ISSUE
159
JOHN STEINBECK AWARD
FOR FICTION
CONTEST SUBMISSIONS JUNE 1 – OCTOBER 1
$1,000 Prize
$20 Entry Fee
Awarding one of the richest purses among literary magazines—$1,000 for the winning story—the John Steinbeck Award recognizes exceptional works of fiction.  Aesthetically, we are open to most styles and approaches, including experimental and literary. All works should be stand-alone short stories, not chapters of a longer work. Please limit submissions to 5,000 words.
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Please be sure to:
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provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
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include a brief bio, up to 50 words
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save submissions as a Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) document
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double-space text, and use an easily readable 12-point typeface (such as Times New Roman)
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include word count (5,000-word limit)
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number pages
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check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date
​The contest reading fee is $20, which includes a free copy of the latest edition of Reed Magazine. (Submitters with US addresses on file will receive print copies of the journal, whereas those with international addresses may receive digital copies.) Multiple submissions are accepted as separate entries. Contest submissions not selected for final judging may still be considered for publication in the journal and/or online.
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John Steinbeck Award for Fiction submitters can expect to hear back from Reed Magazine by the end of December 2025.
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John Steinbeck (1902-1968) won the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature. Born and raised in Salinas, California, Steinbeck attended Stanford University, but did not graduate. The Grapes of Wrath, his novel chronicling the lives of California migrant farmers, won the Pulitzer Prize and is considered by many to be Steinbeck’s magnum opus. Steinbeck is the author of more than twenty-seven novels and short stories, including Of Mice and Men, Tortilla Flat, In Dubious Battle, and East of Eden. Steinbeck is regarded as one of the masters of California literature, and San José State University hosts a permanent collection of Steinbeck research materials through the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies.
