CRAFT 2026 First Chapters Contest — Guest Judge Deb Olin Unferth

CRAFT 2026 First Chapters Contest

$2,800 Awarded

Guest Judge: Deb Olin Unferth

April 20, 2026 – June 28, 2026

There’s an unforgettable electricity that courses through the first chapters of a terrific novel. So much magic and mystery. So many potential paths for our protagonists. This summer, CRAFT wants to be transported by your early pages. The CRAFT First Chapters Contest encourages novelists to harness the energy of their openings for the opportunity to win a $2,000 award, excerpt publication, and a full manuscript critique by Artful Editor. Our annual contest is designed to reward and encourage the diligent novelist. Your manuscript need not be complete for you to enter your first chapters. We just want to see that spark. Here’s what Guest Judge Deb Olin Unferth would love to read:

I’m looking for a first chapter of a novel that, by the end of it, a few things are happening: I’m moved by the narrative voice—maybe it feels unique and inviting, or rebellious. Also, I’m deep into a character, I feel like I want to know them. And I need to be pulled along by the momentum of the story, promises are being made to me. The style needs to light me up, as well. Also, I’d like to know that this is all important somehow, that the story is about larger ideas, beliefs, global problems or philosophical ones. 

Submissions are open April 20 to June 28, 2026. Everyone who submits will also receive a 10 percent discount from Artful Editor on any editorial services. Unferth will choose three winning excerpts from fifteen anonymized entries. Learn more in our guidelines below!

Guidelines:

• The First Chapters Contest is open to all fiction writers; CRAFT is a market for literary fiction.
• Please send excerpts of up to 5,000 words* of book-length fiction only—please submit the first chapter or chapters* of your unpublished novels/novellas. Your novel need not be completely written. Please, no short stories or nonfiction essays.
• This contest requires a $20 entry fee per submission.
• Writers from historically marginalized groups will be able to submit for free until we reach fifty free submissions.
• We allow multiple and simultaneous submissions. Each submission must be accompanied by a separate reading fee. Writers, please notify us and withdraw your submission if your piece is accepted for publication elsewhere.
• Submit previously unpublished work only—we do NOT review reprints or partial reprints (including any form of self-publishing such as on blogs, personal websites, social media, et cetera.). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
• International submissions are welcome. Work must be written primarily in English, but some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
• No translations, please.
• We review literary fiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles, as long as you show excellence in your craft.
• Please double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12.
• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history and any content warnings (if applicable).
• We do not require anonymous submissions, but the guest judge will read the shortlist anonymized.
• Please review our values before submitting.
• All entries will also be considered for publication in CRAFT.
• AI-generated or -assisted submissions will be automatically disqualified. This includes using LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or similar) to translate your work.
• Unless you’ve already secured the necessary permissions, please do not include quoted song lyrics in your submitted work.

*Your entry may include more than your first chapter, up to 5,000 words total, but should contain complete sections—please do not leave us hanging midparagraph just to maximize word count—and must be the first chapter(s) of your book-length project, as if you were querying agents or publishing houses.

Awards:

• First place will receive $2,000 and a full manuscript critique of the novel or novella, up to 100K words, by Artful Editor.
• Second and third place will receive $500 and $300, respectively.
• First, second, and third place will receive an agent query workshop by Annalise Errico of Ladderbird Literary Agency—Annalise will offer feedback on the first 5,000 words of the project, the summary, and a query letter.
• The top three excerpts will be published in CRAFT, each with an introduction by Guest Judge Deb Olin Unferth.
• Each publication will include an author’s note (craft essay) written by the winning writers.

Fine Print:

• Friends, family, and associates of the guest judge are not eligible for consideration for the award.
• Our collaboration with editorial professionals and agents in the judging and awarding of our contests does not imply an endorsement or recognition from their agencies, houses, presses, universities, et cetera.
• Check out our 2025 winners for examples of the type of work we seek.
• As we only consider unpublished writing, and will publish the winning excerpts in November 2026, anything under contract to publish prior to March 2027 should not be entered.

Guest Judge:

DEB OLIN UNFERTH’s next book, the novel Earth 7, is forthcoming in June, 2026. She is the author of six other books, including the novel Barn 8 and the story collection Wait Till You See Me Dance. Her stories and essays have appeared in Harper’s, The Paris Review, Granta, McSweeney’s, and New York Times Magazine. She was a finalist for the National Book Critics’ Circle Award and has received a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation. A professor at the University of Texas at Austin, she teaches for the Michener Center for Writers, the New Writers Project, and directs the Pen City Writers at a south Texas penitentiary.

Contest Partners:

ARTFUL EDITOR is an editorial agency that helps writers elevate their prose and prepare their manuscripts for agent submission and publication. We offer honest and constructive manuscript reviews, developmental editing, line editing, and copyediting. Our team is composed of book editors and published authors, many of whom also edit for traditional publishers. We’re based in Los Angeles, California, but work with writers from all over the world and at every stage of their careers. Find us onInstagram andLinkedIn.

ANNALISE ERRICO of Ladderbird Literary Agency is a graduate of Lesley University where she earned a BA in creative writing with a double minor in literature and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. She is excited about uplifting stories by authors with marginalized voices and intersectional identities, ultimately making room for the diverse voices that have long since been ignored and suppressed in the literary world and beyond. Find her on Twitter @AnnaliseErrico.

LADDERBIRD is a full-service boutique literary agency out of the Boston area with a passion for bringing marginalized voices to the forefront. We work with authors at all levels to create the right path toward achieving each author’s specific goals. It is our passion to create long-lasting relationships and to be the best advocate for our clients. At Ladderbird, we believe in building a supportive community that benefits all. Find us on Twitter @ladderbirdlit.

Optional Editorial Feedback:

You may choose to receive editorial feedback on your excerpt. We will provide marginal notes, as well as a two-page global letter discussing the strengths of the writing and the recommended focus for revision. While editorial feedback is inherently subjective, our suggestions are always actionable and encouraging. We aim to have feedback completed within twelve weeks from the close of the contest. Work that we critique is not eligible for submission to future CRAFT contests, but can be revised and resubmitted in our general queues for further consideration.