53-Word Story Contest
Each month we offer a prompt to subscribers of Press 53 and 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 for free and we’ll send you the prompt on the first day of each month.
Scroll down to read our winning stories for January, February, March, and April
January 2024
Photo by breakingpic licensed through Pexels
Our prompt for January was: At midnight local time, everyone in the USA crossed over into a new year. In China, the new year begins somewhere between January 21 and February 20. Regardless of your calendar, at some point a new year arrives, and with it, many hope for a better life, a fresh start, peace for all.
Write a 53-word story about a beginning
“Ciao Is Two Words” by Leeron Carmi
I’ve only just started to sort the trash properly and now I feel a pressure to speak the language I’ve struggled with for the past two years. The cab driver is waiting and my luggage is full, but I squeeze in my landlady’s rusted moka pot anyways, even though I don’t drink coffee.
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53-Word Bio
While Leeron Carmi studies architecture in Milan, Italy, writing has become her favorite form of procrastination. She enjoys telling stories through any medium she can, from walls to words, and has a soft spot for bad puns, beautiful hikes, and impromptu train travels. People are her inspiration, and she tries to listen closely.
February 2024
Photo by Mike Bird licensed through Pexels
Our prompt for February was: We’ve had devices to help us with our accomplishments for millions of years. What started with hammer stones and edges eventually led to the airplane, the electric guitar, and, in some way, “The Day the Music Died”: the February 3 crash that claimed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and their pilot.
Write a 53-word story about a tool
“On Call” by Joanna Chen
It wasn’t working again. Sandra cursed. Twelve more hours until the end of her shift. Residents knew that the most important machine in Radiology was not the CT, MRI or X-ray, but the coffee machine. She whacked its side until it gurgled back to life. They were both going to survive the night.
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53-Word Bio
Joanna Chen is the pen name of a lawyer from Singapore who has, very sadly, only ever been published in legal digests. She completed a novel during the pandemic, and is currently working on her next manuscript, a contemporary romance (most definitely not inspired by her marriage, work, or any real life events).
March 2024
Photo by urtimud, licensed through Pexels
Our Prompt for March was: John Philip Sousa died this month in 1932. He lived a life dedicated to music and military service, first joining the U.S. Marine Corps as an apprentice at age 13. The sousaphone that bears his name was created under his direction and has been echoing off streets, fields, and parade grounds since 1893.
Write a 53-word story about a march
“Tactics” by Steve Nathans
An hour of ultimatums had failed. Desperate, they marched up the stairs in lock step, tooting invisible trombones. The child smiled through tears and ran to bring up the rear. Although they won the battle, they knew they had lost the war, for their little soldier would be short on shuteye come morning.
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53-Word Bio
Steve is an advertising copywriter living in Miami who’s used to working with word counts and briefs. In fact, the only thing that made this contest not feel like work was not having a marketing client second-guess what he wrote. Oh, and the not being paid part. But hey, money isn’t everything, right?
April 2024
Photo “Two bands” royalty free from pxhere.com
Our prompt for April was: Of the many collective nouns used for animals—crash, shrewdness, conspiracy, business, murder, prickle, fever, shiver, and galaxy, to name a few—one obvious one seems to be missing. Humans use it often in unifying places: marriages, people, music, colors and striations, even machinery, and anything else we need just a bit tighter.
Write a 53-word story about a band
“At Long Last” by Allison Winstead
He stared from the summit down the steep and narrow descent. A delicious kind of fear fluttered in his stomach as he prepared to take his place among the previous, brave conquerors of Poseidon's Peak.
Finally, at forty-eight inches tall, he had earned his right to the red wristband at the water park.
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53-Word Bio
Allison Winstead is a financial professional from rural Mississippi who spends an embarrassing amount of time daydreaming, mostly about being interviewed by 60 Minutes for writing the next great American novel. She loves the written word in all its forms, baking, and sharing a home with daughter (Reagan), husband (Shey), and furbaby (Nola).