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Where Every Word Counts!
The SEA Shorts Awards Honor Excellence in Shorter Works
The submissions for the 2025 Awards are underway, and SEA Shorts closes on July 31, 2025!
In a world of sprawling epics and multi-volume series, there’s something uniquely powerful about a story that delivers maximum impact in minimal space. The SEA Shorts Awards celebrate this concentrated artistry. Recognizing novellas, short stories, and essays that prove great literature doesn’t require great length, just great skill.
Whether it’s a novella that captures a lifetime of emotion in 100 pages or a short story that delivers a profound revelation in just a few thousand words, the SEA Shorts Awards honor authors who understand that when space is limited, every sentence must earn its place.
Honoring Sharon E. Anderson: From Winner to Champion
The SEA Shorts Awards carry special meaning as they honor Sharon E. Anderson, whose own literary journey exemplified the transformative power of the Chanticleer community. Sharon first came to our attention as a contest winner herself for her dark fantasy short story “Stone God’s Wife” which won the Grand Prize in an earlier iteration of this award.
As our judges noted: “This short story is an exceptional example of the dark fantasy genre. Desperate to save her sister, Cilla does the unthinkable…and the unforgivable. ‘The Stone God’s Wife’ is compellingly written, well characterized, fast-paced, and engaging.”
But Sharon’s story with Chanticleer was just beginning. She joined our team as Chief Reviews Editor, where for years she created and edited content, wrote reviews, and championed authors with unwavering dedication. An SPU graduate in Clothing Textiles & Design, Sharon brought design principles to every aspect of her work, understanding that presentation and content must work in harmony.
Sharon served on the board of the Skagit Valley Writers League and delighted when authors achieved success. Her core belief that authors deserve support and good books deserve recognition became the foundation of everything she did at Chanticleer. She believed in authors, worked tirelessly to promote their work, and championed literary excellence in all its forms.
When Sharon passed away, we lost not just a dear friend but a true advocate for the writing community. The SEA Shorts Awards, named in her honor, continue her legacy of discovering and celebrating exceptional writing. Every submission, every advancement through our tiers, every celebration of literary achievement carries forward Sharon’s unwavering commitment to supporting authors and promoting the books that deserve to be discovered.
Celebrating Our 2024 Grand Prize Winner!
We’re thrilled to honor Robin Elizabeth Kobayashi, whose novella Something About Lizzy claimed the 2024 SEA Shorts Grand Prize with a masterful adaptation that brings fresh life to beloved classic literature. This Pride and Prejudice spin-off demonstrates the exceptional skill required to honor original characters while creating an entirely new and compelling story.
Set in 1826 Derbyshire, Kobayashi’s work follows sixteen-year-old Sofia-Elisabete as she discovers the complexities of adult relationships and family secrets through her friendship with Elizabeth Darcy. Our judges praised the work’s “lively and meaningful” character dynamics, noting how “the blend of drama and love feels appropriate for a spin-off of Pride and Prejudice” while maintaining “well-done writing” and “consistent tone.”
The novella showcases what makes the short form so powerful—concentrated storytelling that captures the essence of complex relationships and family secrets within a focused narrative. In addition to ongoing promotional features, Something About Lizzy will be regularly promoted throughout the year and for the next five years in our upcoming Hall of Fame posts. Robin Elizabeth Kobayashi will also be invited to participate in a Chanticleer 10-Question Interview and receive continued recognition across our promotional platforms.
Categories That Embrace Every Genre
The SEA Shorts Awards welcome shorter works across the entire literary spectrum:
- Cygnus – SciFi, Speculative, Fantasy
- Ozma – Fantasy Fiction
- Paranormal – All types of Paranormal Fiction
- Global Thriller – High Stakes
- Clue – Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
- Mystery & Mayhem – Cozy and Not So Cozy Mystery
- Rossetti – Young Adult & New Adult
- Laramie – Americana, Western, Pioneer, & Civil War
- Chaucer – Early Historical Fiction
- Goethe – Post-1750s Historical Fiction
- Chatelaine – Romantic Fiction
- Somerset – Mainstream, Contemporary, & Blended Genres
- Satire & Allegory
- Narrative Non-Fiction
- Essay
From science fiction novellas to historical short stories, from personal essays to satirical pieces, every genre finds its home in the SEA Shorts Awards. With the recent creation of our Collection & Anthology Awards, SEA Shorts now provides focused attention on individual shorter works that stand powerfully on their own.
See the Chanticleer Difference for Yourself!
We’re excited about all the exceptional shorter works we receive every year. The Chanticleer International Book Awards offers an incredible $30,000 in cash, prizes, and promotion across all divisions!
The SEA Shorts Awards carry forward Sharon Anderson’s legacy of believing in authors and championing exceptional writing. Whether you’ve crafted a novella that captures a lifetime of experience, a short story that delivers a perfect moment of revelation, or an essay that illuminates truth through personal narrative, these awards provide the recognition that Sharon believed every excellent work deserves.
It is our honor to promote short works!
We continue to believe that great writing deserves great recognition, regardless of length. The SEA Shorts Awards honor her commitment to supporting authors and celebrating the books that deserve to be discovered.
Share your best brief but spectacular prose with us! The deadline is July 31, 2025!
You know you want it…
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