We are pleased to announce the winner of the 2017 Aura Estrada Short Story Contest, selected by judge Min Jin Lee.

Congratulations to Gina Balibrera, who won for her story “Álvaro.” Balibrera also receives a $1,500 prize.

Lee writes, “Álvaro is the story we want to read because we have been missing it all along. In this moving and layered work of fiction, a romantic Salvadoran composer beguiles us with his charms but keeps us in his hold with his faith and love for the world. Balibrera has given us an unforgettable portrait of an ageless artist walking among us who will never leave us again.”

You can read the story here.

In addition to the winner, our prize honors Aura Estrada (1977–2007), a promising young Mexican writer and student and wife of the writer Francisco Goldman. Boston Review published several of her works. More on her life and writing can be found here.

We hope you’ll submit for the next contest, judged by Viet Thanh Nguyen. The deadline for entries is October 1, 2017. For full submission guidelines, see our contest page.