Parting Words
With another year passed, we are thrilled to begin the new year by announcing the winners of the 2025 First Page Cage Match! Over the course of several months, we had the pleasure of recreating live-action slush in a contest format, and were thrilled to read a batch of manuscripts that were full of beautiful prose, striking character moments, and of course a good deal of twists and turns!
For a look at our process, read through this post from last year’s contest!
As always, while judging this year’s entries, we kept this central question front of mind: Which manuscripts drive us to continue turning the page?
With so many standout stories this year, we would like to draw your attention once more to our quarterfinalists and semifinalists. Find details on their stories and judges’ commentary on these pages, and be sure to congratulate these standout stories and their authors once more!
From this collection of captivating manuscripts, two stories caught our attention in particular, and so we have our two finalists; congratulations to Medusa Gorgon, Lady Detective by Sandra Kasturi and Sounding the Dark by Angela Kenyon.
Like with our inaugural First Page Cage, after much deliberation, our judges still couldn’t quite decide which story should win out over the other! While our judges admired the mystery set up by Medusa Gorgon, Lady Detective and its satisfying story arc, they were also drawn to the polished prose of Sounding the Dark and its distinct attention to setting.
And so, we are thrilled to announce two winners for the 2025 First Page Cage Match!
Congratulations to…
Medusa Gorgon, Lady Detective by Sandra Kasturi
“Features a great ending and on the whole a satisfying mystery read. A snake-headed Stephanie Plum meets the Greek Gods is attractive to many, including me.” – Mel Anastasiou
“Really fun tone and story world, incredibly easy to slip into and keep reading. Medusa herself was a really interesting character to follow as she tried to solve this tangled mystery while also encountering many interesting figures from both mythology and her past.” – Sierra Louie
…and to…
Sounding the Dark by Angela Kenyon
“Good writing, brilliant use of the Vancouver 1933 setting, and engaging characters!” – Mel Anastasiou
“A really powerful and immersive story. Immediately drawn in by the story world and Larkin’s relationship with her mother, and when the story shifted to a new environment, I found that I was still deeply interested in the narrative and willing to follow this protagonist wherever she went. Beautifully written with some very clean prose and striking, emotionally resonant character moments.” – Sierra Louie
We would like to thank all of the authors who entered this contest for sharing their stories with us. There was much to enjoy about each of them and it was so lovely to spend time with all of your manuscripts!
Want a chance at contest glory?
Our Bumblebee Flash Fiction Contest is currently open!
Get your entries in before January 15th, 2026 to take advantage of our Earlybird pricing! Not quite ready? No worries, this contest doesn’t close until February 15th, 2026!
For all the details, and to enter, stay tuned to the blog, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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