The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.

The finalists for January were:

New Year’s Resolution by Mary Steer
Waiting to be a Good Samaritan by Paul Beckman
Obsessive by Brandon Barrows
Her Finest Work by James P. Spitznogle
The Dead’s Weight by Eldar Levin

The winner of the January 2016 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…

Waiting to be a Good Samaritan

I love how much this story catches the reader off guard. It’s just dark enough to get me emotionally invested, but light enough to really make me laugh. Good work, Paul!

The story of the week for January 25 to 29 is…

The Dead’s Weight by Eldar Levin

Artistry and adventure well combined.

The story of the week for January 18 to 23 is…

Her Finest Work by James P. Spitznogle

The unexpectedness of the twist was what really did me in!

The story of the week for January 11 to 15 is…

Obsessive by Brandon Barrows

I like the strong implied character development and the sharp-edged humour.

After deliberating over the 12 finalists, I’ve made my decision…

The winner of the 2015 Story of the Year, along with the $50 prize and enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, is:

One Job From Retirement by Guy Preston

Join me in congratulating Guy for his tremendous work, including two Story of the Month wins and multiple other strong contributions this past year.

Honourable mentions go to Head Case by Mark Farley, one of the most creative concepts I’ve seen delivered in a 50-word story, and to Mr. Moon by Dan Niederloh, which produced the most immediately intense reaction I think I’ve had from any submission to the site.

The story of the week for January 4 to 8 is…

Waiting to be a Good Samaritan by Paul Beckman

Last week brought us an incredibly strong lineup of stories, but Paul’s contribution has me laughing afresh every time!

Throughout 2015, we got to read a ton of great stories, but only a few could rise to the top. Here are the 12 Story of the Month winners, which make up our finalists for the 2015 Story of the Year.

JANUARY: Math Lesson by Cathy Ulrich
FEBRUARY: Closing Time by Steve Lucas
MARCH: Striking Twice by Gina Lyle
APRIL: Note Left on a Car in a Grocery Store Parking Lot by Cynthia Franks
MAY: The Writer’s Son by Guy Preston
JUNE: Head Case by Mark Farley
JULY: Mr. Moon by Dan Niederloh
AUGUST: You Are Standing in My Moonlight by Jeff Holland
SEPTEMBER: One Job From Retirement by Guy Preston
OCTOBER: A Fleeting Childhood by Jason Huynh
NOVEMBER: Blind Date by Matthew Gregory
DECEMBER: Fairy Lights by Ellie Burkinshaw

The winner, as chosen by editor Tim Sevenhuysen will be announced next weekend!

The prize for the Story of the Year winner will be:

• $50 (Canadian)
• Enshrinement in the 50WS Hall of Fame

Let everyone know in the comments who you would give the award to!

Throwback: In 2015, Bob Thurber won the Story of the Year award with his piece The Mapmaker’s Calligraphist Daughter.

Resident Hall-of-Famer Bob Thurber will be judging the Bumblee Microfiction Contest, open to entries this month!

Head over to the contest page and send in your 50-word story. You could win a one-year subscription to Pulp Literature.

Entries will be judged by Bob Thurber.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.

The finalists for December were:

The Magic Pencil by Joanne R. Fritz
Fairy Lights by Ellie Burkinshaw
All-Nighter Agony by Sally Basmajian
All Sales Are Final by Daniel Slaten
Surface Area by Bruce Meredith

The winner of the December 2015 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…

Fairy Lights

Circuses are ripe ground for mystery, fantasy, and a tinge of darkness. Ellie took great advantage of that space for imagination, and created an entry point into a massive world of speculation and exploration.

The story of the week for December 28 to January 1 is…

New Year’s Resolution by Mary Steer

It’s always nice to start off a new year with a bit of humour!