NORTHAMPTON, Mass., Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Winning Writers is pleased to announce the results from its 32nd annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest. Kathleen McNamara of Rimrock, AZ won the $3,500 first prize for fiction for her story “Cryptozoology”. Lanfu Liu of Anshan, China won the $3,500 first prize for nonfiction for his essay “Memory in Tibet”. Both authors also received two-year gift certificates from the contest co-sponsor, Duotrope. 2,249 entries were received from around the world.

The protagonist of “Cryptozoology” is a veteran of the Afghanistan war, now stationed at an Army base in Alaska. The emotional trauma he can’t verbalize expresses itself in crippling back pain that takes him to a chiropractor, a Vietnam vet whose own similar struggles make his patient feel less alone. Mina Manchester, final judge of the 2024 Fiction & Essay Contest, said that this story “takes the reader on a journey of becoming something else in the aftermath of war.”

In “Memory in Tibet,” teaching assistants in an impoverished Tibetan village grapple with how best to help children whose parents depend on their labor. The young people are eager for education, yet their small hands make them best suited to pick the rare medicinal fungus that commands a high price in China. Manchester called this essay “a deeply thoughtful meditation on morality.”

Ten Honorable Mentions of $300 went to Clea Bierman, Sarah Cadorette, Juliana Delany, Zoe Hiemstra, Talya Jankovits, Rebekah McDermott, Ilari Pass, Jason Prokowiew, Arya Samuelson, and Jennie Stevenson. The top 12 entries and judge’s comments are published on the Winning Writers website.

The 33rd contest is open now through May 1, 2025. The fee is $25 for each entry, maximum 6,000 words per piece. Two top prizes of $3,500 will be awarded, along with newly increased $500 awards for the ten Honorable Mention winners. Mina Manchester returns as final judge, with screening assistance from Sarah Halper. See guidelines and enter online at winningwriters.com/tomstory

In addition to the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest, Winning Writers sponsors the North Street Book Prize, the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, and the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee). Writer’s Digest has named it one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers,” most recently in 2024.

Media Contact:

Adam Cohen

413-320-1847

[email protected]

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