An electroluminescent phosphor powder includes copper-activated zinc sulfide particles that have a size distribution with a D50 value of no more than 10 μm, where no more than 25% of the particles have a size greater than about 15 μm and/or a 24-hr brightness of at least 15 footlamberts. These particles are made by a method that includes first firing copper-doped zinc sulfide mixed with zinc oxide, sulfur and a chloride-containing flux, rapidly cooling the mixture to below 100° C., and then mulling and second firing the mixture to provide a powder. The powder can then be elutriated to provide the electroluminescent powder with a narrow particle size distribution (more than 90% between about 5 and 15 μm). The elutriating step can be avoided (albeit with a slightly wider size distribution) by more tightly controlling the first firing temperature.