Platform Stories
PLATFORM STORIES
Literary Contest 2026
A tribute to unpaid caregivers who support, accompany, and love in silence. Inspired by the short film The Last Station, this international contest invites us to give voice to those who care without recognition: family members, friends, neighbors who dedicate their time, energy, and love to caring for others. Like on train journeys, we want to hear what is said along the way—intimate, honest, human stories shared before moving on.
OFFICIAL TIMELINE – 2026 EDITION
CONTEST GUIDELINES
PARTICIPANTS
- 18 years or older, any country
- Texts in Spanish or English
- Registration is free
- Open to writers or aspiring writers (no prior experience required)
THEME
Stories or tales based on your experience as an unpaid caregiver. Sensitivity, authenticity, and emotional honesty will be valued.
FORMAT
- Length: 1,000–1,500 words
- Format: PDF
- Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing
Submissions closed
Thank you for participating and good luck to all.
PRIZES
| Prize | Amount | Additional Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | $300 USD | Publication in the anthology + audiovisual capsule recording + certificate |
| 2nd Place | $200 USD | Publication in the anthology + audiovisual capsule recording + certificate |
| 3rd Place | $100 USD | Publication in the anthology + audiovisual capsule recording + certificate |
| 4th–13th Place | — | Publication in the anthology + honorable mention certificate |
COPYRIGHT
Authors retain copyright over their works. Jackie Zambrano LLC / Hyper Creative Studios reserves non-exclusive rights to publish, disseminate, and adapt selected texts, always citing authorship, without additional compensation.
For more information or if you have any questions, you can contact us at: concurso@laultimaestacionfilm.com
Jury
Tatiana Ramos
Juror Coordinator
Alfredo Ruiz Islas
Juror
Carmen Verde Arocha
Juror
Alberto Ferreras
Juror
Jackie Zambrano
Juror
Libia Valdés Gregg
Juror
Tatiana Ramos
Juror Coordinator
Alfredo Ruiz Islas
Juror
Carmen Verde Arocha
Juror
Alberto Ferreras
Juror
Jackie Zambrano
Juror
Libia Valdés Gregg
Juror
Tatiana Ramos
Juror Coordinator
Alfredo Ruiz Islas
Juror
Carmen Verde Arocha
Juror
Alberto Ferreras
Juror
Jackie Zambrano
Juror
Libia Valdés Gregg
Juror
FINALISTS
Fourteen Honored Stories in Our First Edition
We promised to announce the winners in June. We didn't. That wasn't an oversight. It was a decision.
When we started reading the stories submitted to this contest, we quickly understood we were facing something much bigger than we expected: accounts written by people who have cared — or are still caring — for someone they love, without pay, without a fixed schedule, and often without anyone around them even noticing.
Reading those stories in a hurry felt, quite simply, disrespectful to the people who dared to share such an intimate part of their lives. So we decided to extend the evaluation for as long as it took to do justice to every story. It was worth it.
Among the stories we received from 14 Ibero-American countries and territories, we had the responsibility of choosing the ones that best represented the spirit of this contest. The contest rules stated that the anthology would include the thirteen best stories. However, during final deliberation, we ran into something we hadn't expected: there was one more story whose literary and human depth made it impossible to leave out. That's why the first edition of Historias del Andén will ultimately include fourteen honored stories.
These are the result of a process of reading, deliberation, and consensus. Today, we have the privilege of sharing them.
THE PODIUM
First Place — a genuine tie, not a coincidence
At one point in our evaluation, two stories reached, independently and genuinely, the highest score across every criterion we established: literary quality, thematic relevance, and authenticity. We chose not to force a tiebreaker. Both receive the full first-place prize: $300 each.
“Las manos de mi madre”
Horacio Miguel Jiménez Chaves
Costa Rica
A sixty-year-old mother who has cared for two children with severe disabilities for an entire lifetime narrated by the son who finally watches her body give way under the weight of so many years of caregiving. There isn't a single unnecessary sentence in this story. Every object — the wheelchair, the cane, the plastic tablecloth — carries its own emotional weight.
“Mami”
Reinaldo Mayari Abreu
Cuba
A Cuban son cares for his mother, who lives convinced she's about to escape back to Cuba. An utterly singular voice, threaded through with Santería, scarcity, and memory. This story doesn't try to console the reader — it stays, uncomfortably, longer than you'd expect.
“2:14”
Israel Box Hernández
Spain
The most original narrative device in the entire contest: the house itself — the hallway light switch, the coffee maker, the sofa, the washing machine — narrates a mother's decline and the quiet exhaustion of the daughter caring for her.
“Cenizas al viento”
Diego Germán Niño Robles
Colombia
A precise, unsentimental portrait of what it's like to be trapped between caring for a mother and a life of one's own that never quite gets moving again.
THE TEN HONORABLE MENTIONS
Each of these stories stood out for something singular. These are not consolation prizes — they are stories that bring a distinct perspective to the experience of caregiving and enrich the conversation this contest set out to open.
The Unfiltered Truth
“Un día más”
Bárbara Lisandra Rodríguez Sánchez
Cuba
The story that doesn't soften anything. Caregiving without heroism, exactly as it can feel on the hardest night.
Contains sensitive content related to self-harm. Shared with the respect and warning it deserves.
The Love That Still Recognizes
“El peso de los rieles”
Betty Díaz
Puerto Rico
Five years caring for a mother with Alzheimer's, and one moment, in a train station, when she says her daughter's name again.
The Fear That Stays Silent
“Lo que nadie ve al cuidar”
Norka Daphne Carrión Herrera
United States
Caring for a loved one while fearing, at the same time, disappearing under the law. An angle that no other story in this contest touched.
The Pain That Never Stops
“El uniforme invisible en la última estación”
Mónica Edith Bernal Wong
Mexico
Twenty-eight years of mandatory strength, until there's nothing left to give. The courage to finally name one's own breaking point.
Contains sensitive content related to alcohol use as a form of escape.
The Weight of Every Day
“Lo que escurra es miel”
Lucía Liliana Oviedo Gómez
Mexico
The most honest list of tasks we read in the entire contest, about what a caregiver's time actually becomes.
The Love That Chooses
“Mirta”
María Alvarado de la Rosa
Mexico
Blood isn't required to care for someone until the end. A story about the family you choose, not just the one you inherit.
The Grief That Keeps Caring
“¡Exhausta!”
Yugli Teresa Colmenares Ortiz
Venezuela
When caregiving ends, grief needs caring for too. Rituals of farewell as a way of not quite letting go.
The Solitude of the One Who Holds Everyone Up
“Los que sostienen también se rompen”
Ricardo Valero Díaz
United States
What happens when the caregiver is also the one almost no one accounts for? A story about holding others up without anyone holding you.
The Faith That Won't Let Go
“Las manos de Gricelda”
Rafael Hernández Viera
Puerto Rico
Fourteen months of vigil. A story about refusing to let go of a hand, no matter what.
The Regret That Comes Too Late
“No te escuchaba”
Roberson Quispe Taipe
Peru
Sometimes caregiving also means getting distracted. And sometimes guilt arrives right when it's too late to fix it.
THANK YOU
To each of the people who trusted us with their story: thank you.
Thank you for opening a door to experiences that often remain in silence. Thank you for sharing what so often goes unsaid out loud. Thank you for letting us come close — very close — to the everyday reality of those who care for others.
Behind these fourteen honored stories are hundreds more that deserve to be heard. That is, precisely, what this contest reminded us.
Telling the story of La Última Estación has always meant speaking about those who care for others: the people who hold others up every day, almost always far from the spotlight, often without any recognition at all, and sometimes without even permitting themselves to call what they do by its true name — love, sustained, day after day, even when exhaustion seems to have no end.
To everyone who is now part of this first anthology: thank you for giving us stories that will stay with us long after we've finished reading them.
Over the coming days, we'll be reaching out directly to each honoree to coordinate prize delivery and the editorial details related to the publication of the anthology. The complete anthology featuring all fourteen stories is coming soon.
Because if you're caring for someone today — whether or not there's a written story behind it — this project is for you too.
A project within the universe of the short film "La Última Estación"
Anthology
The Platform Stories anthology will gather the 13 selected stories in a publication celebrating the resilience, love, and humanity of caregivers.
Platform Stories
Support this project
Help us give voice to the 63 million invisible caregivers. 100% tax-deductible | Fractured Atlas
