$3000 Winner Kelli Johnson: Elegant Literature Award For New Writers (Beneath The Words)

Описание: Elegant Literature is a short fiction magazine, award, and school exclusively for upcoming writers to start their career.

Kelli Johnson's story "These Hearts of Mine" won the Beneath The Words theme in March of 2026. Read her and hundreds of other great short stories for free:
https://www.elegantliterature.com/mag...

To enter the current contest go here:
https://www.elegantliterature.com/con...

About Elegant Literature
Elegant Literature is the first short fiction magazine to pay professional rates but not accept submissions from pros. Our mission is to help new writers earn their first publishing credits—and their first dollar—from writing stories.

To date, we have published over 300 new authors across 43 issues, and put more than $200,000 into the hands of writers around the globe. It’s free to submit to the magazine, and we publish monthly.

Elegant Literature’s Award For New Writers provides $42,000 in monetary prizes each year. Every month one story is selected for the $3000 award. Together, the award and magazine serve to give the next generation of authors easier access to paid publishing opportunities and highlight some of the best emerging talent in the industry.

Elegant Literature is also much more than a magazine. We are a supportive community of new writers, and our education hub, AuthorHQ, provides a place where even those brand new to storytelling can learn and practice their craft. Each week an award-winning author or industry professional joins us in live, small group trainings to share their experience with the next generation of emerging talent. Over 50 hours of recorded lessons are available to members. With stand-alone workshops and multi-lesson courses, writers will learn the craft and business of storytelling directly from those who have come before.

The AuthorHQ provides accessible and affordable writing education, from the basics through advanced material, and the varied roster of educators allows students to gain a breadth and depth of knowledge traditional high-ticket courses often lack.

Education, community, and publication, all under one roof. It’s a one-stop shop to turn new writers into professional authors.

About Award-Winning Author Kelli Johnson
Kelli is an English teacher and academic copy editor from Connecticut, who once called Guangzhou, China her home for four years teaching ESL. Today, she works remotely while ‘slow traveling’ across the globe. She received dual bachelor’s degrees in French Literature and Economics from the University of Hartford, and one of these days, she’ll finish writing her science fiction novel.

About Judge Melanie Spencer
Melanie is a playwright, screenwriter and director based in London. Mel graduated the Channel 4 Screenwriting Course in 2014, securing a place on the scheme via her play RESPONSIBLE OTHER which she wrote and directed, and which had a successful run at Hampstead Downstairs (receiving four stars from The Times, The Independent, Evening Standard, Time Out, What’s On Stage and five stars from The Arts Desk.) After taking a break from writing to raise a family, she made a triumphant return to the page, with her recent play CONTENDER, about the murky, cut-throat world of high- level sport, being adapted as a BBC radio drama production in 2022, starring Elliot Cowan and Hannah Tointon. Melanie is also a casting/performance director (credited as Melanie O’Connor), and worked on Simon Amstell’s film CARNAGE, as well as the latest C4 Dispatches Documentary, RUSSELL BRAND: IN PLAIN SIGHT.


Other Authors In Beneath The Words Issue:
Grace Galer, "Mercy Killing"
Azani Whyte, "Tonality"
Patrick Davis, "The Delicate Elodie Glenn"
Aalisha Green, "Colour of Shame"
David Roe, "Manifest Destiny"
J.I. Locatelli, "The Thinnest Veil"
Lillie Hiesterman, "July’s Tower"
Andrew Connell, "Suspension"
J. Verza, "Orbiting Zero"

For more information about Elegant Literature, the award, or fiction writing education content, check out:
https://www.elegantliterature.com/