Submissions are open starting today until April 2nd for TMR’s Anthology Volume XII! This year’s guest judge is Toni Jensen, author of Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land and the story collection From the Hilltop. Jensen will be selecting ten stories and essays to publish in our printed book next spring from a shortlist of thirty prepared by our editorial staff. Stay tuned for news on the publication of last year’s book, with stories and essays selected by Peter Ho Davies, too! Find the full details for the submissions below or on our contest page.
//Submissions Open Through April 2nd//
Every year The Masters Review opens submissions to produce our anthology, a collection of ten stories and essays written by the best emerging authors. Our aim is to showcase ten writers who we believe will continue to produce great work. The ten winners are nationally distributed in a printed book with their stories and essays exposed to top agents, editors, and authors across the country. Our third volume was awarded the Silver Medal for Best Short Story Collection through the INDIEFAB Awards in 2015, and our fourth volume was an honorable mention for best anthology. Check us out on Amazon!
JUDGING
Each year The Masters Review pairs with a guest judge to select stories. Our editorial team produces a shortlist of stories, which our judge reviews to select winners. Our past judges include Lauren Groff, AM Homes, Lev Grossman, Kevin Brockmeier, Amy Hempel, Roxane Gay, Rebecca Makkai, Kate Bernheimer, Rick Bass, Diane Cook, and Peter Ho Davies. This year’s judge is Toni Jensen!
Toni Jensen is the author of Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land, a finalist for the Dayton Peace Prize and a New York Times Editors’ Choice book (Ballantine 2020). An NEA Creative Writing Fellowship recipient in 2020, Jensen’s essays have appeared in Orion, Catapult and Ecotone
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
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Previously unpublished works of fiction and narrative nonfiction only
- Up to 7000 words
- We accept simultaneous submissions as long as work is withdrawn if it is accepted elsewhere
- Multiple submissions are allowed
- International English submissions allowed
- Emerging Writers Only. Writers must not have published a novel-length work at the time of submission (authors of short story collections and self-published titles can submit as can authors with novels or memoirs with a low distribution [no more than 5000 copies])
- Standard formatting please (double-spaced, 12 pt font, pages numbered)
- $20 entry fee
- Deadline: April 2nd, 2023
- Please, no identifying information on your story
- All submissions are considered for publication in the anthology as well as New Voices
- If requesting an editorial letter, please indicate on your cover letter if the submissions is fiction or creative nonfiction
- A significant portion of the editorial letter fees go to our feedback editor, according to the rates established by the EFA
- All submissions will receive a response by the end of June
- Winners will be announced by the end of July
- To view a list of our most commonly asked questions regarding submitting to The Masters Review, please see our FAQ page
- Friends, family and associates of the final judge are not eligible for this award
- Writers who have earned an Anthology Prize before and whose work appears in our printed book cannot submit to this category but are welcome to send us work in other open categories
We don’t have any preferences topically or in terms of style. We’re simply looking for the best. We don’t define, nor are we interested in, stories identified by their genre. We do, however, consider ourselves a publication that focuses on literary fiction. Dazzle us, take chances, and be bold
TEN PUBLISHED AUTHORS WILL RECEIVE:
- $500 award.
- Publication in our nationally distributed journal.
- Exposure to over 50 literary agencies.
- Contributor’s copy.
- All writers are part of an exclusive mailing. We send our anthology to editors, writers, and literary institutions across the country.
