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Submissions open through April 6!

Since day one, our mission has been to support new and emerging writers by providing a platform that celebrates their work. This year, we are excited to announce a new contest devoted specifically to brand new fiction writers. The Debut Fiction Prize will honor the work of writers who display tremendous promise in their craft. Our goal is to provide a boost for these writers at the very beginning stages of their career and help them take the next steps forward. Every submitter is also eligible for a $100 discount for a cohort at PocketMFA.

We will welcome submissions of previously unpublished fiction up to 6,000 words from writers who have never published in the genre. Our winners will be chosen by Julie Iromuanya, author of Mr. and Mrs. Doctor and the forthcoming A Season of Light. Our contest runs from February 5, 2025, to April 6, 2025. The first-place winner will receive a $3,000 grand prize and a two-year subscription to Duotrope, while second- and third-place winners will receive $300 and $200 respectively. All winners will also receive a license for Scrivener, Literature & Latte’s organizational writing software, as well as a copy of Best Emerging Writers, an anthology by The Masters Review which will be published in May 2025. We publish all winning pieces online.

What Julie Iromuanya is looking for: “For me, a good story is like music. The best music catches you off guard with an emergence of concordance and discordance that creates a feeling of depth and a confusion of emotions that lingers.”

Submission Guidelines:

The first-place winner receives $3,000, online publication, a two-year subscription to Dutrope, a license for Scrivener, and a copy of Best Emerging Writers.
The second- and third-place finalists receive cash prizes ($300/$200), a license for Scrivener, online publication, and a copy of Best Emerging Writers.
Submissions of fiction must be under 6,000 words.
This contest is for debut fiction writers only. Emerging writers with publication history in poetry and creative nonfiction are welcome to submit their debut fiction, as are self-published writers and writers with fiction publications in campus magazines.
Writers whose work is scheduled to be published later this year are ineligible for this prize.
Please see our FAQ below for more information regarding eligibility in this contest.
Submitted work must be previously unpublished. This includes personal blogs, social media accounts, and other websites. Previously published work will be automatically disqualified.
The entry fee is $20.
Simultaneous and multiple submissions are allowed, though each submission requires a $20 entry fee.
Writers from historically marginalized or underrepresented groups are invited to submit for free until we reach fifty submissions in this category.
If your submission is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your submission on Submittable, or contact us otherwise to let us know the piece is no longer available.
We do not require anonymous submissions for this contest, but the guest judge will read the shortlist anonymously.
International submissions are allowed, provided the work is written primarily in English. Some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
No translations, please.
All submissions must be double-spaced with one-inch page margins and use Times New Roman or Garamond 12.
The contest’s deadline is 11:59pm PDT on April 6, 2025.
All entries are also considered for publication in New Voices.
Every submission will receive a response by the end of July 2025. The winners will be announced in September 2025.
AI-generated submissions will be automatically disqualified.
Friends, family, and associates of the guest judge are not eligible for this award.

Judging

Julie Iromuanuya is the author of A Season of Light (Algonquin Books 2025) and Mr. and Mrs. Doctor (Coffee House Press 2015), a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, the Etisalat Prize for Literature, and the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize for Debut Fiction. She is a 2020 George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation fellow, and she was the inaugural Herbert W. Martin Fellow in Creative Writing at the University of Dayton. Iromuanya earned her PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She teaches at the University of Chicago.

Editorial Letter Option

If you’re interested in getting feedback on your writing, utilize our editorial letter add-on option. Our response to your submission will be accompanied by a one- to two-page letter from an experienced guest editor, who will offer observations on the strengths of the piece as well as opportunities for revision. Your editor may also offer further submission and reading suggestions, or other comments on craft. A significant portion of the additional fee is paid directly to your feedback editor. See a sample editorial letter.

Frequently Asked Questions

I haven’t published fiction before, but I have published a book review. Am I eligible?

Yes, you’re eligible!

I’ve published flash fiction in an online litmag—am I eligible?

Unfortunately, you’re not eligible since you’ve published fiction before, even fiction under 1,000 words. Consider submitting to New Voices or one of our seasonal Short Story Awards for New Writers!

I publish my fiction on a personal blog, but I’ve never been published in a literary journal. What about me?

Good news—you’re eligible, provided your submission hasn’t been published on your blog.

I published a short story in college with an undergraduate-run litmag. Can I submit?

If submissions were limited to only members of the university community and distribution was limited, then you’re eligible. If submissions were open to a wider audience, then you would not be eligible.

I published a short story five or ten or fifteen years ago, but nothing since. Can I submit new work?

Unfortunately you would not be eligible for this contest, since you’ve debuted in the past. But feel free to submit to one of our other opportunities in the future!

If you still are unsure whether you’re eligible, please get in touch with us at contact@mastersreview.com.

Our New Voices category is open year-round to any new or emerging author who has not published a novel-length work of fiction or narrative nonfiction with a major press. Authors with published short story collections are free to submit. We accept simultaneous and multiple submissions but ask that you inform us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere.

The Masters Review pays a flat rate of $100 for flash-length stories (1,000 words or fewer) and $200 for longer stories (up to 7,000 words).

Guidelines:

This category is for emerging writers only. Writers with single-author novel-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.
We accept fiction and narrative nonfiction. We do accept a variety of genres and styles; our only requirement is that you show excellence in your craft. We want to be wowed. Bend genres, experiment with structure, and write your heart out. But please, send us polished work. Our aim is to showcase writers who we believe will continue to produce great work. Send us only your best.
We accept simultaneous submissions but please notify us if your work is picked up elsewhere.
All submissions must be under 7,000 words.
If you’re submitting flash, feel free to include up to three stories in a single document.
We do accept multiple submissions.
We cannot consider work that has been previously published in any form. This includes personal blogs.
Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history and a short bio.
We aim to respond to all submissions within twelve weeks. Please do not email before twelve weeks have passed.
For submissions that request an editorial letter, a significant portion of the editorial letter fees go to our feedback editor.

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. Thanks for supporting our publication, and thank you for your work.

New Voices submissions can be uploaded to Submittable by clicking the button below:

For questions about submissions or to query an existing submission please use the following email: contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com.

Book Reviews, Interviews & Craft Essays

The Masters Review is now accepting submissions of completed book reviews, interviews, and craft essays for publication on our blog. Please do not send pitches or queries to this category. Submissions must be previously unpublished. We do not consider reprints. At the moment, we are unable to pay for book reviews or interviews, but we can pay $50 for craft essays. If you have a pitch or query, please contact us at contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com.

Genre Guidelines

Book Reviews

Book Reviews must be of books scheduled for a 2025 release. We recommend submitting your review at least one month before the scheduled publication date. Earlier is better.
Book Reviews should be between 700-1,200 words.
Include in your review at least one sentence that conveys your overall stance on the book and embolden it. (e.g., The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley ruthlessly interrogates what it means to be successful as a Black woman, a Millennial, and a liberal living in an urban center.)
Our primary interest are debut authors and indie presses. Occasionally, we will consider and publish reviews from major presses or of notable authors.
Rarely, we will consider a review for a book with a past release date, but it must have been published within four months. If you have questions about this policy, please contact us at contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com.

Interviews

We are interested in interviews with authors, editors, agents, or other industry professionals, with a particular focus on recent publications or activity. Our mission is to bridge the gap between new and established writers, so any insight into the profession of writing is valuable (e.g., this interview with agent Miriam Atlshuler).
Interviews should be between 1,200-2,500 words.
Please include a bio of both the interviewee and the interviewer with your submission, as well as an introduction to the interview.

Craft Essays

Craft Essays should focus on a particular aspect of the craft of writing fiction or nonfiction.
Please do not send craft essays about poetry.
We are especially interested in craft essays which examine the craft of a particular story. Please see our Stories That Teach and From the Archives series on the blog for examples.
Craft Essays should be between 1,200-2,500 words.

Submission questions, concerns, and inquiries can be sent to a staff member at: contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com

Author’s Rights

The Masters Review holds first publication rights for three months after publication. Authors agree not to publish, nor authorize or permit the publication of, any part of the material for three months following The Masters Review’s first publication. For reprints we ask for acknowledgement of its publication in The Masters Review first.