Southeast Review Art Contest 

Judged by Michelle Sakhai

 

Winner: Amuri Morris for “Altered Spaces." Sakhai writes: 

 

"The winning artist’s work stood out for its emotional depth and powerful storytelling. Their ability to blend realism with symbolism created a compelling narrative that felt both personal and universal. Through bold colors and a strong sense of identity, their work left a lasting impact, evoking reflection and connection." 

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Longlist: 

• Irakli Mirzashvili “Under the Sun”

• Dave Sims “Other Worlds”

• J.R. Mues “2023-2024”

• Louisa Moratti “SER Art Contest 2024 Submission”

• Nikki Painter “Pattern Gardens”

• GJ Gillespie “Art of GJ Gillespie”

• ping zhengv “A World of Dreams”

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World's Best Short-Short Story Contest

Judged by Venita Blackburn

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 Winner: Tayler Hanxi Bunge for "Victim Impact Statement." Blackburn writes: 

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"'Victim Impact Statement' is cold, blue, metallic and salty, a horror story about an unchanging thing, not at all beautiful except in the clairvoyance of its telling. The voice speaks like an oracle, warnings of a cursed woman in a permanent state of waiting to be abused and worshipped."

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​Runner-up: Anita Lo for "No Lovely." Blackburn writes: 

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"'No Lovely' is about girlhood, motherhood and deception as a means of survival. The characters lie about their needs and emotions to avoid judgment that might lead to suffering and do so with an almost spiritual devotion. Every feeling is distorted for salvation whether it is disgust, desperation or love."

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Longlist: 

• Gregory Jones, “Under Observation”

• Stephen Gibson, “Neighbors”

• Stephen Gibson, “I Go There”

• Chey Dugan, “Spine” 

• Brynne Jones, “Young”

• Anita Lo, “Salt Girl”

• Marina Richards, “Baby Blue”

• Doug Crandell, “In Disposal”

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Ned Stuckey-French Nonfiction Contest 

Judged by Shze-Hui Tjoa 

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Winner: Sarah "Sam" Saltiel for "If This Matters." Tjoa writes: 

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"​I was drawn to the beautiful and evocative language in this piece—then stayed for the playful, unconventional structure. I love how the fragmentation of the “choose your own adventure” format mirrors the experience of bodily suffering that the narrator is going through—it reminds me of what Elaine Scarry and other theorists have written, about the fundamentally incoherent or inexpressible nature of physical pain. So well done to this author for finding a clever way to make language, as a medium, carry a form of meaning that it usually wouldn’t; I very much enjoyed the risk-taking and inventiveness in their approach." 

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Runner-up: Russell Morse for “The Quiet Room." Tjoa writes: 

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"I loved how skilfully this piece moved between action and dialogue to paint a picture of its characters’ world. The moments of emotion felt poignant, authentic, and earned: the narrator praying briefly alongside Gus in an open field of tall grass; the ending scene of the two boys in the car, smoking and laughing while making their escape (“. . .it felt to me like we were driving along the edge of an expanding bubble. I could feel us lifting up and out toward the black sky”). Overall, there was something wonderfully cinematic about the way that this piece was written."

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Longlist: 

• Samantha Sorenson, “All Things Considered”

• Amanda Brush, “Carcass”

• Emily Schulten, “Elegy for What Briefly Was”

• Qin Jiang Youngdale, “The Monarch”

• ​Caitlin Mackenzie, "Ruin/s: An Archival Memoir"

• Genia Blum, “Not a Single Brick: The Right of Abode”

• Dean Gessie, “on the telephone with mom”

• Rachael Packham, “School of Electric Healing”

• Siew Hii, “Work Shoes as Dream, Dream, Ungender”​​

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Gearhart Poetry Contest​

Judged by Karyna McGlynn

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Winner: Austin Tucker for “My Dream Vintage 2000 / Public Hostage Situation." McGlynn writes: 

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"I was immediately drawn to the poem’s unabashed pageantry and the playful way it twists language to critique modern celebrity culture. The poem struts across the page in a surreal, cinematic rush of black chiffon and heartbreak—weaving a confessional thread through every glittering line. Its fierce humor and pop-culture savvy hold us captive, forcing us to confront how easily fascination morphs into voyeurism."

 

First Runner-up: Chelsea Whitton for “Poseidon." McGlynn writes: 

 

"I’m addicted to the stark coastal grit in this poem, how it threads myth into the hardscrabble details of dead-end summer towns. Each line brims with the salt-stung push and pull between belonging and flight—between the name Poseidon and a fate called Steve. It’s atmospheric in that way only sea—swept desperation can be, tinged with a haunting mother’s love."

 

Second Runner-up: Austin Tucker for “HOMECOMING THEME: A HOUSE INSIDE A HOUSE ON FIRE." McGlynn writes: 

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"This poem crackles with teenage bravado and a barely disguised longing for doom, all set against a high school backdrop lit by 100.7 Classic Rock and delirious metaphor. It flares like a late-night conversation laced with Xanax and regrets, daring us to dance in the flames of our own messy desires. What I love most is how it manages to be both nihilistic and strangely hopeful—like a whispered joke on the edge of the apocalypse." 

 

Longlist:

• Rebecca Faulkner, “Letters from New York City, 1980”

• Arah Ko, “& Trembling”

• Daniel Lurie, “Reruns”

• Gabriela Mayes, “Dirty Laundry”

• Daphne Maysonet, “Argument for an Unreal Baby”

• Samuel Piccone, “The Day After, It Rains”

• Maddie Rosales, “And God Steps Away”