The Plough Short Fiction Contest is open for entries.

Submission Guidelines

• Open to writers worldwide.
• Submissions must be previously unpublished and may not be submitted elsewhere.
• Each contestant may enter only one story.
• Stories must be no more than 5000 words and written in English.
• Short fiction that honours the mysterious nature of reality and finds transcendence and redemption in unexpected places.

Entry fee: Entry into the contest is free to Plough Quarterly subscribers, and there is a $10 fee for nonsubscribers. If you prefer to skip the fee, please subscribe here before entering your story.

Prizes: $2000, and the winning story will be published in Plough. In addition, up to three finalists will receive $250 as well as publication in Plough (print and/or online).

Deadline: September 1, 2026

Please note: This is an external competition; all details and all submissions are on their website. Click here.

For further live competitions, please click here.