We believe in literature. We believe in the importance and magic of new writing. The Letter Review is a Literary Journal dedicated to publishing new work, and assisting writers with help to get published, performed, and produced. We feature interviews with professional writers, publish helpful information, run career-enhancing competitions with cash prizes, and remain open to unsolicited submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We will always pay writers professional rates. We seek submissions from writers who live anywhere in the world.
Entry to this round of The Prize is free.
Poetry is one of the most ancient and revered forms of creative expression, stretching back to the dawn of literature. Poetry competitions represent a wonderful opportunity for emerging writers to demonstrate their ability and secure publication. They offer established writers an exciting arena in which to showcase new work. We believe in poetry, in literature, and in the importance and magic of new writing.
The literary mission of The Letter Review includes fostering accessibility to the professional writing industry, and supporting writers at all stages in their efforts to be published, performed, and produced. Pursuant to this our Prize offers:
- The top 2-4 winning entries of the Prize for Poetry are declared the Winners, and share equally in the Prize pool of $1000 USD.
- To recognize the abilities of the writers who do not place as a Winner, 10-20 entries are Shortlisted.
- All entries are considered for publication.
- Winning entries are published by The Letter Review online, and in our Winners Anthology.
- Winning entries are also frequently submitted to further prestigious anthologies such as the Pushcart Prize.
- Winners and Shortlisted entries are celebrated on our mailing list, social media channels (FB 34,000 members), at our website (50,000 monthly visitors), and our Subreddit (11K).
- Winners may request a professional recommendation / endorsement of their work in the form of a letter from our Judges which they may submit to agents, publishers etc.
- Winners may also participate in our interview series, further raising their professional profile.
- Entrants may elect to access Judges' feedback: "Thank you for such thoughtful - discrete steps to help move my craft forward. There is nothing better that can be said of feedback. In five short graphs, you managed to establish credibility, objectivity, and deliver insight. Cheers to Letter Review's continued success." Morgan Hatch (Feedback Recipient)
The Letter Review Prize is judged blind to ensure all entrants including emerging, established, and diverse writers have an equal chance of success. We do not assign entries to anonymous readers: Every entry is personally read by our highly qualified Judges. The Letter Review is a proud member of the international Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, and we adhere to the CLMP Contest Code of Ethics.
Read our wonderful previous winning entries by clicking here.
"The Letter Review stands as a monument of writing wisdom and talent. Being part of this mosaic of narrative and verse is a true honor." - Frederick Joseph: two-time New York Times bestselling author, activist, philanthropist, and poet (First Place in Letter Review Prize for Poetry)
How To Enter
- It is free to enter once, and $5 to enter each additional poem.
- You may enter as many times as you wish. To enter multiple times, select the "Enter Additional Poems" drop down menu, and attach up to 10 files to your first entry form. If you wish to enter more than 10 times please start a second entry form.
- We are seeking poems up to 70 lines.
- The Prize is open to anyone, from anywhere in the world.
- There are no style or subject restrictions: all poems welcome.
- Please include a short biography (suitable for publication) of less than 200 words in the Cover Letter section.
- Ensure the file name of each document is only the title of your entry. Do not include your name inside your entry document(s) or in the file name as the Prize is judged blind.
- The judges will be Dr. Ol James and Kita Das.
- Format: Original works only. Submissions must be primarily written in English. Any non-English phrases which are uncommon should be accompanied by a translation. The author must own the copyright to the majority of the poem: Light quotation from another work is acceptable if it is acknowledged in your cover letter or in the submission document.
- Your entry must be unpublished, and free from any claims by other parties. You must be the sole author of the work. 'Retellings' or contemporizations must be acknowledged in the cover letter or submission document.
- No AI content.
- Entrants will receive automatic confirmation via email after entry.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed. If you decide to publish your entry elsewhere, please withdraw from our Prize. If selected for the Shortlist you will have 72 hours in which to confirm your entry remains unpublished (we will contact you).
- You may submit work that has been awarded elsewhere, as long as no part of it has been published.
- By entering you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
- Prize entry fees may be tax deductible (speak to your accountant).
- The Letter Review Prize offers monetary awards to the Winners, and also improves their public profile, increasing the odds of further publication, and lifting careers to new zeniths. The Letter Review Prize is a career-enhancing laurel.
- Enter via Submittable using the form below: No entries via post please. Click here for a guide to using Submittable.
Entry to this round of The Prize is free.
Short Fiction is one of the most enduring and revered forms of storytelling. No wonder its popularity is currently soaring. Short Fiction competitions represent a wonderful opportunity for emerging writers to demonstrate their ability and secure publication. They also offer established writers an exciting arena in which to showcase new work. The Letter Review believes in the power of literature, and in the importance and magic of new writing.
The literary mission of The Letter Review includes fostering accessibility to the professional writing industry, and supporting writers at all stages in their efforts to be published, performed, and produced. Pursuant to this our Prize offers:
- The top 2-4 winning entries of the Prize for Short Fiction are declared the Winners, and share equally in the Prize pool of $1000 USD.
- To recognize the abilities of the writers who do not place as a Winner, 10-20 entries are Shortlisted.
- All entries are considered for publication.
- Winning entries are published by The Letter Review online, and in our Winners Anthology.
- Winning entries are also frequently submitted to further prestigious anthologies such as the Pushcart Prize.
- Winners and Shortlisted entries are celebrated on our mailing list, social media channels (FB 34,000 members), at our website (50,000 monthly visitors), and our Subreddit (11K).
- Winners may request a professional recommendation / endorsement of their work in the form of a letter from our Judges which they can send to agents, publishers etc.
- Winners may also participate in our interview series, further raising their professional profile.
- Entrants may elect to access Judges' feedback: "Thank you for such thoughtful - discrete steps to help move my craft forward. There is nothing better that can be said of feedback. In five short graphs, you managed to establish credibility, objectivity, and deliver insight. Cheers to Letter Review's continued success." Morgan Hatch (Feedback Recipient)
The Letter Review Prize is judged blind to ensure all entrants including emerging, established, and diverse writers have an equal chance of success. We do not assign entries to anonymous readers: Every entry is personally read by our highly qualified Judges. The Letter Review is a proud member of the international Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, and we adhere to the CLMP Contest Code of Ethics.
Read our wonderful previous winning entries by clicking here.
"The Letter Review stands as a monument of writing wisdom and talent. Being part of this mosaic of narrative and verse is a true honor." - Frederick Joseph: two-time New York Times bestselling author, activist, philanthropist, and poet (First Place in Letter Review Prize for Poetry)
How To Enter
- It is free to enter once, and $5 to enter each additional story.
- We are seeking entries between 0 - 5000 words.
- The Prize is open to anyone, from anywhere in the world.
- There are no theme or genre restrictions: all entries welcome.
- You may enter as many times as you wish. To enter multiple times, select the "Enter Additional Stories" drop down menu, and attach up to 10 files to your first entry form. If you wish to enter more than 10 times please start a second entry form.
- Please include a short biography (suitable for publication) of less than 200 words in the Cover Letter section.
- Ensure the file name of each document is only the title of your entry. Do not include your name inside your entry document(s) or in the file name as the Prize is judged blind.
- No AI content.
- The judges will be Dr. Ol James and Kita Das.
- Format: English only: No translations please. Your entry must be entirely original, unpublished, and free from any claims by other parties. 'Retellings' or contemporizations must be acknowledged in the cover letter or on your submission document. You must be the sole author of the work.
- Entrants will receive automatic confirmation via email after entry.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed. If you decide to publish your entry elsewhere, please withdraw from our Prize. If selected for the Shortlist you will have 72 hours to confirm your entry remains unpublished (we will contact you).
- You may submit work that has been awarded elsewhere, as long as no part of it has been published.
- By entering you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
- Prize entry fees may be tax deductible (speak to your accountant).
- The Letter Review Prize offers monetary awards to the Winners, and also enhances their public profile, increasing the odds of further publication, and lifting careers to new zeniths. The Letter Review Prize is a career-enhancing laurel.
- Enter via Submittable using the form below. No entries via post please. Click here for a guide to using Submittable.
Entry to this round of the Prize is free.
The Letter Review believes in the power of literature, and in the importance and magic of new writing. We’re seeking book length new works which need to see the light of day. The entry must not have been traditionally published. We will accept books which are unpublished, self-published, and indie-published as long as the author retains all copyright, and the work is not bound in any way to another party or publisher.
Whether that’s a new novel, a collection of poems or short stories, or nonfiction including memoir and essays - we are here to read and to draw the world’s attention to astonishing new literature. Unpublished book competitions represent a wonderful opportunity for emerging writers to demonstrate their ability to agents and publishers, which helps to secure publication. They also offer established writers an exciting arena in which to test and showcase new work.
The literary mission of The Letter Review includes fostering accessibility to the professional writing industry, and supporting writers at all stages in their efforts to be published, performed, and produced. Pursuant to this our Prize offers:
- The top 2-4 winning entries of the Prize for Unpublished Books are declared the Winners, and share equally in the Prize pool of $1000 USD.
- Optional: Winners may choose to publish an extract, or not to publish any element of their work. Winners may choose to have an extract of up to 5000 words of their entry published by The Letter Review, which can help to generate interest in, and anticipation for the work. With your permission, published extracts may be submitted to anthologies such as the Pushcart Prize. Some entrants prefer not to publish any element of their entry, which we also support.
- To recognize the abilities of the writers who do not place as a Winner, 10-20 entries are Shortlisted.
- Winners and Shortlisted entries are celebrated on our mailing list, social media channels (FB 34,000 members), at our website (50,000 monthly visitors), and our Subreddit (11K).
- Winners may request a professional recommendation / endorsement of their work in the form of a letter from our Judges which they can send to agents, publishers etc.
- Winners may also participate in our interview series, further raising their professional profile.
- Entrants may elect to access Judges' feedback: "Thank you for such thoughtful - discrete steps to help move my craft forward. There is nothing better that can be said of feedback. In five short graphs, you managed to establish credibility, objectivity, and deliver insight. Cheers to Letter Review's continued success." Morgan Hatch (Feedback Recipient)
The Letter Review Prize is judged blind to ensure all entrants including emerging, established, and diverse writers have an equal chance of success. We do not assign entries to anonymous readers: Every entry is personally read by our highly qualified Judges. The Letter Review is a proud member of the international Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, and we adhere to the CLMP Contest Code of Ethics.
Read our wonderful previous winning entries by clicking here.
"The Letter Review stands as a monument of writing wisdom and talent. Being part of this mosaic of narrative and verse is a true honor." - Frederick Joseph: two-time New York Times bestselling author, activist, philanthropist, and poet (First Place in Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction)
How To Enter & What Can I Submit?
- Fiction / Nonfiction etc (Prose): Please submit the first 5000 words of your unpublished book.
- Poetry: Send us the first 15 pages.
- Do not include the entire book. If selected as a Winner we may request to view the work in its entirety.
- Novels (45,000 words and above): All varieties including literary, commerical, adventure, crime, fantasy, historical, mystery, romance, comedy, speculative (sci-fi), YA, and many more.
- Novellas (25,000 - 45,000 words): All varieties welcome, as above.
- Short Story Collections (25,000 words and above): All genres and themes welcome, as above. You may have had individual stories traditionally published as long as the collection as a whole has not been.
- Nonfiction (40,000 words and above): We accept most nonfiction including reviews, memoir, journalism, interviews, essay (including personal essay), fictocriticism, creative nonfiction, travel, nature, opinion, and many other permutations. We are not seeking works such as cookbooks, textbooks, and reference books.
- Poetry (total work should be at least 20 pages long but we are flexible - please submit the first 15 pages): Poems of all varieties are welcome. Sonnets, comedy, blank verse, epic, rhyming, childrens, free verse.
- Cover Letter: Include a detailed synopsis or abstract (up to one page) which summarises your entire book (including the end or conclusion - don’t leave any surprises please). Please identify the category / genre of your work e.g. Novel / Short Story Collection / Nonfiction Memoir etc.
- Cover Letter: Please include a short biography (suitable for publication) of less than 200 words.
- The Prize is open to anyone, from anywhere in the world.
- It is free to enter once, and $5 for each additional entry.
- You may enter as many times as you wish. To enter multiple times, select the "Additional Entries" drop down menu, and attach up to 10 files to your first entry form. If you wish to enter more than 10 times please start a second entry form.
- Ensure the file name of each document is only the title of your entry. Do not include your name inside your entry document(s) or in the file name as the Prize is judged blind.
- No AI content.
- The judges will be Dr. Ol James and Kita Das.
- Format: English only: No translations please. Your entry must be entirely original, not traditionally published, and free from any claims by other parties. 'Retellings' or contemporizations must be acknowledged in the cover letter or on your submission document. You must be the sole author of the work.
- Entrants will receive automatic confirmation via email after entry.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed. If you decide to traditionally publish your entry elsewhere, please withdraw from our Prize. If selected for the Shortlist you will have 72 hours in which to confirm your entry remains eligible (we will contact you).
- You may submit work that has been awarded elsewhere, as long as no part of it has been traditionally published.
- By entering you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
- Prize entry fees may be tax deductible (speak to your accountant).
- The Letter Review Prize offers monetary awards to the Winners, and also enhances their public profile, increasing the odds of further publication, and lifting careers to new zeniths. The Letter Review Prize is a career-enhancing laurel.
- Enter via Submittable using the form below. No entries via post please. Click here for a guide to using Submittable.
Entry to this round is currently free.
Nonfiction competitions represent a wonderful opportunity for emerging writers to demonstrate their ability and secure publication. They also offer established writers an exciting arena in which to showcase new work. The Letter Review believes in the power of literature, and in the importance and magic of new writing.
The literary mission of The Letter Review includes fostering accessibility to the professional writing industry, and supporting writers at all stages in their efforts to be published, performed, and produced. Pursuant to this our Prize offers:
- The top 2-4 winning entries of the Prize for Nonfiction are declared the Winners, and share equally in the Prize pool of $1000 USD.
- To recognize the abilities of the writers who do not place as a Winner, 10-20 entries are Shortlisted.
- Winning entries are published by The Letter Review online, and in our Winners Anthology.
- All entries are considered for publication.
- Winning entries are also frequently submitted to further prestigious anthologies such as the Pushcart Prize.
- Winners and Shortlisted entries are celebrated on our mailing list, social media channels (FB 34,000 members), at our website (50,000 monthly visitors), and our Subreddit (11K).
- Winners may request a professional recommendation / endorsement of their work in the form of a letter from our Judges which they can send to agents, publishers etc.
- Winners may also participate in our interview series, further raising their professional profile.
- Entrants may elect to access Judges' feedback: "Thank you for such thoughtful - discrete steps to help move my craft forward. There is nothing better that can be said of feedback. In five short graphs, you managed to establish credibility, objectivity, and deliver insight. Cheers to Letter Review's continued success." Morgan Hatch (Feedback Recipient)
What can I submit?
The Letter Review Prize welcomes most forms of Nonfiction including: Reviews (especially book reviews), memoir, journalism, interviews, essay (including personal essay), fictocriticism, creative nonfiction, travel, nature, opinion, and many other permutations. Most works which convey information about the real world are welcome: We are not seeking works such as cookbooks, textbooks, and reference books.
The Letter Review Prize is judged blind to ensure all entrants including emerging, established, and diverse writers have an equal chance of success. We do not assign entries to anonymous readers: Every entry is personally read by our highly qualified Judges. The Letter Review is a proud member of the international Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, and we adhere to the CLMP Contest Code of Ethics.
Read our wonderful previous winning entries by clicking here.
"The Letter Review stands as a monument of writing wisdom and talent. Being part of this mosaic of narrative and verse is a true honor." - Frederick Joseph: two-time New York Times bestselling author, activist, philanthropist, and poet (First Place in Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction)
How To Enter
- We are seeking entries between 0 - 5000 words. For excerpts of longer works, please submit to our Prize for Unpublished Books.
- The Prize is open to anyone, from anywhere in the world.
- It is currently free to enter once, and $5 for each additional entry.
- You may enter as many times as you wish. To enter multiple times, select the "Additional Entries" drop down menu, and attach up to 10 files to your first entry form. If you wish to enter more than 10 times please start a second entry form.
- Please include a short biography (suitable for publication) of less than 200 words in the Cover Letter section.
- Include a synopsis or abstract of less than 300 words which clearly summarises the content of your submission including your conclusion (don’t leave any surprises).
- Ensure the file name of each document is only the title of your entry. Do not include your name inside your entry document(s) or in the file name as the Prize is judged blind.
- No AI content.
- The judges will be Dr. Ol James and Kita Das.
- Format: English only: No translations please. Your entry must be entirely original, unpublished, and free from any claims by other parties. 'Retellings' or contemporizations must be acknowledged in the cover letter or on your submission document. You must be the sole author of the work.
- Entrants will receive automatic confirmation via email after entry.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed. If you decide to publish your entry elsewhere, please withdraw from our Prize. If selected for the Shortlist you will have 72 hours in which to confirm your entry remains unpublished (we will contact you).
- You may submit work that has been awarded elsewhere, as long as no part of it has been published.
- By entering you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
- Prize entry fees may be tax deductible (speak to your accountant).
- The Letter Review Prize offers monetary awards to the Winners, and also enhances their public profile, increasing the odds of further publication, and lifting careers to new zeniths. The Letter Review Prize is a career-enhancing laurel.
- Enter via Submittable using the form below. No entries via post please. Click here for a guide to using Submittable.