Oxford Flash Fiction Prize

In 7th grade, I started writing really depressing poetry as an outlet for adolescent angst, which I continued in high school (both the poetry and the angst). I was fortunate that my parents never discouraged me from writing. When I started college, I became a biology major instead. I didn’t return to a regular creative writing practiceContinue reading

The 2022 summer long-list

We are thrilled to announce our long-list for the summer Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 2022. Congratulations to all of the authors who reached the list and for all those who entered this round. We saw a wonderful range of genres, topics and stories from all over the world and it was hugely competitive. Many wonderfulContinue reading “The 2022 summer long-list”

Believe you are entitled to this writing life. Write what only you can write. Read like crazy. Do your best to ensure the emotions you feel as you write will be felt by your reader. Avail yourself of the many classes, workshops, readings, books, and groups available to you. Many are free. Celebrate and honor ourContinue reading

I always thought writing was for other people, not for second-generation Jamaican-Nigerian girls like me. My mother tells me, while as a keen gardener she always had a spade in her hand, I always had a book in mine. I read voraciously, and by the time I was seven, I felt that there must be nothing finer thanContinue reading

I was brought up in a passionate family, larger than life. There are positives and negatives in this, but passion and love in all its forms is something that has always fascinated me. My short story collection ‘An affair of the Heart’ looks to examine those topics in detail. My father was a talented musician, andContinue reading

It’s very hard to write about happiness and much easier to write about loss (though I realise not everyone would agree). My collection ‘Love Stories for Hectic People’ started with the story ‘As Simple as Water’, which was probably the first true flash piece I ever wrote. I was facing a long difficult winter, so IContinue reading

Third place: Sticks and stones by Elizabeth Smith

She spends every evening extricating words from where they’ve lodged beneath the surface of the skin. Most of the wounds are superficial and easily concealed. A few of the cuts are deeper and could probably do with a stitch or two, but she just sticks on a plaster and hopes that the blood won’t seepContinue reading “Third place: Sticks and stones by Elizabeth Smith”

First place: Fearful Symmetry by Holly Barratt

I first met my sister when I was five. She was twice the size of a house cat, with a soft little bear-face, snowy whiskers and a baffled smile. She rolled over and stretched out her fluffy limbs. I instantly loved the pin cushion pads of her paws, and the wiggle of stripes as sheContinue reading “First place: Fearful Symmetry by Holly Barratt”

Second place: Skin by Daniel Draper

She was born with a caul, but at least she was human. At the birth I shut my eyes, terrified. The metallic smell of blood mixed with brine and earth under Sandra’s screams and I only opened them once I heard the midwife’s surprise. It was a surprise without horror. I’d never seen a caulContinue reading “Second place: Skin by Daniel Draper”

The 2021 winter short-list

We are thrilled to announce our short-list for the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 2021. If your story is listed, please do not identify which story belongs to you, as the judges finalise the winners. SHORT LISTED STORIES A drag queen named Lipstick by Conor Duggan Barking Mad by Richard Frost Connie by Linda Morse Fearful Symmetry byContinue reading “The 2021 winter short-list”