We are pleased to announce that in 2012 the Emerging Writer's Contest is expanding to include fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The winner in each genre will be awarded $1,000.
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Since 1971, Ploughshares has been committed to promoting the work of up-and-coming writers. In the spirit of the magazine’s founding mission, the Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest will recognize work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Literary work first published in Ploughshares has been cited in the Pushcart Prize volumes more frequently than any other literary journal and is regularly featured in Best American anthologies. The magazine has an international readership and is widely distributed throughout the United States.
Eligibility:
We define an “emerging writer” as someone who has yet to publish a book, including chapbooks, eBooks, and self-published works, in any of the content genres: creative nonfiction, poetry, or fiction. No book should be forthcoming before April 15th, 2013, the date when the Winter issue will be off the stands.
Submission Policies:
- Please log in to our online submission manager between February 1st and April 2nd to submit. The contest will open at noon EST on February 1st, and close at noon EST on April 2nd.
- Submit 3-5 poems; nonfiction and fiction entries should be under 5,000 words.
- The entry fee of $20, payable by credit card on the submission manager site, will include a 1-year subscription to Ploughshares. (Current subscribers may add to their subscription or give the subscription as a gift.)
- Writers are allowed to submit only one entry to the contest, per year.
Publication:
The winning story, essay, and poems will be published in the Winter 2012-13 issue of Ploughshares, guest-edited by John Skoyles and Ladette Randolph.
