Submissions
Regular Submissions
The Missouri Review editors invite submissions of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction of general interest (no literary criticism). Manuscripts are read year-round. Standard response time is 10–12 weeks. Simultaneous submissions are okay as long as you notify us if accepted elsewhere. Authors are paid $25 per printed page.
We consider only original, previously unpublished material. If artificial intelligence has been used to generate any portion of your submission, you must disclose your usage in specific detail within the piece and in your cover letter.
Complete submission guidelines by genre are listed below. View recent issues >
Contest Submissions
We invite entries for our spring contest, the sixth annual Perkoff Prize. Winners in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction each receive $1,000 and publication in our winter 2026 issue. All entries are considered for publication. Early-bird entry fee: $15. Deadline: March 15. View contest guidelines >
Submit Online
Whether it’s a regular submission or contest entry, please submit your work to The Missouri Review through our Submission Manager >
How to use Submission Manager:
Physical Submissions
We also accept physical submissions. Please enclose a cover letter and self-addressed, stamped envelope, and clearly mark the outer envelope as fiction, poetry, or essay. Do not mix genres in the same submission. Manuscripts submitted without a SASE will be recycled without response. Mention in your cover letter if you want your manuscript returned, and remember to include sufficient postage on your SASE. Please include your email address to receive announcements from The Missouri Review.
Send physical submissions to:
[Genre] Editor or [Contest Category]
The Missouri Review
453 McReynolds Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
Submission Guidelines by Genre
Poetry
TMR publishes three poetry features per issue—6–14 pages of poems each from three poets per issue. Please keep in mind the length of features when submitting poems. Typically, successful submissions include 8–20 pages of unpublished poetry (note: please do not send complete manuscripts—published or unpublished—for consideration). NB: Poetry submissions that do not fit the needs of a given issue may still be considered for our long-running Poem of the Week feature.
The Poem of the Year Prize of $1,000 is awarded annually to the best Poem of the Week published in the last year. Two runners-up are awarded $250 each.
Fiction
Submissions should be double-spaced. While there are no length restrictions, we do recommend writers familiarize themselves with fiction from previous issues before submitting. NB: Works of fiction and essays that do not fit the needs of a given issue may still be considered for our online exclusive feature, BLAST. Authors are paid $100 per story.
The William Peden Prize of $1,000 is awarded annually to the best piece of fiction to have appeared in the previous volume year. The winner is chosen by an outside judge from stories published in TMR. There is no separate application process.
Essays
Nonfiction of general interest only. Submissions should be double-spaced. There are no restrictions on length or topic, but, as with fiction submissions, we suggest that writers familiarize themselves with nonfiction from previous issues. Queries are welcome. Excerpts from book-length nonfiction manuscripts will be considered, but must be able to stand alone. Again, prose that does not fit TMR’s needs in a given issue may still be considered for BLAST. Authors are paid $100 per essay.
Interviews and Omnibus Book Reviews
The Missouri Review considers interviews and omnibus reviews of 3–6 recently published books that share a common feature or address a similar topic. We’re especially interested in essays that respond to books from smaller presses and/or emerging authors. We welcome you to submit unsolicited interviews and omnibus review essays of 3,000–5,500 words to the associate editor, Ellen Orner, at eo5gh@missouri.edu.