About the prize

QuietManDave Prize 2022

Sara Hills is the winner of the 2022 Flash Non-Fiction prize.

QuietManDave inspired many people to pursue their creative passions and this competition continues that by seeking to encourage new writing - and discover and celebrate new writers.

Our Flash Fiction and Flash Non-Fiction categories encompass the forms of writing that Dave was best known for, while creating an exciting space for other kinds of work, too. Here is some guidance on what you might like to submit for the Flash Non-Fiction Prize.    

What is Flash Non-Fiction?

Non-fiction can take many forms, and for the purposes of this competition, we welcome everything from creative non-fiction - which weaves fact into the form of a story using the tools of fiction - to blog posts, say, and theatre reviews, which were QuietManDave’s particular passions. In a complete and stand-alone piece of 500 words or less, flex your creative muscles to tell us about a performance you’ve seen recently, or a micro-essay on a topic that piqued your interest, or something that happened to you or that you read about. There are no rules, and a piece of flash non-fiction can incorporate several forms or styles, whatever you need to tell your non-fiction story. Fitting everything into 500 words or less may sound daunting, but the best flash non-fictions use the limited space to their advantage, letting go of anything unnecessary, whetting our appetite.

For some examples of Flash Non-Fiction see: