FieldSong Prose Prize

The FieldSong Prose Prize honors the deeply rooted voices that spring from the rich and variegated soils of rural landscapes and celebrates the ways agrarian experience has cultivated our sensibilities and understanding of the world—not only the work of the field but the joy of being alive and growing. This contest seeks short fiction that captures the spirit of place and the depth of human experience, whether embedded in the field or carried on the wind-song from far beyond.   

We welcome submissions of original short fiction that explore connection—to land, to history, to each other, and to the unseen forces that shape our lives.

Prizes:

• First Place: A $500 cash award, publication in the Fall 2026 issue of The Gilded Weathervane, and a contributor copy.

• Runners-up will receive Honorable Mention, publication in the Fall 2026 issue of The Gilded Weathervane, and a contributor copy.

• All submissions will be considered for publication.

Submission Guidelines:

• Submit one story of 3,000 words or less.

• Previously unpublished work only.

• No genre fiction.

• Simultaneous submissions welcome; please notify us promptly if accepted elsewhere.

• Entry Fee: $25.

• Deadline: July 1, 2026

Let your words sing across the field—send us the fiction of your heart.

Meet our Guest Judge:

Karen Gettert Shoemaker

Karen Gettert Shoemaker writes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book reviews, journal entries, and endless lists. Her novel, The Meaning of Names, was selected for the One Book One Nebraska statewide reading program in 2016 and the Omaha Reads community reading program in 2014. It was republished in China in 2020. Her award-winning short story collection, Night Sounds and Other Stories, was published in the US in 2002, and republished in the United Kingdom in 2006. Her work has been published in the New York Times, London Times, Prairie Schooner, among other magazines.

She has taught writing at the college level for more than three decades and was a writing mentor with the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s MFA in Writing Program for 15 years. She is the founder and director of Larksong Writers Place, an independent literary education organization in Lincoln NE.