Events

Submission Window: December 21st to January 21st, 2024 Payment: $50 Theme: Stories about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection. At Astrolabe, we’re looking for work about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection. Into the woods. Across a line. Beneath the ocean. Along a seam. Into the branches of an alternate present or the crevasse of an alternate future. Across the rifts between one another. And then, once we find one other, the myths we make. We’re excited to see as many interpretations of this broad theme as there are stars in the night sky. We’re open to work of all genres, with a particular fondness for anything that moves beyond realism in form or content or spirit. Read about Astrolabe for details on our mission and what we’re doing with the Universe. The details Astrolabe is open for submissions year-round. We pay a $50 honorarium upon publication of one or more pieces from your submission. To help fund those payments, we alternate between free and paid submission periods throughout the year. Our free periods begin the day we publish new work—on the spring equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and winter solstice—and stay open for a month. Some additional details: We currently accept three types of work: fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography & art. See below for genre-specific instructions. We’re not a market for lineated poetry at the moment. We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your work was accepted for publication elsewhere—we’ll be thrilled for your good news! No multiple submissions—and if we don’t accept your work, please wait until our next submission period before trying again unless we specifically ask for more work. We consider only unpublished work. We ask for first North American serial rights and non-exclusive print/anthology rights. All copyrights remain yours. Read more about the rights...

Deadline: January 21st, 2024 Payment: $100 per story Theme: 500-1000 word speculative fiction stories Hello fellow writers and readers, this is Rebecca Halsey, the new publisher for Flash Fiction Online. We are coming into 2024 with a decently sized queue of literary stories and reprints. Therefore, for our January 2024 reading period, we will only be accepting original speculative fiction. We will consider fantasy, science fiction, horror, and all the fabulous cross-sub-genre goodness within that lot. As is our custom, we will be open until the 21st of the month unless the 425 submissions cap is reached. We look forward to reading your stories! SUBMISSION GUIDELINES We are looking for complete 500- to 1000-word stories with crisp prose, well-developed characters, compelling plots, and satisfying resolutions. We want stories that engage our minds and emotions. We publish across many genres, including speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction. For more information on the type of stories we enjoy, please read a few issues and check out our "What We're Looking For" page. Please note, that for January 2024, we will be accepting speculative fiction stories only. SUBMISSION WINDOW: We will be open to submissions on January 1st, and until January 21st, or until our 425 submission cap is reached, whichever comes first. FORMATTING: Please format your submission in a double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman or other serif-type font (NO Courier), with standard 1" margins and black font on an unadorned, white background. No PDF submissions.  No Images and no graphics. ANONYMOUS SUBMISSIONS: Do not include your name, address, email, or other identifying information on your manuscript (header, byline, file name, etc). SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: For the January 2024 reading period, we will accept simultaneous submissions. MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: You may submit only one original story to the January 2024 reading period. AI-GENERATED SUBMISSIONS: We are committed to publishing stories written and edited by humans. We reserve the right to...

Deadline: January 21st, 2024 Prizes: First place is 35 USD, for second place is 25 USD, and for third place is 15 USD, to be distributed via PayPal Theme: Hope Flash Fiction Contest: Hope Since our magazine’s founding, we have noticed a trend in our submissions of works that harken to the darkening of the spirit, the decay of our planet, and our accumulating sense of hopelessness. Can we blame them? We have felt this malaise in our own spirits. As such, we have decided to hold a flash fiction contest in the name of hope. Hope is not the lack of darkness but a defiance of it. It is the mote of light we fix our gazes on as we struggle through the twisting world of our reality and what’s within our psyches. We would like to see the kinds of stories that hook us in the gut but keep us on the reel—that keep us searching for that tiny spark of defiance. The award for first place is 35 USD, for second place is 25 USD, and for third place is 15 USD, to be distributed via PayPal. All three will be published to our website. The first place winner will be given an opportunity to discuss their work in a special feature. The deadline to submit for this special contest is January 21st, 2024. Below are the rules for qualification: Please send us your best interpretation of this theme, in the form of a work of fiction no longer than 1,000 words. Only one submission to this contest is allowed per author. All submissions should honor our magazine’s core theming. We prefer works in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, paranormalism, surrealism, and magical realism. Please include your preferred name for publication, your personal pronouns, and a short author bio...

Deadline: January 25th, 2024 Payment: $10 for accepted stories, and an equal portion of the Kickstarter’s stretch goals Theme: Leadership Gone Right Unlock the power of imagination with Farthest Star Publishing's inaugural open call for short story submissions, themed “Leadership Gone Right”. Are you ready to explore the uncharted territories of leadership in science fiction, fantasy, and horror? We're seeking gripping tales that envision a world where leadership takes a different path, where heroes and anti-heroes emerge in unexpected ways. From galactic leaders to mythical monarchs and supernatural rulers, your story should transport us to new realms where leadership shines brilliantly or takes a haunting turn. This is your chance to craft a story that reshapes the very essence of authority. Submit your most inventive and captivating short stories and let your vision of “Leadership Gone Right” light the way for readers everywhere. We invite storytellers of all dimensions to contribute their tales of leadership reimagined, as we venture into futures and realms where heroes rise to meet the challenges of their worlds with wisdom, compassion, and courage. Or where villains use cunning and guile to crush all opposition. In this anthology, we seek stories that challenge traditional notions of authority, showcasing leadership that is energetic, inspirational, and transformative. From utopian spacefaring societies to mythical kingdoms and beyond, "Leadership Gone Right" invites you to envision leaders who empower and unite, forging paths only they can see toward a future only we can imagine. Are your protagonists visionary captains guiding their starships through the cosmos, or mystic rulers who harness arcane forces to preserve an empire? Perhaps they are benevolent AI overlords overseeing realms of technology, or rebel leaders who inspire change through their unwavering principles. Let your imagination soar as you explore leadership's potential in these imaginative settings. We're on...

Submission Window: January 7th - 28th, 2024 Payment: $20 Theme: Stories told through alien perspectives (see below for clarification on that.) Submission Guidelines Here you will find all you need to send us your stories. We look forward to reading them. As a reminder: we only publish five stories per issue. Magazines like ours generally receive submissions numbering in the hundreds. Don't be too hard on yourself if we do not take yours. There is a lot of competition and it mostly comes down to individual editor opinion (which is unpredictable and not a reflection of quality of writing necessarily). We know the submission process is hard and we wish you the very best in your writing. When to Submit Submissions are open: January 7th–28th (closing at 10pm PST on the 28th) July 7th–28th (closing at 10pm PST on the 28th) What to Submit Astral publishes short stories ranging from 1,000–7,000 words. We want stories that are told from an alien perspective. By alien we usually mean extraterrestrial... but other perspectives can also qualify, such as Lovecraftian horrors, plants, bacteria, etc. Send us weird and surreal stories that challenge our notions about ourselves and the universe. We are, broadly, wanting to read stories from non-humanoid points of view. Submitted stories can feature humans, but the main perspective should be alien or should have a narrative focus that interacts with alien consciousness as much as possible. We imagine most of the stories we will be sent will fall into the science fiction category, but we also welcome horror and fantasy stories (particularly if they are "other world" fantasy stories). If you are unsure if your story fits: send it. Don't self-censor (so long as you believe there is some legitimate possiblity that we would be interested in the piece given the above statements). We do accept...

Submission Window: January 22nd - January 29th, 2024 Payment: $25 Theme: Fairy tales that are inspired by classic tales are what we are seeking. Mashups of classic fairy tales are welcome as well. The following is relevant to all submissions for 2024 for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Please read it in its entirety before considering submitting here. ​ Writing opportunities for 2024 include: New Fairy Tales: Fairy tales that are inspired by classic tales are what we are seeking. Mashups of classic fairy tales are welcome as well. Submissions must follow the theme below to be considered. Poetry: Poetry inspired by fairy tales and that follows the theme is also welcome.  We are not seeking art or nonfiction. ​ The theme for the year is simply classic fairy tales—more below. HERE IS HOW YOU SUBMIT AND FORMAT AND WHEN Only the kind of submissions outlined below will be accepted at The Fairy Tale Magazine (FTM) in 2024. Here are the submission periods for both stories and poems: ​ We will be opening the submissions window for the SPRING/SUMMER Issue on  Jan. 22, 2024 at 12 AM, EST., and closing it on Jan. 29, 2024  at 11:59 PM., EST.  ​The FALL/WINTER submissions window will be June 17, 2024 at 12 AM, EST., and closing on June 24, 2024 at 11:59 PM, EST. There will be two issues. ​ (There will be one contest this year, during the summer. Details will be announced later in the year.) No submissions will be considered or acknowledged if received outside of the windows stated above. You submit through email only. Please use this address only:  [email protected]. That is for submissions only.  ​ Your last name, the publication month you are submitting for, and the year should be in the subject line of the email of your submission. ​ You must be 18 years old or...

Deadline: January 29st, 2024 Prize: First Place: £4,500. Second Place: £2,500. Up to six additional Runners Up writers will receive £850. Theme: Great works of science fiction and fantasy by new writers Entrants must: self-identify as a person of colour, be aged over 18, be living in the UK or Ireland. Future Worlds Prize 2024 is now open for entries! We're looking for great works of science fiction and fantasy by new writers. The prize is open to everything from space operas and dystopias to books set in magical worlds and more. Entry information To enter, you must: self-identify as a person of colour be aged over 18 be living in the UK or Ireland. As part of your entry, please submit: a 5,000-10,000 word extract of either a short story or the opening chapters of a novel a covering letter a short summary/synopsis of your work, of no more than 1,000 words. Please ensure that you submit three separate documents, and that your name does not appear anywhere on the extract or synopsis. Accepted formats are: Microsoft Word Pages PDF Google Doc. Read the full terms and conditions for the prize below. Your entry should be sent to: [email protected]. Key dates for the prize are: Entries close: January 29, 2024 Shortlist announced: March 2024 Winner announced: April 2024 TERMS AND CONDITIONS This writing competition is called “Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour” (“Prize”). Entrants will need to submit 5,000-10,000 of either a short story or opening chapters of a novel in accordance with the terms and conditions below (“Entry”). The entrants should supply a covering letter and a short summary of their short story or novel of no more than 1,000 words alongside their Entry. Entries should be submitted as a Word document, PDF or...

Submission Window: January 1st - 30th, 2024 Payment: $5.00 Theme: Original feminist tales, feminist retellings of traditional tales, and personal essays related to traditional tales. Although we started as a magazine of fairy tales, we’re now open to pieces based on or related to fairy tales, folklore, myths, legends, and pop culture. Criteria. We’re looking for original feminist tales, feminist retellings of traditional tales, and personal essays related to traditional tales. Although we started as a magazine of fairy tales, we’re now open to pieces based on or related to fairy tales, folklore, myths, legends, and pop culture. We accept fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and pieces that are in-between. For prose, we accept stories of up to 5,000 words. Longer pieces will be declined. Please note that you do not need to be female or femme to submit a piece; writers of any gender identity and expression are welcome. We’re listed on Duotrope & Chill Subs! How to submit. To submit a piece, please fill out our submission form. Please submit only one piece per reading period. Multiple submissions will be declined. Our submission form is unfortunately not able to send an automatic response or a copy of your submission; if you aren’t sure if your submission has gone through, please email [email protected]. We’re always happy to check! Wish list. We encourage you to read through the journal to get a sense for the stories that generally speak to us, but here are some specific characters, themes, & forms we’d love to see in this round of submissions! coming soon! Policies. We do accept simultaneous submissions; reprints from defunct blogs, magazines, and presses; and pieces that have been pulled from publication for ethical reasons. We do not accept pieces that are currently still available online. We ask that you include content...

Submission Window: January 23rd-30th, 2024 Payment: €0.01 per word, with a €20 minimum. Theme: Diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction. We are open to submissions within the following periods: January 23rd-30th April 23rd-30th July 23rd-30th October 23rd-30th Submissions received outside of these dates will unfortunately be lost and therefore not responded to. When open, we seek and offer the following: Length: 1,000-5,000 words. These are firm limits. Shorter or longer works will be considered, but the further a story goes outside these bounds the more it will need to impress. Compensation: €0.01 per word, with a €20 minimum. Please be aware that payment is via PayPal only. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of submission, please get in touch. We aim to accept or reject within 14 days of acknowledgment, but rl (real life) and rl (reading load) can get in the way. If you do not hear from us after 30 days, feel free to query. REQUIREMENTS We acquire First Print and Digital rights with a six month period of exclusivity from the date of publication. We also ask permission to potentially include accepted pieces in future anthologies; in event of agreement, an additional payment and digital copy will be offered in compensation. All other rights remain entirely with the author. Simultaneous submissions are not only accepted, they are encouraged. Please tell us if you sim-sub, and we merely ask that you notify us of acceptance at another market as soon as possible. In the event that we accept first, we expect a positive and timely confirmation. Therefore we recommend sim-subbing to markets of equivalent status – we won’t wait for someone else you’d like better to turn you down. We do not accept multiple submissions. Please wait until your first submission has been rejected before submitting another work. If...

Deadline: January 30th, 2024 Payment: 8 cents per word for fiction, $50 per poem Theme: Character-focused, weird sword-and-sorcery: stories of a dark and transgressive nature, set in a secondary or historical-paranormal (“our” reality, but with a twist, if you will) world, What  We  Want Old Moon publishes character-focused, weird sword-and-sorcery: stories of a dark and transgressive nature, set in a secondary or historical-paranormal (“our” reality, but with a twist, if you will) world, with a focus on rounded characters undergoing some sort of conflict, resolved (though not always successfully!) by the might of their main or mind. ​ We love stories that combine that sense of action and adventure with well-rounded characters who make us question our own realities and perceptions. We love to see the gothic, the baroque, the eldritch, and we love to see it hit with an axe. Weird fiction and sword-and-sorcery can both be slippery terms. That is part of the fun! But, for our purposes we know it may help prospective writers if we list a series of authors and their stories we feel encompass (at least in part) what we love about the borderland of sword/sorcery and weird fiction: ​ Joe Abercrombie ("Three's a Crowd," "Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden...") Laird Barron ("Oblivion Mode," "Ode to Jode the Toad") Leigh Brackett ("The Sea-Kings of Mars")  E.R. Eddison (The Worm Ouroboros) John R. Fultz ("Chivaine") Robert E. Howard ("The Shadow Kingdom," "Worms of the Earth") John Langan ("The Savage Angela in: The Beast in the Tunnels") Tanith Lee (Birthgrave, "Southern Lights") C.L. Moore ("The Black God's Kiss") Silvia Moreno-Garcia (The Return of the Sorcereress) Michael Shea (Nifft the Lean) Clark Ashton Smith ("The Charnel God," "Necromancy in Naat") E. Catherine Tobler ("The Living, Vengeant Stars, "And After the Fire, A Still Small Voice") Gene Wolfe ("Bloodsport") ​ The...