Update:

Dear Beloved Readers and Writers,

Due to unforeseen circumstances, The Nomad Review will need to take an operational hiatus during the 2026-7 submission cycle. This means that we will not be reading submissions or awarding prizes between May 2026 and May 2027. All previously accepted work will still be published, but we will not consider accepting any new work until June of 2027. 

We apologize for any disappointment this may cause, and we thank you for your patience as we navigate the logistics of the contemporary nonprofit literary journal landscape! Please feel free to check our submissions page at any time for updates.

All Best,

The Editors

Our 2025-26 award winners this year were:

Troy Wong, "G Flip's pronouns are "they/them" (poetry)

Leigh Cuen, “Wild Horses” (nonfiction)

Marley Howard, “Freed Bird Freed People” (visual art)

We also had fantastic runners-up, whose work will also be published throughout the year:

Poetry:

Kris Michelle Diesness, “Through the Windows of Ghosts”

Zelda Knapp, "Someone Else's House"

Jonathan Otamere, “My Mother as a Crushed Eagle”

Josiane Kouagheu, "see the birds on my window"

Kathleen Hellen, “how it is”

Darla Himeles, "Panic at Victory & Vesper, Van Nuys”

Nonfiction:

Kathryn Shapiro, "On Powerlessness” 

Jan Edwards, “Ivan’s Story”

Nicole Jagusch, "I have to tell you"

Kira Córdova, “Dynamic Duo”

Bryana Fern, “The Art of Untaming”

Autumn Rozario Hall, "What Remains"

Gaia Patience Veenis, “Rats of the Sky”

Visual Art:

Désirée Jung, "lalangue"

Josie G, “Threaded Whispers” 

AmarA Kole, “Dandelion Dreams”

Amanda Yskamp, “Today 6,500 Years from Now”

Nasta Martyn, “Girl and dragon”

Our editors could not find consensus this round in the fiction and interview/critique/review categories, so the prize money for those will go back to the pool for next year’s contest. 

Please see our submissions page for more information about how and what to submit to us next summer (2026) as that time approaches.

Lastly, congratulations to everyone for the bravery it takes to send your work out into the world! We look forward to reading more from you soon.

Best,

The Editors