Events

Deadline: June 30th, 2023 Prizes: $5 for first place, $2 for second place, all others accepted are $1 per drabble Theme: A drabble with the idea of: Space Station Duty-Free A "drabble" is defined as a short story containing exactly precisely no more and no fewer than 100 words. It has a title, which can be from 1 to 15 words-- but no more than 15. That's a drabble. You have to count each word. Hyphenated words, such as tete-a-tete, count as one word. Don't use your word count tool to count the words, because that tool will count an ellipsis ( . . . ) as three words, which really should not be counted at all. It will also count dashes ( - ) as words, which is wrong. So count each word by sight, not by tool. Our drabble contests have themes. For each contest, we will simply throw the theme out there. Whatever the theme inspires you to write, that's what you write. The theme of this contest is: Space Station Duty-Free This should be self-explanatory. What would people/aliens try to smuggle in? Or out? ​ This contest is open from 1 May 2023 through 30 June 2023. You have two months to write 100 words. Easy! Ah, but once you have written them, where do you send them? You send them to the contest editor, Terrie Leigh Relf, at tlrelf at gmail dot com. You'll have to combine that address--sorry, but we don't want her to be spammed. Send your submission in the body of the e-mail, please. If you want anything italicized, please indicate by * before and after the word to be italicized. Pay for drabbles is 1 cent a word, which means one dollar per drabble. Pay for First Place is $5.00, and pay...

Deadline: June 30th, 2023 Payment: $15 and equal share of 50% royalties split between authors Theme: Romantic Science Fiction that deals with... Space Brides, full details found below Tired of those lonely dark nights? No one in your settlement suitable? ​ We are here to help! We will assist you in finding the bride or husband to keep you company, raise your children, and be your partner building a dream together. ​ Contact us directly and give us your specifications. Success guaranteed. ​ Looking to settle off world? We have husbands and wives searching for you. Have children who need a second parent? They’re more than welcome. ​ Any children must be declared before the contract is signed and approved by the potential spouse/partner. This includes those seeking our services off world or anyone traveling. Failure to do so will require the child’s travel to be paid for by the party who did not declare the minor before being allowed to meet the contractor. If either party does not approve the child, then another candidate will be sought up to three times. ​ Onsite ministers at no charge available for immediate marriage or up to six months after your future spouse’s arrival. After that there will be an extra fee for our services, or you may hold a private ceremony with the official of your choice. Copy of marriage agreement/document required to be sent directly to us. This is to advertise our success rate and encourage others to use our services. If the imported spouse is not suitable after a two-week trial period, it is the contractor’s responsibility to find another potential candidate and annul the marriage, if there has been one. There will be no refund of the charged fee if this occurs. ​ Spouses sought for all legal...

Deadline: June 30th, 2023 Payment: $500 for substantive science-grounded stories and $300 for short stories around 500 words. Theme: Science Fiction stories that deal with the climate crisis For NPQ’s fall 2023 climate justice edition of NPQ Magazine, we’re looking for climate fiction! Yes, we’re trying something new and want to hear from you! What are we looking for? Inspired by Janelle Monáe, Octavia E. Butler, and Ursula K. Le Guin, we’re looking for short climate fiction stories that spark imaginative visions of the future. Particularly, we want to see writing that is largely speculative in nature but scientifically grounded. In the midst of our climate crisis reshaping the way people live, our fall 2023 issue focuses on the question, Where do we find/how do we create home in the future? As such, we are interested in stories that speak to our intersectional lived experiences in the context of climate change and how these might play out, evolve, or even completely transform in your visionary future world. Stories can be utopian and apocalyptic or somewhere in between. We can’t wait to see what you submit! What you need to know Our submission period opens April 30, 2023 and closes on June 30, 2023. Please submit all entries as a Word doc to [email protected] with “Climate Fiction Call Submission” as the subject line. Story submissions should be between 2 and 5 pages and up to 2000 words. NPQ will pay $500 for substantive science-grounded stories and $300 for short stories around 500 words. We will respond to every story submission whether or not your story is selected for publication. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected] Via: Non-Profit Quarterly.

Deadline: June 30th, 2023 Payment: 4 cents and a contributors copy Theme: Stories of spirtualism, contact, ouija boards, spirit conjuring and more! Submissions will open from June 1-June 30, 2023. Give us your best stories of spirtualism, contact, ouija boards, spirit conjuring and more. As always, we’re invested in diverse storytelling. We love Victorian settings, spooky mansions, and creepy cemeteries, but we love stories that celebrate diverse voices and ideas even more. Show us something new. Take us somewhere we’ve never been. Show us a new way of speaking to the dead. The anthology will be made up of a combination of invited authors and submitted work. Take a look below for submission details! Guidelines: Stories should be between 1500 and 5000 (Hard Limit) words. Selected authors will be paid $0.04 per word and will receive one contributor copy. Please send your stories to [email protected]. Submissions should be double-spaced and typed in Times New Roman or similar font, size 12. Please send submissions as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or PDF format. Please include a cover letter containing a brief bio in the body of your submission email. Please include the name of your submission, your name (and pen name if applicable), as well as the total word count of your submission in the body of your email. For ease of sorting, please frame your email subjects: MYPK: TITLE, AUTHOR NAME Simultaneous submissions allowed. Multiple submissions not accepted. Additionally, though we think we shouldn’t have to say so, we will not accept any AI-generated submissions. We will be taking every precaution to weed those out and you will be required to sign a document stating the manuscript was in no way produced by AI programs if your story is selected. Via: Off Limits Press.

Deadline: June 30th, 2023 Payment: 5 cents per word Theme: Stories where unabashedly queer villains, anti-heroes, and outlaws reign supreme by all writers who identify as LGBTQ+ The horror anthology where unabashedly queer villains, anti-heroes, and outlaws reign supreme. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: This anthology is open to all writers who identify as LGBTQ+ Simultaneous submissions are allowed. We just ask that you inform us if a story has been accepted elsewhere. Only one submission per person. Submission period: May 1, 2023 - June 30, 2023 Word count requirements: 1,000 - 4,000 words Accepted submissions will be announced on July 24 Anthology will be published in print and e-book format October 31, 2023 PAYMENT: Writers with accepted stories will be paid the Horror Writers Association pro-rate of $0.05 per word and receive one contributor copy in print upon publication. FORMAT: Standard manuscript format only. No columns or other experimental formatting and no illustrations. Send as a doc/docx attachment. Do not copy/paste your story in the body of the email. Include your first and last name, the title of your story, and word count in the subject line of your email. RIGHTS: Exclusive First Worldwide Publication, Print, and Electronic Rights for three months, and non-exclusive rights thereafter. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: Stories containing graphic depictions of sexual violence will not be considered. All stories must be original works featuring original characters. No fanfiction, although those who have written fanfiction but have not otherwise been published are always welcome. Writers who have never been published are strongly encouraged to submit. Please note: Lor Gislason will be acting as first reader for all submissions. Submissions that do not make it through the first reader may be rejected early out of respect for the writer’s time, usually because the story does not meet our word count or theme...

Deadline: June 30th 2023 Prizes: $100 to the winner, $25 for accepted runner ups Theme: Any genre, as long as the work relates to Neoplatonism, polytheism, or animism. We are looking for short stories relating to Neoplatonist, polytheist, and animist traditions. We are particularly interested in stories that bring ideas and themes poorly appreciated in modern western countries into the light and leave the reader thinking about what they’ve read for many days afterwards. Submission window: June 2nd – June 30th 2023 Looking for: Original short stories of 2000 to 5000 words that have not previously been published. Genre: Any, as long as the work relates to Neoplatonism, polytheism, or animism. Language: English Prize: One short story will be selected as the winner and the author will be paid $100. Authors of other stories selected for publication will be paid $25. Rights: Synthemata claims English-language rights to publish selected submissions on our website and in a downloadable .pdf of the entries which will be freely available on our website. All other rights remain with the author. Please submit your entries by sending them to [email protected]. The text of the entry should be included in the body of the email. If your submission is successful, you will be emailed after submissions close on June 30th with confirmation and asked to send payment information (paypal is preferred). Publication is anticipated to take place in mid-July. Via: Synthemata.

Deadline: June 30th, 2023 Payment: $30 Theme: poems, visual art, and flash fiction pieces that depict the mundane through a unique lens We are currently open for submissions! Subs close on June 31. The Red Lemon Review aims to publish poems, visual art, and flash fiction pieces that depict the mundane through a unique lens. In particular, we appreciate works which give uncommon insight into common experiences. We pay $30 per piece, regardless of genre or length. Guidelines: Submissions are accepted through e-mail: [email protected] Title the subject of the e-mail with the genre(s) of your submission. EX: POETRY & VISUAL ART SUBMISSION   All submissions are READ BLIND. Do not include a bio. If accepted, a bio will be asked for.   Send up to four (4) previously unpublished poems or flash fiction pieces in one .docx file. There are no word count limitations for poetry submissions; however, flash fiction pieces must be under 350 words. Send up to five (5) previously unpublished pieces of visual art in any format.   Simultaneous submissions are permitted.   If no response has been delivered by fifteen days, please e-mail us a query.   Via: The Red Lemon Review.

  Deadline: June 30th, 2023 Payment: $15 Theme: Alien Horror Note: Apologies for the short turn around, this only hit our inbox today! ENCOUNTERED Alien Horror SUBMISSIONS OPEN May 5, 2023 - June 30, 2023 This is a call for Alien Horror. Make your story brutal, vicious, or scary as all hell! Make sure there is at least one human and one alien involved. Beyond our don'ts listed below, go for it! No graphic rape scenarios will be accepted. No stories containing anything risqué with animals or pedophilia will be accepted. No happy endings. Cliffhangers are acceptable. This is a Horror call, not Science Fiction. Word count: 2,000 - 3,000 words Payment: $15 per story Best story gains a $50 bonus! Deadline: June 30, 2023 NO REPRINTS ACCEPTED NO WIPS ACCEPTED NO FAN FICTION ACCEPTED NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS NO SIMULANEOUS SUBMISSIONS All submissions MUST be sent to [email protected] For formatting instructions, please see the link at the end of the call. Thank you! Required theme: Alien Horror Word count & Compensation: Stories between 2,000 - 3,000 words will be considered for payment of $15.00 USD, an ebook contributor copy, and the right to purchase an unlimited number of print books at discount. The best story gains a $50 bonus! How to submit: Submissions MUST be sent to [email protected] with the following details included in the SUBJECT line of your email: SUBMISSION - - '' - Example: SUBMISSION - ENCOUNTERED - 'Green' - Lee Andrew Forman Submission deadline: June 30, 2023 Reading & Evaluation Period: Two to three months after close of the deadline. The following will not be considered: ** NO REPRINTS WILL BE CONSIDERED ** ** NO WIPs WILL BE CONSIDERED ** ** NO FAN FICTION WILL BE CONSIDERED ** ** NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS ** ** NO SIMUTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS...

Deadline: July 1st, 2023 Payment: 3 cents per word Theme: A horror story about ghosts in a world where ghosts are a normal, everyday occurance A shiver ran down Donna’s spine and, even though it was the dead of summer, her breath came out in an icy puff as she exhaled. “Dammit, Kyle!” Donna shouted, smacking over her shoulder at the ghostly apparition of her brother, who had snuck up behind her. “What are you doing?” “Just rubbing your shoulders,” he replied, exasperated. As he removed his ethereal fingers, her back warmed up again instantly. “You need to relax more, Red.”   *** What if ghosts were real? What if they were a part of everyday life? What if they were, in fact, kind of banal? Could you still tell a horror story about them? We like to think so. In fact, we wrote an entire novel about it. And now we’re inviting all of you to scare our pants off with your short stories set in the world of THE PERFECTLY FINE HOUSE. French Press is delighted to be opening up to our first open call ever, for THE PERFECTLY FINE NEIGHBORHOOD. This open call will round out the entries from our invited authors, modern horror maestros Jeff Strand, Brian Keene, and Candace Nola. We hope to hear from you and all your friends, so please share widely! The Perfectly Fine Rules: - Please submit your manuscript between 12:01 am EST on December 19, 2022 and 11:59 pm EST on July 1, 2023. - Stories should be between roughly 2,500 and 6,000 words. - Payment will be $0.03 per word. - Please format all manuscripts in 12 pt Times New Roman font, double spaced, with standard industry headers, etc. When in doubt, follow William Shunn’s Modern Manuscript Format. - Stories must...

Deadline: July 1st, 2023 Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10, artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Theme: The Magic of Light and Shadow The Magic of Light and Shadow (July 1, 2023) ALL SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS and ART MUST RELATE TO ONE OF THE PREMISES SPECIFIED ABOVE. NOTE: Previously published pieces are welcome, provided that the submission fits the theme and that the author owns the copyright. The premise (target theme) must be an integral part of the plot, not necessarily the central theme but not merely incidental. NOTE: Fewer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages preferred. Indicate premise (target theme) on title page. Be sure to Indicate target theme in cover letter or on first page of manuscript. Include self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with each submission. Rejected manuscripts unaccompanied by an SASE will not be returned. Response time: 3 months after premise deadline.  NO READER'S FEE. Mail to: THEMA, Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747. Outside the US: email [email protected] On acceptance for publication, we will pay the following amount: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Copyright reverts to author after publication. THEMA isn't for everyone. To find out why, click here. New to submitting manuscripts to journals? Click here to download a PDF file of a few basic guidelines. Unlike many publishers, we prefer works submitted by the authors themselves, without the involvement of an agent. Be sure to indicate premise and include SASE for each submission.  BE SURE to include a separate SASE for each premise. No handwritten manuscripts will be considered. NOTE: We do not accept e-mailed submissions EXCEPT from authors who live outside the U.S. For those living outside the U.S., submit manuscript as an email attachment (readable by MSWord ― either as a DOC file or...