The Masters Review’s Short Story Award for New Writers is a biannual contest that recognizes the best short prose from today’s emerging writers. This year’s guest judge is Jai Chakrabarti.
We welcome submissions of previously unpublished fiction or creative nonfiction up to 6,000 words. The contest is open to any writer who has not published a novel or memoir with a major press.
Prizes
The first-place winner of this contest, selected by our guest judge, will receive a $3,000 grand prize, along with online publication. Second- and third-place winners will receive $300 and $200 respectively, along with online publication. All finalists will receive agency review from our six partnered agencies. Participating agents include Nat Sobel from Sobel Weber, Victoria Cappello from The Bent Agency, Andrea Morrison from Writers House, Sarah Fuentes from United Talent Agency, Heather Schroder from Compass Talent, and Marin Takikawa from The Friedrich Agency.
Eligibility criteria
This contest is for emerging writers only. Writers with single-author book-length work published or under contract with a major press are ineligible. We are interested in providing a platform to new writers; authors with books published by indie presses and self-published authors are welcome to submit unpublished work.
International submissions are allowed, provided the work is written primarily in English.
Find out more here
Deadline: 11:59pm PDT, August 27, 2023