NC State Fiction Contest

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Maya Afilalo, “Home Improvement” (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Michael Mount, “Hitchhiker” (Asheville, NC)
• Clayton Walker, “Exploited to Instinct” (Rolesville, NC)

Finalists

• Jean-Luc Bouchard, “Fear of Injury” (Greensboro, NC)
• Holly Brantley, “The Sparrow and the Lily“(Spring Hope, NC)
• Brenda Greene, “A Sucker for Redheads” (Enfield, NC)
• Gabriel Holder, “Scarecrows” (Mebane, NC)
• Rebecca Holder, “Virgil Thompson’s Salvation” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Sally Parlier, “Fortunate” (Raleigh, NC)
• Dean Marshall Tuck, “Vision Quest” (Bailey, NC)
• AlTonya Washington, “The Outside Child” (Winston-Salem, NC)

Shorter Fiction Prize

• Molly Edmonds, “Good Samaritans” (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Susan Wilson, “Dusk” (Clemmons, NC)

Finalists

• Maya Afilalo, “Northern Moon Semi-Annual Review: Submission Guidelines” (Raleigh, NC)
• Laura Bayzle, “Lost & Found” (Raleigh, NC)
• Siew David Hii, “Go On Then” (Raleigh, NC)
• Evan Hoopfer, “Her Dream” (Raleigh, NC)
• Ben Kasierski, “Cost of Acceptance” (Raleigh, NC)
• Isaac Lewis, “Food for Fire” (Raleigh, NC)
• Robert McGee, “The Jerk” (Asheville, NC)
• Tuesday Pil, “The Holy Sacraments of Filipino Food” (Raleigh, NC)
• Amanda Solliday, “Yellow Jackets” (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2022 NC STATE UNDERGRADUATE FICTION PRIZE

• Tuesday Pil, “The Holy Sacraments of Filipino Food” (Raleigh, NC); sophomore, College of Humanities and Social Sciences

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Elizabeth Quirk, “The Plague of Wolves” (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Matthew Fiander, “The Black-Barred Heart” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Clayton Walker, “Neck Tattoo” (Rolesville, NC)

Finalists

• Maya Afilalo, “We Are All Adults Here” (Raleigh, NC)
• Jean-Luc Bouchard, “Turn Your Back to the Sun” (Greensboro, NC)
• Holly Brantley, “The Purification of Augustine Albemarle” (Spring Hope, NC)
• Michael Colbert, “Dinner Party Stories” (Wilmington, NC)
• Elizabeth Coletti, “You Don’t Know Me Yet” (Carrboro, NC)
• Philip Goldberg, “One Road Out” (Durham, NC)
• Courtney Justus, “Stained-Glass Windows” (Wilmington, NC)
• Sarah Newton, “The Stipulations of Flying” (Rocky Point, NC)
• Howard Pearre, “Byline” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Isabel Walsh, “Screen” (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2021 Shorter Fiction Prize

• Michael Colbert, “Horror Movie” (Wilmington, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Robert McGee, “Secrets” (Asheville, NC)

Finalists

• Albert Howard Carter, “All Stretched Out” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Emily Clemente, “Poppy” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Matthew Fiander, “The Storm Rattle” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Ian Holmes, “The Old Hunter” (Morrisville, NC)
• Sarah Katz, “Heart” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Alexander Lopez, “Christ’s Place” (Raleigh, NC)
• Vivian Ina Lu, “Elegy” (Fayetteville, NC)
• Alex Pickens, “Memory” (Raleigh, NC)
• Michelle Qiu, “Bitter Greens” (Winston-Salem, NC)

Winner of the 2021 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Holly Brantley, “The Purification of Augustine Albemarle” (Spring Hope, NC); senior, English and Psychology

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Allison Darcy, “Feel”  (Butner, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Josh Tvrdy, “Painting the Bull”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Billy Warden, “The Comeback”  (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Holly Brantley, “Snakes”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Jendayi Brooks-Flemister, “Up Falling”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Matthew Fiander, “The Gulley Cart”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Donald Hammond, “Me and Mr. Wissebrodt”  (Pinetown, NC)
• Jody Herring, “A Thing”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Courtney Justus, “The Station” (Wilmington, NC)
• Camilla Keil, “Eternal”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Alexander Lopez, “Beefcakes”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Harvey Slade, “Battle Worn”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Susan Wilson, “Welcome” (Clemmons, NC)

Winner of the 2020 Shorter Fiction Prize

• Clint Alexander, “Soliloquy of the Community Gardener”  (Cullowhee, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Michael Colbert, “Mr. Anderson” (Wilmington, NC)

Finalists

• Robert McGee, “Stranger” (Asheville, NC)
• Sara Newton, “Orange Trees” (Raleigh, NC)
• Alex Pickens, “)” (Raleigh, NC)
• Kayla Rutledge, “The Jury”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Lane Smith, “Beige Blue Jeans”  (Raleigh, NC)
• C.G. Thompson, “Of Cell Phones and the Zombie Apocalypse”  (Greenville, NC)
• Clayton Walker, “Baby in the Backseat” (Rolesville, NC)

Winner of the 2020 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Amelia Fee, “Fragaria” (Chapel Hill, NC); senior, College of Design

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Kayla Rutledge, “Chicken”  (Chapel Hill, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Kathryn Barber, “Sorry About Your Bird”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Isaac Hughes Green, “The First Time I Said It”  (Durham, NC)

Finalists

• Gina Atkins, “The Callaloo Children”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Katherine W. Bailey, “The Summer of the Duck”  (Atlantic Beach, NC)
• Kathryn Barber, “Sorry About Your Bird”  (Wilmington, NC)
• James Breeden, “Targets”  (Durham, NC)
• Allison Darcy, “Zochreini”  (Butner, NC)
• Matthew Fiander, “The Silence Before”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Isaac Hughes Green, “The First Time I Said It”  (Durham, NC)
• Courtney Justus, “Flight”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Jack Lynch, “Pre-Seed”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Janet Smith Moore, “Thanksgiving”  (Asheville, NC)
• Craig Lincoln, “Life At Sea”  (Durham, NC)
• Emily Morris, “Tilled”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Kayla Rutledge, “Chicken”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Kristin Tajlili, “Hope It Gets Better” (Raleigh, NC)
• Rachel Ranie Taube, “Small Cogs”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Isabel Walsh, “Other-Side People”  (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2019 Shorter Fiction Prize

• Andrés Manosalva Castañeda, “Root”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Kayla Rutledge, “The Pool” (Chapel Hill, NC)

Finalists

• Chris Brincefield, “This is Your Life”  (Statesville, NC)
• Michael Colbert, “Mary has been quitting her job”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Amelia Conklin, “Last Goodbye”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Allison Darcy, “Dream Eater”  (Butner, NC)
• Joanna King, “GETAWAY4U, Inc.”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Emily Morris, “Their Voices are in Their Legs”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Rachel Ranie Taube, “A Girl Cawed”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Gail Williamson, “Dumpster Treasures”  (Lexington, NC)

Winner of the 2019 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Jack Lynch, “Pre-Seed”  (Raleigh, NC)

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Holly Hilliard, “Beyond His Reach”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Allison Darcy, “Fidelis”  (Butner, NC)
• Mary Anna Rice, “The Disappearance of Morimoto Airi”  (Raleigh, NC)
  

Finalists

• Erika Grandstaff, “It Could Happen Like This”  (Garner, NC)
• Sharon Louise Howard, “The Interview” (Boone, NC)
• Gina Malone, “P. Burlington”  (Waynesville, NC)
• Emily Morris, “7-Eleven”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Nancy Swanson, “If You’re Laughing, You’ve Never Been to Idaho” (Pisgah Forest, NC)
• Isabel Walsh, “Invitation  (Raleigh, NC)
• Angela Wilhite, “La Posada”  (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2018 Shorter Fiction Prize

• Mary Anna Rice, “Jaybird” (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Emily Morris, “Popsicle Sticks”  (Greensboro, NC)

Finalists

• Joshua Durham, “At Work With Dad, 1983”  (Charlotte, NC)
• Molly Edmonds, “All the Guys with Their Dogs at the Lake on a Sunday” (Raleigh, NC)
• Holly Hilliard, “If Not For Modern Medicine”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Zachary Lunn, “Hurry Up and Wait”  (Raeford, NC)
• Davis Moore, “The Sweatshirt” (Highlands, NC)
• Emily Morris, “Popsicle Sticks”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Caitlin Norris, “Child 6”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Mary Anna Rice, “Jaybird” (Raleigh, NC)
• Arshia Simkin, “Chrysalis”  (Burlington, NC)
• Susan Wilson, “New Shoes”  (Clemmons, NC)

Winner of the 2018 Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Victoria Anne, “Flamingo Milk”; junior, University College

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Taylor Sykes, “Creeper” (Raleigh, NC)
  
  Honorable Mentions

• Janet Smith Moore, “Beatitudes” (Asheville, NC)
• Arshia Simkin, “No More Kissing Talk” (Burlington, NC)
  
  Finalists

• Marcus Blyden, “Barbwire Blues” (Davidson, NC)
• Austin Cunningham, “August” (Raleigh, NC)
• Molly Edmunds, “Ivette” (Raleigh, NC)
• Matthew Fiander, “The Starland Box” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Holly Hilliard, “The Remainders” (Raleigh, NC)
• Amy Sayle, “Taking A Leap” (Carrboro, NC)
• Susan H. Wilson, “Lunch Hour for the Not Dead Yet” (Clemmons, NC)
  
  Winner of the 2017 Shorter Fiction Prize

• Jen Julian, “Attachment” (Supply, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Nick Story, “Opportunity” (Wilmington, NC)

Finalists

• Threa Almontaser, “Time for A Visit” (Raleigh, NC)
• Allison Darcy, “The Cannibal’s Wife” (Oxford, NC)
• Alex Gaines, “Denali” (Durham, NC)
• Erica Grandstaff, “Bottled” (Garner, NC)
• Arshia Simkin, “Son of An Owl” (Burlington, NC)

Winner of the 2017 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Austin Cunningham, “August” (Raleigh, NC)

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Zachary Lunn, “Guts”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Molly Sentell Haile, “On the Far Edge of Paradise”  (Summerfeld, NC)
• Vivian Lu, “Shanghai, 1966”  (Cary, NC)
  
  Finalists

• Theresa Dowell Blackinton, “Reunification”  (Durham, NC)
• Anita Collins, “Upline”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Blair Donahue, “Ten Cent Balloons”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Matthew Fiander, “Everywhere Scarecrows”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Tayler Heuston, “Prudence”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Laura Moretz, “Dancing with Shaky”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Travis Price, “HumanKind”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Mary Anna Rice, “The Difference Between Us”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Marie Seegmiller, “I Flatter Myself”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Julie Steinbacher, “The Pokémon Game”  (Raleigh, NC)
  
  Winner of the 2016 NC State Prize for Short Fiction

• Vladimir Ureña, “Gringo School”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Riley Kross, “The Elephant”  (Raleigh, NC)

Finalist

• Genevieve Austin, “The Red Dress”  (Boone, NC)
• Marcus Blyden, “Red Lipstick”  (Davidson, NC)
• Cindy Brookshire, “Balloon Baby Jesus”  (Pine Level, NC)
• Debra Madaris Efird, “Palette of Love”  (Harrisburg, NC)
• Lauren Fulcher, “Gentlemen with Flowers”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Tayler Heuston, “Process of Illumination”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Vivian Lu, “Untethered”  (Cary, NC)
• Laura Moretz, “Letter from the Roanoke Valley Detention Center”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Travis Price, “Kansas”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Thomas Wolf, “Fear”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
  
  Winner of the 2016 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Mary Anna Rice, “The Difference Between Us”; senior, English

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Leah Hampton, “Fuckface” (Waynesville, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Anita Collins, “The Anderson Kid”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Brian Ownbey, “The Lucky One”  (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Matthew Fiander, “The Disaster March”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Paul Harvel, “When the Leaves Change” (Pittsboro, NC)
• H. Martin Hebert, “Casablanca”  (Raleigh, NC)
• John Lawton, “Floating Holidays” (Raleigh, NC)
• Craig Lincoln, “Pride of Pele”  (Durham, NC)
• Laura Moretz, “Bulldog”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Jon Mozes, “Old Goats”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Travis Price, “The Girl in the Coma”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Elizabeth Sinden, “Love Sick”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Emily Sorge, “Half World”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Cadwell Turnbull, “Jump”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Billy Warden, “Night Hitch”  (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2015 NC State Prize for Short Fiction

• Helena Bell, “Shark Bites: Five Dollars”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Michelle Crouch, “Dad tells a story with a dog in it”  (Durham, NC)

Finalists

• Threa Almontaser, “Night Reading”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Kartika Budhwar, “Showtime” (Raleigh, NC)
• Grace Dow, “Nine Hundred Feet”  (Monroe, NC)
• Bryce Emley, “Preservation” (Raleigh, NC)
• Matthew Fiander, “Trivia” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Tayler Heuston, “Don’t challenge the kids in the polio camp” (Raleigh, NC)
• Craig Lincoln, “Carbonus Kilroy’s Menagerie of Misfit Machines” (Durham, NC)
• Calista Moon, “Late Afternoon” (Pittsboro, NC)
• Jon Mozes, “The Foyer” (Chapel HIll, NC)
• Elizabeth Oliver, “Blue Like Ours”  (Apex, NC)
• Gary Phillips, “The Way Love Circles” (Pittsboro, NC)
• Megan Roberts, “Between the Cedars”  (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2015 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Threa Almontaser, “Night Reading”; senior, English

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Ross Garrison, “Migration”  (Greensboro, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Theresa Blackinton, “Next Time, The Whale”  (Durham, NC)
• Hannah Jones, “All Women Welcome”  (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Heather Bell Adams, “Salamander in the Garden” (Raleigh, NC)
• Mark Cravens, “Miserable Lives and Hell Thereafter” (Apex, NC)
• Tayler Heuston, “A Sherpa and a Yak” (Raleigh, NC)
• George Kretchun, “Family Values” (Reidsville, NC)
• Matthew Maslowski, “The Briefest of Love, on the Daily” (Raleigh, NC)
• Jon Mozes, “New Haven” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Brian Ownbey, “Baitfish” (Raleigh, NC)
• Julie Steinbacher, “Bright Objects” (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2014 NC State Prize for Short Fiction

• Cadwell Turnbull, “Ears”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Tayler Heuston, “Isla Vista”  (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Heather Bell Adams, “Third Shift”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Judith Behar, “Boxed In” (Greensboro, NC)
• Bryce Emley, “Small Fires”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Carlene Kucharczyk, “All Souls”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Ben Murphy, “Still Life”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Kat Reece, “Guilt” (Raleigh, NC)
• Jen Suchanec, “The Meteorologist’s Party” (Raleigh, NC)
• York Wilson, “To Our Valued Customers”  (Timberlake, NC)
  
  Winner of the 2014 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Marcus Blyden, “Sick Bastards”; junior, English

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Lucas Church, “The Dog Upstairs”  (Chapel Hill, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• A. K. Benninghofen, “Belmont Heights Historic District” (Asheville, NC)
• Brian Ownbey, “Familiar Strangers”  (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Theresa Blackinton, “Spelunking”  (Durham, NC)
• Hannah Jones, “The Fat Twin”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Rebecca Lanning, “Severe and Profound”  (Durham, NC)
• Justin Meckes, “The Cat Burglar”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Jon Mozes, “Lost and Found”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Elizabeth Tarver, “The Sidney Bechet North Carolina Blues”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Kasey Thornton, “Captivity”  (Wendell, NC)
• Drew Wade, “Legal Age”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Jonathan Williams, “Winter, Keep Us Warm” (Greensboro, NC)

Winner of the 2012 NC State Prize for Short Fiction

• Theresa Blackinton, “How to Have A Kid”  (Durham, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Craig Lincoln, “Nothing on Harpo”  (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Heather Bell Adams, “Green River Gorge”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Paul Dixon, “Jesus, My Protector”  (New Bern, NC)
• Ellen Adele King, “Trance”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Elizabeth Sinden, “For the Remission of Sins”  (Raliegh, NC)
• Cadwell Turnbull, “Obeah”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Emily Sorge, “Willa”  (Raleigh, NC)

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Melanie Raskin, “Now You See Her, Now You–” (Chapel Hill, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Ellen Adele King, “Ant Season” (Raleigh, NC)
• Craig Lincoln, “Rabbit Hill” (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Matthew Fiander, “Liner Notes” (Greensboro, NC)
• Laurie Lail, “Watching for Elizabeth” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Laura Knight Moretz, “Philo Goes Home” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Emily Palmer, “Face Painting” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Elizabeth Sinden, “Recipe Writer” (Raleigh, NC)
• Elizabeth Tarver, “Runnergirl” (Raleigh, NC)
• Kasey Thornton, “Blood on My Hands” (Wendell, NC)

Winner of the 2012 NC State Prize for Short Fiction

• Brian Ownbey, “Happy Now”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Theresa Blackinton, “Unscripted”  (Durham, NC)

Finalists

• Chase Cline, “They Were In Love”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Ross Howell, “Vision”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Ellen Adele King, “Bodies”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Susan Kirby-Smith, “Misplaced” (Greensboro, NC)
• Kirsten Lemmons, “Lost Words” (Raleigh, NC)
• Raymond Morrison, “The Old Woman on the Porch”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Kat Reece, “My Father’s Dream” (Raleigh, NC)
• Kemper Wray, “Local Landscaper Drowns Lover” (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2012 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Chase Cline, “Neighborhood Watch”; senior, English

James Hurst Prize for Fiction

• Ashlee Crews, “Church Time”  (Durham, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Stacey Cochran, “Eddie and Sunny”  (Raleigh, NC)
• G.J. Villa, “Lifestyles of the Bored and Aimless”  (Cary, NC)

Finalists

• Matt Alston, “Some Observations to Consider for your Second Draft” (Raleigh, NC)      
• Laura Giovanelli, “The Survivors”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Ariel Rudolph Harwick, “Rich All Over”  (Cary, NC)   
• Rose Lambert-Sluder, “The Bull”  (Chapel Hill, NC)  
• Mesha Maren, “Confluence”  (Asheville, NC)
• Lisa Ward Meadows, “Interment”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Cortney Phillips, “Fascinating Woman”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Charles Rucker, “A Flash of Red”  (Hillsborough, NC)
• J.B. Sparrow, “Passing”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Christine Stark, “Fields of Heather”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Kasey Thornton, “Took Up”  (Wendell, NC)

Winner of the 2011 NC State Prize for Short Fiction

• Julia Patt, “Boy Come Home”  (Greensboro, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Mesha Maren, “Eminent Domain”  (Asheville, NC)

Finalists

• Matt Alston, “They Call Him Sugar”  (Raleigh, NC)  
• Holly Beilin, “The Genetic Mutations of Love”  (Chapel Hill, NC) 
• Lucas Church, “Donkeys”  (Raleigh, NC) 
• Sandra Jung Hall, “Appalachian Wal-Mart at Christmas”  (Durham, NC)
• Corbie Hill, “Cody”  (Pittsboro, NC) 
• Smriti Jaiswal, “Lord Ram’s Marriage Anniversary”  (Durham, NC)       
• Meredith Jones, Untitled  (Chapel Hill, NC)   
• Jacqueline Kantor, “The Mood for Forgetting”  (Chapel Hill, NC) 
• Tracy Knight, “Far From Home”  (Raleigh, NC)                                             
• Madeline Raskulinecz, “Red Line to Glenmont, 3:09 a.m.”  (Carrboro, NC) 

Winner of the 2011 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Corbie Hill, “Cody”; junior, English 

NC State Prize for Fiction

• Emily Howson, “Country Club People”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Shervon Cassim, “Falconry” (Durham, NC)
• David Flatley, “Gabriel’s Hundred” (Lillington, NC)

Finalists

• Will Badger, “Boxes”  (Holly Springs, NC)
• Stacey Sanchez Bigliardi, “The Juggy”  (Garner, NC)
• Shane Combs, “Cave Boy and the Sun”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Paul Dixon, “The Repairable Nature of Things”  (Winterville, NC)
• Buddy Harris, “Things Blur Together” (Durham, NC)
• Marion Hodge, “Amends”  (High Point, NC)
• Aimee Mepham, “Raving Ones”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Cortney Phillips, “Books on Tape”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Caroline Swicegood, “Stories”  (Raleigh, NC)
• C.G. Thompson, “Some Call It Magic” (Greenville, NC)

Winner of the 2010 NC State Prize for Short Fiction

• Aimee Mepham, “Paper Cut”  (Winston-Salem, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Josh Eure, “Hurricane”  (Hertford, NC)

Finalists

• Theresa Dowell Blackinton, “Flying Into the Dark”  (Durham, NC)
• Paul Dixon, “Revival”  (Winterville, NC)
• Laura Giovanelli, “Border Crossing”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Lyn Fairchild Hawks, “3.0”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Smriti Jaiswal, “Connections”  (Durham, NC)
• Paul Lascara, “I Am Sorry”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Ariel Rudolph, “Little Thing In A Big Place” (Carrboro, NC)
• Greg Shemkovitz, “The Retired Postal Worker”  (Greensboro, NC)

Winner of the 2010 NC State Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Sherri Thompson, “Round Midnight”; junior, Biochemistry

Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction

• Katherine Pearl, “Inside of Pappy Pig”  (Durham, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Cory Harris, “Swaddled Disappointment”  (Cary, NC)
• Anthony Sams, “Ich Bin Ein”  (Wilmington, NC)

Finalists

• Cathy Adams, “Boxes”  (Asheville, NC)
• Stacey Sanchez Bigliardi, “What People Remember”  (Garner, NC)
• Michelle Bliss, “Driving Home”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Jacqui Causey, “Neither Here Nor There”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Jeffrey Evans, “Sure Thing”  (Winterville, NC)
• Smriti Jaiswal, “Old Iron Trunks”  (Durham, NC)
• Jennifer Julian, “Stereograms”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Jennifer Morgan, “Iblis”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Mallory Tarses, “Tennis Lesson”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Jessica Thummel, “The Replacement”  (Wilmington, NC)

Winner of the 2009 Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction

• David Flatley, “Sunday at Dad’s” (Lillington, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Cyra Sherburn, “The Inside” (Wilmington, NC)

Finalists

• Darlene Cah, “The Jazz in Her Soul”  (Columbus, NC)
• Jackson Connor, “The Kids in My Neighborhood” (Greensboro, NC)
• Courtney Han, “Taking Her With Me” (Durham, NC)
• Cory Harris, “The Christian Magician” (Cary, NC)
• Smriti Jaiswal, “Over Hair and Hips” (Durham, NC)
• Cassandra Mannes, “Elena” (Raleigh, NC)
• S.P. Matchett, “Leaving Home” (Charlotte, NC)
• Maggie Smith, “Fish” (Clayton, NC)
• Mallory Tarses, “How Was Your Weekend?” (Wilmington, NC)
• Amy Willoughby-Burle, “What She Couldn’t Do”  (Candler, NC)

Winner of the 2009 Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Cassandra Mannes, “Elena”; junior, English

Brenda L. Smart Prize for Fiction

• Erica Plouffe Lazure, “The Cold Front” (Greenville, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Robert McGee, “The Last Great Skull Man” (Asheville, NC)
• Katherine Pearl, “Invisible Force Fields” (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Megan Mayhew Bergman, “Bound to Land” (Raleigh, NC)
• Kevin Casey, “The Welcome Brigade” (Raleigh, NC)
• Roger Cordes, ”Window One Dollar” (Oriental, NC)
• Josh Eure, “Only An Engine” (Hertford, NC)
• Smriti Jaiswal, “The Temple” (Durham, NC)
• Tommy Jenkins, “Three Plays” (Raleigh, NC)
• Aimee Mepham, “Cul-de-sac”(Winston-Salem, NC)
• Daniel Parsons, “Rose (La Diabla)” (Raleigh, NC)
• Alisonn Rose, “Mira’s Treasure” (Raleigh, NC)
• Ben Turney, “Back to the Old Ladies” (Durham, NC)

Winner of the 2008 Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction

• Kevin Casey, “April Wade ” (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Paul Dixon, “What I Got, I Got” (Winterville, NC)

Finalists

• Jake Burnett, “Zeke Skeen” (Raleigh, NC)
• Aileen Carson, “Conflict in the Sixties” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Smriti Jaiswal, “Bad Mother” (Durham, NC)
• Lisa Long, “Amen” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Robert McGee, “There Was An Echo” (Asheville, NC)
• Jason Orders, “Severance” (Apex, NC)
• Megan Roberts, “Gestures” (Greenville, NC)
• Sarah Simpson, “Someone You Don’t Know Who Loves You” (Cary, NC)
• Diana Spindler-Jones, “Liz Phair’s Voice Change” (Cary, NC)
• Rachel Wingo, “Us” (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2008 Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Joel Mikkelsen, “Mascot”; senior, Philosophy

Brenda L. Smart Prize for Fiction

• Whit Coppedge, “Paint” (Chapel Hill, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Josh Eure, “Balloon Vine” (Hertford, NC)
• Megan Roberts, “Corners” (Greenville, NC)

Finalists

• Robin Follet, “Sarcasm” (Cary, NC)
• Parfait Gasana, “Equilibrium”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Cathy James, “Mr. Chinese Right” (Weaverville, NC)
• Molly McCaffrey, “The Other Man” (Laurinburg, NC)
• Katherine Pearl, “Unscheduled Departures” (Raleigh, NC)
• Eric Roe, “Notes from Lazarus” (Raleigh, NC)
• Maureen Sherbondy, “The Final Simcha”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Jodi Lynn Villers, “ABC”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Brendan Walsh, “Bruised” (Raleigh, NC)
• Lisa Ward, “Road Side” (Raleigh, NC)
• Anne Woodman, “Cherries in the Snow”  (Morrisville, NC)

Winner of the 2007 Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction

• Jodi Lynn Villers, “Vocabulary Builder ”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Tommy Jenkins, “The Scar ”  (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Jane Andrews, “Frames” (Raleigh, NC)
• Whitman Bolles, “Down There”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Whit Coppedge, “Irritated ” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Paul Dixon, “Snap” (Winterville, NC)
• Molly McCaffrey, “Look Away ” (Laurinburg, NC)
• Robert McGee, “That Woman That Night”  (Asheville, NC)
• Shailen Mishra, “Performance Behind A Theater” (Raleigh, NC)
• Megan Roberts, “R Like Me ” (Greenville, NC)
• Sarah Simpson, “Conservation” (Raleigh, NC)
• Jennifer Weathers, “Triplets”  (Wilmington, NC)

Winner of the 2007 Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Josh Eure, “Balloon Vine” (junior, English)

Brenda L. Smart Prize for Fiction

• Amy Knox Brown, “Why We Are the Way We Are”  (Winston-Salem, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Mitch Conover, “A Short Story for the Last Man Who Still Liked Whistling Dixie” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Molly McCaffrey, “The Lake in Winter” (Laurinburg, NC)

Finalists:

• William Boggess, “There”  (Burnsville, NC)
• Danielle DeRise, “Small Bodies”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Paul Dixon, “Precious Memories”  (Winterville, NC)
• Mary Hennessy, “Chicago”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Nell Joslin, “Danny”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Kathleen Laughlin, “Persons in Need of Supervision”  (Cary, NC)
• Shailen Mishra, “The Fifty Year Old Dream”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Jeanne Mullins, “On the Spectrum”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Melinda Shail, “Pluto—Not A Planet Anymore”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Stella Ward Whitlock, “Bear Train”  (Fayetteville, NC)

Winner of the 2006 Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction

• Megan Mayhew Bergman, “The Wet Bones of Eldress Parker Comar” (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Jane Andrews, “Nautilus” (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists:

• David Bell, “Second Choice”  (Laurinburg, NC)
• Melissa Bickey, “November Water”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Vicki Crouser, “In Holyoke Hell”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Adam Currie, “Cleaning House” (Wendell, NC)
• Cathy Freeman, “Daisies”  (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Zackary Vernon, “Birthday Suit and the Texture Flat”  (Hillsborough, NC)
• Jodi Lynn Villers, “Church Bells”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Robert Wallace, “Why Do Cold Brown Chickens Wear Watered-Down Pants?”  (Durham, NC)
• Kate Wheeler, “Mark and Jane Talk About Math”  (Carrboro, NC)
  

Winner of the 2006 Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Adam Currie, “Cleaning House”; senior, English

Brenda L. Smart Prize for Fiction

• Whitman Bolles, “The Saving of the Turtles”  (Chapel Hill, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Erica Berkeley, “Fine People Come About By Accident” (Pittsboro, NC)
• Sarah Boone, “Homecoming”  (Raleigh, NC)

Finalists

• Greg Behr, “Massapequa”  (Cary, NC)
• Daniel DeRise, “Who Said Anything About Love?” (Wilmington, NC)
• Kalyani Deshpande, “The Drawing on the Wall” (Morrisville, NC)
• Kristine Forrest, “Waves”  (Cary, NC)
• Rebecca Morgan Gee,  “Icie”  (Apex, NC)
• Matt Griffin, “Final Expenses”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Miriam Delaney Heard, “Southern Sweetness”   (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Nell Joslin, “Amputee”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Penelope Robbins, “Like the Moon, Only Fuller”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Leslie Youngblood, “Poor Girl’s Palace”  (Greensboro, NC)

Winner of the 2005 Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction

• Amy Knox Brown, “Sitting Bull’s Translator Remembers the Speech in Bismarck, N.D.” (Winston-Salem, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Claire Guyton, “Demonstrating the Versatility of a Blender”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Miriam Delaney Heard, “Samson’s Might” (Winston-Salem, NC)

Finalists

• Whit Coppedge, “My Wife Knows Where I Keep My Golf Clubs in Winter” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Paul Dixon, “Have A Nice Day” (Winterville, NC)
• Mackenzie Dotson, “Stark White” (Cary, NC)
• Mary Hennessy, “A Clean Sheet” (Raleigh, NC)
• Leigh Johnson, “Stranded” (Raleigh, NC)
• Sharon Kurtzman, “Slanted” (Raleigh, NC)
• Elizabeth Livingston, “Light At Dusk” (Raleigh, NC)
• Claire Moseley, “We All Fall Down” (Asheville, NC)
• Jodi Lynn Villers, “Underwater Where It’s Safe” (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2005 Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Claire Moseley, “We All Fall Down”; senior, Parks and Recreation

Brenda L. Smart Prize for Fiction

• Misha Angrist, “Paper Boy” (Durham, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Tim McBride, “Mr. Wittington” (Cary, NC)
• Robert McGee, “Ed Ramirez” (Asheville, NC)

Finalists

• Kate Betterton, “When They Ring the Orchard Bell” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• William Conescu, “The Bridge Group” (Durham, NC)
• Whit Coppedge, “Towers” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Claire Guyton, “Where Your Head Goes” (Raleigh, NC)
• Irene Harvley-Felder, “Naming the Stars” (Burlington, NC)
• Vishal Khanna, “Garbo’s Eyes” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Paul Koning, “The Ends of the Earth” (Raleigh, NC)
• Nicholas Perros, “Break Up” (Raleigh, NC)
• Penelope Robbins, “Girlfriend” (Raleigh, NC)
• Denise Sherman, “Gift From A Sinister Santa” (Raleigh, NC)
• Mallory Tarses, “Boy At Sea” (Wilmington, NC)
• Art Taylor, “Mrs. Marple and the Hit-and-Run” (Raleigh, NC)
• Tara Thompson, “Bald” (Wilmington, NC)

Winner of the 2004 Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction

• Tracie Fellers, “Reverb” (Greensboro, NC)

Honorable Mention

• Kevin Boyle, “Palm” (Burlington, NC)

Finalists

• C.L. Dowd, “By The Numbers” (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Linda Finigan, “Simple Mission” (Durham, NC)
• Mary Hennessy, “In Over Her Head” (Raleigh, NC)
• Colin Hickey, “Courage” (Raleigh, NC)
• Michael Jasper, “Tiny Disaster” (Wake Forest, NC)
• Sharon Kurtzman, “Fresh Air” (Raleigh, NC)
• Jason Lundberg “The Artists’ Penaptych” (Raleigh, NC)
• Greg Shemkovitz, “When You Get Home Late At Night” (Greensboro, NC)
• Shelley Stout, “Comfort in the Poetry of Songs” (Matthews, NC)
• Mallory Tarses, “World Series, 1979” (Wilmington, NC)
• Art Taylor, “Here For You” (Raleigh, NC)
• Jodi Lynn Villers, “H is for Husband, B is for Baby” (Raleigh, NC)
• Brent Winter, “I Wish I Could Tell You” (Carrboro, NC)
• Leslie Youngblood, “Daddy’s Biscuits” (Greensboro, NC)

Winner of the 2004 Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Millie Breedlove, “I’m Not Afraid, Exactly”; senior, English

Brenda L. Smart Prize for Fiction

• L.H. Finigan, “Rain, Heavy At Times”  (Durham, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Mallort Tarses, “Details” (Wilmington, NC)
• Lisa Ward, “Those Who See”  (Rocky Mount, NC)

Finalists

• Misha Angrist, “Venn Diagram”  (Durham, NC)
• Amy Knox Brown, “Habeas Corpus”  (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Gerard Canavan, “When the Boys Comes Out to Play” (Greensboro, NC)
• Kim Church, “World Without Columbo”  (Raleigh, NC)
• William Conescu, “Cam and Collin”  (Durham, NC)
• Brian Crocker, “Late Skate”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Timothy Davis, “Mexican Space Shuttle”  (Charlotte, NC)
• Therese Fowler, “Outside the Lines”  (Raleigh, NC)
• E.F. Harabin, “Do You Know What It’s Like?”  (Wake Forest, NC)
• Louisa Jones, “Viet”  (Burlington, NC)
• Rebecca Lanning, “Leaving Paradise”  (Wilmington, NC)
• Laura Grant McGuire, “Heads or Tails”  (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2003 Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction

• Jennifer Garrison Stuber, “Clown Baby”  (Raleigh, NC)

Honorable Mentions

• Wes Saylors, “This Just In: Bear Drinks Sodas for Money”  (Boone, NC)

Finalists

• Misha Angrist, “Holidays”  (Durham, NC)
• Amy Knox Brown, “Dr. Faustus in Lincoln” (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Russell Campbell, “Jake”  (Durham, NC)
• Whit Coppedge, “Drought”  (Chapel HIll, NC)
• Brian Crocker, “Mill Town, NC”  (Greensboro, NC)
• Paul Dixon, “Empty Nest”  (Winterville, NC)
• Patrick Egan, “Like We’re Talking”  (Greensboro, NC)
• L.H. Finigan, “Birth Mothers, Seeking”  (Durham, NC)
• Lisa Hartman, “Bald Mountain”  (Durham, NC)
• Jordan Hester, untitled  (Raleigh, NC)
• Mel Jones, “MIssissippi Funeral”  (Chapel HIll, NC)
• Charles Merwarth, “Think of the Alternative”  (Raleigh, NC)
• Tom Sowders, “Special”  (Raleigh, NC)

Winner of the 2003 Undergraduate Fiction Prize

• Lisa Ward, “Those Who See”; senior, English