Winning Writers Announces the Winners of the 34th Annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest
NORTHAMPTON, Mass., Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Winning Writers is pleased to announce the results from its 34th annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest. Jaime Gill of Brighton, England won the $3,500 first prize for fiction for his story "Black Sky, Blue Earth." Jonah Walters of Flushing, New York won the $3,500 first prize for nonfiction for his essay "The Burnable Seas." The top two winners also received $100 gift certificates from the contest co-sponsor, Duotrope. 1,893 entries were received from around the world.
"Black Sky, Blue Earth" is a lyrical piece of speculative fiction narrated by the last surviving astronaut on a mission to explore Mars for colonization. A loner by nature, he reflects on what his friendship with his deceased crewmate taught him about being human—a revelation that is bittersweet in light of the extinction-level environmental crisis awaiting him on Earth. Tamra Badgett, final judge of the 2026 contest, said, "The apparent survival story gradually reveals itself as something more intimate: a meditation on what makes survival meaningful. 'Black Sky, Blue Earth' centers less on the mechanics of a space mission and more on how to bridge the gap between one person's interior and another's."
Facing cancer, the narrator of "The Burnable Seas" seeks support from kelp as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, which leads him to trace its ecological, military, and remedial properties across centuries and cultures. Badgett said, "As the essay moves between personal narrative and research, each strand of the braid changes the meaning of the others. What begins as an essay about a potentially devastating diagnosis develops into a meditation on where we go when we have reached the limits of our knowledge."
Ten Honorable Mentions of $500 went to Vinod Busjeet, Jordan Guevara, David McArthur, Kim McLarin, Sena Moon, Gina Ochsner, Xavier Prince, Jillian Grant Shoichet, Tracey Slaughter, and Corinne Young. The top 12 entries and the judge's remarks are published online at Winning Writers.
The 35th contest is open now through May 1, 2027. The fee is $27 for each entry, maximum 6,000 words per piece. Tamra Badgett will return as final judge. This contest accepts published and unpublished work.
We extend deep gratitude to Sarah Halper for her tenure as assistant judge. Winning Writers managing editor Annie Mydla will assume Ms. Halper's role.
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 no-fee Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. Writer's Digest has named it one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers," most recently in 2026.
Contact:
Adam Cohen
413-320-1847
SOURCE Winning Writers
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