Photo credit: Neale Cousland

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 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.

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Reading fee: $5. Free submit day: July 15.

2021 winner:

Clara Bush Vadala, "My Friend Tells Me Sheep Are the Weakest Creature"

2021 finalists:

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Brooke White, "While the Moon Grows Full Outside My Window"

Susan Carroll Jewell, "A Herd by Side of the Road Listens to Yeats"

Carlton Clayton, "Without a Word"

Josh Luckenbach, "We See What We Look At"

Brook McClurg, "The Sheep Won't Show and Anyways He Only Knows Two Numbers"

Grace Q. Song, "What Forever Means"

Paul Ilechko, "Lambswool Ekphrastic"

Matthew Hawk, "Pasce Oves Maes"

Elizabeth O'Connell-Thompson, "Hanged for a Lamb"

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The winner and all finalists will be included in the 2022 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!