Best in Rural Writing Contest

About

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.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
The fee is USD $10 (below average for contests).

Country of Publication & Year Established

Ireland

Established in 2023

Publication Media & Contest Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Awarded 1 x per year
Print Publication Print Publication: Awarded 1 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

19 members set this contest as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Regular Speed: Best in Rural Writing Contest's overall average response time is within a normal range for contests.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Short Story: 1,000 - 6,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Place/Regions: Rural areas.
Other: See guidelines.

Winner's Prize:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $500 for first prize.

Submissions:

Method: Submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Multiple entries are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 6,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Place/Regions: Rural areas.
Other: See guidelines.

Winner's Prize:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $500 for first prize.

Submissions:

Method: Submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Multiple entries are allowed.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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Best in Rural Writing Contest Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

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Accuracy

We have received 6 reports from 5 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

60 min | 99.8 mean avg | 91.0 median | 161 max days (42.1 std dev)

Pending

7 responses are pending (22 min | 68.3 mean avg | 88.0 median | 98 max days waiting | 33.3 std dev) from 5 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 90 days. (50.0 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 90 days.)
The most common submission fee paid: USD $10.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 25 Jun 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 06 Mar 2026.
Date compiled: 11 Sep 2026 21:28 UTC (2 hours, 16 minutes ago).

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 09 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.