Best Emerging Writers 2025

It’s that time of year again! The Masters Review’s long-running anthology series returns for the fourteenth year. If you’re a writer of fiction or creative nonfiction who has not yet published a novel or memoir with a major press, this is the contest for you. Best Emerging Writers2025 will showcase a collection of prose from ten writers who are on their way to greatness. Selecting this year’s best emerging writers is the terrific Andrew Porter, author of The Disappeared, the forthcoming novel The Imagined Life, and more. Each of our ten winners will receive a $700 award and a print copy of the book.

What Andrew Porter is looking for: “As a reader, I’m interested in writing that convinces me of its characters, whether it’s realism or speculative fiction or something wildly experimental. I’m interested in that genuine emotional connection between reader and character, and I’m interested in writing that feels honest. In a really good short story, you can always sense the presence of another soul on the other side of the words, and that’s the type of story I’m interested in, one that excites me, moves me, haunts me.”

This year, our winners will be published both in print and online! Our anthology has been at the heart of our mission to provide a platform for emerging writers since day one, and we’re excited to share these stories and essays in a variety of forms, to meet our audience wherever they are. The book will be available for purchase at Bookshop.org and other online distributors. Submissions will be open April 10 and close June 8, 2025. As always, we don’t have any preferences topically or in terms of style. We’re simply looking for the best.

Guidelines:

• Submissions of fiction or creative nonfiction must be under 8,000 words.
• 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writers; authors with books published by indie or university presses and self-published authors are welcome to submit unpublished work.
• Submitted work must be previously unpublished, which includes publication on personal blogs, social media accounts, and other websites.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. NOTE: Submission cap reached.
• 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, though the guest judge will review 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 (or larger, if needed for accessibility).
• The contest’s deadline is 11:59pm PDT on June 8, 2025.
• All entries are considered for publication in New Voices.
• Every submission will receive a response by the end of September 2025. The winners will be announced in October 2025.
• Friends, family, and associates of the guest judge are ineligible for this award.
• Writers whose work appears in previous editions of our anthology are ineligible for this award.

Ten winners will receive:

• a $700 award;
• publication in our internationally distributed anthology and on our website;
• a contributor’s copy;
• and exposure to over fifty literary agencies as part of our exclusive mailing. We send our anthology to editors, writers, and literary institutions across the country.

About the Judge

ANDREW PORTER is the author of the story collections The Disappeared (Knopf) and The Theory of Light and Matter (Vintage) and the novels In Between Days (Knopf) and The Imagined Life (Knopf). A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he has received a Pushcart Prize, a James Michener/Copernicus Fellowship, and the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. His work has appeared in One Story, Ploughshares, American Short Fiction, Best American Short Stories, and on Public Radio’s Selected Shorts. Currently, he teaches fiction writing and directs the creative writing program at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

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.

Novel Workshop 2025

Returning for the fourth year, The Masters Review’s Novel Workshop is here to help writers looking for direct, actionable feedback on the opening of their novel in progress. Whether you’re just getting started on your manuscript or are polishing up the fifteenth draft, this program is the perfect opportunity to get your novel on the path toward publication.

Our workshop will pair you with an experienced small press editor who will offer detailed, personalized feedback on the first fifty pages of your novel. Along with your feedback, you’ll receive self-guided learning materials on fiction and novel writing curated by The Masters Review team, an opportunity to join a writing group with fellow participants, and a free entry to an upcoming TMR contest. This asynchronous, remote workshop is an excellent way for writers to reinvest in their novel writing. Enrollment is open until May 1, 2025.

Writers are invited to submit the first fifty pages of their novels. In their cover letters, writers should also plan to include a brief synopsis of the novel, any challenges they may be facing, and any specific feedback they are seeking.

After registration, writers will receive their assigned editor, along with instructional materials compiled by The Masters Review. Manuscripts will be processed in the order they are received. All participants will receive feedback no later than August 31, 2025.

Registration is $497.

Participants will receive:

• three to five pages of editorial feedback with specific suggestions and developmental analysis that will help elevate their manuscript;
• a PDF of a self-guided learning curriculum on fiction and novel writing, featuring workbooks uniquely built by our team around such foundational texts as Naming the World edited by Bret Anthony Johnston, The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass, Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway, and Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody;
• an opportunity to join a curated writing group with other participants; 
• a free submission to one of our upcoming contests;
• and an archived copy of The Masters Review anthology.

Guidelines:

• For this workshop, we are accepting works of fiction only, the first fifty pages or fewer of your novel in progress. 
• All submissions must be double-spaced with one-inch page margins and use Times New Roman or Garamond. Please do not include front matter (i.e., title page, table of contents, dedication, etc.). 
• All genres and styles of fiction are welcome. Please do not submit poetry or memoir manuscripts. 
• Please submit a single manuscript per submission. 
• Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. 
• If necessary, you can register before the deadline to hold a spot and submit a manuscript later. If you submit your manuscript after reserving your spot, you will need to request to open your submission by emailing us at contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com. We'll grant you access, and then you can upload your piece. All manuscripts must be submitted by the deadline, May 1st.
• All participants will receive feedback no later than August 31, 2025.

Guest Editors

Colleen Alles is an award-winning writer living in West Michigan. The author of three novels (Skinny Vanilla Crisis, Atmosphere Books; Master of Arts, Scantic Press; and The Hound of Thornfield High, Conquest Publishing) and two poetry collections, Colleen works as a developmental editor. She is also a co-editor for fiction at Barren Magazine. Colleen is a graduate of Michigan State University (BA) and Wayne State University (MLIS). When she isn’t reading or writing, Colleen enjoys distance running and spending time with her family, including a well-loved beagle, Charlie. You can find her online on Instagram @ColleenAlles_author, and on Twitter (X) at @ColleenAlles.

Yvonne C. Garrett holds an MFA-Fiction (The New School), an MLIS (Palmer), two MAs (NYU), and a PhD with a dissertation focused on women in Punk. Former senior fiction editor at Black Lawrence Press, she’s been published in a wide array of journals and magazines.

Laura Hart is an associate editor for Bellevue Literary Press, a nonprofit publisher at the intersection of the arts and sciences. She earned a BA from Auburn University and an MFA from Columbia University. Her passion lies in cultivating and empowering diverse stories so that the publishing world better represents our modern society. She previously worked at Writers House and Columbia Journal.
 

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. 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). 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 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 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.