100 Literary Journals That Have Won the Most Awards
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When people ask how to boost their chances of getting published, the usual advice is: Read more writing. Then comes the follow-up: What kind of writing? And the common answer is: Read the anthologies. That’s where the best stuff ends up.
These anthologies (Pushcart, Best American, PEN, etc.) are basically industry shorthand for “award-winning.”
If a lit mag lands a piece in one of them, it’s a big deal. It brings prestige, more readers, and attention. Not just for the mag, but for the writer too. You become part of the standard.
Most rankings out there just count how many total awards a mag has won. Like, “This one’s got four Pushcarts and three Best Americans.” We wanted to try something different.
Instead of looking at how many, we looked at how varied. How many types of awards has a lit mag been recognized by? The more diverse the recognition, the higher the mag ranked.
Because here’s the thing: A mag that shows up across multiple anthologies is reaching different audiences. And if you get published there, your chances of getting nominated—and read by thousands more people—go way up.
Here are the awards we've tracked:
Best American Essay Anthologies: A yearly collection spotlighting standout nonfiction from across U.S. publications.
Best American Poetry Anthologies: An annual roundup of the most memorable poems published in the past year.
Best American Short Story Anthologies: A prestigious yearly selection of top-tier short fiction by both new and established writers.
Best Microfiction Anthologies: A sharp, compact collection of the best stories told in under 400 words.
Best of the Net Anthologies: A digital-first anthology highlighting the strongest online poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.
Best Small Fictions Anthologies: A yearly showcase of outstanding flash and micro-length stories from small presses.
O. Henry Award Anthologies: A historic and highly respected collection of the year’s best short stories in American and Canadian magazines.
Pushcart Prize Anthologies: A long-running series honoring the best poetry, essays, and fiction from small presses.
PEN/Robert J. Dau Award Winners: An annual spotlight on twelve exceptional debut short stories by emerging voices.
Wigleaf’s Top 50: A curated list of the best very short fiction (under 1,000 words) published online each year.
And—I can never talk about awards without the grain of salt—awards tend to be North America-centric. Proceed with caution and don’t make this your only metric.
We also made a spreadsheet download so it’s easier to navigate and save. Available below.
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