Million Writers Award

Million Writers Award was a short story literary award presented annually by storySouth^[1][2] from 2003 to 2016.^[3][4] It honored the best online short stories. The award was structured to be egalitarian allowing for anyone to nominate a story including readers, authors, editors and publishers; prize money was donated by readers and writers; and the winners were selected by public vote from a short-list of entries selected by judges.^[5][6]

Overview

The Million Writers Award was founded by author Jason Sanford in 2003 at a time when the literary establishment "didn't believe online magazines were legitimate places to publish fiction," seeing it as a fad.^[7][8] Sanford set out to honor and highlight online only publications and stories with the award.^[8]

Stories eligible for the award include those first published in online literary journals, magazines, and e-zines that have an editorial process.^[7] The award had a variable cash prize, in 2011 for example it was $600 for the winner, $200 for the runner-up and $100 for third place.^[5] Prize money was raised through donations from writers, editors and readers and thus fluctuates each year.^[5] Anyone could nominate up to one story, while editors and publishers can nominate three stories. Stories must be at least 1000 words.^[5]

The award became one of the premier online literary awards and was named a Hot Site by USA Today.^[9] The award was profiled in a six-page feature interview with editor Jason Sanford in the 2005 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market^[10] and mentioned in The 100 Best Trends, 2006: Emerging Developments You Can't Afford to Ignore as an example of the emerging online literary movement.^[11]

In 2012 Spotlight Publishing released two anthologies of stories from the Million Writers Award, with one focused on literary stories and the other on science fiction and fantasy stories.^[12][13][1]

Winners

Previous winners.^[14]

2003

• Top 10 stories:^[15]

2004

• Best story: Randa Jarrar, "You Are a 14-Year-Old Arab Chick Who Just Moved to Texas" (Eyeshot)
• Best online publication: Eclectica
• Best publisher of novella-length fiction: The King's English
• Best new online magazine or journal: Narrative Magazine

2005

• Best story: Alicia Gifford, "Toggling the Switch" (Narrative Magazine)
• Best story runner-up: Terry Bisson, "Super 8" (Scifiction.com)
• Best story runner-up: Anjana Basu, "The Black Tongue" (Gowanus)
• Best online publication: Strange Horizons
• Best publisher of novella-length fiction: The King's English
• Best new online magazine or journal: Anderbo

2006

• Best story: Richard Bowes, "There's a Hole in the City" (Scifiction.com)
• Best story runner-up: Michael Croley, "Two Lives" (Blackbird)
• Best online publication: Storyglossia
• Best publisher of novella-length fiction: Narrative Magazine (co-winner)
• Best publisher of novella-length fiction: The King's English (co-winner)
• Best new online magazine or journal: Menda City Review (co-winner)
• Best new online magazine or journal: Clarkesworld Magazine (co-winner)

2007

• Best story: Catherynne M. Valente, "Urchins, While Swimming" (Clarkesword Magazine)
• Best story runner-up: A. Ray Norsworthy, "All the Way to Grangeville" (Eclectica Magazine)
• Best story runner-up: Marshall Moore, "The Infinite Monkey Theorem" (Word Riot)
• Best online publication: Blackbird
• Best publisher of novella-length fiction: Jim Baen's Universe
• Best new online magazine or journal: Farrago's Wainscot

2008

• Best story: Matt Bell, "Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken" (Storyglossia)
• Best story runner-up: Sruthi Thekkiam, "Friday Afternoons on Bus 51" (Blackbird)
• Best online publication: Narrative Magazine
• Best publisher of novella-length fiction: (no award)
• Best new online magazine or journal: Cha: An Asian Literary Journal

2009

• Winner: Jenny Williams, "The Fisherman's Wife" (LitNImage)
• Runner-up: Roderic Crooks, "Fuckbuddy" (Eyeshot)
• Honorable mention: Geronimo Madrid, "No Bullets in the House" (Drunken Boat)
• Best online publication: Fantasy Magazine
• Best publisher of novella-length fiction: Subterranean Magazine
• Best new online magazine or journal: Kill Author

2010

• Winner: Summer Block, "Hospitality" (Wheelhouse Magazine)
• Runner-up: Rachel Swirsky, "Eros, Philia, Agape" (Tor.com)
• Honorable mention: Eric Beetner, "Ditch" (Thuglit)
• Best online publication: Words Without Borders
• Best new online magazine or journal: Lightspeed Magazine

2011

• Winner: Adam-Troy Castro, "Arvies" (Lightspeed Magazine)
• Runner-up: Eric Maroney, "The Incorrupt Body of Carlo Busso" (Eclectica)
• Honorable mention: Amal El-Mohtar, "The Green Book" (Apex Magazine)

2012

• Winner: xTx, "The Mill Pond" (StoryGlossia)
• Runner-up: Kelly Cherry, "On Familiar Terms" (Blackbird)
• Honorable mention: Micah Dean Hicks, "The Butcher's Chimes" (Menda City Review)

2013

• First place : Rachel Steiger-Meister, "Chlorine Mermaid" (Carve Magazine)
• Second place: Lou Gaglia, "Hands" (Waccamaw)
• Third place : Adrienne Celt, "The Eternal Youth of Everyone Else" (Carve Magazine)

2014

• First place: Caroline Casper, "Eminence" (Carve Magazine)
• Second place: Susan Tepper, "Distance" (Thrice Fiction)
• Third place: Carmen Maria Machado, "Inventory" (Strange Horizons)

2015

• First place: Wendy Oleson, “The Snow Children” (Carve Magazine)
• Second place: Chikodili Emelumadu, “Jermyn” (Eclectica)
• Third place: Allegra Hyde, “Syndication” (Nashville Review)

2016

• First place: Reza Ghasemi Ataee, "Anatomy of Mr.wakefield" (Time magazine)
• Second place: Jude Whelchel, "Big Joy Family" (North Carolina Literary Review)
• Third place: Annie Reid, "Last Song" (Baltimore Review)