Winners of our FREE monthly
53-Word Story Contest
Each month we offer a prompt to subscribers of Prime Number Magazine to write a 53-word story—no more, no less—and send it to us by the fifteenth (15th) day of the month. Our judges select one winning story, and the author receives a book from Press 53 as well as publication in Prime Number Magazine. Want to play along? Subscribe to Prime Number Magazine and we’ll send you the prompt on the first day of each month.
Below, read our winners for
April: Paul Adam Short / May: Angel Pritts / June: Audrey Lindsay
Paul Adam Short
April 2021
Prompt:
Fools are known for their imprudence. They may suffer from harmless derangement. They may be a court jester. Merriam-Webster’s informs that a fool is also a cold dessert of pureed fruit with whipped cream. So, if someone says, “I ate a delicious fool last night,” be careful, but they probably just mean parfait.
Write a 53-word story about something tasty
That Awkward First Kiss
My mouth tingles from the grape ChapStick smudge her lips have pressed on to mine. She thinks I'm blushing as I cover my face. My throat’s closed. I scramble in my backpack for the epi-pen. I wonder if her sandwich was PB & J.
My chemical savior plunges into skin. Now I’m blushing.
~ ~ ~
53-Word Bio
Paul Adam Short is a writer and poet from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He is currently working on a collection of poems, an anthology of short stories, and a crime novel. When not writing, Paul enjoys cooking, supporting Newcastle United and Newcastle Eagles and spending time at the coast with his wife, Christine.
Angel Pritts
May 2021
Prompt:
William Faulkner once avoided the period for more than 1,200 straight words. Jonathan Coe put off using one for nearly 14,000. There are entire books, in myriad languages and genres, containing only a single period. Each author understood their own unique motivation, but perhaps they all regarded it as a little dot prison.
Write a 53-word story about a sentence
What Defines You
It was her third time caught stealing. "Your choice," sighed the judge. A month in jail or a day holding a sign: I AM A THIEF. Obvious decision.
People stared, laughed. A stranger approached her, pointing at her sign. "That doesn't define you." She cried; they hugged. He never did find his wallet.
~ ~ ~
53-Word Bio
Angel Pritts lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and four children. She enjoys writing novels and short stories. She hopes to return to community theatre in the near future. Angel's lifelong dream is to appear on a game show, preferably Jeopardy!. In her spare time, she looks at cat pictures on the internet.
Audrey Lindsay
June 2021
Prompt:
Whistling is hard to teach. It usually goes: “Just make a circle with your lips and blow.” And soon after, “Yeah, kinda.” Whistles, themselves, are easier. June celebrates milk, bourbon, smoothies, moonshine, iced tea, martinis, rosé, the Dark ’N’ Stormy, cider, and general hydration, so there’s plenty of occasion to wet yours. Poo-tee-weet?
Write a 53-word story about a whistle
I Can Do It with My Eyes Shut
My other collie whines as I pay the vet.
“Hush, Bessie’s coming home!” Infection has turned her eyes milky.
Back at the farm, she pads, unseeing, a working dog no longer.
Next morning, I’m in the far field. I whistle. “Come-bye.”
The flock suddenly bleats and swerves.
Tail wagging, Bessie has found us.
~ ~ ~
53-Word Bio
Audrey Lindsay left Oxford University with a degree in English Literature, then gained an acting diploma from a now-defunct drama school. Following a varied career in entertainment, venue management and local government, she now plans a happy retirement enlivened by writing, acting and volunteering. Audrey lives in London with her extremely patient husband.