Moon City Press is an independent press, housed within Missouri State University's English Department, that sponsors the Moon City Poetry Award and the Moon City Short Fiction Award, annual competitions for poetry and short-story collections open to all writers. In addition, our annual literary anthology, Moon City Review, accepts submissions of fiction, flash fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, graphic narrative, translations, and book reviews.
Book authors may use this submission system to enter one of the competitions. Feel free to examine our current booklist on our site at http://moon-city-press.com.
The 2023 Moon City Short Fiction Award
• The Moon City Short Fiction Award is for an original collection of short fiction, written originally in English by a single or collaborative author.
• Individual pieces in the collection may be published in periodicals but not yet collected and published in full-length manuscript form.
• Entries may include short shorts, short fiction, and/or up to one novella. Please include a table of contents and acknowledgements page (of previous publications).
• Open to all writers not associated with Moon City Press or its judges, past or present. Students, employees, and alumni of Missouri State University are ineligible.
• Manuscripts should fall between 30,000 and 65,000 words.
• Manuscripts should be submitted via Submittable, https://mooncitypress.submittable.com.
• A $25 entry fee is due via Submittable at the time of submission; entry fees are nonrefundable.
• Simultaneous submissions are permitted, though manuscripts should be withdrawn immediately if accepted elsewhere.
• Extended deadline: May 1, 2023. Winners will be notified by Summer 2023 and the winner will be published in Spring 2024.
• First prize: $1000, publication by Moon City Press (including international distribution through the University of Arkansas Press), and a standard royalty contract. Ten additional finalists will be named and considered for publication.
• For questions, please visit moon-city-press.com or contact Series Editor Michael Czyzniejewski at mczyzniejewski@missouristate.edu.
Inclusion and Diversity
Moon City Press is committed to publishing work from often-excluded and marginalized voices, including writers of color, gender-non-conforming and LGBTQ writers, and writers living with disabilities. To create an accessible platform for these artists, we are offering free submissions to our contests for anyone fitting these descriptions who requests a fee waiver via electronic correspondence. Please contact Editor Michael Czyzniejewski at mczyzniejewski@missouristate.edu to submit such a request.
Inclusion and Diversity: Moon City Press is committed to publishing work from often-excluded and marginalized voices, including writers of color, gender-non-conforming and LGBTQ writers, and writers living with disabilities. To create an accessible platform for these artists, we are offering free submissions to our contests for anyone fitting these descriptions.
The 2023 Moon City Short Fiction Award
• The Moon City Short Fiction Award is for an original collection of short fiction, written originally in English by a single or collaborative author.
• Individual pieces in the collection may be published in periodicals but not yet collected and published in full-length manuscript form.
• Entries may include short shorts, short fiction, and/or up to one novella. Please include a table of contents and acknowledgements page (of previous publications).
• Open to all writers not associated with Moon City Press or its judges, past or present. Students, employees, and alumni of Missouri State University are ineligible.
• Manuscripts should fall between 30,000 and 65,000 words.
• Manuscripts should be submitted via Submittable, https://mooncitypress.submittable.com.
• Simultaneous submissions are permitted, though manuscripts should be withdrawn immediately if accepted elsewhere.
• Extended deadline: May 1, 2023. Winners will be notified by Summer 2023 and the winner will be published in Spring 2024.
• First prize: $1000, publication by Moon City Press (including international distribution through the University of Arkansas Press), and a standard royalty contract. Ten additional finalists will be named and considered for publication.
• For questions, please visit moon-city-press.com or contact Series Editor Michael Czyzniejewski at mczyzniejewski@missouristate.edu.
The 2023 Moon City Poetry Award
• The Moon City Poetry Award is for an original collection of poems written in English by a single or collaborative author.
• Individual poems in the collection may be published in periodicals or may have appeared in a chapbook, but poems should not be previously published in full-length manuscript form.
• Open to all writers not associated with Moon City Press, its editors, or its judges, past or present. Students, faculty, alumni, and staff of Missouri State University, past or present, are ineligible.
• Manuscripts should be at least 48 pages long.
• Manuscripts should be submitted here, via Submittable, https://mooncitypress.submittable.com/submit
• A $25 entry fee is due via Submittable at the time of submission; entry fees are nonrefundable.
• Simultaneous submissions are permitted, though manuscripts should be withdrawn immediately if accepted elsewhere.
• Deadline: May 1, 2023. Winners will be notified in Fall 2023, and the book will be published in 2024.
• First prize: $1000, publication by Moon City Press (including international distribution through the University of Arkansas Press and the Chicago Distribution Center), and a standard royalty contract. Ten additional finalists will be named and considered for publication. For questions, please contact Series Editor Karen Craigo at karen.craigo@gmail.com.
Inclusion and Diversity
Moon City Press is committed to publishing work from often-excluded and marginalized voices, including writers of color, gender-non-conforming and LGBTQ writers, and writers living with disabilities. To create an accessible platform for these artists, we are offering free submissions to our contests for anyone fitting these descriptions who requests a fee waiver via electronic correspondence. Please contact Editor Michael Czyzniejewski at mczyzniejewski@missouristate.edu to submit such a request.
Inclusion and Diversity
Moon City Press is committed to publishing work from often-excluded and marginalized voices, including writers of color, gender-non-conforming and LGBTQ writers, and writers living with disabilities. To create an accessible platform for these artists, we are offering free submissions to our contests for anyone fitting these descriptions.
The 2023 Moon City Poetry Award
• The Moon City Poetry Award is for an original collection of poems written in English by a single or collaborative author.
• Individual poems in the collection may be published in periodicals or may have appeared in a chapbook, but poems should not be previously published in full-length manuscript form.
• Open to all writers not associated with Moon City Press, its editors, or its judges, past or present. Students, faculty, alumni, and staff of Missouri State University, past or present, are ineligible.
• Manuscripts should be at least 48 pages long.
• Manuscripts should be submitted here, via Submittable, https://mooncitypress.submittable.com/submit
• Simultaneous submissions are permitted, though manuscripts should be withdrawn immediately if accepted elsewhere.
• Deadline: May 1, 2023. Winners will be notified in Fall 2023, and the book will be published in 2024.
• First prize: $1000, publication by Moon City Press (including international distribution through the University of Arkansas Press and the Chicago Distribution Center), and a standard royalty contract. Ten additional finalists will be named and considered for publication. For questions, please contact Series Editor Karen Craigo at karen.craigo@gmail.com.
This category is for Moon City Review. Authors are limited to one story (up to 8,000 words) or three shorts per submission. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable if prompt notification is given through Submittable of its acceptance elsewhere. Please address any correspondence to Fiction Editor Joel Coltharp, JoelColtharp@MissouriState.edu.
This category is for Moon City Review. Authors may submit up to three pieces of flash fiction at a time, and each piece should be no more than 1,000 words. Please submit all pieces in a single document. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable if prompt notification is given through Submittable of its acceptance elsewhere. Please address any correspondence to Editor Michael Czyzniejewski at MCzyzniejewski@MissouriState.edu.
This category is for Moon City Review. Authors are limited to six poems total per submission period. Please submit the file as .doc or .docx. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable if prompt notification is given through Submittable of its acceptance elsewhere. Please address any correspondence to Poetry Editor Sara Burge, saraburge@missouristate.edu.
This category is for Moon City Review. Authors are limited to one essay (up to 8,000 words) or three shorts per submission. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable if prompt notification is given through Submittable of its acceptance elsewhere.
Submit in .jpg, .tiff, or .pdf format.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable if prompt notification is given through Submittable of its acceptance elsewhere. Please address any correspondence to Graphic Narrative Editor Jennifer Murvin, jmurvin@missouristate.edu.
This category is for Moon City Review. Translators should submit works from contemporary authors and should be ready to submit both the translation and the original piece, as well as proof of permission to translate. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable if prompt notification is given through Submittable of its acceptance elsewhere.
Moon City Review will be looking for reviews of for its 2022 issue. We will favor reviews of contemporary books of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and graphic narrative, particularly from small/independent/university presses; we are also looking for reviews of books recently translated into English. We are aiming for reviews of approximately 1,000 words, with a little leeway on either side of that. Since the 2022 issue will appear in 2022, we're looking to run reviews of books released 2021 or later—this includes books forthcoming after our publication date.
If you have a review that fits this description, please submit. If you have questions or are looking for a review assignment, contact Editor Mike Czyzniejewski at MCzyzniejewski@MissouriState.edu.