Announcing the Shortlist: Eleven Stories Headed to the History Through Fiction Anthology
After 172 submissions and a 70-title longlist, eleven stories will appear in the next History Through Fiction paperback anthology.
A shortlist is a kind of threshold. It marks the moment when a large field of possibilities narrows into a group of stories that readers will soon be able to encounter together, in one book.
This year, 172 writers sent their work to the fourth annual History Through Fiction Short Story Contest. From that remarkable field, 70 titles were selected for the longlist. Now, 11 stories have been chosen for the shortlist, and all 11 will be published in our forthcoming paperback anthology.
Before we name the selected stories, we want to acknowledge the quality of the entire field. The submissions brought us ambitious historical settings, vivid characters, difficult questions, and a wide range of approaches to bringing the past into conversation with the present. Reaching the longlist was a meaningful accomplishment. Many of the stories that did not move forward were strong enough that we expect they may find publication elsewhere.
That abundance of good work made the final decisions especially difficult. It also made the shortlist something worth celebrating.
The shortlisted stories
The following titles and authors are currently confirmed:
10:20 Pip Emma, Clear Skies by Christina Anderson
A Memory Is a Box by Daniel Woodruff
The Archbishop’s Confession by Alice McVeigh
Flag Over Mukaishima by Bryan Artiles
Nacht Hexen by Ellen O’Brien
Passing History as Fiction by Evelyn Fletcher Symes
Pineapple Upside Down Cake by Leslie Grover
Room by Fish Nealman
They Named it Molly Maguire by Ryan F. Love
The Man in the Morris by Nishadi De Silva
Three Riding by Jatin Garg
Together, these stories will form the next History Through Fiction paperback anthology. Each one offers its own way into the past, whether through an individual life, a particular place, a moment of tension, or the unexpected details that make a historical world feel immediate.
What happens next
The shortlist is not the final announcement of the contest. On November 15, we will announce the grand prize winner and the runner-up.
The grand prize winner will receive $250, and the winning story’s title will become the title of the anthology. The runner-up will receive $150. Every other shortlisted author will receive $75, in addition to publication in the paperback collection.
The anthology is scheduled for release on March 2, 2027. In the months ahead, we will share more about the book, the stories it contains, and the writers who brought them to life.
For now, the shortlist gives us a chance to pause between the work of judging and the work of publishing. It lets us recognize the writers whose stories will anchor the anthology, while also looking forward to the announcement that will determine the collection’s title.
Thanking the people who made the contest possible
A contest like this depends on more than the writers who submit their work. It also depends on readers and editors willing to give their time, attention, and care to the process.
This year, 35 volunteer judges helped read and respond to the submissions. Their work helped make the contest thoughtful, generous, and meaningful for the writers who entered. We are deeply grateful for the time they gave to the historical fiction community.
If you would like to thank them, please add a note to the digital thank-you card: Sign the thank-you card.
We also want to recognize Ian Tan, who served as the contest administrator. His work behind the scenes helped keep the contest moving from submission to longlist to shortlist, and we are grateful for his care and coordination.
Congratulations to every writer
To the shortlisted authors, congratulations. Your stories stood out in an exceptionally strong field, and we look forward to introducing them to readers in the forthcoming anthology.
To everyone who submitted, thank you for trusting History Through Fiction with your work. A contest can only be as compelling as the stories writers are willing to send into it, and this year’s response made clear how much imagination, research, and feeling exists within the historical fiction community.
Please join us in celebrating the shortlist, thanking the judges, and watching for the grand prize announcement on November 15. Then, on March 2, 2027, the anthology will carry these stories into the world together.
