Meet the Winners of the 2026 Machias Flash Fiction Contest
The fifth annual Machias Arts Council Flash Fiction Contest invited writers to venture into the eerie, mysterious and unexpected with this year's theme, Something Wicked This Way Comes in Machias. Now, after sixteen entries and plenty of imaginative Downeast storytelling, the results are in.
Something Wicked Came to Machias
What can happen in 1,200 words?
Quite a lot, as writers participating in the 2026 Machias Arts Council Flash Fiction Contest discovered.
This year's challenge was to create an original work of flash fiction set in or around Machias, Maine, inspired by the theme Something Wicked This Way Comes in Machias. Writers could draw from real places, local folklore or their own imaginations, giving them plenty of room to explore the mystery, character—and perhaps the darker corners—of Downeast Maine.
Judging the Stories
The winning stories were selected through a blind judging process designed to keep the focus on the writing itself. Judges received only the title and text of each submission, without knowing the author's identity or the identities of their fellow judges.
Each story was evaluated using five weighted criteria:
Story Quality (30%): Narrative structure, pacing, emotional impact, and resolution.
Composition (20%): Sentence structure, variety, clarity, and flow.
Originality (20%): Fresh perspectives, distinctive voices, and creative approaches.
Mechanics (15%): Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and adherence to the contest's word limit.
Theme Integration (15%): How naturally and effectively the story incorporated this year's theme, Something Wicked This Way Comes.
This approach recognized not only imaginative storytelling but also the craftsmanship involved in bringing a compelling story to life within a limited number of words.
“I really enjoyed reading the entries and am grateful for all that MAC does for our community.” — Joan Perkins, 2026 Flash Fiction Contest Judge
Selecting three winners from this year's entries was no easy task. Judge Sharon Mack said she looked for imagination, originality, a touch of spookiness, and attention to the finer details of writing.
“The three that won absolutely did stand out,” she said. “They were terrific.”
What impressed Sharon most was the originality of the stories. While familiar frightening themes can easily be revisited, she found the winning entries particularly inventive.
“These three stood out, but every entry was good,” she added.
And the Winners Are...
First Place: Cathy McKelway, "So You Say"
In Cathy McKelway's first-place story, “So You Say,” an unexpected visitor arrives at a quiet country home looking for someone who isn't there. The older woman who greets him seems accommodating enough, offering a sandwich and a cold beer. But appearances can be deceiving, and the young man may have seriously underestimated his hostess.
McKelway builds suspense through everyday details and an increasingly unsettling exchange, proving that a wicked story doesn't necessarily need ghosts or supernatural creatures. Sometimes the most frightening possibilities are hiding in plain sight.
Second Place: Sally Stanton, “The Bone Vine”
In Sally Stanton's second-place story, “The Bone Vine,” a woman recovering from hip replacement surgery discovers that a delicate white vine growing inside the walls of her Downeast cottage may be far more sinister than it first appears. What begins as a symbol of resilience takes an increasingly disturbing turn as the mysterious plant spreads and the recovering woman struggles to distinguish reality from the lingering effects of anesthesia.
Stanton transforms the vulnerability of recovery and the familiar beauty of the natural world into an unsettling tale that leaves readers wondering what might be growing just beyond their sight.
In a delightful coincidence, first-place winner Cathy McKelway and second-place winner Sally Stanton have belonged to the same four-person writing group for more than a decade, making their shared success in this year's contest an especially memorable surprise.
Third Place: Marjorie Gilling, "Wicked?"
Marjorie Gilling brings a distinctly Machias setting to her third-place story, “Wicked?” Set along the Machias River, the tale follows a young woman whose unsettling encounter with a mysterious new pastor leads her to seek the wisdom of her grandmother. What unfolds is a story of suspicion, family bonds, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people and place they love.
During the book launch, Gilling spoke about the stories passed down by her own grandmothers, offering a glimpse into the family memories that helped inspire her writing.
Five Years of Very Short Stories
The 2026 contest marks the fifth year of a Machias Arts Council tradition built around a deceptively simple challenge: tell a compelling story in very few words—and make Machias part of it.
Previous contests have sent writers searching for Ghosts and Scarecrows of Machias in 2022 and 2023, Mysteries of Machias in 2024 and Witches of Machias in 2025.
Along the way, those stories have become more than contest entries. Selected works have been preserved in MAC's annual flash fiction collections, creating a growing literary record of the many strange, imaginative, funny and unexpected stories that Machias can inspire.
Ghosts and Scarecrows of Machias 
Mysteries of Machias 
Witches of Machias
Previous Flash Fiction Contest anthologies showcase the imagination and storytelling talents of Downeast Maine writers, reflecting MAC's ongoing commitment to celebrating local literary voices.
The Stories Live On
The Flash Fiction Contest doesn't end when the winners are announced. This year's stories have now become part of MAC's growing literary collection with the publication of Something Wicked This Way Comes in Machias, the fifth annual Machias Flash Fiction anthology.
The new collection brings together 16 Downeast writers, each approaching this year's theme from a different direction. From unsettling happenings in familiar places to strange figures emerging from the fog, the stories transform the landscapes of Downeast Maine into settings for the wicked, uncanny and mysterious.
Together, they also demonstrate what has made the Flash Fiction Contest such an interesting MAC tradition: familiar places become something entirely different when local writers are invited to imagine what might be hiding just out of sight.
Something Wicked This Way Comes in Machias is now available in paperback and Kindle editions through Amazon. Printed copies will also be available through the Machias Arts Council for $10, with local availability expected at Machias River General and Berry Vines.
Celebrating the Writers
On October 23, the Machias Arts Council celebrated the release of Something Wicked This Way Comes in Machias at the Machias Arts Center, bringing together writers, friends, and community members for an evening of storytelling.
The celebration featured readings from the anthology and the presentation of awards and prize packages to the three winners, while recognizing the creativity of all 16 Downeast writers whose stories were selected for publication.
Marjorie Gilling accepts a prize from Tim Markley Marjorie Gilling addresses the attendees of the book launch Prize Donor Paul Lilley at the book launch Tim Markley presents prizes to Sally Stanton
Scenes from the October 23 book launch at the Machias Arts Center, where writers shared their stories and the community celebrated the release of the 2026 Flash Fiction anthology, Something Wicked This Way Comes in Machias.
A Young Writer Finds Inspiration in Folklore
Among this year's contestants was 13-year-old Aiyanna R. Muise, whose imagination took her into the world of Native American and logging folklore.
In an interview during the October 23 celebration, Aiyanna described finding inspiration in legends of the Kiwakwa, a fearsome creature associated with cautionary tales, as well as the enduring mystery of Bigfoot.
Her story took four or five weeks to write, with plenty of revisions along the way.
In a note accompanying her contest submission, Aiyanna summed up the experience beautifully: “I worked hard and had a lot of fun, that's all that matters!”
Her enthusiasm is a reminder that the Flash Fiction Contest celebrates more than winning. It encourages writers of all ages to explore their imaginations, develop their craft, and share their stories.
More Than Bragging Rights
This year's winning writers won't go home empty-handed. First, second and third place received cash awards donated by MAC members Paul Lilley of Paul Lilley Art of Mosaics and Mary and Phin Bauer.
The winning writers were also recognized with an assortment of prizes generously donated by the following local businesses:
Two merchandise gift cards
LL Bean Duffle Bag
Three jars of handmade moisturizer, one for each winner
Store gift card
$40 Store gift certificate
Basket of merchandise
Two tickets to A Canadian Werewolf in Maine
Congratulations to Our Writers
The Machias Arts Council congratulates Cathy McKelway, Sally Stanton and Marjorie Gillings, and thanks every writer who took this year's challenge and found a little wickedness waiting somewhere in Machias.
Selected Writers:
Frederick Andrew
James (Jim) Cherry
Marcie Dean
Raven Falls
Pamela Grant
Kristen Johnson
Miah Johnson
Trace Mansfield
Aiyanna Muise
Peter Rhinehardt
Cheyenne Robinson-Bauman
Bella Ryner
Want to discover more stories from the Machias Flash Fiction Contest?
Have a story of your own to tell?
Follow the Machias Arts Council for news about the 2027 theme and call for entries.