photo by Annie Spratt, Unsplash
The Great Festival Flash-Off: April Results!
Author Archives: Jude
More on the 4th Flash Festival Anthology
We making a rainbow of Festival Anthology books! The first three contain stories prompted by workshops at the face-to-face festivals in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Red, orange and yellow covers, pictured here. We had to cancel our festival in 2020 and our plans for another anthology but we’re publishing the fourth anthology, sponsored by Ad Hoc Fiction later this year. And it will be green, the next colour in the order of the rainbow. Read in Full
Hermit-Crab Hangouts
picture by David Clode, Unsplash
We’re running The Great Festival Cup Cake Contest through May, June, July and August for a Hermit-crab style 150 word max micro in the form of a cup-cake recipe. £5.00 an entry with half the proceeds (minus paypal charges) going to the winner and half to the Huntington’s Disease Association charity. Book bundle donated by Ad Hoc Fiction for the runner up. Closing date 31st August. Diane Simmons, one of our festival directors, who was also a judge for the flash-off challenges on the first festival day in March, is judging this competition.
Jude Higgins
The Great Festival Cupcake Contest
abhishek-hajare on unsplash
On each of six days there are three writing challenges set by our different wonderful Flash-Off judge duos, but for those who can’t make the festival days for whatever reasons, we also have The Great Festival Cupcake Contest open to all. Read in Full
Our First Flash-Off Winners!
Photo by tuva-mathilde-loland, Unsplash
Read in Full
Great Festival Flash Off Anthology!
Great news for all Festival Flashers! Ad Hoc Fiction, our award winning short-short press will be publishing an anthology of flash fictions from the Great Festival Flash Off. It will be available to buy from the adhocfiction bookshop and on Amazon worldwide in kindle and paperback. And as with all our competition anthologies, all contributors will receive a free copy of the book, posted worldwide.
To be included:
- the winning and short listed stories from the three Flash Off challenges each month, selected by the wonderful monthly
- stories submitted that were started by participants in any of the workshops on the six festival days;
- the winners and shortlisted from the ‘Cupcake’ micro contest.
The ‘Cupcake micro’ contest is undergoing an exciting re-vamp currently and more details will be posted about that shortly.
This anthology will join three others from our face-to-face festivals. Jude is pictured in festive attire with them here. 
Do book to be in with a chance of winning a prize and being published in our anthology.
If cost is a barrier to participating in any of the days, contact us. We have some free places for each month of the series.
The Great Festival Flash Off
Instead of a face-to-face festival, this year, we give you The Great Festival Flash Off!
Six days of festive fun and flash hosted by festival director, Jude Higgins, on Zoom.
£30 a day, 11.00 am GMT to 8.00 pm GMT
Saturdays: March 27th; April 24th; May 29th; June 26th; July 31st; August 28th.
All details and booking open now via PayPal at flashfictionfestival.com
Read in Full
Flash Fiction Festival Micro Contest, winner and runners up!
photograph by Royston Hunt www.earthnotes.co.uk
We received 111 entries. Our judges, Festival Directors Diane Simmons and Jude Higgins, found out a lot of new information about cacti and there were so many inventive stories. We really enjoyed reading them this week, eventually whittling down our choices to the following brilliant micros:
Winner:
- ‘Eye, Aye, I’, by Kathryn Clark.
Kathryn wins ‘The Arizona Collection’ a set of 12 notelets of gardens in Arizona, including two cards of the prompt photograph, generously donated by Royston Hunt and her micro is now published on his website alongside the photograph. She also wins a copy of one of the three Flash Fiction Festival Anthologies.
All runners up win a copy of one of the three Flash Fiction Festival Anthologies.
Congratulations to all! And thank you to everyone who entered.
Festival Micro Contest Open Now!
At each of the Flash Fiction Festivals (2017, 2018 and 2019) we’ve run a festival-long micro contest. This year, because the Festival was cancelled, it’s online and free for all flash enthusiasts whether you have been to the festival or not. Open for entries now and closing on Thursday 18th June at midnight BST. .
Your challenge Write a micro 150 words maximum prompted by the images in the photograph of the cacti garden in Arizona below.
The Rules: A previously unpublished piece pasted into the body of an email (no attachments) sent to
jude at flashfictionfestival dot com Up to 150 words. Subject line ‘Festival Micro’. No communication with the judge about the story. No author names on the stories, no stories accepted after the deadline of midnight BST, 18th June.
Your judge: Jude Higgins, Festival Director, pictured above holding the three festival anthologies.
The Prizes:
The first prize winner will receive ‘The Arizona Garden Collection’ a box of 12 beautiful notelets (including a card of the image reproduced here) generously donated by photographer Royston Hunt and the winning micro published on his blog to accompany the picture.(Check out his website to see this collection and all the cards he has for sale). In addition s the winner will receive one copy of any of the three flash fiction festival anthologies published by Ad Hoc Fiction
Two runners up will receive one copy of any of the three festival anthologies.
Results announced on Saturday morning, 20th June.
(Other festival events you might be interested in include Summer Solstice Stories, a workshop with Jude 20th June.
Flash Fiction Festival Friday, 19th June. Readings from festival presenters
Novella-in-Flash readings with authors from Ad Hoc Fiction, V, Press and Truth Serum Press, Sunday 21st June).
photograph by Royston Hunt www.earthnotes.co.uk
Summer Solstice Stories with Jude Higgins
photograph by Royston Hunt www.earthnotes.co.uk
Booking for this workshop now closed. Contact Jude (jude at judehiggins dot com) if you want information about other workshops she might run
During the time we’ll take a brief look at summer solstice stories and the ways mythological stories are structured and I’ll give you four exercises and ideas to create your own contemporary summer solstice flash fiction myths.
You’ll have writing time in the main group, followed by time in small break-out groups after each writing exercise to meet other flash fiction writers from around the world to chat and share or discuss your drafts. You’ll come away with four new drafts and also, within the price of the ticket, you’ll have an opportunity to get feedback from me on one draft after the workshop if you send me your piece.
It will be a fast, fun and friendly session.50 places maximum. Beginners and experienced writers welcome. All proceeds go to funds for next year’s festival which we plan to organise for June 2021. £30.
Find out more about the three other things happening during the festival weekend. Flash Fiction Festival Friday Readings with presenters who would have run workshops at the cancelled festival. June 19th.
Novella in Flash readings, Sunday June 21st
Free micro contest with lovely prizes. Open now. Closed June 18th. Announced June 20th.
Find out more about me and my other workshops at judehiggins.com
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