Winner
"Exit Strategies of a Great Squirrel Army" by Michael Welch
From judge Kevin Wilson:
What begins as a wonderful examination of the dynamics of work, the main character Andre avoiding college by working at a garden center, turns into something rich and emotionally resonant, as Andre navigates the complexities of familial responsibility. It's honest and unflinching, with bursts of humor that always land. Oh, and there's a squirrel army, a failing hydrangea that is taking on strange properties, and a possible apocalypse. It's a unique, heartbreaking story.
Michael Welch is the Editor-In-Chief of the Chicago Review of Books. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Prairie Schooner, Los Angeles Review of Books, Scientific American, Electric Lit, North American Review, and elsewhere. He is a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee, finalist for the Breakout 8 Writers Prize, and the winner of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies' Florence Kahn Memorial Award. Find him at @MBWwelch.
Second Place
"Professionals" by Danny Lang-Perez
From judge Kevin Wilson:
Finalists
"A Pigboy and His Artificial Jesus," by Patrick Zhou
"A Strong Hand," by Patricia McCrystal
"Big Party after the Last Animal," by Jesse Nee-Vogelman
"Lanier," by Gillon Crichton
"Like Blue Eyes," by Blake Hammond
"Obliteration," by Alexandra Salata
"One Road to the Sea," by Chris Seaborne
"Summerland," by Taylor Mahone
