Slackjaw Humor Writing Challenge: The Winners

All winners from the 2020 Challenge!

Illustration by Emily Clouse

The Slackjaw Humor Writing Challenge was a 30-day extravaganza of focused comedy writing, open to all, with $2,450 in cash prizes. After reading and reading and reading (and re-reading) the 476 (!!) entries, our panel of judges has reached a consensus.

Here they are: the winners of the 2020 Slackjaw Humor Writing Challenge — which we are revealing one-by-one, starting May 11.

Thanks to all 476 writers who completed the Challenge. We had a blast reading!

Alex Baia & sarah James, Slackjaw Editors.

The Winners

1. I’m A Man’s Man, And I Await The Return Of My Man by Amanda Lehr (1st Place Winner)
2. FAQs About Mount Rushmore’s Enormous Underground Quadruple Penis by Daniel Williams (2nd Place Winner)
3. I Got Hit By A Blimp The Other Day And I Don’t Understand Why Everyone Has So Many Questions by Joe Harrington (3rd Place Winner)
4. The Berenstain Bears Get A Divorce by Ryan Weber
5. The Boys Of Summer… Are Back! by Mark Novotny
6. I Married Charles Darwin And He Immediately Stopped Evolving by Becky Veduccio Langton
7. I Am A Home Depot Floor Rep And If You Catch Me I Must Grant You 3 Wishes by Brandon Dockery
8. A Very Chill Guide To Your Upcoming Vasectomy by Kristen Mulrooney
9. You’re The Richest Person Alive by Jordan Lee Cohen
10. On The Eve Of My Annual Hardware-Store Dad Zinger… by Justin Gawel

Honorable Mentions

In no particular order, here are 10 other Challenge entries we loved!

• Congratulations! You’re The New Social Media Voice Of Sauerkraut! by Chris Knight
• David Attenborough Presents: A Drunken Thirty-Something Female Coming Home Alone (Again) by Kelly Shanley
• How This Weatherboy Became A Weatherman by Nick Ortolani
• I Fully Support Unions, Just Not For My Oompa Loompa Workforce by Jasper Wang
• I’d Love To Hang Out, But Only If It’s Super Convenient For Me by Megan Rogers
• Is It Weird If I Ask You Out? Yes, It’s Me From The Search Party by Joel Kane
• Notes From My 5-Year-Old Improv Coach by Katie Burgess
• Quiz: Are You Gay? by Garrett Williams
• The Magic School Bus Gets Psychoanalyzed! by Spencer Roth-Rose
• Why Mambo №. 5 Should Replace Your Wedding Vows by Alex Englert

Join The Next Humor Writing Challenge!

Want to know when we do the next Slackjaw Humor Writing Challenge? Click here to join the VIP Interested List — and you’ll be the first to know!

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