Calls for Submissions

Varied Deadlines

Fraidy Cat Quarterly is open to submissions of flash fiction and short stories from members of the LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Palestinian communities, and for general submissions. The themes for each volume for 2025 are: Paranoia, Growth, Rage, and Gnaw. Submission deadlines vary for each volume. There is an extended window for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Palestinian authors. They accept work between 400 and 8,000 words and pay $10-$20. For more guidelines and information, visit: fraidycatpress.com/submission-guidelines.

Join the Northern California Book Reviewers! The NCBR, a volunteer association, is seeking prospective members based in California to help select the nominees and winners of the Northern California Book Awards, now in its 44th year. Nominating committees in Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction (General and Creative), Children's Literature (Younger Readers, Middle Grade, Young Adult), and Translation (Poetry and Prose) read the books under consideration. Eligible reviewers are always welcome as either committee members who select the finalists, or final voters. NCBR members must have published three reviews in an established online or print publication. Editors at newspapers and other publications that publish book reviews, children's librarians, book media hosts, and other book professionals who recommend and write about books are also eligible for membership. For NCBA submission guidelines, see this link: poetryflash.org/programs/?p=ncba. Joyce Jenkins, editor@poetryflash.org, (510) 612-3958 or (510) 525-5476.

Submit by January 2025

Seaside Gothic is open for submissions from January 13, 2025 to January 19, 2025. They publish art, fiction, poetry, and nonfiction that meet the criteria of seaside gothic literature. The pay rate is currently £0.01 per word, with image-based visual submissions being classified as a total of 2,000 words. Payment is offered for accepted submissions via PayPal within two weeks of publication. Simultaneous submissions are accepted but multiple submissions are not. For more guidelines and information, visit: seasidegothic.com/submissions.

Flame Tree Fiction is open for submissions for their "Witch Craft" themed short story anthology until January 19, 2025. Stories must be centered around what it means to be 'witch', and the rediscovery and reclaiming of that power, its links to nature, and the exploration of whether a witch is drawn to 'good' or 'bad', and why. Stories should be in the horror and folk horror veins. They accept short stories between 2,000-4,000 words, and the pay eight cents per word. Multiple submissions are fine but must be in separate emails. Simultaneous submissions are okay but you must have the right to license your story in an anthology. Only unpublished work will be considered. Work must be submitted by email. For more guidelines and information, visit: blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/witch-craft-submissions.

The Fairy Tale Magazine is open for submissions from January 15, 2025 to January 21, 2025. The theme for January is "Sleeping Beauty." All submissions must be PG rated and meet the criteria of a fairy tale. They accept work that is between 900-2,000 words for fiction, or up to 500 words for poetry. Payment is $25. Work must be submitted by email. For more guidelines and information, visit: www.fairytalemagazine.com/submissions.

Rough Cut Press is open for submissions of short prose from the LGBTQIA community up to 650 words in length on the theme of "Reach." Deadline for submission is January 27, 2025. They pay $25. For more guidelines and information, visit: roughcutpress.com/submit.

River of Words Environmental Poetry and Art Competition is open now until January 31, 2025 at 9:00 am PST. Pre-K through 12th grade students, ages five to nineteen, can submit watershed-inspired poetry and art online or by mail for a chance to win a grand prize in one of the four age group categories or one of the specialty prizes. Participants may submit up to five entries for poetry and five entries for art (total of up to ten entries). Winners will be announced in April 2025. For more guidelines and information, visit: form.jotform.com/rowinfo/2025-row-competition.

Only Poems is open now until January 31, 2025. They have a Poet of the Week feature, for which you can submit up to ten pages of poetry, and which pays $77 if accepted. They prefer prose poems, traditional forms (ghazals, villanelles, sestinas), love poems, sex poems, speculative poems, but are not opposed to publishing other forms. They encourage simultaneous submissions and only publish previously un-curated work. Response by April 2025. For more guidelines and information, visit: www.onlypoems.net/submit.

The Center for Literary Publishing at Colorado State University is accepting submissions for the Colorado Prize for Poetry. Authors do not need to reside in Colorado or the United States. Submit an anonymous poetry manuscript of 48-100 pages with a table of contents. The contest will award a $2,500 honorarium and publication by the Center for Literary Publishing. The publication will be distributed by the University Press of Colorado in the fall of 2025. Submission fee is $28 per entry. Deadline to submit: January 14, 2025, with a five-day grace period. Results will be announced by May 2025. For more guidelines and to submit, visit: coloradoprize.submittable.com/submit.

Rattle Foundation is accepting submissions for the Rattle Chapbook Prize. Submit a fifteen to thirty-page anonymous poetry manuscript as a single file. Multiple entries by a single poet are accepted, however, each manuscript must be treated as a separate entry. The contest will award a cash prize of $5000 and 500 author copies of their chapbook, which will also be distributed to all of Rattle's 7,000+ subscribers, along with issues of the magazine; $30 reading fee. Deadline to submit: January 15, 2025. Results will be announced on April 15, 2025. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. For more guidelines and to submit, visit: rattle.submittable.com/submit.

Casting Aspersions is seeking high-quality snark for an upcoming anthology. Send your pungent repartée, pithy epitaphs, scathing yet funny or revelatory ripostes. Submit up to five pieces of poetry in any form (one-page poems preferred) or any short prose piece (up to 750 words). Submissions must be Microsoft Word (.docx) or .pdf documents sent as attachments to an email message. All submissions must be sent to either cutvelvet@earthlink.net or info@longshippress.com. Please include a cover sheet with your name, the title(s) of your pieces, and your contact information. Do not include the submission in the body of the email. Names of real people appearing in the submission must be pseudonyms; editors reserve the right to change names if deemed necessary. Specify in the email message whether your piece, if accepted, should be published under an nom de plume. Multiple submissions are accepted. Previously published work is acceptable. Submission fee is $10 per entry. Deadline to submit: January 15, 2025. Results will be announced mid-February. Pay via PayPal at cutvelvet12@gmail.com. Or send a check to Longship Press, 1122 4th Street, CA 94901, payable to Longship Press. Please see the complete submission guidelines at: https://www.longshippress.com.

Mudfish is accepting submissions for their 18th Mudfish Poetry Prize. The contest will award a prize of $1,200 and publication in Mudfish. Submit up to three poems of any length by email (mudfishmag@aol.com) OR by snail mail: Mudfish Poetry Prize, 184 Franklin Street, New York, NY 10013. Jill Hoffman, Editor, by January 15, 2025. Include a cover letter with the titles of the poems you've submitted, your name and contact information: Mailing address, email address, telephone number if available. $20 reading fee for three poems and $3 for any additional poems. Payable by Paypal. For more information and the complete list of guidelines, visit: mudfish.org/submissions.

Submit by February 2025

Mayacamas Press is accepting entries for its 2024 essay contest: LOVE NOTES FROM THE SOUL: Voices of Healing and Compassion. They invite submissions of essays and creative nonfiction focused on a s/hero's journey of personal courage, exploring life on your own terms, and stepping into the potency of owning your story body, mind, and spirit. Entries must be no longer than 2,000 words. Submission window closes February 14, 2025. $35 reading fee. The top forty submissions will be published as an anthology celebrating Voices of Compassion in late 2025. All selected authors will be invited to a live launch party and other online events. Unlimited entries. (For more information and the complete list of guidelines, visit: duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/mayacamas-press-cNkmZ)

Sixteen Rivers Press, a shared-work poetry collective with a three-year commitment, invites Northern California authors to submit full-length poetry manuscripts from November 1, 2024 to February 1, 2025. All manuscripts will be read blind, and typically one or two manuscripts are selected for publication. The winner(s) will be announced on the press's website during summer 2025. Selected manuscripts will be scheduled for publication in spring 2027. Send an email to submissions@sixteenrivers.org with your name, address, phone number, and the name of your manuscript. Attach a PDF of your manuscript to the email address (name the PDF with the title of your manuscript). In the body of the email, please include a personal statement (350-500 words) about why you want to work in a publishing collective, including any special experience or skills you might contribute, and where you heard about the press and the call for submissions. The manuscript must be emailed no later than February 1, 2025. Do not include your name anywhere in your manuscript, as it is important that your manuscript be a blind submission. The manuscript must be single-spaced and between 60 and 90 pages. Manuscripts must be previously unpublished, although individual poems may have been published online or in print. The manuscript should include a title page without the author's name and address, a table of contents, and an acknowledgments page listing previous publications of the poems. Sixteen Rivers values diversity. We encourage poets of color, young poets, and LGBTQ poets to submit. Please see the complete submission guidelines at: sixteenrivers.org/submit.

Next Generation Short Story Awards is accepting submissions for their 2025 contest. Submit a PDF of an unpublished story of no longer than 5,000 words in the correct category. All Grand Prize Winners receive a gold medal, an invitation to attend NGIBA awards gala, publication in the Anthology of Winners, a complimentary copy of the Anthology, as well as a cash prize of either $500, $300, or $200; $25 reading fee for the first category, and $20 for additional categories. Deadline to submit: February 27, 2025. For more guidelines and to submit, visit: shortstoryawards.com.

Submit by March 2025

The Rumpus is accepting submissions for the inaugural Rumpus Prize for Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction. Contest is open to anyone who would like to be considered for publication by The Rumpus, regardless of whether they are named a winner or finalist. All submissions will be read by The Rumpus's editorial team, and final judges, Kaveh Akbar (Poetry), Rachel Khong (Fiction), and Megan Stielstra (Creative Nonfiction). Winners receive $1,000 and publication. Honorable mentions receive $200 and publication in each of the three genres. Submission fee is $20 per entry. Submissions are open December 5, 2024-March 2, 2025. For more guidelines and to submit, visit: therumpus.net/2024/12/05/the-rumpus-prize.

Submit by May 2025

Winning Writers is accepting submissions for their Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction and Essay Contest. Submit published or unpublished stories (short works of fiction) and essays (short works of nonfiction) on any theme, up to 6,000 words each. The winning story and essay will each receive $3,500. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $500 each. The top twelve entries will be published online. Reading fee is $25. Deadline to submit: May 1, 2025. Results announced October 15, 2025. For more guidelines and to submit, visit: winningwriters.submittable.com/submit/49862/tom-howard-john-h-reid-fiction-essay-contest.

—POSTED JANUARY 2025