2026 Rash Award in Fiction and Poetry
The Broad River Review is pleased to announce the results of the 2026 Rash Awards in Fiction and Poetry.
Noah Davis, of Pepperell, Massachusetts, won the 2026 Rash Award in Fiction for his story “Gall Bladder.” Silas House served as judge.
Ashley Seitz Kramer, of Millcreek, Utah, won the 2026 Rash Award in Poetry for her poem “We’ll Get It Sorted.” Scott Owens served as judge.
House also named two honorable mention stories: “Leaving Hickory Flat” by Marco Recouso of Mississauga, Ontario, and “Returning” by Kendra Kvale of Ennis, Texas.
Owens also named several honorable mention poems: “Flood Time in Ashe County” by Dave Russo of Sparta, North Carolina; “Portrait of Elizabeth I as a Princess” by Michael Beadle of Raleigh, North Carolina; and “Rorschach Test” by Matthew J. Spireng of Kingston, New York.
The full results of both contests, including finalists, can be found on our 2026 contest page.
The 2026 Rash Awards in Fiction and Poetry will open for submissions on February 1, 2027.
RASH AWARDS
What are the Rash Awards?
In 2010, the Broad River Review began two new contests, called the Rash Awards, named in honor of Ron Rash, a 1976 graduate of Gardner-Webb University. Rash’s first published work appeared in the pages of this literary review (a poem, “Last Night’s Ride” and a story, “Turtle Meat”). Rash grew up in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, home to Gardner-Webb University, and earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Gardner-Webb and Clemson universities, respectively.