



photofinish
2023 photo prompt

Photo credit: Johanna Altmann
the ihlr photofinish
For the IHLR annual PhotoFinish, we seek well-crafted and very brief ekphrastic work that pushes beyond an absolute literal read of a photo prompt. We're looking for work that recognizes what's hidden in the world we see, responding to the physical details that the picture offers or what emotion it conveys or both. We provide the photo on our website and social media platforms every mid-May. Responses should be no longer than 500 words for prose or 15 lines for poetry, and they should be submitted electronically from July 1 to Aug 15.. Winner receives $250. The finalists receive: $50. The winner and nine finalists are published in the e-edition, released at midnight on New Year's Eve--our last horse over the year's finish line.
Reading fee: $5. Free submit day: July 15 (extended through July 16).
Read our past PhotoFinish Issues (FREE!) at IHLR Online!
2022 winner:
Ciara Alfaro, "The Taste of That"
2022 finalists:
Sean Cho A., "& Then #17"
Susan Barry-Schulz, "Under the Influence"
Jeffrey Haskey-Valerius, "Icarus at the Carnival"
Jeffrey Hecker, "Watteau for the Win"
Meghan Kemp-Gee, "I ride the swing carousel in the Calabash Nebula, twenty-nine quadrillion miles away"
Jemma Leigh Roe, "A Quantum Tilt"
Elisabeth Murawski, "Uvalde"
Laura Nagle, "Higher"