The list of Inception finalists, a contest run by Sunspot Lit for authors and artists, showed an exceptional range of creativity, and made ranking the top three tiers exceptionally difficult. Here are the results:

Winner

“Rust” by Ryker Woodward, painting based on video game landscape

Runners-up

“Morgan” by Ron Pullins, novel

“The Last Storm” by Jeanne Wilkinson, video still

Finalists

“Buddha Blesses LA” by Jon Cohen, story

“The Bob and Wyvetta Love Story” by Kimberly S Stevenson, story

“Carnal Conversations” by Cynthia Close, memoir

“Henricus” by Cristina Bryan, historical novel

“Day at the Park” by Joy Kloman, painting based on vintage photos

The winner receives $250 and will be published in the next digital edition as well as the annual print edition. The runners-up and finalists will also be offered publication. To support great literature and art, consider preordering a print copy of the 2022 edition. Shipping to US locations is included in the price. Preorders for 2023 will become available in January.