Congratulations
To the winners of the faerie-themed writing challenge!
Thank you to everyone who participated in this challenge! We received almost 1,100 submissions (whoa!) and had the best time diving into all of these stories.
Everyone who submitted a story will be receiving feedback, regardless of whether or not the story placed. You can expect to receive your feedback within the next week!
And now for the winners!
Drumroll please . . .
FIRST PLACE
the ankou by raven minyard
Every New Year’s Eve, a creature known as the Ankou comes to collect the souls of the dead. The last soul to die before midnight will take the Ankou’s place for the following year. And this year, Evelyn will stop at nothing to protect her gravely ill sister.
Trigger Warnings: Death, severe illness, parent death (single mention, off screen)
second PLACE
under the fifth moon by Jessica Bongayan
Liesl thought she left her past behind in the woods the night she fled with a blood-soaked blade and a whispered plea. But when her son begins to change, the truth claws its way back to the surface. To reclaim what’s hers, she must find a way to mend what she has broken.
Trigger Warnings: Domestic violence, miscarriage, on-page violence and death
third PLACE
the breaker by gemma marvell
The heir to the high fae throne pays a visit to an elf known for breaking just about everything outside of her well-loved garden. Hoping for an easy way out of his crown, the prince must settle for a cup of tea, a lesson about what it means to have a voice, and a change of mind.
Trigger Warnings: N/A
FOURTH PLACE
the desert rose by ali venosa
After an accident leaves her family in danger of coming up short on the year’s tithe, a young woman ventures into the barren desert surrounding her home in a desperate attempt to harvest tribute in time. Without the nixies that usually aid passage across the wasteland, her journey looks bleak—until she meets a fae female that challenges her understanding of the land around them.
Trigger Warnings: N/A
Fifth PLACE
the odd brownie by sarah pinner
When his century-old friend falls victim to a mysterious ailment, an odd Brownie discovers the threat comes from an unexpected source - and the culprit forces him to face his greatest fear.
Trigger Warnings: N/A
sixth PLACE
winter in the sunshine state by samantha marks
On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, a grown changeling writes to her human counterpart, recounting her glamorous experiences from life in the human world. When the human writes back from the fae world, it becomes clear that their switch was not beneficial to all parties.
Trigger Warning: Vulgar language, child abuse
seventh PLACE
the bargain breaker by emily fay
Archibald Quinn has made his living breaking people out of their Fae bargains. But when a member of the Fae comes to him for help, Archie will be forced to look in a mirror and examine the bargains he’s made with himself.
Trigger Warnings: N/A
eighth PLACE
heart, bramble, thorn by Jonna batten
Dovie Keene is turning into a living briar and will do anything to get her body back. But when she ventures into Faerie in search of a magical cure, she soon learns that there’s more to her story than what meets the eye.
Trigger Warnings: N/A
ninth PLACE
the fairy queen’s favor by hollie elliot
To win a favor from the cruel fairy queen she serves, a fairy servant turns herself into a human woman and lures a beautiful, but clumsy, young man to the Spring Equinox celebration. If the man she’s brought is chosen as the queen’s companion for the evening, the servant may achieve her heart’s desire–and teach the queen a lesson she should have learned a long time ago.
Trigger Warnings: N/A
tenth PLACE
under the willow by megan claus
Tavish, a woodland faerie, finds a lost child in the woods. He decides to allow the child to stay sharing in life and building a future together under the willow tree.
Trigger Warnings: Implied child abuse
