Welcome to the New Voices Fiction Award,

Our first contest was a success closing with 46 submissions.

The winners have been announced and their stories published.

1st Place Award

“Deaf Dog Book Club” by Yilong Liu.

“Deaf Dog Book Club” follows a newly widowed woman whose quiet afternoon at a coffee shop takes an unexpected turn. Funny, tender, and sharply observed, it’s a story about grief, language, connection, and finding your way back into the world.

Click here to read the story.

We plan to nominate “Deaf Dog Book Club” for the Pushcart Prize.

2nd Place Award 

“Nests and Numbers” by Brian W. Ball

“Nests and Numbers” follows a retired IT professional confronting a devastating diagnosis while trying to make sense of the numbers that suddenly define her future. A quietly furious story about mortality, money, motherhood, and the brutal arithmetic of American healthcare. It’s a powerful American tale and we hope you enjoy it.

Click here to read the story.

3rd Place Award

“Silver Dollars for Silver Tongues” by Emorra Oteca

“Silver Dollars for Silver Tongues” follows a young wife in 1950s America as a charismatic stranger draws her husband toward the promise of easy wealth. It is a tense domestic story about ambition, trust, marriage, and the seductive power of believing in something too good to be true.

Click here to read the story.

Interviews with Award winners 

As promised, the winner and runner-up both were interviewed and published.

Click here to read the interview with Yilong Liu.

Interview with runner-up

Click here to read the interview with Brain W. Ball.

2nd New Voices Fiction Award

We truly enjoyed hosting this contest. It was so much fun.

As a result, we have made it biannual.

Submissions for the contest will close December 15th.

We will build this out and increase the prize money and visibility.

Submit here for the 2nd New Voices Short Fiction Award.