To view our regular submission guidelines, click here

Please note that the administrative fee for general submissions is waived for those who are current subscribers of New Letters. We invite you to subscribe here.  

$20.00

This year our editors are looking to read your best short narratives, whether they are stories, essays, poems, or hybrid forms. The only requirement is that each entry must be brief—1,000 words or fewer. Submit your work via our Submittable portal by November 13, 2024. One winner will be awarded $1,000 and publication in New Letters

  • Max word count is 1,000 words
  • The entry must be previously unpublished.

Rules, Tips, & Notes:

  • $20 entry fee for each manuscript submitted. A one-year subscription to New Letters, shipped to any address within the United States, is included in the price of the first entry.  (Subscriptions mailed outside the U.S. require a $20 postal surcharge.) 
  •  No substitutions or revisions may be made after a manuscript has been submitted.  Edits can be considered prior to publication, if the manuscript wins the award.
  •  Multiple entries are welcome with appropriate fees.  
  • The winner will be announced in early March 2025.
  • The winner will be published in New Letters and receive a $1,000 cash prize.
  • Online entries via Submittable only. Entries received through the postal mail will not be accepted and will be recycled upon receipt.
  • Current students and employees at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and current volunteer members of the New Letters staff are not eligible.
$4.95

New Letters reads submissions all year long. We only accept work submitted through Submittable, our online submission manager. There is a small fee for submissions, though fees are waived for current subscribers. You may subscribe to the magazine here.

  • Please send no more than one graphic short story per submission.
  • Graphic short stories in comic spreads can be up to ten pages in length and submitted in color or black and white.
  • Send one submission at a time.
  • Put your name, postal address and email address at the top of the first page of the submission.
  • We consider simultaneous submissions if you (a) let us know and (b) notify us immediately if the work you sent to us has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
  • Like most literary magazines, our staff is small and the volume of submissions large; please be patient. We make every effort to respond to submissions within six months.

New Letters reads submissions all year long. We only accept work submitted through Submittable, our online submission manager. There is a small fee for submissions, though fees are waived for current subscribers. You may subscribe to the magazine here.

  • Please send no more than one graphic short story per submission.
  • Graphic short stories in comic spreads can be up to ten pages in length and submitted in color or black and white.
  • Send one submission at a time.
  • Put your name, postal address and email address at the top of the first page of the submission.
  • We consider simultaneous submissions if you (a) let us know and (b) notify us immediately if the work you sent to us has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
  • Like most literary magazines, our staff is small and the volume of submissions large; please be patient. We make every effort to respond to submissions within six months.


$5.95

New Letters reads submissions all year long. We only accept work submitted through Submittable, our online submission manager. There is a small fee for submissions, though fees are waived for current subscribers. You may subscribe to the magazine here.

  • Please send no more than one novella per submission.
  • Send one submission at a time.
  • Put your name, postal address and email address at the top of the first page of the submission.
  • We generally publish novellas that are no more than 30,000 words or roughly 60 pages.
  • We consider simultaneous submissions if you (a) let us know and (b) notify us immediately if the work you sent to us has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
  • Like most literary magazines, our staff is small and the volume of submissions large; please be patient. We make every effort to respond to submissions within six months.

New Letters reads submissions all year long. We only accept work submitted through Submittable, our online submission manager. There is a small fee for submissions, though fees are waived for current subscribers. You may subscribe to the magazine here.

  • Please send no more than one novella per submission.
  • Send one submission at a time.
  • Put your name, postal address and email address at the top of the first page of the submission.
  • We generally publish novellas that are no more than 30,000 words or roughly 60 pages.
  • We consider simultaneous submissions if you (a) let us know and (b) notify us immediately if the work you sent to us has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
  • Like most literary magazines, our staff is small and the volume of submissions large; please be patient. We make every effort to respond to submissions within six months.
$5.95

New Letters reads submissions all year long. We only accept work submitted through Submittable, our online submission manager. There is a small fee for submissions, though fees are waived for current subscribers. You may subscribe to the magazine here.

  • Please send no more one chapbook per submission.
  • Send one submission at a time.
  • Put your name, postal address and email address at the top of the first page of the submission.
  • We generally publish chapbooks that are no longer than 30 pages.
  • We consider simultaneous submissions if you (a) let us know and (b) notify us immediately if the work you sent to us has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
  • Like most literary magazines, our staff is small and the volume of submissions large; please be patient. We make every effort to respond to submissions within six months.


New Letters reads submissions all year long. We only accept work submitted through Submittable, our online submission manager. There is a small fee for submissions, though fees are waived for current subscribers. You may subscribe to the magazine here.

  • Please send no more one chapbook per submission.
  • Send one submission at a time.
  • Put your name, postal address and email address at the top of the first page of the submission.
  • We generally publish chapbooks that are no longer than 30 pages.
  • We consider simultaneous submissions if you (a) let us know and (b) notify us immediately if the work you sent to us has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
  • Like most literary magazines, our staff is small and the volume of submissions large; please be patient. We make every effort to respond to submissions within six months.


New Letters magazine