We invite writers to submit to the 2026 Uncharted Magazine Novel Excerpt Prize from March 30 to May 31, 2026.
There’s something enthralling about stories carved from longer works that have a sense of purpose and stakes, a feeling of depth and emotion. We love excerpts that show your character battling the antagonist and themselves, making choices with consequences. Give us your high stakes, your rock-bottoms, your inciting incidents and climaxes, and those spaces where your characters burst into our imaginations!
We’re looking for the best 5,000 words or fewer from your novel in progress. We love to read opening chapters, climaxes, and anything in between. 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 Micaiah Johnson, who will choose three prize winners from a shortlist. The three cowinners of this prize will each receive $1,000, online publication, and a forty-five-minute consultation with Mark Gottlieb, an Executive Vice President and Literary Agent with The Trident Media Group. All entries will be considered for publication.
