“Being alive, she thought, just being alive and a woman was enough to make her vengeful protagonist behave as she did. Ruth didn’t need to dial it up. She didn’t need to change a word.”
The winners of the 2026 Breakout Prize are Nico Amador in poetry, selected by Cynthia Cruz, and Imogen Osborne in prose, selected by Alexandra Kleeman.
Submissions for our Fresh Voices Fellowship are open now through October 15, 2026.