Hermit Crab Prize Winners
Our judge has made her decision!
I’m delighted to reveal the results of the 2025 Hermit Crab Prize, judged by Avitus B. Carle who writes wonderful stories and
. Congratulations to everyone who was chosen and those who were shortlisted — we hope you enjoy their stories as much as we did.With love,
Judge’s Report
The challenge of crafting a story that will resonate with readers is a task a writer must face with every new draft. To do so in 1,000 words or less, utilizing the “borrowed” or “hermit crab” form of flash may seem near impossible. However, with every story I read for WestWord’s contest, I found the characters and the trials they encountered as presented on the page lingering deep within my chest cavity long after I’d finished reading. Their stories presented as quizzes, instructions, fliers, and more all provided a glimpse into the moments that alert readers to these characters’ flaws, strengths, and their individual methods to make sense of the world around them. Moments that I keep returning to long after the story’s final sentence, word, and period.
First Place: SKINCARE QUIZ: YOUR PERSONAL BEAUTY ROUTINE TO REPAIR DAMAGE FROM A TOXIC MEMORY by Mandy Lange
Judge’s comments: I love when a hermit crab flash threads all its borrowed elements together to create a complex and eye-catching story. What drew me to Skincare Quiz: Your Personal Beauty Routine to Repair Damage from a Toxic Memory were the many layers included in this story. From toxic relationships to isolation and the exploratory feelings of self-worth. Feelings often associated within the beauty industry now translated into a quiz documenting a character’s recovery and rediscovery of self.
“Peel off the mask like picking a webbed rind from a blister. Touch tougher skin that has grown underneath.”
A reveal that has truly resonated with me with every reading of this story, from title to final word.
SKINCARE QUIZ: YOUR PERSONAL BEAUTY ROUTINE TO REPAIR DAMAGE FROM A TOXIC MEMORY
First Place: 2025 Hermit Crab Prize
Second Place: How to Sew on a Button by Dianne Bown-Wilson
Judge’s comments: The details are what makes a hermit crab or borrowed form flash memorable. Sometimes, those details are the gentle touches a writer adds that readers might miss on the first read. However, in How to Sew on a Button, I was drawn to the publication date of the excerpt presented. Originally in 1952. Reprinted in 2024, although some might say “resurrected” for the housewife who has forgotten or is currently questioning her responsibilities within the home. What unfolds in this step-by-step article is what I’d call a paddling duck scenario. A calm, serene wife going about her duties as instructed, perfect example of “A Good Wife” while, underneath, a more tragic story balanced with the sinister traps we set and secrets we keep all causing waves underneath. The tone only heightens the separation of calm and turbulence, the article reading with all the poise of a proper lady, one who “never walks away.”
Third Place: Come Sing With Us by Anthea Jones
Judge’s comments: As a reader, I’m always drawn to a character’s call to arms. The energy of enticing others with a common goal to gather and fight for what they believe in. However, the writer in me is always searching for the bit of weird, the experimental element that embeds a story in my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about Come Sing with Us, the delivery of truths a flyer carries. The call by mermaids for mermaids to rise up and fight against the humans for crimes committed against all siren and mermaid kind. There’s lore, humor, tension, and conflict all leading up to the haunting promise of feasting. This story, as presented through a flyer, allows readers to become part of the piece. The reader the unsuspecting human to have stumbled upon this announcement and the weight of tension it carries.
Shortlisted Stories
How to Care for a Clown’s Tears (Senecio herreianus) Plant by Creana Bosac
Room for Improvement by Hilary Ayshford
The Magic Garden: ‘The name isn’t whimsy, there’s a garden, the cooking promises, and delivers, magic.’ - Restaurant Review by Anne Howkins
