Our FREE
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 day of the month. Our editors 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. You can also find the prompt and the previous month’s winning story at the 53-Word Story Contest page.
Scroll down to read our winners for October, November, and December 2021
Keith Padraic
October 2021
Prompt: Write a 53-word story about arriving
Final Request
I left Santorini by boat, traveled to Athens by motorbike. I flew to Queens, then Boston, arriving with sand in my hair. My relatives parted like the sea as I knelt by my grandfather. I held the conch to his ear, and he listened to the shores of his youth one last time.
~ ~ ~
53-Word Bio
Keith Padraic lives in Rhode Island where he works as a graphic designer and content editor. He has been writing for the past twenty years, producing a number of stories, plays, poems, and essays. Keith is currently working on his third novel, a coastal drama about a land feud involving several competing individuals.
Janette Ostle
November 2021
Prompt: Write a 53-word story about support
Unforgettable
He rocks by the window, watches rain slip down the pane. There’s nothing else, his reflection blurred a long time ago.
Standing beside him, she lets the stylus fall, hums the tune, sings the words, offers her hand.
“Shall we?”
And while they dance to their song, he is fluid in the present.
~ ~ ~
53-Word Bio
Janette Ostle lives in Wigton, Cumbria, UK. She enjoys walking and often finds inspiration from thoughts which occur whilst outdoors. Prone to occasional tongue-tied moments, she finds expressing herself on paper easier, as well as cathartic. She’s had poems and prose published in various anthologies and is delighted to be November’s contest winner.
Mila Gama
December 2021
Prompt: Write a 53-word story about a stream
Melinda
If you’re from this town, then you know Melinda. The kids whisper about it while the adults hush them as if pain can be erased through disregard. A girl in a polyester dress falls into a stream while chasing a golden shiner, never to be found again. Fragile body choosing wonder over life.
~ ~ ~
53-Word Bio
Mila Gama was born in Lima, Peru, and currently resides in South Florida. A multifaceted artist, she uses writing, photography, styling, and artistic direction to create storytelling revolving around personal power and the transmutation of power dynamics. She is currently working on her BA in Creative Writing and Philosophy at Florida State University.