We welcome short story nominations from editors of journals, magazines, and short story collections and anthologies published during the 2025 calendar. Editors may nominate up to two stories per publication. 

Nominated stories must be written by authors originally from or currently residing in the U.S. South, or the story itself must be clearly set in the U.S. South. Blair defines the U.S. South as including the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia. 

This year nominations will be accepted between November 19 and March 15 for the volume to be published in 2026. Submit all nominations via Submittable at this link: https://blair.submittable.com/submit. Please send one copy of each work. Do not send entire books or journals. Submit the final version of the story as it appeared in your publication.

Nominated stories will be reviewed and selected by Blair’s editorial staff and by the Contributing Editors, who may also make nominations.

Short stories published in Blair story collections and anthologies or those published by Blair staff or Contributing Editors are not eligible.

There is no entry fee. Each story must be nominated separately (one Submittable form completed per story).

Authors whose stories are selected for New Stories from South and their editor will each receive a copy of the anthology. By submitting a story, editors and authors indicate that they are willing to provide Blair with the right for its one-time publication in the Blair anthology.