photofinish
the ihlr photofinish
For the IHLR annual PhotoFinish, we seek well-crafted and very brief ekphrastic work that pushes beyond the absolute literal details of a photo prompt; we're looking for work that recognizes what's hidden in the world we see. We provide the photo right here every May. Prose responses should be no longer than 500 words and poetry no longer than 15 lines. Submit your entries electronically via our Submittable page beginning July 1 through August 15. Winner receives $250; ten finalists each receive $50. The winner and finalists are published in the e-edition, released at midnight on Dec 31--our last horse over the year's finish line. $5 fee. Except on our free day: August 1.
Read our past PhotoFinish Issues (FREE!) at IHLR Online!
2020 winner: erica plouffe lazure
Our 2020 winner, Erica Plouffe Lazure, dazzled us with an ekphrastic story about a woman's transformation into a ship. Join us in reading On Sail and all of our incredible finalists when our next Photo Finish issue releases at the New Year!
2020 finalists:
Michelle Lerner | Seaquestration
Sam Kaspar | Sailing to Busying Times
Kate Stadt | Delicate Cycle
Whitney Rio-Ross | Penelope, Upon Her Husband's Return
Sarah-Jane Crowson | Epic
Michele Randall | Planning for Fall
Julia Singer | Washing Up
K. K. Fox | Boat Go
Alice Turski | A Long Time Coming
Susan Carroll Jewell | Odysseus Arrives From the Land of the Phaeacians
The winner and all finalists will be included in the 2020 PhotoFinish, released at midnight on New Year's Eve. We will announce the release on social media, with the link to read the issue for free!
2020 photo prompt
Photo credit: Zastolskiy Victor.