by Maxine Davies
5. I Come From Aliens by Janet Fancher
6. A woman makes a cardboard train by Jay McKenzie
7. Protoplanet by Fleming Meeks
8. Your Funeral Was Lovely by Natalie Nee
9. Like Broken Glass by Madeline Rosales
10. Car Crashes by Steve Saulsbury
11. A Hawk Brings a Message by Dominic Scicchitano
12. Secret to Marriage by Laura Sciortino
13. Baby by Sarah Seidel
14. Neighborhood by Linda Shapiro
15. The Last Apricot by Vaneeza Sohail
16. Our Father by Theresa Sylvester
17. One Night, The Moon Starts Crying by Francine Witte
18. Dated by Michelle Xu
19. Small Golden Squares by Mizuki Yamamoto
20. Boy and Balut by Mingwei Yeoh