Barry Hannah Prize in Fiction

Named in memoriam, the Barry Hannah Prize in Fiction celebrates the best writing, regardless of form or style.

Submissions open: February 15th - March 16th, 2026

We are proud to announce that our 2025 judge is LaToya Watkins, the 2025-26 John and Renee Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.

Winner receives $500, publication, and interview in YR: 43

Guidelines

• Please submit fiction (1 full-length short story, or multiple flash fictions), totaling no more than 5000 words, through Submittable. We accept only previously unpublished work. Although first place is guaranteed for publication, all other entries will also be considered for general publication.
• Only one submission per contestant. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Please notify us immediately if a piece is selected for publication elsewhere.
•  Please do not include your name anywhere on the manuscript.
• Contest entries must be received by March 16th.
• The contest fee is $3.
• General submissions will be closed during the contest period.

Eligibility

YR cannot consider work from anyone affiliated with the University of Mississippi or the prize judge.

Yalobusha Review seeks stories that resist outdated tropes and ideologies, rather than uphold them. Writers of color, women writers, and writers who identify as LGBTQIA+ are especially encouraged to submit. All submissions will be considered for general publication.   

Final Judge

LaToya Watkins’ writing has appeared in A Public Space, The Sun, Kweli Journal, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Kenyon Review, The Pushcart Prize Anthology, and elsewhere. She is a Kimibilo fellow and has received support from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, MacDowell, OMI: Arts, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, and the Camargo Foundation. She is the author of Perish and Holler, Child.