We invite writers to submit to the Uncharted Magazine Novel Excerpt Prize from April 14 to June 15, 2025. 

We love opening pages as much as any other genre magazine, but we offer our submitters something unique. You can send any excerpt from your novel or manuscript in progress. We know there are scenes and sections that have just a bit more action, heat, or intrigue. Give us those sections where your characters come alive, where they take ownership for their own lives, where they are thrust into the middle of the action. Or give us the moment of beauty, of tears and anger, of sweet release into something more universal. The choices are endless, and so is your imagination and writing talent. 

Give us those scenes full of tension, crackling dialogue, and worlds we’ve never even imagined. Give us a chance to read the most captivating section of your novel—and make us want to read more!

We’re thrilled to partner with Cynthia Pelayo, who will choose three prize winners from a shortlist. The three cowinners of this prize will each receive $1,000 and publication. All entries will be considered for publication.

Cynthia Pelayo is a Bram Stoker Award-winning and International Latino Book Award-winning author and poet. Pelayo writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore concepts of grief, mourning, and cycles of violence. She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, The Missing, Poems of My Night, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Children of Chicago, Crime Scene, The Shoemaker’s Magician, Forgotten Sisters, Vanishing Daughters, as well as dozens of standalone short stories and poems.

Submitting tips from Guest Judge Cynthia Pelayo:

I'm always looking forward to reading something new, fresh, and interesting. I know that's a little silly to hear, but it's true. I’m most interested in narratives that just haven't been thoroughly tackled before and narratives that challenge how we think a narrative can and should be structured. I’m also very pro beautiful language and prose, so I will always default to something gorgeously told. 

GUIDELINES

The deadline for entry is June 15, 2025. We will announce the winner and finalists within fourteen weeks of the contest’s close. All writers will be notified when the results are final.

• For the $20 reading fee, writers may submit any section of their novel that is 1,001–5,000 words in length per entry. Both the excerpt and the novel must be unpublished. (The full novel does not need to be completed).
• Writers from historically marginalized groups will be able to submit for free (we have met our cap) until we reach our cap of 25 free submissions. No additional fee waivers will be granted.
• Please send novel excerpts (fiction) only—5,000 word count maximum.
• We only consider unpublished work for contests—we do not review reprints, including self-published work (even on blogs and social media). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
• Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing.
• Multiple entries are also okay—but each submission must be accompanied by a separate reading fee of $20.
• All entries will also be considered for publication in Uncharted Magazine.
• Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 (or larger if needed).
• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable).
• We only read work in English, though some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
• We do not read anonymous submissions. However, shortlisted stories are sent anonymously to the guest judge for review.
• Work generated by AI will be automatically disqualified.
• Note: To ensure the protection of our volunteer readers and to keep Uncharted a safe space, please let us know in your cover letter if your work can be triggering in any way. This information will have no bearing on your submission or our decision—we just want to ensure the best possible environment for our readers. Thank you for your understanding.

Some Submittable Hot Tips:

• Please be sure to whitelist/add this email address to your contacts, so notifications do not get filtered as spam/junk: notifications@email.submittable.com.
• If you realize you sent the wrong version of your piece: It happens. Please DO NOT withdraw the piece and resubmit. Submittable collects a nonrefundable fee each time. Please DO message us from within the submission to request that we open the entry for editing, which will allow you to fix everything from typos in your cover letter to uploading a new draft. The only time we will not allow a change is if the piece is already under review by a reader.

FAQ

Q: What am I supposed to write in my cover letter?

A: Think of your cover letter as a brief author bio, that is, what you would like posted on our site should your piece be selected for publication. Don’t overthink it, we just want to know a little about you! Most writers choose to include publication history or something about the excerpt that is being submitted. Note that you can include personal or identifying information in your cover letter.

Q: When can I expect to hear back about my excerpt?

A: Regardless of acceptance or decline, you will hear back from us, we promise. You can expect a status update within twelve to fourteen weeks from the close of the contest

Q: When will I hear back about my submission and/or the results of the contest?

A: Every submitter is notified of a decision, and we send out responses once a submission doesn't advance to the next round. We'd also encourage you to follow us on social media as we publicly announce winners and contest opportunities there.

Q: Are prologues acceptable?

A: You can absolutely submit your novel’s prologue as long as the entire submission is under 5,000 words.

Q: Do you accept submissions from writing teams?

A: Yes! However, you would need to designate one person as the submitter—or maybe create a joint Submittable account. We love to see teams enter their work, as long as you all understand that you'd be splitting the prize if the submission was selected as one of the winners.

Q: Who retains the rights to my work, and will I be able to query my novel later?

A: We're not able to speak for every publisher, but since we're not publishing your work in its entirety, future publication should not be a problem. Rights also revert back to the author after ninety days. If an opportunity arises for you to publish your work before these ninety days, we are happy to revert rights back to you sooner.

OPTIONAL FEEDBACK ON YOUR WRITING

You may choose to receive editorial feedback on your piece. We will provide a two-page global letter discussing the strengths of the writing and the recommended focus for revision. Our aim is to make our comments actionable and encouraging. These letters are written by editors and staff readers of Uncharted Magazine. A significant portion of the editorial letter fees is paid to our feedback editors. Should your story win, no feedback will be offered, and your fee will be refunded.

Good luck and happy writing!

Uncharted Magazine publishes Thriller/Mystery Short Stories from fiction writers of any background or experience. We are rolling horror stories into this category! We want stories that keep us up at night, afraid to turn the corner. Stories that take us into the resonant fear of looming monsters and haunting ghosts. We want stories that thrill us by keeping us on the edges of our seats, hearts pounding, wondering how it will end! Stories with characters who refuse to stay in the shadows! We want stories of mystery that make us search for answers, for reasons, for the things that happen in the shadows.
Guidelines:
All fiction categories are open year round and we do not charge any submission fees. We accept simultaneous submissions but ask that you inform us immediately and withdraw your work if your story is accepted elsewhere.
Payment: We pay our authors $200 for original fiction! We pay by check or PayPal, according to the author's preference.
Word Count: Submitted stories should be between 1,000-5,000 words.
We will also consider previously published fiction, as long as the writer retains the rights or second-publication rights can be obtained. We do not pay for reprints.
Writers may submit one story per submission. Please wait one month after our initial reply before submitting again.
Cover letters: Cover letters are optional, but it's nice to know who is submitting to us. We do not need your mailing address.  Please refrain from describing your stories. The work needs to speak for itself. Including each story's title and word count is helpful for more efficient consideration of your work. Please include a brief third-person biography statement. If necessary, please include a content warning to help protect our readers.
Format: double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 pt font. Word docs work best!
Response Times: Please allow us up to three months to inform you if we have accepted your work for publication. You will usually hear from us much sooner. We cannot offer personalized feedback on each story. If we say, “Send more,” however, it does mean that we hope to see something else from you.
We consider submissions sent via Submittable. We are not open to email submissions and are not open to submissions sent via post.
Diversity Statement: We do not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, family status, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation, or for any other reason. We reserve the right not to publish works that dwell unnecessarily in or that are unchallenging of the discrimination categories listed above. We reserve the right to send back work unread and unevaluated if we find the work violates our vision of inclusivity and non-discrimination. This may result in banning individual works or writers from our submission queue.
Rights: Uncharted Magazine holds the first serial publication rights for three months after publication. Authors agree not to publish, nor authorize or permit the publication of, any part of the material for three months following Uncharted Magazine's first publication. For reprints, we ask for acknowledgment of its publication in Uncharted Magazine first.
Courtesy: Please refrain from withdrawing your submission to fix a typo or misspelling. These minor issues will not result in an automatic decline. We read submissions based on the value of the story, not the typing.
OPTIONAL EDITORIAL FEEDBACK:
You may choose to receive editorial feedback on your piece. We will provide a global letter discussing the strengths of the writing and the recommended focus for revision. We aim to make our comments actionable and encouraging. These letters are written by editors and staff readers of Uncharted Magazine.

Submission Guidelines
**Yes, you have indeed been redirected, correctly, to Uncharted, our new home on Submittable!**
Please read our submission guidelines carefully. 

Voyage simply aims to publish good work and provide a space for new and established voices. To get an idea of what we publish, please read our archives. General submissions are open year-round with no fee to submit.

We only accept submissions via our online submission managing system, Submittable. We DO NOT accept submissions via email. Submissions sent via email will be automatically discarded without a response. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please withdraw your work via Submittable if it is accepted elsewhere.

Though we consider reprints, please be advised that Voyage doesn't offer payment for work that has been published before. If you are submitting a piece that has been published, please notify us in your submission. 

Voyage pays $200 per accepted, previously unpublished piece of short prose.

Fiction: We are looking for short stories that surprise, inspire, entertain, or enlighten.

Creative Nonfiction: We’re on the hunt for personal essays and other creative nonfiction that specifically relates to the teen experience. Submit your creative nonfiction via our submission manager here.  

Manuscript Preparation: Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with Times New Roman 12. Submissions should be no more than 6,000 words. Please include the author's name and page number in the top right-hand corner of every page.  

Note: To ensure the protection of our volunteer readers, and to keep Voyage a safe space, please let us know in your cover letter if your work can be triggering in any way. This information will have no bearing on your submission or our decision—we just want to ensure the best possible environment for our readers. Thank you for your understanding. 

Editorial Feedback Options
The single feedback letter option costs $69 and will provide you with two pages of detailed and actionable feedback on your submission. The three-letter option will provide three separate letters (two pages each) from three different editors at $179. Our guest editors are paid a significant portion of the fee and all are incredibly astute professionals.

Voyage Values
Voyage YA is committed to diversity and inclusivity. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, family status, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. Voyage has a zero-tolerance policy for any work that is discriminatory or harmful in any way, whether intentional or unintentional. Hate speech of any kind will not be tolerated and any work that violates our values will be immediately declined. Voyage maintains the right to further ban authors if problematic behavior persists and/or deplatform authors should there be problematic behavior via other platforms.

As the landscape of publishing changes, Voyage acknowledges that there is still much work to be done. Systemic racism and structural inequality have been problems for a long time, and Voyage will actively work to dismantle them. We have joined the global movement to fight for equality and will consciously work to amplify marginalized voices of authors who have been historically underrepresented in publishing.

We urge authors and readers alike to visit some of the resources we have found helpful—and seek out others:
 

• We Need Diverse Books and their resources page for writers
• Writing with Color
• Lee & Low 2019 Diversity Survey
• Editors of Color Database & Database of Diverse Databases
• Conscious Style Guide
• #DVpit
• Black Lives Matter

Introducing Voyage’s newest publication opportunity: Three-Sentence Stories. Can you write a compelling story in just three sentences? Give it a try for the chance to be featured on our Instagram, @VoyageYA. Have fun and challenge yourself with this unique opportunity!

Guidelines:

• Stories must be fiction, and exactly three sentences.
• Stories must be written for a young adult audience.
• Stories must not be previously published, including on personal blogs and websites.
• Submissions may include up to five three-sentence stories in one document.
• Submitters may submit once per month.
• We do not pay for Three-Sentence Stories, but we do promote authors on Instagram!
• Editorial Feedback Letters are not available for Three-Sentence Story submitters.

Note: To ensure the protection of our volunteer readers, and to keep Voyage a safe space, please let us know in your cover letter if your work can be triggering in any way. This information will have no bearing on your submission or our decision—we just want to ensure the best possible environment for our readers. Thank you for your understanding. 

Uncharted is looking to add some talented new readers to our team! If you love the following genres:  Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller/Mystery, and Historical Fiction or experience across a wide spectrum of these genres., and three to four hours of reading submissions a week sounds like fun, we encourage you to apply. Our readers work remotely and can set their own schedules. BIPOC, marginalized or underrepresented writers are strongly encouraged to apply!

This position begins when accepted and involves a commitment for 6 months, though we are flexible. PLEASE NOTE: readerships are unpaid and on a strictly volunteer basis. If interested, please send a cover letter, resume, and at least one writing sample. We look forward to hearing from you!

*Cover letters should address your interest in the above genres, including favorite stories and/or writers. Please include any memberships.