by R.A. King
The term “emerging writer†evokes many thoughts into the writing and reading community—excitement, anticipation, untapped potential. But where does an emerging writer get their creativity in print and finally emerge? It’s crossing this threshold that’s the hardest, from unpublished to published.
Have no fear, the Masters Review is geared toward this specific group of writers. Every year, they make a printed anthology of unpublished writers, read and chosen by a New York Times bestselling author. They focus exclusively on new writers for this contest, and on their website, but published authors should not be dissuaded from participating. The best part about this contest, if you win, is the anthology being distributed nationally and mailed to agents, editors, and publishers.
The contest is for short fiction and narrative nonfiction with a maximum of seven thousand words. The guideline and rules for the Masters Review Printed Anthology contest are very flexible. They’re forgiving about submitting the same story to another organization, as long as it’s only printed through one organization. Multiple submissions to the Masters Review are allowed, so if you’re sitting on some unpublished works, you can go in guns blazing. Even non-US residents may submit their work.
The only thing all contestants must do is pay a $20 reading fee to help the Masters Review continue its drive to emerging writers and new authors. The fee is also a small price to pay to win it big. However, they also hold a New Voices monthly contest that’s free. And you can submit to both contests!
The Anthology contest deadline is March 31st. Good luck, everyone!