Ligonier Valley Writers Announces

Winners of 2026 Flash Fiction Contest

What's Behind the Door?

 

LVW is pleased to announce the winning stories and authors of its 21st annual flash fiction contest.

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First Prize: “The First Door” by Suhyeon Ha of South Korea.

​Second Prize: “The Room of Things My Mother Forgot” by Hridoy Kundu of North Carolina.

​Third Prize: “Little Doors” by Don Ellenberger of Stahlstown and Pittsburgh.

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Three Honorable Mentions (alphabetical by author).

“Trophy” by Barbara Kramer-Zarins of Orange Park, Florida.             

“The Door I Painted Blue” by Rahnee de Leon-Candaza of Florida. 

“Drift” by Corrie Haldane of Ontario, Canada.

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​​Congratulations to all six of these talented authors!

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All six receive a complimentary one-year membership to Ligonier Valley Writers, a professional edit of their stories, publication at the LVW website, and a chance to perform their winning story aloud. The first, second, and third place winners also receive cash prizes.

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We received 170 entries from around the world, from Australia to Brazil to India to Trinidad. In fact, our first-place winner lives in South Korea.

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Our thanks to Louisa Fordyce and Candace Kubinec for helping us judge the 21st annual flash fiction contest. Their expertise and dedication ensured that the ten most entertaining and thought-provoking stories were sent to our celebrity judge, Damian Dressick, for the final selections. He is the author of the flash fiction collection Fables of the Deconstruction. 

 

Damian Dressick says of first-prize winner “The First Door,” it's “a delicious combination of invention, humor, and well-presented justice makes this short narrative a fun read for a fall evening!"

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And our thanks to Heather Konhaus of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Ligonier, who hosted the readings of the winning stories, and Lorie Singer, who stepped in to perform one of the stories. Heather also baked gingerbread cookies, which struck a perfect autumnal note, as did the Halloween decorations, complete with eyes in the trees along the entry path.