The 2015 Sunstone Fiction Contest will go down in history as one of our most competitive ever. So competitive, in fact, that the judges couldn’t pick only three winners. Its was a veritable feast of fiction.

In the end, this is how it shook out:

1st Place: “The Mandelbrot Set,” by Heidi Naylor

(Wrote one judge: “Wow. Who wrote this? Wow.”)

2nd Place: “And Thorns Will Grow There,” by Emily Belanger

(Wrote another judge: “Great pace that let the supernatural/horror elements develop at a believable rate while being faithful to the characters.)

Tied for 3rd Place: “The Bigamist,” by Eric Freeze

(A judge: “Beautifully restrained . .  felt very truthful with a strong emotional momentum.”)

Tied for 3rd Place: “Jane’s Journey,” by Heidi Naylor (again!)

(“Beautiful writing, affecting story. Unlike other pioneer ancestor fictions I’ve read.”)

Honorable Mention: “Personal J,” by Jennifer Quist

(Said judge, “It’s like she lived my teenagehood—but beautifully.”)

Look for all these stories in future issues of Sunstone.

The 2015 Sunstone Fiction Contest was generously sponsored by an anonymous donor who, as of this announcement, has just had another Olympic-sized hot tub added to her/his heavenly mansion. The gods truly smile upon those who support fiction writers.