The results are in for the 2026 Storytrade First Look Prize, and neither of my submitted chapters placed in the competition.

I entered two chapters for consideration this year, representing two different pieces of my developing body of work. While neither entry received a placement in the First Look Prize, I’m grateful that both chapters had the opportunity to be read and considered as part of the awards process.

Not every submission results in a win, and that is part of putting creative work into the world. Awards are one measure of how a piece is received at a particular moment, but they are not the sole measure of a story’s value, its potential, or where it may ultimately lead.

For me, the larger significance of entering the Storytrade First Look Prize is that these chapters represent work that is moving beyond the manuscript stage and into the broader literary world. Each submission is another opportunity to test the work, put my writing in front of new readers, and continue building a body of work under my own name.

So, while there will be no First Look Prize placement to add to the 2026 awards record, the work continues.

Two chapters entered.

No placement this time.

Still writing. Still submitting. Still building.

And there will be more to come.