Announcing the Winners of the University of Iowa 100-Word Microstory Contest
Thank you to the 192 UI alumni and friends who submitted microstories during July’s contest.
We asked participants to create a fictional story of 100 words or less based on one of two photographs celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Iowa Writers Workshop.
Prompt A
Prompt B
Our judges worked diligently to read submissions from 23 U.S. states and as far away as Australia, Isreal, and India.
The winners of the four grade-school categories each receive a Hawkeye writer's pack and a $25 bookshop.org gift card. The winners of the three adult categories each receive a handcrafted wooden pen carved from a University of Iowa campus tree and a $50 bookshop.org gift card.
2026 UI 100-Word Microstory Contest, Winning Stories and Honorable Mentions
Grades 3 & 4: "Oh Brother" by Betty K., Nebraska, Prompt B
Grades 5 & 6: "The Sophomores' Weird Day" by Micah R., Iowa, Prompt A
Grades 7 & 8: "Finding My Voice" by Victoria F., Iowa, Prompt B
Grades 9–12: "An Anonymous Prayer" by Nikita F., Michigan, Prompt B
Current UI Student: "A Writers Twitch" by Haley Hindsley, Illinois, Prompt B
Adult (University of Iowa Alumni): "6 Across" by Laura Sievert-Hesseltine (04BA), Illinois, Prompt A
Adult (Friend of the University): "Fading Out Loud" by Kortney Gaura, Iowa, Prompt B
Thank you to all who participated! Please join us for the next Write Now contest: Hawkeye Haiku, Nov. 2—13, 2026. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy reading these stories from your fellow Hawkeyes as much as we did!
Still Have the Writing Bug?
Keep your creative juices flowing by exploring these University of Iowa literary resources.
More Information
For questions, email write.now@foriowa.org.