Competition deadline: 1st September 2026
The Milk House and The Daily Yonder invite submissions to the Best in Rural Writing Contest.
- $700 in Prizes
- $10 Entry Fee
- Fiction and Nonfiction (7,000 words and under)
- Finalists will be published in the 2027 Best in Rural Writing print anthology
Submissions are now open to the 4th annual Best in Rural Writing Contest.
About The Milk House
The Milk House (themilkhouse.org) is a literary journal that features the work of those writing on rural subjects. We believe that rural life is both singular and unique across geography, while at the same time having aspects that are shared among those who experience it, regardless of where they come from. We endeavour to highlight writers who explore these dynamics. The Milk House was founded by Ryan Dennis, author of the novel The Beasts They Turned Away and the memoir Barn Gothic.
How the Rural Writing Contest Works
Ten shortlisted entries (approximately 5 fiction and 5 nonfiction submissions) will be selected by the judge after the contest deadline. These entries will have the option to publish on The Milk House in 2026.
Afterwards, the judge will select the best short story and best essay.
Finally, a small panel, as well as the audience, will vote to crown which piece is the Best in Rural Writing. The decision will be split between the judge, a representative from The Milk House, a representative from The Daily Yonder and the audience vote (accounting for 2/5 of the decision). The overall winner of the Best in Rural Writing Contest will receive $500, and the runner-up $200. The winner will be announced late 2025.
All submissions will be sent to the judge without the author’s name.
Eligibility
The Best in Rural Writing contest is open to everyone in the world. The work can be previously published. Authors of the top two entries must agree to have their submissions featured by The Milk House and The Daily Yonder. After publication, all rights revert back to the author.
Submissions should, in some way, be connected to “the rural.” The manner and extent to which this is done is open to the author and not necessarily limited to rural characters or rural topics.
How to Enter the Rural Writing Contest
Please read the following carefully to ensure your entry is successfully submitted.
Fill out the relevant details in our Submission Manager. Important: When selecting the genre of the submission be sure to choose “contest-fiction” for a short story and “contest-nonfiction” for an essay.
You will be directed to pay the entry fee. The submission is not yet eligible if payment has not been received. Any questions or problems please email RyanDennis@themilkhouse.org.
To submit a short story or essay to the contest, go to https://www.themilkhouse.org/contest/
About the Judge
The judge for the 2026 Best in Rural Writing Contest is Will Weaver, whose fiction includes Sweet Land (short story collection and film), his enduring novel of the Midwest, Red Earth, White Earth, Power & Light (2023), a finalist for the 2024 Minnesota Book Award, as well as many other books.
See here for further information.
And see here for more competitions on Writing.ie.
