Fiction Writing Competition

Each year, the Editorial Board of the Georgia Bar Journal sponsors an annual Fiction Writing Competition. The purposes of this competition are to enhance interest in the Journal, to encourage excellence in writing by members of the Bar and to provide an innovative vehicle for the illustration of the life and work of lawyers.

Rules

The following rules will govern the Annual Fiction Writing Competition sponsored by the Editorial Board of the Georgia Bar Journal:

The competition is open to any member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia, except current members of the Editorial Board. Authors may collaborate, but only one submission from each member will be considered.
Subject to the following criteria, the article may be on any fictional topic and may be in any form (humorous, anecdotal, mystery, science fiction, etc.). Among the criteria the Board will consider in judging the articles submitted are: quality of writing; creativity; degree of interest to lawyers and relevance to their life and work; extent to which the article comports with the established reputation of the Journal; and adherence to specified limitations on length and other competition requirements. The Board will not consider any article that, in the sole judgment of the Board, contains matter that is libelous or that violates accepted community standards of good taste and decency.
All articles submitted to the competition become the property of the State Bar of Georgia and, by submitting the article, the author warrants that all persons and events contained in the article are fictitious, that any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental and that the article has not been previously published.
Articles should not be more than 7,500 words in length and should be submitted electronically.
Articles will be judged without knowledge of the author’s identity. The author’s name and State Bar ID number should be placed on a separate cover sheet with the name of the story.
All submissions must be received in proper form prior to the close of business on Jan. 9, 2026. Submissions received after that date and time will not be considered. Please direct all submissions to Ashley Stollar, Communications Coordinator, by email to ashleys@gabar.org. If you do not receive confirmation that your entry has been received, please call 404-527-8792.
Depending on the number of submissions, the Board may elect to solicit outside assistance in reviewing the articles. The final decision, however, will be made by majority vote of the Board. Contestants will be advised of the results of the competition by letter. Honorable mentions may be announced.
The winning article, if any, will be published. The Board reserves the right to edit articles and to select no winner and to publish no article from among those submitted.

Past Winners

“Who Needs a Lawyer?” by James Timothy White (2025)
“Second Service” by Paul E. Franz (2024)
“Apparent Necessity” by Hon. Lori B. Duff (2023)
“Killian’s Folly” by Hon. Lori B. Duff (2022)
“Recusal” by Paul E. Franz (2021)
“The Deal” by Joe Cargile (2020)
“Incident at Gulf Shores” by Dick Donovan (2019)
“Trudy’s Last Ride” by Jameson L. Gregg (2018)
“Keep Things Merry” by Gregory B. Grogan (2017)
“The Lost Confederate Gold” by Mark Roy Henowitz (2016)
“Window by the River” by Kimberly C. Harris (2015)
“The Virgin of Guadalupe” by Gerard “Gerry” Carty (2014)
“Whitecliffe” by Mark Roy Henowitz (2013)
“A Defense of the Heart” by Lt. Col. Leonard M. Cohen (2012)
“Old Friends” by Greg Grogan (2011)
“Out From Silence” by Cynthia Lu Tolbert (2010)
“Death Tax Holiday” by Lawrence V. Starkey Jr. (2009)
“The Dark Part of the Road” by Lisa Smith Siegel (2008)
“Life for Sale” by Lisa Smith Siegel (2007)
“Treasure of Walker County” by Thomas Ellis Jordan (2006)
“Doubting Thomas” by Gerard Carty (2005, co-winner)
“A Puff of Wind” by J. Ellis Millsaps (2005, co-winner)
“First Tuesday” by Gerard Carty (2004)
“The Devil Came Down” by Bradley M. Elbein (2003)
“Equitable Division” by Stephen L. Berry (2002)
“The House” by Stephen L. Berry (2001)
“Best Laid Plans” by A. Leigh Burgess (1999)
“The Lawyer Riddle” by Joey Loudermilk (1998)
“Cold Front” by Virginia M. McGuffey (1997)
“Unfamiliar Perspective” by Ron Johnson (1996)
“No Accident” by Melanie R. Metcalf (1995)
“A Man Replaced” by Nelly F. Withers (1994)
“Spirit of Law” by William B. Miller (1993)
“Continuing Legal Education” by William B. Miller (1992)
“Starry Stranger” by Fred F. Manget (1991)