Congratulations to Our 2026 Feature Contest Finalists!

Photo by NikNik for Unsplash+

We’re excited to announce the 2026 Feature Retreat & Fellowship Contest finalists!

It was extremely difficult to narrow down our finalists to just these writers from such an excellent group of semifinalists. Many thanks to our dedicated judges, who spent hours reading and evaluating our submissions.

WHAT’S NEXT

Each of the finalists will be considered for this year’s Fellowship, which is valued at $20,000 and includes, among other prizes, $10,000, free tuition and housing at this year’s retreat, and a year long mentorship with two entertainment industry professionals. We also will name second and third place winners. For more information about prizes for each winner, please visit our Feature Prizes page.

Congratulations to this year’s feature finalists, and please check back soon for the announcement of our winners and our feature fellow!

THE 2026 FEATURE CONTEST FINALISTS:

AYAT by Samina Saifee

THE BUCKET HIT LIST by Karen McDermott

THE CHEMISTRY OF ICE by Lisa Hickey

CUTTHROAT GAMES by J.R. Spaulding

FIRST PERSON VIEW by Jason Pates

HURT PEOPLE by LaDarrion Williams

ZOETROPE by Nick Hurwitch