Submissions to this summer’s Short Story Award for New Writers, judged by Colin Barrett, are now open. Masters Review is looking for your best prose under 6,000 words. The winner will receive a $3,000 prize along with online publication and agency review. Second and third place will also receive cash prizes, online publication and agency review.

Masters Review welcomes submissions of previously unpublished fiction or creative nonfiction up to 6,000 words. This year’s winners will be chosen by the acclaimed Colin Barrett, author of the collections Young Skins and Homesickness, as well as the new novel Wild Houses.

The contest runs from July 1 to August 25, 2024, and is open to any writer who has not published a novel or memoir with a major press. The first-place winner of this contest, selected by the 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.

We are keen to encourage quality, so suggest writers to check their stories before submitting using Prowritingaid. They have free and paid versions and are the best writing software we know to help improve grammar, readability and spelling check for repetition, ‘sticky’ sentences and suggest alternatives.