Awards

Ploughshares awards four different prizes and awards to writers at all stages of their careers. Read previous winners’ work and see guidelines for these prizes below.

Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction

Inaugurated in 2011, the annual Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction honors an outstanding short story published in Ploughshares in the previous year. The $2,500 prize is sponsored by acclaimed writer, former guest editor, longtime patron, and member of the Ploughshares advisory board, Alice Hoffman. This award is not open for the submission of manuscripts. Read more about the Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction.

Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for Fiction

Inaugurated in 2018, the annual Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for Fiction honors an outstanding short story published in Ploughshares in the previous year. The prize is sponsored by longtime patron Hunter C. Bourne III. The winner is selected by our editors and receives a cash prize of $2,500. This award is not open for the submission of manuscripts. Read more about the Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for Fiction.

John Skoyles Prize for Poetry

Inaugurated in 2026, the annual John Skoyles Prize for Poetry honors an outstanding poem published in Ploughshares in the previous year. The winner is selected by our editors and receives a cash prize of $1,000. The prize is named for poet, teacher, and editor John Skoyles, who served as Ploughshares’ Poetry Editor from 2007-2025. This award is not open for the submission of manuscripts. Read more about the John Skoyles Prize for Poetry.

John C. Zacharis First Book Award

Since 1991, the John C. Zacharis First Book Award has honored the best first book published by an author who has already published work in Ploughshares. The $1,500 award, which is named after Emerson College’s former president, is judged by our editors. Only first full-length books of poetry or fiction released by a publisher are eligible. Read more about the John C. Zacharis First Book Award.

Ploughshares previously awarded the Cohen Award. Three winners are also awarded each year for the Emerging Writers’ Contest.