Past Awards

 PAST AWARD WINNERS

For a full calendar of submission opportunities, click here.
For our annual anthology winners, click here. For more information on that project, click here.

2023 Spring Small Fiction Awards

Judged by K-Ming Chang. Details on our Spring Small Fiction Awards page.

Microfiction

Winner

“Sandbox” by Colin Bonini

Runner-Up

“Naz 8 Cinemas” by Aliza Ali Khan

Flash Fiction

Winner

“Whale Song” by Jeff Martin

Runner-Up

“Hatching Moths” by Emily Pegg

Sudden Fiction

Winner

“Immaculate” by Susanna Cupido

Runner-Up

“Nectar” by Kerry Anderson

2022 Winter Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by Morgan Talty. Details on our Winter Award page.

Winner:
“Advanced Reader” by Donovan Swift

Second Place Story:
“Where They Come From” by Casey Quinn

Third Place Story:
“The River at the End of the Road” by Hillary Millán

Honorable Mention:
“The Developer” by Sarah Walsh

2022 Novel Excerpt Contest Winners:

Judged by Charmaine Craig. Details on our Novel Excerpt Contest page.

Winner:
“Calling Out” by Robyn Jefferson

Second Place Excerpt:
“Crybaby” by Mariah Adcox

Third Place Excerpt:
“After We Drowned” by Jill Yonit Goldberg

Honorable Mention:
“The Blood Hustle” by Alice Hatcher

2022 Chapbook Open Winners:

Judged by Kim Fu. Details on our Chapbook Open page.

Winner

Coats by Naomi Telushkin

Finalists

The Duncan Deal by Rex Adams

What Happened (a Montage) by Victoria Sottosanti

Sleight by David Schwartz

2022 Summer Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by Chelsea Bieker. Details on our Summer Award page.

Winner:
“Homeboy” by Nancy Garcia

Second Place Story:
“Leap Year” by Chloe Alberta

Third Place Story:
“The Distant Daughter” by Brenda Salinas Baker

Honorable Mention:
“The Sum of All Amazements” by Lyndsie Manusos

2022 Flash Fiction Contest Winners:

Judged by Kim Chinquee. Details on our Flash Fiction Contest page.

Winner:
“Out, Brief Candle” by Hannah Rose Roberts

Second Place Story:
“The Physiology of Arriving” by Michele Wong

Third Place Story:
“My Sister Versus Tomatoes” by Kate Barss

Honorable Mention:
“Sealskin” by Haley Kennedy

2021 Winter Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by Ye Chun. Details on our Winter Award page.

Winner:
“Russian Thistle” by Laura Farnsworth

Second Place Story:
“A Single Mark” by Reena Shah

Third Place Story:
“Creeper” by Taylor Sykes

Honorable Mention:
“The Crown Prince of Koi” by Daniel Abiva Hunt

2021 Novel Excerpt Contest Winners:

Judged by Dan Chaon. Details on our Novel Excerpt Contest page.

Winner:
“Take Warning: The Ballad of Sammy Slug” by Glenn Lester

Second Place Excerpt:
“Hakuri” by Jessica Cavero

Third Place Excerpt:
“The Slapjack (excerpt – chapters five, six, seven)” by Alan Sincic

Honorable Mention:
“Red State” by Allie Torgan

2021 Chapbook Open Winners:

Judged by Matt Bell. Details on our Chapbook Open page.

Winner

Love at the End of the World by Lindy Biller

Finalists

The Potential of Radio and Rain by Myna Chang

Tiny Creatures by Eliezra Schaffzin

2021 Summer Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by Kristen Arnett. Details on our Summer Award page.

Winner:
“Night Stencils” by Sherine Elbanhawy

Second Place Story:
“Wish You Were Here” by Carlee Jensen

Third Place Story:
“All This is Yours to Lose” by Marcus Tan

Honorable Mention:
“Degenerate Matter” by Jen Galvao

2021 Flash Fiction Contest Winners:

Judged by Stuart Dybek. Details on our Flash Fiction Contest page.

Winner:
“Agora é Sempre” by Tanya Perkins

Second Place Story:
“Play That Again” by John Glowney

Third Place Story:
“How to Develop (Film)” by Candice May

Honorable Mention:
“Everywhere, All at Once” by Emily Roth

2020 Winter Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by Helen Oyeyemi. Details on our Winter Award page.

Winner
“Straight to My Heart” by Dean Jamieson

Second Place
“Collection of the Artist” by Corey Flintoff

Third Place
“You’re Not the Only One” by William Hawkins

Honorable Mention
“Celestial Navigation” by Heather Marshall

2020 Chapbook Contest Winners:

Judged by Steve Almond. Details on our Chapbook Contest page.

Winner

Masterplans by Nick Almeida

Finalists

Deep Blue by Jay Allison

Oscillations by Tanya Perkins

2020 Summer Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by Kali Fajardo-Anstine. Details on our Summer Award page.

Winner:
“Burning” by Adeline Lovell

Second Place Story:
“Matchbox” by Nancy Ludmerer

Third Place Story:
“Como La Flor” by Dayna Cobarrubias

Honorable Mention:
“Petrified” by Clare Howdle

2020 Flash Fiction Contest Winners:

Judged by Sherrie Flick. Details on our Flash Fiction Contest page.

Winner:
“Crocodile” by Ashleigh Pederson
ACCEPTED IN BEST SMALL FICTIONS
NOVEL THE CROCODILE BRIDE PUBLISHED BY HUB CITY PRESS IN 2022

Second Place Story:
“Consider the Shape of Your Fist” by Leah Dawdy
ACCEPTED IN BEST SMALL FICTIONS

Third Place Story:
“Heirlooms” by Amanda Jean Akers

Honorable Mention:
“Fire Season” by Vincent Chavez

2019 Winter Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by Kimberly King Parsons. Details on our Winter Award page.

First Place Story:
“The Driver” by Samantha Xiao Cody

Second Place Story:
“Joe Blake” by Raeden Richardson

Third Place Story:
“The Easiest Thing in the World” by Taylor Grieshober

Honorable Mention:
“Rapture” by Chloe Seim

2019 Fall Fiction Contest Winners:

Judged by Anita Felicelli. Details on our Fall Fiction Contest page.

Winner:
“Salt Sea” by Zeeva Bukai

Second Place Story:
“Shenzhen” by Willa Zhang

Third Place Story:
“It Could Happen to You” by Trent England

Honorable Mention:
“Genealogy” by Nancy London

2019 Summer Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by Tope Folarin. Details on our Summer Award page.

Winner:
“Ghost Story” by Becca Anderson

Second Place Story:
“Escape Velocity” by Karisa Tell

Third Place Story:
“Mutts” by Shane Page

Honorable Mention:
“Terraforming Mars” by Emmett Knowlton

2019 Flash Fiction Contest Winners:

Judged by Kathy Fish. Details on our Flash Fiction Contest page.

Winner:
“Homecoming” by Kathryn Phalen

Second Place Story:
“The Remains” by Felicity Fenton

Third Place Story:
“Simple Physics“ by Kevin Leahy

Honorable Mention:
“Observation Tube—McMurdo Station, Antarctica” by Justin Herrmann

2018 Winter Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by Aimee Bender. Details on our Winter Award page.

Winner:
“Damico” by Joe Bond
EARNED REPRESENTATION FROM OUR ASSOCIATED AGENCY

Second Place Story:
“Caretaker Needed” by Meghan Daniels

Third Place Story:
“Narada’s Ears” by Sanjena Sathian

Honorable Mention:
“At This Late Hour” by Rebecca Turkewitz

2018 Summer Flash Fiction Contest Winners:

Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Flash Fiction page.

Winner:
“How to Spot a Whale” by Jacqui Reiko Teruya
ACCEPTED IN BEST SMALL FICTIONS

Second Place Story:
“Two Kinds of Neighborhoods” by Neil Cooney

Third Place Story:
“Rieb Kear (to Marry)” by Adam Nazaroff

2018 Summer Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Summer Award page.

First Place Story:
“Confirmation“ by Alina Grabowski

Second Place Story:
“Portrait of a Virgin“ by Rachel Cochran

Third Place Story:
“A Country Where I Am Beautiful“ by Patricia Smith

Honorable Mentions:

“Headshot” by Charles Ullmann
“We Are The Horizon” by Laura Fletcher

2018 Spring Flash Fiction Contest Winners:

Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Flash Fiction page.

Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Winter Award page.

First Place Story:
“Drop Zone Summer” by Nick Fuller Googins

EARNED REPRESENTATION FROM OUR ASSOCIATED AGENCY

Second Place Story:
“A History That Brings Me to You” by Katie M. Flynn

Third Place Story:
“Birth Stories” by Sarah Harris Wallman

Honorable Mentions:
“The Visible Spectrum” by Carlee Jensen
“On My Honor,” by Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley

2017 Fall Fiction Contest Award Winners:

Judged by Brian Evenson. Details on our Fall Fiction Contest page.

First Place Story:
“If I Could Have Anything, I’d Only Choose This” by Jill Rosenberg

Second Place Story:
“Lepidomancy” by Maria Lioutaia

Third Place Story:
“Together, Maureen” by Amanda Emil Anderson

Honorable Mentions:
“The Deca-Life Crisis” by Jessi Lewis
“Fog Area” by Ben Sandman

2017 Summer Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Summer Award page.

First Place Story:
“Demonman” by Juliacia Case

Second Place Story:
“The Devil is a Liar” by Ngwah-Mbo Nkewti

Third Place Story:
“Iron Boy Kills The Devil” by Sheldon Costa

2017 Flash Fiction Contest Winners:

Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Flash Fiction page.

Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Winter Award page.

Winner
“Operation” by Scott Gloden

Second Place Story
“White Out” by Caitlin O’Neil
EARNED REPRESENTATION FROM OUR ASSOCIATED AGENCY

Third Place Story
“Malheur Refuge” by Rick Attig

2016 Fall Fiction Contest Winners:

Judged by Kelly Link. Details on our Fall Fiction Contest page.

Winner:
“Night Beast” by Ruth Joffre
STORY COLLECTION NIGHT BEAST PUBLISHED BY GROVE ATLANTIC IN 2018

Second Place Story:
“Family, Family” by Jeannine Ouellette

Third Place Story:
“Good Creatures, Small Things” by Cate Fricke

2016 Summer Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:

Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Summer Award page.

Winner:
“Red” by Katie Knoll
FINALIST FOR THE SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD FOR BEST SHORT STORY

Second Place Story:
“Ledgers” by Claire Boyles
STORY COLLECTION SITE FIDELITY PUBLISHED BY W.W. NORTON IN 2021

Third Place Story:
“The First Location” by Molly Reid

2015 Fall Fiction Winners:

Judged by Jeff Vandermeer. Details on our Fall Fiction Contest page.

Winner:
“Linger Longer” by Vincent Masterson
ACCEPTED IN CELEBRATED HORROR ANTHOLOGY EDITED BY ELLEN DATLOW

Second Place Story:
“Pool People” by Jen Neale

Third Place Story:
“Animalizing” by Marisela Navarro