// PAST AWARD WINNERS //
For a full calendar of submission opportunities click here.
For our annual anthology winners and information on that project, click here.
2022 Summer Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:
Judged by Chelsea Bieker. Details on our Short Story 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 Short Story 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 Short Story 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 Short Story 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
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 Short Story 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 Short Story 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 Short Story 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 Short Story 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 Short Story 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.
Winner:
“Ebenezer, Ebenezer” by Ariel Chu
Second Place Story:
“Out of the Fields” by Bryna Cofrin-Shaw
Third Place Story:
“Spies” by Timothy Schirmer
2018 Winter Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:
Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Short Story Award page.
First Place Story:
“Drop Zone Summer” by Nick Fuller Googins
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 Short Story 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.
Winner:
“Out and Out” by Latifa Ayad
PUBLISHED BY PEN AMERICA
Second Place Story:
“Lions in The House” by Beejay Silcox
Third Place Story:
“The Wheelchair” Mahreen Sohail
Honorable Mentions:
“Road Trip” by Rachel Attias
“Balter Cafe” by Elle Flythe
2016 Winter Short Story Award for New Writers Winners:
Judged by The Masters Review Staff. Details on our Short Story 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 Short Story 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