Short and Sweet? We want your prose today!

The Shorts Awards are here to bring you excellence in Novellas, Story Collections, or Individual Short Stories and Essays

***Got a Short to Share?***

You’ve got until August 31st to share your Stories with us and Enter the 2023 CIBAs!

For Short Prose and Collections

Join us as we delve into the Hall of Fame for Grand Prize Winners of the Shorts Awards – a realm where short fiction goes beyond genre. Starting in with the 2021 winners while the reviews for 2022 are processed!

New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst
By Elizabeth Crowens

Prepare to be carried away to bustling, vivacious streets as you read Elizabeth Crowens’ New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst.

This captivating literary anthology is a love letter to the great city from a group of brilliant artists and authors, which delves into the multifaceted lives of New Yorkers.

Short fiction and a few poems describe the ins and outs of New York living. Murder mysteries, revenge, family struggles, family sagas, and, of course, the most important questions regarding real estate. Finding the perfect place to live in the city may be difficult, but this story brings into vivid relief the heart of what makes New York special: the people.

Read More Here

Homegoing
By Toni Ann Johnson

Homegoing by Toni Ann Johnson is an intimate portrait of a middle-aged African-American woman dragging herself hand over hand out of grief and despair.

This story begins with her aching, echoing pain after the one-two punch of a miscarriage and the dissolution of her marriage. Her journey takes her back to the upper-middle-class white suburb where she grew up, through childhood memories that refuse to be denied and to, of all times and places, a funeral.

Something and someone is supposed to be buried. Certainly the deceased. But quite possibly the woman who has held on to her losses and her grudges long enough to poison her own future.

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Savonne, Not Vonny
By Robin Lee Lovelace

Robin Lee Lovelace evokes a world in which the mystical intertwines with the everyday in Savonne, Not Vonny, a coming-of-age story set in rural Louisiana.

Nine-year-old Savonne lives in a small room at the back of Mama Gwen’s whorehouse, in Indianapolis in the ’60s. Her mama is one of the working girls, and her father is Mama Gwen’s own son. Savonne’s daddy dotes on her, and Mama Gwen loves Savonne like the daughter she never had; the two of them together make a loving home for Savonne, in the midst of their raucous brothel.

By contrast, Savonne’s birth mother rarely pays her any mind. A “crazy-ass woman” with a temper “as hot as a Mississippi afternoon,” Coco is not at all opposed to beating the bejesus out of someone. In a fury one night, she does something that cannot be undone, and in her headlong flight out of town, she takes Savonne with her.

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A Week at Surfside Beach
By Pierce Koslosky Jr.

Vacationers from all walks of life converge on Portofino II-317C, South Carolina, a quaint blue beach house, in Pierce Koslosky Jr.’s short story collection, A Week at Surfside Beach.

From May 30th-December 26th each group of people comes to stay one week at a time, to forget their cares of the big city, to work, to celebrate, or to simply get away. Surfside Beach has much to show them, including temperamental weather.

The small town itself offers a charming supermarket where fishing supplies, whoopie pies, and local southern favorites can be found. The Christmas vacationers, the final of the thirteen beach house renters, struggle to find a tree in time; a real tree simply wouldn’t allow enough space for the family to sleep, and the fake tree would cost too much. But they find arts and crafts supplies in town, to fashion a paper Christmas tree during a day of rainy weather.

Read More Here

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 SHORTS Awards for Collections is:

God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me

by Lori Lee Peters

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 SHORTS Awards for Short Stories is:

Old Man Baseball

by Mike Murphey

You can see the full list of winners for longer work here and for shorter work here.

Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Shorts Winners is to submit today!

Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!

Be Part of the Legacy: Join the Illustrious Roster of Winners

As the deadline for the 2023 Shorts Awards approaches, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the exceptional achievers who have come before.

Seeking avenues for your non-fiction prowess? Explore all our Divisions that provide platforms for various genres and styles.

With over $30,000 in rewards and prizes given away every year, what are you waiting for? Submit today!

Times is short, and maybe your prose is too!

The Shorts Awards close at the end of August!

“Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”
― Neil Gaiman

The Shorts Awards: Celebrating the Power of Concise Storytelling

The Shorts Awards, one of our newer divisions, have quickly become a cherished space for recognizing and celebrating the magic of short prose. While initially limited to fiction, the overwhelming demand from our authors prompted us to also embrace short non-fiction. As always, our commitment to meeting authors’ needs remains unwavering, and we’re thrilled to provide this platform for their literary achievements.

Short Prose: Where Seeds of Creativity Flourish

Short prose serves as both a starting point and a catalyst for literary journeys. It offers emerging writers a brilliant entryway to the world of publishing, allowing them to introduce their unique voices to readers. These brief narratives can often ignite the spark for larger projects, as exemplified by Robin Lee Lovelace’s Savonne Not Vonny, a hint of what was to come with her captivating collection A Wild Region. Lovelace’s brilliantly weird and magical tales tales of wonder and enchantment blossomed from the seed of short fiction.

Whether it’s mystery, romance, science fiction, or fantasy, short stories can transport readers across a spectrum of emotions and genres. This concise format becomes a canvas for authors to explore diverse themes and experiment with various narrative styles. Just as Karen Russell’s wonderful School for Girls Raised by Wolves provides the a launch point for her acclaimed novel Swamplandia short fiction often serves as the fertile ground where authors sow the seeds of larger tales.

Capturing Moments, Echoing Emotions

The succinct nature of short stories allows readers to hold an entire world in their hearts with a single reading. As Paolo Bacigalupi aptly noted, short fiction delivers targeted narratives—vivid hand grenades of ideas that explode in the reader’s mind, leaving an indelible mark. The brevity enables authors to encapsulate specific moments, emotions, and characters, resulting in stories that linger and provoke reflection. Indeed, while longer works may scatter across memory, short prose remains vivid and focused.

“Short fiction seems more targeted – hand grenades of ideas, if you will. When they work, they hit, they explode, and you never forget them. Long fiction feels more like atmosphere: it’s a lot smokier and less defined.”

― Paolo Bacigalupi

Evolving Ideas, Inspiring Creativity

The evolution of ideas often commences in the realms of short fiction. Authors nurture fledgling concepts within these concise narratives, which may eventually flourish into extensive novels or novellas. The transformation of small tales into grand sagas speaks to the inherent power of short stories as seeds that germinate into larger, more intricate narratives.

The Shorts Awards shine a spotlight on talented authors who are forging their paths through short prose. This division acts as a stepping stone for emerging writers, enabling them to connect with readers and gain recognition. Stories birthed within this realm can be the catalyst for a writer’s creative journey, ultimately leading to the exploration of diverse storytelling forms.

As Ezra Pound once said, “Poetry is a sort of inspired mathematics.” In a similar vein, short fiction celebrates the art of crafting narratives with precision, each word chosen with care and intention. The Shorts Awards showcase this brilliance, highlighting the power of brevity to ignite imagination, evoke emotions, and leave lasting impressions. Whether through fiction or non-fiction, these stories showcase the beauty of concise storytelling that resonates deeply within us.

Discover the Short Treasures

We invite you to explore the Shorts Awards section and immerse yourself in the world of captivating short stories and essays. Engage with these tales, share your experiences, and celebrate the remarkable journey that unfolds within each succinct narrative. We’re delighted to be able to recognize the excellent short stories, essays, novellas, and collections that come through these Awards. Sometimes, the little things really do matter the most.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 SHORTS Awards for Collections and Anthologies was: God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me by Lori Lee Peters

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 SHORTS Awards for Short Stories and Essays was Old Man Baseball by Mike Murphey

Reviews of each of these titles are forthcoming, and you can see the full list of Shorts Awards Winners here and here.

All the 2022 Grand Prize Winners are pictured below! See them all here.

Join the amazing CIBA Winners today!