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.