Winning Stories
The Ninth Playground Challenge - November 2024
1st Place
“Unidentified Flying Objects” by Mandy Lange
Howell, MI, USA
Follow Mandy: Instagram
A pregnant, sarcastic teen is sent away to St. Bernadette’s Maternity Home in 1966, where she’ll have her baby in secret and get on with her life.
2nd Place
“Venom” by Ashley Evans
Bethlehem, NH, USA
Two friends navigate growing up, and a traumatic event that changes everything.
3rd Place
“A World of Men” by Alex Atkins
Utterson, ON, Canada
Follow Alex: Website or Instagram
A young girl finds peace by the river while the world finds itself once again at war.
4th Place
“Last Port of Call” by Ginger Marcinkowski
Panama City Beach, FL, USA
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A raging storm blowing across Lake Michigan stirs a man’s memories and arouses regrets concerning his estranged brother.
5th Place
“Legerdemain” by Michael Barbato-Dunn
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Follow Michael: Website
Amid a global crisis, a Soviet emigre in a troubled marriage struggles to find her place in her new homeland.
6th Place
“Something You Can Touch” by Cathee Phillips
Barboursville, VA, USA
A woman finds strength in an unexpected place after a tragic loss.
7th Place
“One Small Step for a Man” by Erin Brandt Filliter
New Brunswick, Canada
Gordon navigates the social complexities of a new family dynamic.
Meanwhile, astronauts explore new frontiers in space.
8th Place
“Perseids” by Alyssa Beatty
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Follow Alyssa: Website
Beneath the Perseids, Theresa makes a wish.
9th Place
“The Polish Connection” by Philip Chwistek
Dallas, TX, USA
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An American journalist forges an unlikely friendship while researching a story in Sardinia.
10th Place
“Seeing Red” by Sonja Faul
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Follow Sonja: Instagram
A coroner helps a victim of domestic violence in more ways than one.
Honorable Mentions:
“Come Ride the Wonder” by Tamsin Marischal
Tulsa, OK, USA
Email Tamsin: tamsinmarischal@gmail.com
A young woman, with eyes on her future, is in danger of losing her freedom. Can she trust the ones who come to her rescue?
“A Place to Hide” by Gayle Beveridge
Wonthaggi, VIC, Australia
A woman, down on her luck, forced to navigate her new life as a resident in a run-down motel, struggles to connect with her neighbour and to find her own sense of purpose.
“In Their Debt” by C. A. Fulwell
Drayton, United Kingdom
Follow C. A.: Website
A long-serving and loyal handyman, in the service of the same couple at the same motel for decades, grapples with the changing demands of his job.
“The Boy from Mars” by Scott Liapis
San Francisco, CA, USA
Follow Scott: Facebook
An outcast from Mars, Pennsylvania hopes to meet his idol at a meet-and-greet during the town's Mars New Year's festival.
“For Elise” by Garrett K. Jones
Hanford, CA, USA
Follow Garrett: Website or Instagram
Legends from an ancestral homeland prove why coulrophobia exists as one young man hunts the creature that once hunted him.
“The Beekeeper of Mars” by Natalie Minaker
Worcestershire, United Kingdom
On the first human colony on Mars, a grieving beekeeper has to tackle a wasp infestation which threatens the very survival of the colonists while at the same time navigating a strained relationship with his teenaged stepson.
“Moel y Golfa” by Faye Windsor-Smith
London, United Kingdom
Two brothers unpack their relationship in a quarry on a remote hill in Wales.
“Where the Road Goes” by Tim Hass
Manteo, NC, USA
Follow Tim: Website
A chance meeting at a rundown roadside motel leads to an unexpected, unlikely friendship.
“The Price of a Kiss” by Cat Woodbrook
Glasgow, United Kingdom
A teenage boy decides to play truant in the hopes of finally kissing his crush.
“A Home for Boblynn” by Morgan West
Montgomery, AL, USA
Follow Morgan: Instagram
Boblynn the Goblin finds help in unexpected places to achieve her dream, despite the Mayor's interference.
Eighth Challenge Winning Stories - May 2024
Seventh Challenge Winning Stories - January 2024
Sixth Challenge Winning Stories - May 2023
Fifth Challenge Winning Stories - December 2022
One-Year Anniversary Challenge Winning Stories - July 2022
Third Challenge Winning Stories - March 2022
Classic Short Stories
“Sonny’s Blues” - by James Baldwin (1957)
“The Yellow Wallpaper” - by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)
“The Storm” - by Kate Chopin (1898)
“Babylon Revisited” - by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1931)
“The Cask of Amontillado” - by Edgar Allen Poe (1846)
The websites linked above are not affiliated with Writers' Playground, LLC. We thank them for sharing these beautiful classic tales.