Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction

Inaugurated in 2011, the annual Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction honors a short story published in Ploughshares in the previous year (the Spring issue of the previous calendar year through the Winter issue of the current calendar year). The $2,500 prize is sponsored by acclaimed writer, former guest editor, longtime patron, and member of the Ploughshares advisory board, Alice Hoffman. The winner is selected by our editors and the announcement of the award, along with a short profile of the author, is printed in each year’s Spring issue. This award is not open for the submission of manuscripts.

Winners

2023: Molly Aitken, “Thresholds” / Spring 2023

2022: Kashona Notah, “Bettie Page and Jimmy Free Bird” / Winter 2022-23

2021: Fei Sun, “Half Bowl of Mengpo’s Soup” / Winter 2021-2022

2020: Kaitlyn Greenidge, “Doers of the World” / Spring 2020

2019: Mario Alberto Zambrano, “Some of You” / Spring 2019

2018: Dantiel W. Moniz, “Milk Blood Heat” / Spring 2018

2017: Victor LaValle, “Spectral Evidence” / Summer 2017

2016: Viet Dinh, “Lucky Dragon” / Summer 2016

2015: Ramona Ausubel, “Fresh Water from the Sea” / Summer 2015

2014: Nick Arvin, “The Crying Man” / Fall 2014

2013: Elise Juska, “Transfer Station” / Spring 2013