The Masters Review Prize for New Narratives 2026

For writers who challenge convention, The Masters Review Prize for New Narratives is calling. With this contest, The Masters Review will celebrate stories up to 6,000 words that push boundaries and subvert expectations, that experiment with form, voice, and point-of-view, that demonstrate an innovative approach to storytelling. We are not looking for the traditional or the conventional. Instead, we want to read your metafiction, your fragmented narratives, your stories in second person, your nonlinear essays. The Masters Review Prize for New Narratives will make space for unconventional narratives that may not find a home in other journals. Whatever your story, we want to see it in its most daring and authentic form. 

Three finalists will be chosen by Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown, winner of the National Book Award for Fiction. The grand-prize winner will earn a $3,000 prize along with publication and a two-year subscription to Duotrope. Second- and third-place finalists will receive $300 and $200 respectively, along with publication.

This award is open for submissions from February 2 to March 31, 2026.

"I'm looking for surprise, which can come from any style, subject or genre. I'm looking for the pleasure unique to short fiction—whether it's a work of meticulously fine-grained realism or conceptually wild experimentalism, or anything in between or beyond. I'm listening for voice, hoping to stumble into a sentence that stops me, compels me to read it again. Compels me to read the next one. I'm eager for stories in new, unexpected forms, or in old, familiar forms made new again. I love when form is intrinsic to substance, when the interplay between the two feels vital and necessary. And finally, I'm looking for the thing I don't realize I need yet—until someone comes along and brings it into the world."

- Guest Judge Charles Yu

Need inspiration? Look no further:

“Problems for Self Study” by Charles Yu (Harvard Review)

“Especially Heinous: 242 Views of Law & Order SVU” by Carmen Maria Machado (The American Reader)

“Calculus BC: Final Exam” by Abigail Hodge (The Masters Review)

“The Semplica-Girl Diaries” by George Saunders (The New Yorker)

“A Rogue Planet” by Thomas Pierce (The Masters Review)

“Lust” by Susan Minot (Narrative)

“July 2015: A Compendium” by Daniel Garcia (The Masters Review)

Submission Guidelines:

• The first-place winner receives $3,000, online publication, and a two-year subscription to Duotrope.
• The second- and third-place finalists receive cash prizes ($300/$200) and online publication.
• Submissions of fiction or creative nonfiction must be under 6,000 words.
• While we’re open to hybrid work, The Masters Review is not a journal for poetry. Traditional, lineated poetry will not be considered.
• Images may be included with your submission, provided you are either the composer or have secured the necessary permissions. 
• 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. No additional fee waivers will be granted.
• 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. 
• This contest is for emerging writers only. Writers with single-author book-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 are welcome to submit unpublished work, as are self-published authors.
• International submissions are allowed, provided the work is written primarily in English.
• No translations, please.
• All submissions must be double-spaced with one-inch page margins and use 12pt Times New Roman or Garamond font (unless doing so impacts the form of your submission). 
• The contest’s deadline is 11:59pm PDT on March 31, 2026.
• All entries are also considered for publication in New Voices.
• Every submission will receive a response by the end of July 2026. The winners will be announced in September 2026. 
• AI-generated or -assisted submissions will be automatically disqualified.
• Friends, family, and associates of the guest judge are not eligible for this award. 

About the Judge

Charles Yu is the author of four books, including Interior Chinatown which won the National Book Award for fiction and was a finalist for Le Prix Médicis étranger. He has also received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award and been nominated for the Humanitas Prize. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Wired, among other publications. Together with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, he established the Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Writing Prizes, in honor of his parents.

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. 

The Masters Review Prize for New Narratives 2026

Note: This submission category is for marginalized or historically underrepresented writers ONLY. 

For writers who challenge convention, The Masters Review Prize for New Narratives is calling. With this contest, The Masters Review will celebrate stories up to 6,000 words that push boundaries and subvert expectations, that experiment with form, voice, and point-of-view, that demonstrate an innovative approach to storytelling. We are not looking for the traditional or the conventional. Instead, we want to read your metafiction, your fragmented narratives, your stories in second person, your nonlinear essays. The Masters Review Prize for New Narratives will make space for unconventional narratives that may not find a home in other journals. Whatever your story, we want to see it in its most daring and authentic form. 

Three finalists will be chosen by Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown, winner of the National Book Award for Fiction. The grand-prize winner will earn a $3,000 prize along with publication and a two-year subscription to Duotrope. Second- and third-place finalists will receive $300 and $200 respectively, along with publication.

This award is open for submissions from February 2 to March 31, 2026.

"I'm looking for surprise, which can come from any style, subject or genre. I'm looking for the pleasure unique to short fiction—whether it's a work of meticulously fine-grained realism or conceptually wild experimentalism, or anything in between or beyond. I'm listening for voice, hoping to stumble into a sentence that stops me, compels me to read it again. Compels me to read the next one. I'm eager for stories in new, unexpected forms, or in old, familiar forms made new again. I love when form is intrinsic to substance, when the interplay between the two feels vital and necessary. And finally, I'm looking for the thing I don't realize I need yet—until someone comes along and brings it into the world."

- Guest Judge Charles Yu

Need inspiration? Look no further:

“Problems for Self Study” by Charles Yu (Harvard Review)

“Especially Heinous: 242 Views of Law & Order SVU” by Carmen Maria Machado (The American Reader)

“Calculus BC: Final Exam” by Abigail Hodge (The Masters Review)

“The Semplica-Girl Diaries” by George Saunders (The New Yorker)

“A Rogue Planet” by Thomas Pierce (The Masters Review)

“Lust” by Susan Minot (Narrative)

“July 2015: A Compendium” by Daniel Garcia (The Masters Review)

Submission Guidelines:

• The first-place winner receives $3,000, online publication, and a two-year subscription to Duotrope.
• The second- and third-place finalists receive cash prizes ($300/$200) and online publication.
• Submissions of fiction or creative nonfiction must be under 6,000 words.
• While we’re open to hybrid work, The Masters Review is not a journal for poetry. Traditional, lineated poetry will not be considered.
• Images may be included with your submission, provided you are either the composer or have secured the necessary permissions. 
• Submitted work must be previously unpublished. This includes personal blogs, social media accounts, and other websites. Previously published work will be automatically disqualified.
• Writers from historically marginalized or underrepresented groups are invited to submit for free until we reach fifty submissions in this category. No additional fee waivers will be granted.
• 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. 
• This contest is for emerging writers only. Writers with single-author book-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 are welcome to submit unpublished work, as are self-published authors.
• International submissions are allowed, provided the work is written primarily in English.
• No translations, please.
• All submissions must be double-spaced with one-inch page margins and use 12pt Times New Roman or Garamond font (unless doing so impacts the form of your submission). 
• The contest’s deadline is 11:59pm PDT on March 31, 2026.
• All entries are also considered for publication in New Voices.
• Every submission will receive a response by the end of July 2026. The winners will be announced in September 2026. 
• AI-generated or -assisted submissions will be automatically disqualified.
• Friends, family, and associates of the guest judge are not eligible for this award. 

About the Judge

Charles Yu is the author of four books, including Interior Chinatown which won the National Book Award for fiction and was a finalist for Le Prix Médicis étranger. He has also received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award and been nominated for the Humanitas Prize. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Wired, among other publications. Together with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, he established the Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Writing Prizes, in honor of his parents.

Our New Voices category is open year round to any new or emerging author. Writers with single-author novel-length work published or under contract with a major press are ineligible. 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). We are thrilled to be paying for published pieces but will be highly selective in our choices for publication.

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 are welcome to submit unpublished work, as are self-published authors.
• We accept fiction and narrative non-fiction. 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 do not consider or review AI-generated work. Submissions utilizing AI tools will be automatically declined.

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. 

The Masters Review is committed to providing a platform to diverse, emerging voices. We are now offering an expedited reading category explicitly for marginalized or underrepresented writers. Submitters to this category may choose to receive either a response in two weeks or fewer; or a few sentences of feedback, if declined. 

Although our aim is speedy responses, we can occasionally be backed up by the demand in this category. We prioritize close reading and valuable feedback over quick responses, but if you've requested feedback and your piece is still pending after six weeks, please gently nudge us at contact [at] mastersreview.com for an update. 

All submissions are considered for publication on our website under New Voices, and our regular New Voices guidelines apply (see below). The Masters Review pays a flat rate of $100 flash-length submissions (1,000 words or fewer) and $200 for longer works (up to 7,000 words).

Please see the guidelines below, or contact us at contact [at] mastersreview.com with any questions. This form is for marginalized or underrepresented writers only. If you'd like to submit work with an expedited response time and do not identify as BIPOC or as a writer from another demographic who has been historically mis- or underrepresented in publishing, you may do so here with a $9.99 fee. 

Black Lives Matter. Black Voices Matter. 

With love,

 Cole, Brandon, Jen and the entire Masters Review team.   

Guidelines

• This form is for BIPOC and historically marginalized writers only.
• New Voices submissions are for emerging writers. 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 are welcome to submit unpublished work, as are self-published authors.
• We accept fiction and narrative non-fiction. 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.
• Please, only one active submission at a time. 
• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history and a short bio.
• Do not submit work to this category if you do not identify as BIPOC or as a writer from another demographic who has been historically mis- or underrepresented in publishing.
•  We do not consider or review AI-generated work. Submissions utilizing AI tools will be automatically declined.   

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. 

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 or later 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 Archive series on the blog for examples.
• Craft Essays should be between 1,200-2,500 words.