The Inception contest from Sunspot Lit looks for the best opening in art, poetry, fiction, CNF, drama, graphic novels, and more. Here’s the list of this year’s finalists, including works called out for the Best of designations in each category, and the winner.

Finalists and Best of Category

Ginger Cake / Indyana Horobin / Best of CNF

Eulogistic Texts to My Dead Girlfriend as a Timeline of Grief / Kyo Lee / Best of Fiction

Comfort / Juanjuan Henderson / Best of Art

The Buddha Train / Stephen Policoff / Best of Novel

She’s Undone / GJ Gillespie / Finalist / Art

Reflection in Orange / Robin Young / Finalist / Art

My Glittering City / Heather Shreve / Finalist / Art

Your Body is Real / Anna Troxell / Finalist / Art

Winner

Sea Horse: An Ode / George Kramer / Poem

The winner received $500 and publication. Best of selections and finalists have been offered publication. Their works can be seen at no charge in the second quarterly edition on Sunspot Lit’s website.

Miss the contest deadline, or have something different to submit? Check out Goldilocks Zone, a contest seeking the best merger of creative skill and audience appeal.

To support the journal and it’s projects, including the contest prizes, consider preordering a copy of the 2024 edition here.

Keep creating!