2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest

The Milk House and The Daily Yonder invite submissions to the 2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest. Top prize will receive $500 and second place $200. Both finalists will be published in the 2026 Best in Rural Writing print anthology. Ten shortlisted entries will also be published on The Milk House website.

The judge for the 2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest is Jamie Guiney, whose debut short story collection, The Wooden Hill (époque press), was shortlisted for the 2019 Saboteur Awards. His novel, The Lightning, will be published in 2026 with Bluemoose Books.

The Best in Rural Writing contest is open to everyone in the world. The work can have been previously published, as long as it appeared after January 1st, 2024. 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.

Is this competition legit?YES! – Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any event, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work.