Events

Submission Window: June 1st – 7th, 2024 Payment: Drabbles and Flash – £5, Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words – £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words – £15 Theme: ​We do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events. Note: Only publishes creators from under represented and/or marginalized communities. We’re looking for stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something. Warmth, love, melancholy, rage. We want it all. All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Ambiguous endings? Non-linear storytelling? Antagonist’s point-of-view? A story told in just one scene? We love it all. Quarterly Online Anthology Submission Schedule: June 1st – 7th (Autumn Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions September 1st – 7th (Winter Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions December 1st – 7th (Spring Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions March 1st – 7th (Summer Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions ​we do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events. We are unlikely to publish stories with seasonal events out of season – for example a story set in the Winter isn’t likely to make it into our Summer issue even if we adore it. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES – ONLINE ONLY These are the guidelines for our Quarterly Online Anthology. For more information on print anthologies go to Print Anthologies How to submit: Please submit via the form at the bottom of this page. If you have any problems using the form please email us for assistance. Who should submit: Please ONLY SUBMIT IF: you are aged 18 or over you belong...

Deadline: June 10 at 9:00AM EDT Prize: $50 Theme: 500-1,000 word aquatic fiction horror story FLASH ON THE FLY A HORROR WRITING CONTEST 48-HOUR SUBMISSION WINDOW IS NOW OPEN! Submissions are open now, Saturday June 8 at 9:00AM EDT and will close in 48 hours on Monday June 10 at 9:00AM EDT. No submissions will be accepted before or after the open window. Theme: AQUATIC HORROR (any subgenres of horror are permitted) Write a horror flash fiction story, 500-1000 words (FIRM LIMITS) that fits the theme "AQUATIC HORROR". We are open to any interpretation of the theme. Please keep reading for full guidelines! (Please note: "Flash on the Fly" means flash fiction written quickly & without much preparation. It does not mean flash fiction about The Fly.) Stories should be previously unpublished, written in standard manuscript format, and sent as a .docx file attachment. Name your .docx file with your story title and your last name, then attach it to the email. In the subject box, type: YOUR STORY TITLE, YOUR LAST NAME. Send to [email protected] Stories will be judged on adherence to the theme, quality of storytelling, and originality. Given the speedy nature of this challenge, minimal judging will be based on minor spelling errors and typos. We will aim to select a winner within 4 weeks of the closing deadline and will announce the winner publicly on our website and across social media. Due to the fast turnaround of this contest, only the author of the winning story will receive a response. The author of the winning story will receive $50.00 USD via PayPal (other payment arrangements within reason can be made if necessary) Publisher will receive rights to publish the story on our website. Author will retain all rights to their story. Please review this sample publishing...

Submission Window: May 1st - June 15th, 2024 Payment: Contributors copies, 5 cents per word for original work, $55 for reprints, undisclosed sum for cover artwork Theme: Lucy’s Suitors - Quincey, Jack, and/or Arthur Issue 5: Lucy’s Suitors - Quincey, Jack, and/or Arthur (To be published November, 2024) Quincey was a cowboy who may or may not have been in cahoots with the count. Seward was a drug addicted custodian of a lunatic asylum. And Arthur was there, too! Let’s read some stories of these men - together, individually, in combination - before, during, and after the events of the novel. Did Quincey survive as the undead? How did Jack treat his other patients? When the dust settled, did Holmwood completely break down? Stoker tells us these three men adventured together prior. What might that look like? Currently this is planned as a single book, but quantity and quality may dictate a book for each man. Submissions open May 1, 2024-June 15, 2024. Submissions received earlier will be read and considered but will not be responded to until the window opens. We like stories that feel like they could be canon, but we also enjoy fun alternate takes and pastiche. Prequels, sequels, updates, divergent timelines - unleash your creative powers of darkness and show us something exciting. As with every publication the best way to get a feel for what we like is to read what we’ve put out in the past. Stories should be 1500-5000 words. Poetry will be considered, but is not necessarily sought (We are hoping to have an all poetry issue sometime in the future). Compensation will be .05/word plus contributor’s copies. Reprints will be considered. Reprints should be at least 10 years old. Compensation is $55. Simultaneous submissions accepted, but please notify us immediately if...

Deadline: June 15th, 2024 Payment: US 4¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $4, maximum $25 Theme: Strange Mixology Eye to the Telescope 53, Strange Mixology, will be edited by Gretchen Tessmer. As your fearless bartender, I'm looking for cosmic concoctions, time-twisted tinctures and charmed potions. Give me something with a kicker, the green fairy's secret spells, the sweet sap of the old woods and the moonshine of mermaids, alien aperitifs and speakeasies in space. All spirits welcome, even the ones that don't come in glass bottles. Feel free to interpret the theme broadly but make sure there's a spec element.Give me your old-fashioned verse and cosmopolitan compositions, pink squirrels, bee's knees, gimlets and juleps, juniper berries, elderflowers, the marriage vows of Old Tom Collins and Bloody Mary. Garnish with kaleidoscopic umbrellas and a twisty straw. In Poetry Veritas. Sláinte. Submission Guidelines SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Use the form at  to submit. (If link ever is not working, please refer to the actual post at the bottom of this page in case it was updated.) Please submit 1–3 unpublished poems in English (ideally, attached as .docx or .txt) and include a short bio. Translations from other languages are acceptable with the permission of the original poet (unless public domain). Inquiries only to [email protected] with “ETTT” in the subject line. Deadline: June 15. The issue will appear on July 15, 2024. Payment and rights Accepted poems will be paid for at the following rate: US 4¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $4, maximum $25. Payment is on publication. The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association normally uses PayPal to pay poets, but can also send checks. Eye to the Telescope is an online publication. Therefore, First Electronic Rights (for original unpublished poems) are being sought. Who can submit? Any human writing speculative poetry. Please no AI-generated works or AI-human collaborations. What...

Deadline: June 15th, 2024 Payment: 5 cents per word and a contributors copy Theme: Lucy’s Suitors - Quincey, Jack, and/or Arthur (To be published November, 2024) Issue 5: Lucy’s Suitors - Quincey, Jack, and/or Arthur (To be published November, 2024) Quincey was a cowboy who may or may not have been in cahoots with the count. Seward was a drug addicted custodian of a lunatic asylum. And Arthur was there, too! Let’s read some stories of these men - together, individually, in combination - before, during, and after the events of the novel. Did Quincey survive as the undead? How did Jack treat his other patients? When the dust settled, did Holmwood completely break down? Stoker tells us these three men adventured together prior. What might that look like? Currently this is planned as a single book, but quantity and quality may dictate a book for each man. Submissions open May 1, 2024-June 15, 2024. We like stories that feel like they could be canon, but we also enjoy fun alternate takes and pastiche. Prequels, sequels, updates, divergent timelines - unleash your creative powers of darkness and show us something exciting. As with every publication the best way to get a feel for what we like is to read what we’ve put out in the past. Stories should be 1500-5000 words. Poetry will be considered, but is not necessarily sought (We are hoping to have an all poetry issue sometime in the future). Compensation will be .05/word plus contributor’s copies. Reprints will be considered. Reprints should be at least 10 years old. Compensation is $55. Simultaneous submissions accepted, but please notify us immediately if accepted elsewhere. Some stories may be chosen for the website, but not the publication. Please adhere to the Shunn format - https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/ Please only send .doc,...

Deadline: June 23rd, 2024 Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Theme: Stories featuring Anasi: a creator god, a trickster folk hero, a wily spider and a heroic symbol of resistance. More details below Note: Reprints Welcome We are very excited to re-open our call for submissions for this title! Please read through the details for submissions carefully before submitting your stories.  Flame Tree are bringing you a brand new gorgeous hardcover series brimming with myths and short stories.  Discover the mythology of humankind through its heroes, characters, gods and immortal figures. Myths, Gods & Immortals brings together the new and the ancient, familiar stories with a fresh and imaginative twist. Each book brings back to life a classic mythological or folkloric figure, with completely new stories alongside the original tales. New and emerging writers from open submissions reveal hidden themes, casting fresh perspectives on well-known stories, alongside specially commissioned text on the origins and the cultural background of the mythology. We’ve already closed submissions for the first two books in the series, Medusa and Odin, where stories are still under consideration. We’re now opening up submissions for the next two books, Circe and Anansi. All previous submissions for Anansi are still under consideration and authors will be contacted in due course, within 4 months of the new deadline. Anansi Anansi is at once a creator god, a trickster folk hero, a wily spider and a heroic symbol of resistance. From his origins in West African folklore, to his lauded status in Jamaica, Anansi is a versatile immortal whose many stories reflect the early world of his origins, and the potential for re-imagination. Sometimes dark and chilling, occasionally light-hearted, but always lively and clever, Anansi appears in the lives of everyday folk, pricks the pomposity of the mighty and in this collection of new stories, appears...

Deadline: June 23rd, 2024 Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Theme: Enchantress, goddess, witch, predatory seductress. That isn't all Circe is, it is time to expand on her story. More details below Note: Reprints Welcome We are very excited to announce a new call for submissions which is now open! Please read through the details for submissions carefully before submitting your stories. Flame Tree are bringing you a brand new gorgeous hardcover series brimming with myths and short stories. Discover the mythology of humankind through its heroes, characters, gods and immortal figures. Myths, Gods & Immortals brings together the new and the ancient, familiar stories with a fresh and imaginative twist. Each book brings back to life a classic mythological or folkloric figure, with completely new stories alongside the original tales. New and emerging writers from open submissions reveal hidden themes, casting fresh perspectives on well-known stories, alongside specially commissioned text on the origins and the cultural background of the mythology. We’ve already closed submissions for the first two books in the series, Medusa and Odin, where stories are still under consideration. We’re now opening up submissions for the next two books, Circe and Anansi. Circe Enchantress, goddess, witch, predatory seductress… Inevitably, Circe has been best-known in these terms, through the male gaze of Homer, Hesiod et al., as interpreted by readers and storytellers until today. Rarely does the classic literature give us a rounded view of a woman subject to the same flaws and emotions as the rest of us: jealousy, desire, unrequited love; her witchcraft is perhaps not so much dreadful as awe-inspiring and led by nature. What we know of her story is piecemeal, from many sources. This enriching collection will bring together new stories and ancient origins, offering a wider perspective on the whole life of the enigmatic,...

Deadline: June 24th, 2024 Prizes: First place: $3,000, Second place: $2,000, and Third place: $1,000 Theme: Near-future to 2200 stories that are rooted in creative climate solutions and community-centered resilience, showing what can happen as solutions take root, and stories that offer gripping plots with rich characters and settings, making that future come alive. Grist is excited to open submissions for the fourth year of our Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors short story contest. Imagine 2200 celebrates stories that envision the next decades to centuries of equitable climate progress, imagining futures of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope. We are looking for stories that are rooted in creative climate solutions and community-centered resilience, showing what can happen as solutions take root, and stories that offer gripping plots with rich characters and settings, making that future come alive. In 2,500 to 5,000 words, show us the world you dream of building. Your story should be set sometime between the near future and roughly the year 2200. A great Imagine story is not afraid to explore the challenges ahead – the path to climate progress will involve struggle and adaptation, and we invite you to show that – but ultimately offers hope that we can work together to build a more sustainable and just world. We want to see stories that incorporate real world climate solutions and climate science, as well as cultural authenticity (a deep sense of place, customs, cuisine, and more) and characters with fully-fledged identities. We especially want to read – and share – stories that center solutions and voices from the communities most impacted by the climate crisis. If you’re newer to climate or climate fiction, check out our FAQs page for some resources to get you started in finding inspiration from existing solutions, and some past Imagine stories to look...

Submission Window: June 17th - June 24th, 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. he 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. We are not hiring. Please do not send inquiries. ​ 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...

Deadline: June 28th, 2024 Payment: Royalties Theme: Science Fiction or Fantasy coffee stories! The perfect cuppa joe. The nectar of the gods. The safety liquid you hand your partner in the morning. We love the stuff, and can’t get enough. But how did we FIND that amazing bean? We invite our authors to visit our favorite coffee merchant, King Harv’s Coffee, and pick a variety from his amazing list. Then write a fantastical story about the detective work, the journey, the adventure of finding the oh-so-perfect bean. Was there a coffee shop on that asteroid? And where did they get the brew? Don’t limit yourself to this planet! OR SF! Sword and Sorcery works too! From Dave at King Harv’s Coffee: It all began when we took over the dome at the old South Pole station for the use as a coffee greenhouse. As you undoubtedly well know, the coffee was banned from world trade to by that ridiculous Antarctic treaty, and it became clear to us that coffee grown on alternate planets and celestial objects was the only thing that made economic sense. Shockingly this has never been reported on in the main stream media! Opens: 4/8/24 Closes:6/28/24 Contracts: 7/13/24 Publication: 8/9/24 Guidelines for all our anthologies: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Length and genre are negotiable, as long as the story fits the concept, and is entertaining. Any submission must be in Times New Roman, 12PT, double spaced, with your name, title of the story, and your email on it. Please name the file as -— Send in a .docx format. Please attach the file to your email, no links. Please see the submission guideline graphic on the Raconteur Press Facebook page. Raconteur Press will hold the rights for one year after publication, after one year the rights will...