A New Kind of Literary Pulse

The Results Are In!

First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the running for the Long Story Short Award. We couldn't have asked for a better first experience with our new inter-university contest - nor did we expect to see such fantastic school spirit! You guys really showed up and it was so much fun following along as the competition got steeper and steeper. And now...we're proud to announce the winners and runners-up of the Long Story Short Award, 2020. Congratulations to the following authors!

In the Short Fiction Category...

• The Juried Winner is "The Trees Have Eyes" by Lee Schwartz, representing Brigham Young University. There are only two things you must know about Lee: she likes potatoes, and she likes memes. And in addition, (because she forgets to abide by the rules she herself set) she will open a Word Document only to stare at it blankly for approximately three to four hours before closing her laptop with all the accompanying, disappointed noises of an old man suffering from arthritis.
• The Juried 1st Runner-up is "Solomon's Lines" by Jesse Richmond from Brigham Young University. Jesse Richmond lives in Utah, where he is pursuing a Master's degree in electrical engineering. He enjoys thinking about stories to write when he should be trying to fall asleep, and occasionally he actually writes them out.
• The Juried 2nd Runner-up is "Candy Hearts" by Isabella Miranda. Isabella is studying English and Marketing at William & Mary. If you have a hard time finding her, it's probably because she is in her room reading, writing, or gushing over celebrities with her roommate. The joy she experiences with writing is in trying to express ineffable emotions with words, and in her pursuit she hopes to share these feelings with others, making the world a little smaller.


• The Public Winner is "The Cycle" by Neelam Batra-Verma, representing Capilano University. Neelam is a published author with a first novel 1971: A War Story. She has also published thousands of articles in mainstream newspapers and magazines.
• The Public 1st Runner-up is "Angel Blinks" by Aliah Eberting. Aliah is a student at Brigham Young University.
• The Public 2nd Runner-up is "Wildfires" by Rebecca Araten. Rebecca is a student at Harvard.

In the Creative Nonfiction Category...

• The Juried Winner is "Attempt" by Lucas Zuehl. Lucas is a student at Brigham Young University.

• The Juried 1st Runner-up is "Ashes to Ashes" by Tyler Slade. Tyler is a student at Brigham Young University. She is currently majoring in Philosophy and minoring in both Global Women’s Studies and Creative Writing. She is from San Luis Obispo, California but currently resides in Provo, Utah. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her climbing, printmaking, or shooting film photography.
• The Juried 2nd Runner-up is "Domino Beach" by Marie Ivantechenko. Marie is a student at Carnegie Mellon.


• The Public Winner is "The Love and The Beggar" by María José peña peña. María is a student at Capilano University.
• The Public 1st Runner-up is "This is Why We Tell the Story" by Jaden Parker from Penn State University. Surprisingly (only to her), Jaden is a member of the BA/MA Creative Writing Graduate Program at Penn State. She has loved writing since she was young and enjoys making people FEEL something with her words. She hopes people can enjoy reading her work as much as she enjoys writing it but seriously doubts that possibility.
• The Public 2nd Runner-up is "Castles in the Sky" by Aliah Eberting. Aliah is a student at Brigham Young University.

In the Poetry Category...

• The Juried Winner is "Lost in the Interim" by Kassandra Schreiber. Kassandra is a grad student in Comparative Studies at Brigham Young University. A liminal romantic interested in film, celestial happenings, being between, and stickers.
• The Juried 1st Runner-up is "Field Guide for Park Rangers" by Chelsea Stockham. Chelsea Stockham is a Creative Writing student at Sheffield Hallam University. Her primary passion is poetry.
• The Juried 2nd Runner-up is "When they cut you open, they said you bled stars" by Madeline Brancel. Madeline is a graduate student at Harvard, studying international education policy, and writing on the side whenever she has a free moment. She finds peace in nature, poetry, and a steaming cup of tea!


• The Public Winner is "The Simply Syled Woman" by Marwah Abuhandara from the University of Texas Arlington. Marwah's love for writing sparked a flame in her when she was a child. She used to listen closely to the stylized songs her father would sing to her mom each morning. Each lyrical masterpiece conveyed such depth in hidden symbolism that painted a mosaic of images in her mind. From that day forward, she has been chasing that flame of poetic perfection her father once embodied, and she hopes to get there someday.
• The Public 1st Runner-up is "Flying Fire" by Brennen Serre. Brennen is a student at Brigham Young University
• The Public 2nd Runner-up is "For a Black Girl" by Aria Austin. Aria is a senior Government major and English minor at William & Mary. She has always been a lover of stories, words & music. Through her poetry and songwriting, she connects her love for all of those things. She hopes you can see the lyric quality of her poems, the feelings they express, and the stories that they tell.

And Last but certainly not least...

We would like to say one more thank you to all of our guest judges! Your thoughts and discussions were invaluable.

And a special shoutout to our two volunteer readers, Kenneth N. Margolin and James Leith, for working almost daily on each and every submission - thank you, thank you for all of your time and meticulous reading!

We couldn't have made this contest happen without you all!