We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 New Letters Literary Awards. Winners
received a cash prize of $2,000 and will be published in the winter/spring 2027 issue of New Letters.
First Runner-Up: Matthew Bartel, “Caption for a Photograph in Which My Mother Is Younger Than I Am” & Other Poems
Lindsey Royal Wayland
Lindsey Royal Wayland is a poet, calligrapher, researcher with an MFA in Poetry. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Wayland’s poems are published in Bellevue Literary Review, Southern Humanities Review, swamp pink, and others. She lives in the Texas Hill Country with her husband and three children. Find her online at www.lindseywayland.com.
First Runner-Up: Dakota Reed, “What It Means to Wade”
Melina Papadopoulos is a writer and editor from Ohio. Her work has appeared in such publications as Rattle, Plume, Lake Effect, The Penn Review, among others.
Robert Walikis is a writer, playwright, poet, and songwriter. His work has appeared in Post Road, Grist Journal, PRISM International, and elsewhere. He is working on his debut novel. Walikis lives in Maine with his wife-partner-writer Diana Mullins. He makes maps and tell stories. Read more at robertwalikis.com.
Matthew Bartel, Mag Gabbert, Ayla Gard, Jenna Johnson, Alison Palmer, Weijia Pan,
Ashley Richardson, Amanda Scott, Jen Siraganian, Erin Stoodley
KC Trommer, Lindsey Wayland
Victoria Crane, Maren Curtis, Melina Papadopoulos,
Dakota Reed, Megan Schikora, Amy Lee Scott
Owen Abbott , Ben Bavonese, Melissa DaCosta Brown,
Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Kinnally, Eric Orosco, Bruce Tizes, Robert Walikis, Alexander Weinstein