The 2026 First Page Cage Quarterfinalists

Congratulations to the 2026 First Page Cage Quarterfinalists!

Take a look at the pages that made our judges want more …

Ever sit through the nerve-wracking experience of a live-action slush? Ever wonder what those editors were thinking? Like, seriously, why are they all so judgey like that?

Well, the first page of a story is a little window into the entire piece. And we peek through many (many — like, thousands!) of panes per year. So we decided to bring you the First Page Cage Match to recreate the experience of a live-action slush reading, and to shed some light on just how challenging it can be to have a story (even a really, really great one) find a home.

With limited page space, publications do need to get a little, shall we say, particular. And, as you’ll see, sometimes the decisions are subjective. We don’t always go with our head — the heart and the gut get votes, too.

And rest assured: to be certain that all is fair in literary love and writerly war, we read all of the entries with the names of the authors removed.

Here’s what’s happened so far:

To generate the longlist for the First Page Cage Match each submission was read by three judges. We marked them based on whether we found a red flag that made us want to stop on the first page (0 marks) or the second page (1 mark). For submissions on which we reached the end, we gave 2 marks to ones that didn’t leave us wanting to read more, and 3 marks to those that had us hooked.

The longlist comprised all the submissions that got full marks from at least one editor.

What made us stop reading

Of the pages that didn’t make the cut, some had author names on the document or filename, were not fiction, or exceeded the allowable word count. Authors, make sure you read the contest guidelines carefully!

Technical details aside, a common failing was that, despite some beautiful writing, we weren’t given a reason to care about the protagonist. A first page should give the reader a sense of setting, genre, tone, and a hint of the central conflict.  If you’d like to see where exactly your manuscript fell through the cracks, you can still order editor feedback on the contest page. For those who have already asked for feedback, that will be sent out in the next month.

The Quarter-finalists

From the longlist of twenty, we narrowed it down to eight first pages that will go up against each other in the next round. Here are the eight contenders, listed in alphabetic order by first name, along with a peek into the minds of our editors. You can read the first pages and judge for yourselves by following the links

The Soldier and the Witch by Alana Short

The fact this was a prologue was a red flag for Jen, and she suggests changing that to Chapter 1. That said, she was interested enough in the characters to read more. Sierra felt the premise was interesting and the writing was  immersive, but she will need a few more grounding details soon to get fully invested. For Mel it was an almost, but the action became scattered and the conflict unclear by the end of the section. ~ 7.5

The Last Queer in the World by Finnian Burnett

This one got full marks from all three editors. Sierra was instantly pulled in by the intro, great voice and premise, and definitely wants to know more about this protagonist and world. Jen was hooked by how seamlessly the author set the tone, genre, and opportunities for conflict with just one page and Mel wants to see the Father General brought low! ~ 9

You can read much more of Finnian’s work in the pages of Pulp Literature: ‘Nothing Left‘ and ‘Ethan’s Pecs’ in Issue37, ‘When Captain Picard Was My Dad’ in Issue 41, ‘Grandma Had Guns‘ in Issue 43, ‘The Storm Tastes of Freedom’ in Issue 46, and ‘One Last Frontier‘ in Issue 50. You can pick up all five issues and save with our Finnian Burnett Bundle.

Gods, Forget Me by Justin Klugh

Jen is not a fan of prologues, and feels the story starts at Chapter 1, which has a great first line. Mel commented that it feels a lot like The Devils but she would read more, and Sierra felt the good voice, natural dialogue, and pacing would keep her reading. ~ 8.5

The Harrowing by Katja Rammer

Another with full marks: Mel liked the POV and clear conflict; despite her opinion of prologues in general, Jen felt this one really worked and both she and Sierra liked the pacing, use of details, and premise, with a hint of genre. ~ 9

Selfie from the Future by Krzysztof Mazurek

Rounding out our hat trick of perfect 9s, this fluent start had a clear inciting incident, a beguiling voice, and a hook that made all three of us want to find out what happens next. ~9

Italian Cuisine in Three Easy Movements by Krzysztof Mazurek

This one was tonally uneven. Mel and Jen didn’t feel the dialogue with the boy was convincing or necessary, and Sierra didn’t get a good enough sense of the tone and direction of the story. However all three editors read to the end, and Mel and Jen wanted to read more. ~ 8

The Maudessy by MFC Feeley

We loved the title of this one. The second page lost Sierra and Mel a bit but they would still read more, while Jen is fully on board with the writing style and subject. ~ 8.5

MFC Feeley’s story ‘Dannemora Sewing Class‘ was a runner-up in the 2019 Raven Short Story Contest, and can be found in Pulp Literature Issue 26, Spring 2020.

Red Hill by Paul Garver

Sierra and Mel liked the clear details and indication of setting, with a good set up for a novel. Jen would have preferred a little less pluperfect (ie, diving into the past) at the outset, but would likely read more to see if it settles into the present. ~ 7.5

As you can see, editors often differ on what makes them keep turning pages and what they pass on. Which is why you should never be discouraged by rejection — sometimes it’s a matter of finding the right editor with the right manuscript. Now, stay tuned as we dive into the first ten pages of these stories to see which four make the semifinals!

Thank you to all who entered. And a deep bow to these eight brave souls, who joined the sometimes scary, occasionally surprising, and (*fingers-crossed*) often insightful live-action slush!

And for all the latest from Pulp Literature, stay tuned to the blog. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Bluesky.