Announcing the Winners of the 2024 University of Iowa Flash Writing Contest
Thank you to the 337 UI alumni and friends from around the world who submitted short stories during January’s contest.
We asked participants to create a story of 1,000 words or less using one of two sets of prompts:
| Genre | Character | Object | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompt A | Thriller | Fortune Cookie Writer | Dish Soap |
| Prompt B | Fantasy | Elevator Inspector | Balloon |
Our judges have worked diligently these past few weeks to read submissions that poured in from 29 states, and as far away as Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Without further ado, here are the winning stories. Winners in each of the grade categories will receive an Iowa-themed writing prize pack and a $25 Bookshop.org gift card. Winners in each of the adult categories will receive an Iowa-themed writing prize pack, $50 Bookshop.org gift card, and a handcrafted wooden pen made from a tree that was located on the UI campus.
2024 Write Now Flash Writing Contest Winning Stories
Grades 3 & 4
- Isla S., Iowa, "George the Elevator Man" (Prompt B)
Grades 5 & 6
- Harriet B., Iowa, "Yellow Balloon" (Prompt B)
Grades 7 & 8
- Claire C., Iowa, "Unfortunate Fortunes" (Prompt A)
Grades 9—12
- Violet V., Minnesota, "Brooklyn" (Prompt B)
Adult, University of Iowa Alumni:
- S.C. Sherman (92BA), North Liberty, Iowa, "Hysteria" (Prompt B)
Adult, Non-University of Iowa Alumni:
- Cora Miller, Pleasant Hill, Iowa, "Unfortunate" (Prompt A)
We’d also like to highlight these honorable mention stories from this year's contest.
Thank you to all who participated—and be on the lookout for the next 48-Hour Flash Writing contest in January 2025. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy reading these amazing tales from your fellow Hawkeyes as much as we did! You can also read stories from our past winners.