Events

Deadline: May 23rd, 2020 Prizes: $40 each Theme: A Limerick set in 2020 Special Note for Mini-Contest #45: We're doing just one mini-contest between regular short story contests this time, but it's a doozy. Instead of the usual $25/$15/$10 for first/second/third, we're awarding ten prizes of $40 each. That's a total of $400 in prize money. Why? Because even though $40 isn't much money, it might make more of a difference in someone's life than it will to our relatively small annual OTP budget.  Premise: Life isn't much fun right now, anywhere in the world. The pandemic has touched everybody to some degree. Wrap up how you feel about life today--the good, the bad, the ugly, the inspiring, the awful, the funny, the not funny--and because this is a contest challenge, send it to us in the form of a limerick. The limerick doesn't have to be funny, but it does have to evoke thoughts and feelings in us like everything else we ask of you. For those of you who want to take political themes, please remember our audience is literally world-wide, though it definitely leans Western. Still, jokes requiring a deep understanding of the Hong Kong anti-China protests or some of the subtler points of Brexit might not translate for all of our thousands of readers, so aim for a broad audience. If you're wondering what the exact definition of a limerick is, this source should be a big help: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/limerick-examples.html Deadline: Saturday, May 23, 2020, 11:59 PM Eastern US time. Publication: Winners will be published on or around Sunday, June 7, 2020, when the next contest launches. Length: It's a limerick, so limit it to five lines of text. The first, second, and fifth line should have 7 to 10 syllables, and the third and fourth lines should have 5 to 7. No...

Deadline: May 29th, 2020 Payment: $25 and a contributors copy Theme: An apocalyptic tale of epic proportions Open submissions being accepted for “Fill The Void”. 3/30/20- 5/29/20 D&T Publishing proudly presents Fill The Void. An apocalyptic tale of epic proportions. A journey where the beginning is given to you and it is up to you to write the next chapter. One book, one group of authors, one magnificent and horrifying tale. Specific information: - To submit, write a one paragraph story about an apocalypse. I want to be intrigued and scared in the shortest words possible. If it is more than one paragraph, it will not be read. Send it in the body of an email to [email protected] - A confirmation email will be sent to you within 24 hours of receipt. - Acceptance emails will be sent out no later than 6/1/20. - 10-15 authors will be chosen - For your email, please use Fill The Void as the title. - If you received an acceptance email, a link will be provided to you for a Facebook group and all other information will be provided to you at that time. - This will pay $25 plus one paperback contributor copy. We look forward to your submissions. Via: D&T Publishing's Facebook.

Deadline: May 31st, 2020 Payment: $10 per printed (or printed-out) page for accepted prose, and $20 per page for accepted poetry, up to a maximum of $150 and 2 contributor's copies We look for writing that catches experience before the crusts of habit form—poetry and prose that resist ideas about what a certain kind of writing “should do.” We seek out writers who tell their truths in their own words and convince us as we read that we’ve found something no one else could have written. When to submit AGNI welcomes manuscripts between September 1st and May 31st. Submissions mailed in June, July, or August will be returned unread, provided sufficient return postage is included. Things to know when submitting Nearly everything we publish is unsolicited. We encourage submissions from writers of all identities, living anywhere, published and unpublished. We will not consider writing that has already been published in English, whether in a book, magazine, newspaper, or on an app, a website, a social media feed, or a publicly accessible online community. We consider only work written in English or translated into English. We have no word limits, though space is at a premium and length sometimes affects our decisions. We do not publish genre romance, horror, mystery, or science fiction; however, we are open to writing that borrows elements from any of these. We will consider excerpts if they read as if they were meant to stand alone. We are interested in personal essays, think-pieces, memoir, prose poems, formal poems, blank verse, free verse, short stories, and short shorts; we do not publish academic essays or purely journalistic writing. Though we rely on student interns for many things, they are not involved in considering submissions. All manuscripts are read by masthead editors. Our blog features posts by writers...

Deadline: May 31st, 2020 Payment: $50 Theme: Memorable, dark fiction/horror stories that could only happen (or be told) here in Australia or New Zealand. Note: Australian and New Zealand authors only What We’re After: We’re limiting this callout to current or former Australian or New Zealand residents and citizens. We want memorable, dark fiction/horror stories that could only happen (or be told) here in Australia or New Zealand. Be inspired by the people, country, history, geography, cultures, myths and legends, but please be culturally sensitive. I’m not accepting reprints for this anthology. Story Length: 4,000 – 8,000 words is the sweet spot, but it’s quality that will count. Avoid: We will not accept stories where bigotry or violence of any kind is portrayed in a positive light, or where there is a focus on violence and gore rather than story. We will not accept any form of ‘typing’ of people that could be portrayed as negative, alienating, or offensive to groups of people. No reprints for this one, sorry… Generally, I prefer supernatural and psychological (I’m a huge Ramsey Campbell fan), as well as creature features. Also stories within stories, stories with subtexts and several layers. I steer clear of body horror and gore, but if written well, I can stomach it. Remember, I’m a huge fan of Clive Barker. Submission Deadline: Our deadline for this general callout is end of May, 2020. We recommend you submit early to allow time for feedback and perhaps allow you to resubmit. We will have a number of ‘anchor’ authors already pre-selected, and we aim to have it all completed and published in time for Worldcon 20 in Wellington. Payment Rate: This will be a flat rate payment of $50. Can I Help? If you’d like to offer assistance in publicising and marketing the book, arranging interviews...

Deadline: May 31st, 2020 Payment: $500 and 25 contributors copies Theme: literary fiction Submission Periods: January 15th - May 31st | September 8th - November 14th What kinds of stories is One Story looking for? One Story is seeking literary fiction. Because of our format, we can only accept stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words. They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone. Does One Story pay? Yes. One Story pays $500 and 25 contributors copies for First Serial North American rights. All rights will revert to the author following publication. Does One Story accept previously published material? No. One Story is looking for previously unpublished material. However, if a story has been published in print outside of North America, it will be considered. Stories previously published online—on blogs, personal websites, online literary magazines, or forums—will not be accepted. Does One Story accept simultaneous submissions? Yes, but please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted for publication elsewhere. What file types can I submit? We accept PDF, RTF, and TXT files that are less than 500KB. Please include the story title and all writer contact info on the first page of the submitted file. Will you send me comments on my story? No. One Story receives close to 100 submissions each week. Please understand that we do not have time to comment on individual stories. Can I change the story I submitted with an updated draft? No. Do you consider translations? Yes. Please include the name of the original author and language, as well as the name of the translator on the first page of your submission. How do I submit to One Story? We have an automated system for you to send us your work. It will securely send our editors your...

Deadline: May 31st, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Horror that takes place in Nevada An anthology dedicated to the unique horrors of Nevada. We want readers to experience the darkest, scariest, weirdest, most terrifying elements Nevada has to offer! We’re seeking short horror stories between 500 – 7500 words. Stories must be horror, and they must be reliant on Nevada somehow. The “how” is entirely up to you! Originals preferred, but reprints will be considered. Submission Deadline: May 31st or until filled. ANTHOLOGIES: At this time, we are primarily seeking short stories between 500 and 7500 words for themed anthologies. These submissions will be given priority. You will be notified whether your submission is accepted or rejected. For anthology pieces, you will be notified no later than four weeks after the submission deadline. For all other pieces, you will be notified within 10 weeks of the date of your submission. If you have not received a response by that time, please email us. First and foremost, all submissions must be horror. However, we recognize that horror is a very broad and nuanced genre. To that end, we’ll read stories that fit into other genres (thriller, family drama, coming of age, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, romance, et cetera) as long as the story contains horror, and as long as horror is integral to the narrative. ALL submissions MUST meet the following requirements (documents that do not meet these guidelines will be returned to authors for correction): 1. 12-point Times New Roman font ONLY (no other fonts, please) 2. Use “SMART QUOTES” 3. Submit all documents as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or .pages format Submit via email to [email protected] In the body of the email, include your name and contact information. Unpublished stories are given preference, but we consider reprints on a case by case basis,...

Deadline: May 31st, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Horror stories which take place in Florida Note: Reprints accepted An anthology dedicated to the unique horrors of Florida. We want readers to experience the darkest, scariest, weirdest, most terrifying elements Florida has to offer! We’re seeking short horror stories between 500 – 7500 words. Stories must be horror, and they must be reliant on Florida somehow. The “how” is entirely up to you! Originals preferred, but reprints will be considered. Submission Deadline: May 31st or until filled. ANTHOLOGIES: At this time, we are primarily seeking short stories between 500 and 7500 words for themed anthologies. These submissions will be given priority. You will be notified whether your submission is accepted or rejected. For anthology pieces, you will be notified no later than four weeks after the submission deadline. For all other pieces, you will be notified within 10 weeks of the date of your submission. If you have not received a response by that time, please email us. Guidelines First and foremost, all submissions must be horror. However, we recognize that horror is a very broad and nuanced genre. To that end, we’ll read stories that fit into other genres (thriller, family drama, coming of age, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, romance, et cetera) as long as the story contains horror, and as long as horror is integral to the narrative. ALL submissions MUST meet the following requirements (documents that do not meet these guidelines will be returned to authors for correction): 1. 12-point Times New Roman font ONLY (no other fonts, please) 2. Use “SMART QUOTES” 3. Submit all documents as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or .pages format Submit via email to [email protected] In the body of the email, include your name and contact information. Unpublished stories are given preference, but we consider reprints on...

Deadline: May 31st, 2020 Payment: 3 cents per word Theme: introduce young minds to the fabulous world of horror fiction. Dark Moon Digest, the quarterly magazine published by Perpetual Motion Machine, is now open for submissions to a special annual young adult edition titled Night Frights. We want to introduce young minds to the fabulous world of horror fiction. Sounds great? Of course it does! Want to order it right this second? Of course you do! Good news: if you purchase an annual subscription of Dark Moon Digest, you will also receive issue one of Night Frights upon its Summer 2020 release, in addition to the four issues of DMD.  SUBSCRIBE HERE. Or, if you’d rather subscribe electronically only, you can do so by pledging as low as $1 over on our Patreon. PLEDGE HERE. Interested in submitting to Night Frights? Read on… What we want: the same awesome stories that we use for our quarterly magazine. We want stories with complex characters and new ideas. Scare us. But also, inspire young readers into a lifelong obsession with the genre. Cool it on the profanities, no sexual situations, nothing too graphic. Consider the following scenario: we are selling books at a local county fair. A family approaches with their kids (9 and 11 years old, maybe). One of the parents asks, “Is this okay for my kid?” We want to be able to confidently answer, “Yes,” without going through a long interrogation of what they’re allowed to read and watch at home. Stories should not exceed 3,500 words. No reprints. No multiple submissions. Simultaneous submissions are fine. All submissions should be in a legible font (think TNR) with your contact information in the upper left-hand corner. We are not too strict on format, but some consistency to readability would be nice. Deadline is May 31st. Please do not...

Deadline: May 31st, 2020 Payment: $10 Theme: We’re looking for speculative literary poems that touch the heart as much as the head; poems of the liminal, the fluid, and the fantastic. In anthropological terms, liminality is the midpoint of a ritual: the threshold where a person is no longer quite who they were, not yet who they might become. In between masks, what face might you have? What might you be in transit? Where will you go? Everything is possible in that moment; change is its own goal. Liminality is the space between. Liminality is an online quarterly magazine of speculative poetry edited by Shira Lipkin (co-founded and co-edited through our third year by Mattie Joiner). We are very pleased to meet you. We’re looking for speculative literary poems that touch the heart as much as the head; poems of the liminal, the fluid, and the fantastic. We’d love to see work that shifts shape, refuses to be to be easily pinned down or categorised. We actively welcome diversity; we want to hear new as well as established voices. Tell us tales we thought we knew, the way only you can tell them. Give us new myths. Liminality pays $10 per poem, for first worldwide publication rights and non-exclusive anthology rights. We will be open: January 1-February 28 April 1 – May 31 July 1 – August 31 To submit, send up to five poems to liminalitypoetry AT gmail.com with the subject line “SUBMISSION – ”. Please include your poems in the body of the e-mail; if you have formatting that makes that untenable, you may attach the poem as an .rtf. You may send up to five poems per reading period. We do not accept reprints or simultaneous submissions. (If the poem has been publicly viewable online, yes, it would be a reprint.)  “Dear Editor”, “Dear Shira”, and “Dear Mx. Lipkin” are...

Deadline: May 31st, 2020 Payment: $50 and a contributors copy Theme: Mental Note: This magazine is only from people based in Australia Submit your work for our 2020 edition, 'Mental' What is ‘mental’? Does it solely refer to the inner workings of the mind? Is it an exclamation attached to an extraordinary occurrence, or inherently tied to mental health? How has the word affected humanity throughout history? How does the label ‘mental’ entwine, enrich or even damage one’s sense of self? Can the word be reclaimed from its loaded history?  At Antithesis this year, we’re keen to know your thoughts on your thoughts. It is our mission to feature raw, diverse voices that uniquely illuminate the trials and wonders of the human condition. We want to learn of your quirks, of your ‘plights and gripes, as bad as Achilles’. Why do we say and do as we say and do, and how much control do we truly have over our minds? How can ‘madness’ be defined as we enter this new decade, denial and toilet rolls abound?  Tell us. We want to know. What is mental in your mind? Important info: Nothing you submit can have been previously published in any form. While we’re happy to consider works that have been sent to other journals, we ask you to please let us know well in advance if any work you have submitted to Antithesis has been accepted elsewhere for publication. We accept submissions via Submittable only, and only from people based in Australia. Living overseas? Send us a pitch first to [email protected]. We also strongly recommend you pitch us your idea first. Pitching guidelines can be found on our website. We encourage submissions from writers and creatives who are queer and/or trans and/or of any colour, religion, age, ability or gender. You do not need to be...