Fair Submissions

  The Brief Version Contest submissions may be previously published, and will also be read within 3-4 months of submitting with an eye towards publication on the site, as well as the forthcoming  Best in Rural Writing print anthologies. (Note: shortlisting in the contest does not automatically secure a place in the anthology, unless selected as one of the two finalists. The work will be considered by future anthology committees, however). Go to our submit page for more details. Although the contest and anthology are seperate initiatives, we recommend reading the anthology to get an idea of the type of work that typically gets recognized (and also because it supports The Milk House). You can order a copy here . Submissions may be up to 7,000 words. 2026 Best in Rural Writing Contest deadline: September 1st, 2026 Enter your prose piece by select...

  Full details Plough is thrilled to announce its inaugural annual short fiction contest, open to writers anywhere in the world. The winning writer will receive a two thousand dollar award and the winning story will be published in Plough . In addition, up to three finalists will receive two hundred and fifty dollars as well as publication in Plough (print and/or online). Plough is seeking short fiction that honors the mysterious nature of reality and finds transcendence and redemption in unexpected places. We are interested in the skillful use of fictional elements like magical realism and a traditional “tale” voice, but the contest is not limited to stories with these elements. Here are some authors we see as exemplary: Italo Calvino, Jorge Luis Borges, Susanna Clarke, Toni Morrison, Isak Dinesen, Eugene Vodolazkin, Tim Powers, Karen Russell, and James McBride. Judging will be blind. Plough editors will select ten to fifteen stories for further consideration, and then t...

  full details Chalk Circle Short Story Competition 2026 Our writing competition makes a creative comeback this year with a new circular flash fiction category guaranteed to get your head spinning! Alongside our Chalk Circle 1500 category, we are launching the Chalk Circle 360 . Write a piece of circular flash fiction that turns 360 degrees using exactly 360 words (excluding the title). Like the ancient icon Ouroboros, the serpent that devours its own tail, a circular flash fiction story ends where it began. Writers may draw inspiration from symbolic Ouroboros features such as self-reflection; recycling and renewal the assimilation of opposites; the constant cycle of creation and destruction. Here's an example written by one of the judges . Any subject is suitable.  Any genre except  children's fiction.  Judges are looking for good story telling above all else. ​ ​ How to enter ​Please make sure you have read the C ompetition Rules before submitti...

  Full details ford Poetry awards the annual Oxford Poetry Prize for a single poem in the English language. Submissions to the 2026 prize open on 1 May 2026. This year’s guest judge is Rowan Ricardo Phillips. The winner of the 2026 Oxford Poetry Prize will receive £2,000, the runner-up £1,000, and the second runner-up £500. The prize-winning poets will also be offered publication in the print magazine. This year’s prize closes for entries at midnight ut c on 31 August, 2026. SUBMIT TO THE PRIZE  

 Full details CHAPBOOK CONTEST   Submissions are open June 1-August 31. Nine Syllables Press is delighted to announce our fourth annual chapbook contest. Nicole Sealey will be the final judge for 2026. The winner will be awarded $500 and author’s copies. The chapbook will be published within a year. Winners will be announced by February, 2026. Submissions are open June 1-August 31, 2026, using our Submittable. There is a $10 submission fee. If the fee is prohibitive for you to submit, please email 9syllablespress (a) smith.edu and ask for a fee waiver. Please read the guidelines below carefully before sending us your work. Who can submit? Trans and nonbinary poets of all genders, and cis women poets can submit their chapbook to the Nine Syllables Press chapbook contest. We especially encourage trans/LGBTQIA+ poets and BIPOC poets to submit their work. Poets can have previously published collections of poetry, but t...

 FUll details   Chatoyant’s Bound by Words Magazine , is where we publish our most favorite and inspiring writings, which is promoted next to our other magazine issues that include models, photographers, fashion designers, makeup artists, and social media influencers. We support the idea that writing holds artistic value and our vision is to help writers get more exposure by publishing them alongside other categories that strongly influence our culture. We are calling all writers to write using Charleston, South Carolina, as a setting, atmosphere, etc., in any genre. Short stories and poems are acceptable. Stories: up to 2500 words; creative nonfiction/fiction Poems: up to 30 lines; up to 3 poems are encouraged Short author bio approximately 50-75 words All genres accepted. $15 entry fee with $500 top prize!

 FUll details https://fictionprize.worldhistory.org/ Historical Fiction A story set at least fifty years ago, which takes the social, political, or cultural atmosphere of the past into consideration. Alternative history – events that could have happened – is allowed, but no time travel. Stories set in prehistory, before written records, are welcome if they plausibly evoke the lived experience, worldview, or oral traditions of that time. Make sure no part of the story happens more recently than fifty years ago. Mythological Fiction A story set in the past, at least fifty years ago for this contest, which clearly draws from a myth, mythic figure, or cultural belief e.g., Circe from Greek Mythology, or Ravana from Southeast Asia, yakkas from Sri Lankan folklore.  Stories do not need to be set in the time or place of the original myth. Fantasy elements are welcome, but stories must remain rooted in specific mythological or folkloric traditions. Global myths and oral tra...

 full details ery year since 1982, the Literary Translators’ Association of Canada has awarded the John Glassco Prize to recognize the excellence and talent of an emerging literary translator. The prize is awarded to a translator whose first book-length translation (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama or children’s literature) demonstrates exceptional talent and literary merit. The winner receives a $1,500 prize and a one-year membership to LTAC. The award is presented at the end of September during the celebration of St. Jerome, the patron saint of translators. Some forty translators, most of whom are still active, have garnered the award since its inception. The call for submissions for the 42nd edition of the John Glassco Prize is now open . Please consult the submission form  and guidelines before sending your submissions. The deadline to submit is Friday August 21st, 2026 . The prize is named after John Glassco , a prolific Canadian writer and translator wh...