Singapore Unbound's 1st Flash Fiction Contest Results
We are very excited to announce the results of Singapore Unbound’s 1st Flash Fiction Contest. Held in conjunction with our Gaudy Boy launch of Victor Fernando R. Ocampo’s The Infinite Library and Other Stories in the US, the contest had the title of this thrilling collection of speculative fiction for its theme. Every entry must be between 90-100 words. Open to everyone, the contest was judged by the novelist Monique Truong. Winners received a cash prize, publication, and a copy of The Infinite Library if they lived in the US.
We received a total of 221 entries. They came from 22 countries around the world. Singapore leads with 76 entries, followed by the US 48, the Philippines 19, India 17, Canada 9, Indonesia 9, Malaysia 5, the UK 4, Argentina 3, Australia 2, Austria 2, Belgium 2, Nigeria 2, Pakistan 2, Brazil 1, Denmark 1, Finland 1, Israel 1, Italy 1, Kenya 1, South Africa 1, and Sri Lanka 1. Because of the high quality of the entries, our judge decided to award an Honorable Mention for exemplary work, in addition to the top three winners.
The names of the winners are followed by the countries where they are currently residing:
First prize (USD100) goes to “A room with a point of view,” by Masturah Alatas (Italy).
Second prize (USD50) goes to “This Is a Nice Hotel,” by Olivia Djawoto (Singapore).
Third Prize (USD30) goes to “Devotion,” by Shuchi (Singapore).
Honorable Mention (USD20) goes to “How Fucky Am I To Be Loved,” by Aaric Tan Xiang Yeow (Singapore).
Congratulations to the winners! They will be reading their work with Victor Fernando R. Ocampo at the launch of his book on Saturday, October 9, 8.00 pm ET. RSVP here for the Zoom link. Enjoy their flash fictions below, accompanied by the judge’s comments. The Flash Fiction Contest will return in 2022.
First Prize
A room with a point of view
By Masturah Alatas
Sometimes Ananda would do odd jobs for us for extra money to send home to Sri Lanka. Once, we set him the task of dusting the books in the library. We went off to the Sibillini Mountains for the day. He had the house to himself.
“Don’t worry if you jumble up the books,” I told him.
When we returned, Ananda had already left. The hundreds of books were all in place but reversed. Spines at the back, fore edges in full view. Gone were the visible titles, gone was our entitlement to infinite knowledge.
Judge’s Comment: Sly litmus test of the reader's assumptions. Ananda, the trickster, the avenger, or the ignorant?
Author Bio: Masturah Alatas is a Singapore-born writer who lives in Italy. She is the author of The girl who made it snow in Singapore (2008) and The Life in the Writing (2010). She is one of several writers, along with Naomi Klein and Amitav Ghosh, to be published in the Will the Flower Slip Through the Asphalt: Writers Respond to Climate Change (2017) anthology. Her short fiction has been longlisted for the Lingua Madre and Cambridge short-story prizes.
Second Prize
This is a Nice Hotel
By Olivia Djawoto
Grabbing 602 off the wall, the other keys dangled in asynchronous motion. I loved the kitsch of using keys instead of keycards the same way people enjoyed checking out their own groceries — the illusion of self-made order.
602 was a middle-aged couple with the typical signs of wear and tear. Cat scratches on one but not the other; separate bags; different wake-up calls. They were an open book.
602 barely made it into the lift before arguing. As another pair of guests walked through the door, I dated the entry in my notebook and turned to a fresh page.
Judge’s Comment: A scathing, jaded eye for telltale details belies the narrator's continuing belief in what may be.
Author Bio: Olivia Djawoto works in the literary arts in Singapore and occasionally finds time to write. The few things she has published include essays in Moving Worlds, short fiction in Punt Volat, and photography in High Shelf Press.
Third Prize
Devotion
By Shuchi
Raja’s young hungry eyes were staring at a pair of white and blue slippers. They were left by some devotee outside the holy premise of the grand old Ganesh temple. From hundreds of pairs of footwear-- shoes, sandals and more, of various sizes, colours, shapes, belonging to the temple’s unending varied throng, he would steal the newest looking. They would fetch the best price.
The mob was still inside at the auspicious hour, making offerings to the idol, chanting and tolling bells. He put on the slippers, hastily walked out, hid the slippers and returned for more, as always.
Judge’s Comment: Trenchant, evocative snapshot of how faith feeds us, but in differing ways.
Author Bio: Shuchi is 37 years old and a resident of Singapore. She moved just last year from India. She writes and publishes poetry on Medium.com. She also writes personal essays, short stories, and children’s literature, and working on her novel keeps her busy. She has taken to writing full-time just recently. Earlier, she was a software engineer, with a degree in Marketing.
Honorable Mention
How Fucky Am I To Be Loved
By Aaric Tan Xiang Yeow
My alarm rings with applause as should yours. The recognition we deserve at 5.45. The cat needs to be fed and orchids, watered. I need to lose weight.
You said you cheated because I needed trauma for my character development. Thank you, I said, thank you, I could thank anything.
Above the toilet seat, I gave birth to a moth which flew out from between my legs. Didn’t ask why for whys are infinite. For example, why… why are we?
I contain absurdities and don’t even know if my washer and dryer are actual friends or just work friends.
Judge’s Comment: Existential coupledom seen through a prism of humor and heart pangs.
Author Bio: Aaric Tan Xiang Yeow’s poems have appeared in Hawai’i Review, Singpowrimo, Rattle, and elsewhere. He has received three awards from the National Poetry Festival (including a 1st prize for English poetry) as well as a Golden Point Award (English poetry, 3rd prize) from the National Arts Council. He is looking forward to his retirement, which he envisions as an iteration of reading-writing-gardening-cooking-napping.
Cover of The Infinite Library and Other Stories by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo (Gaudy Boy, 2021)
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