The Winners

First Place: "In the Room"

Raul Garza is an Austin-based writer who has drawn acclaim for telling stories that resound with authenticity and sense of place. His full-length play Fantasmaville garnered the National Latino Playwriting Award, and he earned a B. Iden Payne Award nomination for Outstanding Original Script. When not writing plays, Raul teaches yoga, fills up on pop culture, and serves as co-founder and creative director of TKO Advertising.

Second Place: "And All the Country Wept With a Loud Voice"

Greg Koehler is a writer, ethicist, and agricultural support worker from Austin, Texas. He's received fellowships from the Michener Center for Writers and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and his work has appeared widely in magazines, in newspapers, and on websites.

Third Place: "8"

Andy Steinberg is a software engineer in Austin who swears that none of his work has been used to spy on anyone and, boy, is it hard to type with crossed fingers. His chief motivation for this story was Facebook Likes from cute girls. He credits the invention of the internal combustion engine for getting him to where he is today.

Honorable Mention: "The Kraken"

Nadia Caffesse is a photographer and writer living in Austin with her husband and two dogs. She is an avid gamer and began writing again – both original works and some fan fiction – after years of infatuation with video game worlds.

Honorable Mention: "The Man With Burnt Fingers"

As the daughter of an Arkansas cotton farmer, Talya Tate Boerner grew up making mudpies and does her best thinking wearing gardening gloves. Talya is passionate about writing and spends most days working on her first book and blogging at Grace, Grits and Gardening. She and her husband, John, live in Dallas with their two miniature schnauzers, Lucy and Annabelle.

Other Finalists:

(In alphabetical order by author):

Chris G. Barnes, "Little Hats"

Christine Boldt, "Charles"

Hether McCuistion, "My World Goes Black"

Ramona Scarborough, "Coast to Coast"

Patrick Wilson, "Miss Grace and the Perpetual Coffee Shop"