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 October 16th. 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• The entry must be previously unpublished.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 2024.
• 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.