ocean-themed writing challenge winners
Thank you to everyone who participated in this challenge, and congratulations to everyone who placed!
Everyone who submitted a story will be receiving feedback, regardless of whether or not the story placed.
And now for the winners!
Drumroll please . . .
FIRST PLACE
the breath of the sea by sarah elaine
A stranger in a tavern tells the story of how the infamous Captain Lovewell came to find a lost relic of the fae
Trigger Warnings: Drowning, death, implied bodily harm
second PLACE
stolen souls by sarah baran
Held captive on an island plagued by an eternal hurricane, a lonely girl meets a half-drowned sailor who holds the key to saving the sea—and herself—from the storm.
Trigger Warnings: Drowning
third PLACE
a reckoning sea by gretchen fox
On a secluded island buried in a storm-plagued ocean, in a village kept safe by cruelest sacrifice, Aetheia defies fate to pursue the brutal sea god who stole her child—and the men who took everything from her. An ancient artifact can give Theia the power and the retribution she seeks, but what will her vengeance cost?
Trigger Warnings: child loss, sacrifice, blood, mention of traumatic birth
FOURTH PLACE
the ocean’s bargain by gayle woods
A father’s desperate journey to avenge his son’s death.
Fifth PLACE
gods of destruction by Luca Savot
An oceanic demigod searches for his father’s missing arrowhead while grappling with his own morality.
Trigger Warnings: Suicide, death
sixth PLACE
the pearl of viridian by Ash Stonewalker
The legend of the Pirate King of Viridian and the Pearl who bested him has haunted Briony in song for twelve years. Ole Cross has chased her across the ocean and back on his quest to retrieve what she took, but tonight she knows she can run from him no longer.
seventh PLACE
heaps of pearls and sunken stones by Mallory Masturzo
Accused of being a witch, Cass learned that her true life would begin only after she was sentenced to die.
Trigger Warnings: Drowning, nonconsensual touching
eighth PLACE
what lies beneath the sea by Arianna Steffen
A story of two young selkie pups who would do anything to earn their adult pelts.
Trigger Warnings: small mentions of animals eating other animals, mentions of death.
ninth PLACE
the kraken’s choice by Cody Collier
In a war-torn underwater realm, Prince Amar of Octaelum embarks on a perilous quest for a legendary trident, facing trials that force him to choose between power and peace. Guided by his father's dying wish and an unexpected ally, Amar must confront ancient forces to prove his worthiness as king and bring an end to the war between his tentacled cecaelia people and the Atlantean merfolk.
Trigger Warnings: References to war and mild fantasy violence.
tenth PLACE
the storm and the star by Zoeybell Fogerty
A siren seeks the help of a fallen star to break her curse and get back into the ocean.
Trigger Warnings: light gore, mentions of physical abuse
