2026 Semi‑Finalists

On Blackwell’s Island
by Monique Hafen Adams

Covenant Farm
by Brigid Amos

Mama, I wish I were silver
by Amanda L. Andrei

Children and Art
by Ian August

Folktale
by Molly Kate Babos

Leviathan
by Benjamin Benne

Orphan Christmas
by Kari Bentley-Quinn

Morphology
by Jillian Blevins

Everything’s Going My Way
by Sophie Boyce

INVISI(BILITY)
by Nikki Brake-Sillá

Universal Monsters
by Dan Caffrey

Next/Life
by Matthew Capodicasa

TRAD
by Sarah Cuneo

Episodes
by Kallan Dana

Horse Boy
by Maddie Dennis-Yates

Darwin and his Daughter
by Gino DiIorio

Shahdokht
Ida Esmaeili

Pareidolia
Kareem Fahmy

That Time Terri and Lily took a Road Trip to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder House
by Gina Femia

THE FALL
by Susan Ferrara

A Port in the Storm
by Gregory Fletcher

The Superconductor
by August Hakvaag


Snowbirds
by Lauren Holmes

for the fish
by Surrey Houlker

A Re-Enactment of the Imagined Trial of Daisy the Cow, Who Allegedly Caused the Great Chicago Fire
by Julia Izumi

Mud & Fire: The Pottery Play
by Lindsay Joelle

Three-headed Monster
by JuCoby Johnson

You Can Tell a Tree by its Fruit
by comfort ifeoma katchy

we have to hold hands
by Kait Kerrigan

I Wasn’t Planning on Saying Anything
by Nina Kissinger

Beshert
by Daniel Kushner

Three and a Half Anne Franks
by Maya Macdonald

IN TWO
by Chelsea Marcantel

You Should Know This By Now
by Benjamin V. Marshall

Conventuais OR Ruminations on Faith and Pleasure in a Convent in the Middle of Nowhere @ the Center of an Empire
by Christian Mendonça

Best Foreign
by Francisco Mendoza

The Advocate
by Bill Mesce, Jr.

Hometown Girl
by Lara Miller

Sarai’s Knife
by John Minigan

Foot Wears House
by Laura Neill

Ferns
by Ciara Ní Chuirc

Born All Wrong
by Ayibatari Owei

Mortals
by J.C. Pankratz

Brother Rabbit
by Jonathan Payne

In Lieu of Flowers
by Christie Perfetti Williams

A Valentine
by Deepa Purohit

Citizen Scientist
by CQ Quintana

A Visit from San Cristóbal
by Gregory Ramos

Balikbayan
by Christopher Reyes

Biting the Hand
by Deneen Reynolds-Knott

PURSUED BY A BULL
by Tyler Rivenbark

Next Year…
by Andrew Rosendorf

Krav Maga in the Temple Basement Starting This Sunday, Bagels to Follow
by Rebecca Salzhauer

White Mountain Video
by Phaedra Michelle Scott

Rage Play
by Nandita Shenoy

An Explanation for Birds
by Parade Stone

Breaking Night
by Stephanie (S.C.) Stowe

LAZARUS
by Gregory Keng Strasser

Red Bell
by Katherine Swan

hop thA A
by James Anthony Tyler

The Elephants in the Room
by Liba Vaynberg

Creek’s Edge
by Patti Veconi

The Origin of All Songs
by Bruce Walsh

Open Studio
by Emmy Weissman

Foreigner
by SEVAN