Free to enter, Ploughshare's Annual Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction, prize: $1,000

The Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction comes as a gift from the internationally known author to encourage and support young writers. It will be awarded annually to a fiction writer whose work was published the previous year in Ploughshares. The Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction will be selected by the editorial staff of Ploughshares and announced each spring.

Ploughshare's Submission Guidelines

Ploughshares welcomes unsolicited submissions of fiction, poetry, and a limited amount of nonfiction.

Needs

We seek work of the highest literary quality, but otherwise do not have any specific guidelines for style or subject matter. We no longer arrange issues with thematic topics. On occasion, we do publish issues that feature emerging writers. Always look at our website for announcements before submitting. Although we look primarily for short stories, we occasionally publish personal essays/memoirs. Novel excerpts are acceptable if self-contained. Unsolicited book reviews and criticism are not considered. Translations are welcome if permission has been granted.

Deadlines and Addresses

Please note our submission period has changed: Our reading period is June 1 to January 15 (postmark dates). All submissions sent from January 16 through May are returned unread. We adhere very strictly to these dates. Since we operate on a first-received, first-read basis, we cannot make exceptions or hold work. Submit your work at any time during our reading period; if a manuscript is not timely for one issue, it will be considered for another. We do not recommend trying to target specific guest editors. Our backlog is unpredictable, and staff editors ultimately have the responsibility of determining for which editor a work is most appropriate.

Mail submissions to: Ploughshares, Emerson College, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116-4624. Submit online.

Mail submissions will still be accepted for no charge.

Payment

Payment is upon publication: $25/printed page, $50 minimum per title, $250 maximum per author, with two copies of the issue and a one-year subscription. For more information about literary magazines, consult directories such as CLMP's Literary Presses and Magazine Directory, The Writer's Market, and The International Directory of Literary Magazines and Small Presses.

More information here.