Stories of the Week: Contest #341
Welcome back to your weekly wrap-up of the Reedsy Prompts contest! This week’s tales are hot off the press, so settle in and check out our latest contest winner, the runners-up, and recent popular entries in your preferred genres below.
Also, don’t forget to like and comment on your favorites! Our authors work hard on their submissions every week — your support and feedback mean the world to them.
Winner 🏆
The Fish
by
SJ Lamo
A fish makes her final journey upstream, driven by an instinct she never questions, to return to the place where her life began.
💡 Inspired by the prompt:
Your protagonist returns to a place they swore they’d never go back to.
📌 Why it won: Guest judge Lauren Kay said: "From the very first lines, the entire story felt like stepping into a dream. The voice was distinct and immersive, and pulled me somewhere quiet and reflective — slightly otherworldly. There’s probably no better way to describe it than this: it felt like a fish dream. And I mean that as the highest compliment!
The concept itself was stunning in its simplicity and execution. A fish returning to the freshwater where it was born could have been a straightforward narrative, but instead, it became something deeply symbolic and quietly profound.
The perspective was handled with such care. The fish is driven by something instinctual, something it cannot name or articulate, and yet we as readers completely understand and relate to the gravity of that pull.
By the end, I was left with this gentle, bittersweet ache. The journey felt both small and enormous at the same time. Somehow, through the life of a fish, the story became a staggering reminder that life is precious — that the changes we undergo, the migrations we make, and the currents we follow all carry meaning, even when we don’t fully understand them.
It invited reflection without forcing it. It was tender without being sentimental. It was creative without being flashy. And long after I finished reading, it lingered. The author crafted something so imaginative, so thoughtful, and so quietly powerful."
Runners-up 🏅
Insomnia
by
Harry Stuart
It's slowly approaching midnight, and our protagonist is still awake, ruminating on past mistakes, financial woes, and a relationship on the rocks. Will they ever find peace, or will their insomnia get the better of them?
💡 Inspired by the prompt:
Include the words “Do I know you?” or “Do you remember…” in your story.
EASTBOUND
by
Jennifer Skye
In this sweet, captivating tale, a Scottish man in Philadelphia finds himself in the same crowded train as his long-lost love. Is their reunion written in the stars, or will this chance at true love pass them by?
💡 Inspired by the prompt:
Write about a character who runs into someone they once loved.
Stories you might like 👀
This week’s top stories from your preferred genres.
Fiction
Letter from the Front
by
Marjolein Greebe
What Stays
by
Nicholas Lira
Historical Fiction
Just Being Frank
by
Elizabeth Hoban
A Way With Words
by
Wally Schmidt
Drama
The Blue Door
by
Helen A Howard
The Taxi Stand on Roosevelt Boulevard
by
Jonathan Page
And there you have it: the latest and greatest of this week! If you want to change your preferred genres or opt out of this newsletter, you can do so anytime in your Account Settings.
Stay tuned for next week’s wrap-up, which will feature stories from the "Love is in the Air" edition of our contest.
Happy reading,
Isabella, Chief Story Curator @ Reedsy
P.S. Want to be featured in this newsletter? Submit a story to the current edition of our contest, "Tension, Twists, and Turns with WOW!", for the chance to receive fame, glory, and a top prize of $250!
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