2025 Novel Excerpt Contest — Judged by Nick Fuller Googins | $3,000 Prize!

2025 Novel Excerpt Contest

Each fall, The Masters Review opens submissions for novel excerpts from emerging writers. We know everyone has a novel somewhere inside (or buried in some desk drawer, waiting to be revived), and now’s the time to share your work! For this contest, we’re looking for excerpts that can stand alone, with strong casts of characters, exciting settings, and unforgettable narrative arcs. Your excerpt may come from any place in your novel, but choose wisely—a synopsis should not be required for understanding the excerpt. As always, we have no limitations on genre, though we are primarily interested in literary fiction. Submissions for the Novel Excerpt Contest will open on September 10 and close on November 9.

Nick Fuller Googins, author of The Frequency of Living Things and The Great Transition, will serve as this year’s guest judge and will select the finalists from a shortlist of excerpts chosen by The Masters Review’s editorial team. The winning excerpt will be awarded $3,000; online publication; and an hour-long consultation with Marin Takikawa, a literary agent with The Friedrich Agency. Second- and third-place excerpts will be awarded online publication and $300 and $200 respectively, in addition to written feedback from Takikawa.

Hear from Nick Fuller Googins himself on what he’s looking for in a prize-winner:

I used to volunteer for a well-respected literary magazine, reading through the slush pile. We were given 100 stories as a batch, with orders to send no more than one to the editors for consideration. Yikes! Given these tight parameters, I developed a radar for unnecessary confusion, and to this day, I'm on high alert for writing that feels needlessly difficult. I also remember, as a new writer, feeling the pressure to "prove" that I could write, but so often this led to confusing language or round-about sentences and plots that made my readers scratch their heads. It took a long time for me to go back to the basics. I encourage writers to simplify, simplify, simplify. What reader loves feeling dumb for not understanding the basics of who, where, or what they are encountering on the page? A great novel, or story, in my opinion, is crystal clear in these basic foundational elements, allowing for the author's unique language, tone, dialogue, or plot to shine through and delight. 

Guidelines:

• The winner receives $3,000; online publication; and a consultation with Marin Takikawa, a literary agent with The Friedrich Agency.
• The second- and third-place finalists receive cash prizes ($300/$200), online publication, and agent feedback.
• Submitted excerpts must be under 6,000 words.
• Submitted work must be previously unpublished. This includes personal blogs, social media accounts, and other websites. Previously published excerpts will be automatically disqualified.
• 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 excerpt is accepted or contracted 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 judge will review 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.
• Excerpts from novels under contract for 2025 or 2026 are ineligible, but novels under contract from 2027 and beyond are eligible.
• The contest’s deadline is 11:59pm PST on Sunday, November 9, 2025.
• All entries are also considered for publication in New Voices.
• Every submission will receive a response by the end of March 2026. The winners will be announced in May 2026.
• AI-generated or -assisted submissions will be automatically disqualified. 
• Friends, family, and associates of the guest judge are not eligible for this award, nor are past winners of the Novel Excerpt Contest.

FAQ

Q: Does it have to have a beginning, middle, and end?

We want an excerpt that stands well on its own, that makes us want to read the full book. We want a sense of conclusion from the excerpt, but we also know that we’re only reading part of a novel and don’t expect all threads to be resolved. You can read last year’s winners at the links below for an example of the kind of novel excerpt we’re interested in.

Q: When should I expect to hear back?

We will try to respond to every submission by the end of March 2026, and hope to have the finalists announced in May 2026. If this timeline changes significantly, we will notify all authors. We appreciate your patience!

Q: Can I submit two chapters if they fall under 6,000 words?

You can submit as many chapters as you’d like, as long as the word count is under 6,000 words.

Q: How firm are you on word count?

We allow for some wiggle room; don’t force your revisions into 6,000 words. We’d rather read a couple hundred extra words than a cramped conclusion!

Q: Can I submit a synopsis/prologue with my excerpt?

We recommend that you don’t; your excerpt will be judged on its merit alone, and the synopsis will not be published alongside your excerpt.

Q: Can I submit with a cowriter?

Sure, but you’ll need to split the prize money.

Q: What if a small portion of the book has already been published?

As long as both the novel itself and the excerpt you’re submitting are unpublished, we’re happy to consider your work!

Q: What’s the deal with my rights if I want to publish my book eventually?

We ask for first serial publication rights of your excerpt only. All rights also revert back to the author after an exclusive ninety-day publishing window. Specific questions or concerns about publishing rights can be addressed to contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com.

Q: If I self-published my novel on my blog but later took it down, can I still submit an excerpt?

Unfortunately, because it’s been published in some form or fashion, the excerpt would no longer be eligible for this contest.

Judging

Nick Fuller Googins is the author of the novels, The Frequency of Living Things and The Great Transition. His short fiction and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Men’s Health, The Sun, The Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He lives in Maine, and works as an elementary school teacher. He is a member of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, as well as the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the United States.

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.