Six Word Story Contest 2025: Winners!

We had three separate classes participate this year, including a lot of students from a school in Massachusetts, as well as entries from places as far away as the United Kingdom!

And now, what you’ve been waiting for…here are this year’s winners.

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Contest Winners:

• 1st: Unsinkable they said, the iceberg disagreed.
  – Doug Prince (Portland)
• 2nd: Snake crawls onto hand gripping cliff.
  – Lin Wei (Portland)
• 3rd: Voicemail repeats his last message. Tears.
  – Faraz Ghoddusi (Tigard) 

Youth Winners:

• Winner: Beach: graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate, campfire.
  – Judah M. (Portland, age 10)
• 2nd: Some secrets should never be told.
  – Bryn L. (Beaverton, 7th grade)
• 3rd: “Nothing nice to say?” Never spoke.
  – Vivien H. (Beaverton, 7th grade)

Remote Winners:

• Winner: Our hearts collided between the pages.
  – Susan Mcclellan (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
• 2nd: Opened my eyes, mom closed hers.
  – Binita Pudasaini (Springfield, Massachusetts)
• 3rd: He pruned the truth. It re-grew.
  – Norbert Kovacs (Hartford, Connecticut)

Other Honorable Mentions and Staff Favorites (in no particular order):

• DO NOT TOUCH – Written in Braille.
  – Austin James DuFrene (Portland)
• “Yum, good chocolate! “That’s not chocolate!…”
  – Derek Randall (Sherwood)
• Lightning flash. One Mississippi. Humongous rumble.
  – Tessa Rae H., Age 8 (Sherwood)
• Climate changed. We didn’t. The end.
  – Donald A. Ranard (Arlington, Virginia)
• Bertram saved the slug for last.
  – Barbara Hanson (Hillsboro)
• Man survived by his pet anaconda.
  – Evy E. (Sherwood)
• Million followers online. Still dining alone.
  – Vaibhav Hassija (Sherwood)
• The canary stopped singing… Get out!
  – Ruth, 6th Grade (Beaverton)
• Til Death do us part. Bang!
  – Wendy Gigliotti (Sherwood)
• One-bedroom tarp for rent. Nice neighborhood.
  – Eric Johnson (Sherwood)
• Stranded hitchhiker elected as town mayor.
  – Caleb E. (Sherwood)
• The key unlocked many forgotten memories.
  – Delaney Condon (Springfield, Massachusetts)
• Sinking,
  Thinking —
  Swimming lessons
  are needed.
  – Ginamaria Farino (Sherwood)
• Bad five minutes, not bad day.
  – NC Bell (Sherwood)
• Her electric bike shattered his dreams.
  – Rick Branner (Sherwood)
• “You’ve come back,” the graveyard whispered.
  – Alyssa B., age 9 (Lake Oswego)
• Tyrant King, only ashes to rule.
  – Alexis Wolf (Sherwood)

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The literary legend that started it all: While having dinner with fellow writers of the famous Algonquin Round Table in New York City, Hemingway bet he could write a story in just six words. They bet not. He grabbed a pen and a napkin and wrote: “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.”  They paid up and Hemingway called it his best work.

Our local and youth winners receive magnetic poetry sets and gift cards to local businesses. Big thanks to this year’s judges: Melanie Dobson, local author; Craig Sheldon, Sherwood City Manager; Jaime Thoreson, Librarian II (Youth Services); Joy Redington, Library Assistant II.

Look for a celebration of the winners and honorable mentions on social media this week.