Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog

Menu

✕
CONNECT
Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites
BLOG
Success Stories
APPS
TOOLS
Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships
ABOUT
About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story where a photograph could change the course of history if it’s delivered to the right (or wrong!) person.

Posted in Short Story on Jul 5, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 32 stories

“Hidden in Plain Hue” by Steven Nimocks

Submitted to Contest #258

Act IKeyboard clacking filled Data Comm Group’s dim rooms. Ethan Reeves hunched over multiple screens, his hazel eyes darting between financial data streams. The lines of code blurred as he squinted, trying to make sense of the suspicious patterns emerging.A burst of energy shattered his concentration as Zoe Chang exploded into the room, her vibrant blue hair a whirlwind around her face. “Guys, you need to see this!” she exclaimed, her words tumbling out in a rush.Ethan tensed. “What’ve you got?”Zoe’s fingers flew across her tablet as she pu...

1 comment 1
Read story

“Eleanor's Bargain ” by Emily Farr

Submitted to Contest #258

August 15, 1945.The photo was chaos in black and white: a soldier, his left arm cradling a shocked woman dressed in white – most likely a nurse; his right arm clinging to her waist and the small of her back. She was dipped into a familiar kiss, but by the strange soldier who the photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt somehow captured in all the madness on that August day in Times Square. The Japanese had surrendered, and when the soldier stumbled out of what must have been a bar, he “grabbed the nurse,” as he would later report. –A four hour d...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Capitol Conspiracy” by Chuck Beretz

Submitted to Contest #258

“Rachel,” Alex called, his voice a strained whisper.Across from him, Rachel looked up quizzically from her desk, situated in the spacious yet austere office that bore the hallmarks of political power—dark wood furniture, framed awards, and a large American flag in the corner. The office, typically buzzing with the hum of political maneuvering, was nearly empty.Alex’s hand trembled as he handed her the photograph.“Not funny!” Rachel, her voice barely above a whisper, was about to toss the photo back, but she saw Alex had gone pale. “This is M...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Now & Then” by Steve Bourne

Submitted to Contest #258

Then: Aihangela carefully removes the brown cardboard envelope from the archive wrapper. Despite being enclosed in acid free tissue, time has still faded the edges and she wonders whether it will be suitable, but reasons she can’t go through the hassle of contacting Mieki in Chancellery to see if he can find another one at such short notice  Fortunately, she kept the ancient printer from a previous occasion - using her techTab to avoid Mieki’s scrutiny - and the resultant label, with its address and obsolete barcode is waiting on her de...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Phone Service” by Austin Wolf-Sothern

Submitted to Contest #258

Anita Littledick answered the phone on the third ring. Before she even had a chance to say hello, a voice was shouting on the other end. “Anita, where the heck are you??” It was Karen Catheter, one of her friends from work. “I’ve been pounding on your door for 1 second. Why are you not at home?” “Oh sorry, Karen. I, uh, well. What year is it?” “Girl, it’s 2016, four years since the COVID-19 virus took the lives of nearly 14,000,000,000 people.” Anita yawned. She felt tired and disoriented. Something about what Karen said didn’t seem quite ri...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The Negative” by Peter Wallace

Submitted to Contest #258

       I guess the way it came about was that I was looking through some old negatives in my father’s darkroom. He was quite a photographer in the days before digital cameras and cell phones came along. He took a lot of pictures for fun, but also did some free lance work for a couple of newspapers and magazines. He kept at it until the digital cameras came along. He didn’t want to betray the cameras that were his old friends, and he didn’t want to learn about a whole new technology in his late 60s. So, he s...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Peaceful Sands” by William Siebold

Submitted to Contest #258

Six—maybe seven—decades ago I worked at Peaceful Sands Research Institute, out west in the high desert. We called it Peaceful, for short. It was a top secret government facility. We tested experimental aircraft and developed all sorts of weapons of mass destruction.Many areas on the base were off-limits, required special clearance. Security and secrets came with the work I did and the agencies I worked for. But something felt wrong on this base. I was young, had a keen eye, an inquiring mind and not a lot of good sense. I took pictures. Hid ...

3 comments 3
Read story

“So, what if...” by Rudy Greene

Submitted to Contest #258

The PhotographThe photograph of the American president sleeping with the Russian president’s sixteen-year-old daughter had long been a chess piece held by the Russian leader. Every time, the American president threatened to do anything that went against Russian interests, the threat of its release stopped him cold. Slowly but surely, the U.S. was becoming a satellite of Russia. The Ukrainian internment camps were just the tip of the iceberg. Book banning and the rise of the Russian Orthodox church were the most recent evidence of Russian inf...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The Worst Kind of Secret” by Laura Lawson

Submitted to Contest #258

The job sounded crazy and was way out of her comfort zone. Marty, who had been booking her jobs for the last five years was more than aware of that so Liz was curious about why he’d even asked.“You know I don’t do weddings. I get in, get the shots, get out. Then you hand over photos showing people having the time of their lives that end up on the customer’s website, brochures and event videos.” That was all she wanted. Take photos and make sure you haven’t captured anything that might detract from the branding or come back to haunt some...

3 comments 3
Read story

“THE ANCIENT QUEEN” by Leila Guerrios

Submitted to Contest #258

A couple hundred years after the world was created, there was a war between Zeus and Poseidon over who should possess the heavens and seas. They had ruled in harmony until a secret document that promised their peace was stolen. It was a photo taken at the creation of the world. A photo that possessed immaculate power. No one had ever seen it but its existence was well known and required vicious protection.  It was around then that Selena had been crowned Moon Goddess under Queen Nevaeh. She was well-known to excel in manipulation and li...

4 comments 4
Read story

“One night in 1980” by Kassidy Yori

Submitted to Contest #258

A tattered photo that was cloaked in the scarlet light of Sadie’s dark room hung in the center of a cluttered cork bord. The back of it read, August, in the top left corner and Summer of 1980 in the bottom right. The front captured blurry faces of two girls, one who had too much to drink, the other too much to smoke. Sadie couldn’t seem to remember much of anything; her seizures had led to amnesia that swirled her days together, but the memory of that night was something her mind had decided to cling to, and she was glad for it.  The ph...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Inquisition” by Noah Graham

Submitted to Contest #258

“Bishop” Fisher was a schismist. There really wasn’t any room for debate about that.He openly stated he believed the pope was a servant of satan and he wasn’t willing to serve him. That coming from a bishop is pretty much guaranteed to divide church which is the dictionary definition of schismism, He claimed Pope Dominico “supported open immigration” (True and so does Jesus,most closed border arguments are based on the idea citizens with your citizenship are worth more than non-citizens without it. The church always sorted people into good c...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Overexposure” by Linda Dennis

Submitted to Contest #258

Lily had a way of making herself invisible. Call it photographer’s instinct; call it stealth. She was close enough to not only snap photos of the incident, but to actually hear every word of the conversation. Or, better said, the heated argument.She was sitting among the cliffs of Moshup Beach. It was in the town of Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard. The beach was vacant, serene. That is, until two men stopped near Lily. From their vantage point, they couldn’t see her tucked between the craggy rocks.The ma...

3 comments 3
Read story

“Taking Second Chances” by Abigail Ortiz

Submitted to Contest #258

***Trigger warning: Trauma, Verbal Abuse, Loss, GriefTaking Second Chances  The box arrived on a brisk Tuesday morning. Michael had barely begun to reach for the doorknob when a blast of wind blew the front door open. A cool breeze shot through the house and shocked the warmth from his face. In disbelief, he dropped to one knee and began to investigate the box someone had left on his front doorstep. The box was small, and he was almost sure he hadn’t ordered anything. Outside the streets were empty, and day had ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“To whoever finds this” by Cleo Segall

Submitted to Contest #258

TW: Death, grief, torture, anti-semitism, thoughts of self-harm and the HolocaustAuschwitz, Germany1942In my dreams, my parents are alive. They are healthy and happy. They run to me and embrace me. They feel real. They are not emaciated, not piled on top of skinny dead bodies. They are living, breathing people. They see me and smile, wide and happy.That’s usually when I realize that I'm dreaming. My parents hadn’t smiled often, even when they were alive.I startle, panting, only to find tears dripping down my chin. But today, I’m still in my ...

0 comments 0
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

A forgotten photograph tucked away somewhere is the catalyst for an unexpected journey.

Adventure – 88 stories

Center your story around two strangers who bond over their shared love of photography.

Character – 31 stories

Start your story with someone who has lost everything but finds solace in photography.

Dramatic – 63 stories

A photographer captures an image of something unexplainable. What happens next?

Mystery – 75 stories

Contest #258

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Frame of Mind

$250

Prize money

289

Contest entries

88

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 12, 2024 EST

Won by Rozmarin Ideas 🏆

Title: She Owed Nothing to Ghosts.

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢