First Place: The Last Millennial by Sarah Waterman
Sarah Waterman (@a3w_editorial & @sarahwatermanbooks) is a romance author and editor based in the Kansas City area. She is the author of the Station 8 firefighter romance duet (Under Fire and Knocked Down) and Fix The Right Thing First, a self-revision guide for writers who want to edit like a professional without the guesswork. In 2024, she founded A3W Editorial, an editing business specializing in developmental and copy/line editing for indie authors. When she's not writing or editing, she's probably on Instagram telling writers hard truths they needed to hear.
What the Judges said:
"Apocalyptic and authentic. From the first line, 'Alexa, how many people are dead?,' I was hooked! An original, well-structured, and an engaging story full of humor and heart."
"This story was a delight in the rediscovery of physical art mediums. You had us from the first line and brought us through the story with your excellent use of dialogue and humanity!"
"I was always taught that if novels are mahogany and novellas are oak, then short stories must be balsa wood: flexible, light to the touch, aware of their own brevity. Sarah, your story lovingly walks the reader through the gentle, near-complete loss of a generation to time, and never loses track of the humor, preservation, and humanity we all hope for at the end of our lives."
A Chat with the Author:
Tell us a little about your writing background. How long have you been writing? What inspired you to start?
I wrote (and illustrated!) my first "book" at eight years old, and it's been a calling ever since. I took a creativity break in college—a decision that nearly wrecked my mental health—and after graduating in 2011, I found my way back to fiction through National Novel Writing Month and never looked back. In 2024, I launched A3W Editorial, my developmental and copy editing business. Then 2025 became my year to take control of my own writing career: in seven months, I published three books—two romance novels and a self-revision guide for writers.
Tell us more about the inspiration for this story! Where did the idea come from?
I started tinkering with the idea a couple of years ago, and I couldn't tell you now exactly what sparked it—probably the accumulated weight of everything we've lived through over the last thirty years. I knew early on this was going to be a story about generations, about my generation specifically. It wasn't until later that I realized I also wanted to explore writing, storytelling, and the act of creating something physical in an increasingly digital world.
Where can readers find more of your work?
My books are available anywhere books are sold! Under Fire and Knocked Down are a complete romance duet, with a third book in the works. Fix The Right Thing First is a no-nonsense, actionable guide for writers who want to revise the way professional editors do—cutting through the guesswork and saving time, sanity, and second-guessing. Find me at @sarahwatermanbooks (author) and @a3w_editorial (editorial content and craft education).
What advice would you give writers on writing a great short story?
Start with a bang. Jump right in—don't dawdle. Unlike a novel, where you have room to ramp up to the action, short fiction doesn't give you that runway. From there, let everything be contextual. You don't have time to explain the world; you have to trust your readers to keep up. In my story, for example, characters reference "implants," and I never once explained what they were. But through the story's beats, readers understood—internal computers, basically. Treat every detail as common knowledge, and readers will surprise you with how quickly they immerse themselves.
