Winners Announced for the 2025 Next Generation Short Story Awards

PHILADELPHIA, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Next Generation Short Story Awards is proud to announce the 2025 winning stories.

The stories are Winners of the 2025 Next Generation Short Story Awards (the" Short Story Awards"), a not-for-profit international awards program for authors of short stories. The Short Story Awards is brought to you by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers.

The Short Story Awards is open to writers around the world writing original short stories in English (5,000 words or less) that have not been previously published. Offering 30+ categories, the awards celebrate the best short story writing and the creative minds behind the words, and provides exciting opportunities to have stories considered for cash prizes, gold medals, and inclusion in an annual Anthology of Winners among other benefits.

Winners are selected by a panel of literary professionals, publishing executives, writing teachers, and acclaimed authors. Their wealth of experience and passion for a great read help identify short stories deserving of a wider audience.

2025 Grand Prize Winners

First Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Grooves and Blisters, by Robert Wright

Second Place Winner ($300 Prize)
Three Cheers for Emilio!, by Elizabeth Weiss Vollstadt

Third Place Winner ($200 Prize)
Honeybee and the Sting of Love, by Anne Freeman

The Grand Prize winners will be honored during the Next Generation Indie Book Awards Gala on Friday, June 27, at The Notary Hotel in Philadelphia, PA.

Category Winners and Finalists

All Category Winners receive a Gold Medal and $75 cash prize. Winners and Finalists in the 2025 Short Story Awards will also be given literary exposure for a full year on www.ShortStoryAwards.com, significant social media coverage, and the opportunity to display Winner and Finalist digital gold stickers on their promotional materials.

A complete list of 2025 Winners and Finalists is available on our website here.

Call for Entries: 2026 Next Generation Short Story Awards

Entries are now being accepted for the 2026 Next Generation Short Story Awards and are open to people of all ages and geographies. The deadline date for the 2026 awards program is February 26, 2026. Visit www.ShortStoryAwards.com for more information.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Teets, 304-789-3001, [email protected] 

SOURCE Next Generation Short Story Awards