There are nearly four dozen calls for submissions in June. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post the following month's calls for submissions toward the end of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

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Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Poetry and fiction on theme of Lazy, Hazy, Crazy. Payment: $20 for featured author stories; $10 for stories published on &More page $5 for poems. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Eerie River: It Calls from the Sky. Genre: Horror. "Send me your stories of lights in the sky, a storm that brings with it more than rain, comets that crash, aliens that secretly invade, or a wishing star that is hell-bent on revenge. The stories themselves do not have to take place in the sky, but the evil bad does need to come from it in some way or form." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Eternal Haunted Summer: Holy Days. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, essays about Holy Days.  Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

The Bare Life Review: The Climate Issue. Restrictions: Open to immigrant and refugee authors, including foreign-born authors living in the US, and writers living abroad who currently hold refugee and/or asylum-seeker status. Also, for this issue, anyone who has been displaced by climate change. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $100 - $300. $750 for accepted full-length prose pieces. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Dark, eerie, speculative stories. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Fly on the Wall Press: Food. Genre: Poetry (up to 3 poems), flash fiction, short stories, book reviews, and artwork on the theme of Food theme. “I’m looking for personal connections with food. Cooking can be a delicate art. Sitting down at a family meal can be painful, explosive, a treasured moment; a special kind of chaotic seasonal holiday! What foods do we worship with in places of worship? What foods do we love with; give as gifts, bake with care?  Taste memory can be extremely evocative.  What kind of foods define us? What if a lack of food defines us?” Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Speculative City. Genre: Afrofuturist fiction, poetry, and essays written by authors who are specifically of Black and/or African descent. They seek speculative works that are centered within a cityscape. Payment: $20-$55. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Contrary. Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF. Payment: $20. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 6 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: June 2, 2020.

Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy tales, and essays on theme of Angels. Payment: $100. US dollars only. Essays: $50. Deadline: June 3, 2020.

Occult Detective Magazine. Genre: Mystery short stories, nonfiction, art. "We love both old-style and modern, cutting edge weird fiction, and we love folk horror; we embrace unashamed arcane adventure, and we also draw gritty noir mysteries into our domain. At the heart of all these tales are the occult detectives." Payment: $0.01/word (up to $50, up to $30 for nonfiction). Deadline: June 5, 2020.

Bronzeville Books:Rigor Morbid 2. Genre: Horror. “A collection of horror tales for Halloween.” Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 6, 2020.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction 300 - 1,000 words on theme of Taste. Payment: Pays for anthologies only. Deadline: June 7, 2020. See accepted genres.

Scum. Genre: Feminist-friendly work of any variety, but as a general rule your piece should be under 2000 words (50 lines for poetry, max. 3 poems) and able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review”. Payment: $60 AUD. Deadline: June 7, 2020. Opens to submissions on June 1.

Mslexia. Genre: Poems and stories on theme of WILDLIFE. "We’re inviting submissions on all creatures great and small. Whether it’s a mosquito or marmoset, a flea or a ferret, we’re itching to read your zoological creations." Payment: £25. Deadline: June 8, 2020.

Hippocampus Magazine: Road and Corner Anthology. Genre: Creative nonfiction about Roads and Corners. ROAD: "We're looking for (true) road trip stories of up to 5,000 words for this essay collection. While Route 66 and other now desolate U.S. highways immediately come to mind when thinking of road trips, we are certainly interested in stories from around the globe. What we are most looking for are stories with strong characters and an arc that take place in a mobile setting." CORNER: "For this essay collection, we're looking for stories of all kinds that are set in or revolve around a corner bar/dive bar (or small pub or tavern). Like for the ROAD collection, we're seeking stories up to 5,000 words with strong characters and and arc. We're open to stories that explore aspects of these establishments: we know it was not always fun and games." Payment: $50. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Eye to the Telescope: The Sex Issue. Genre: Speculative poetry. "Sexual themes can be erotic, funny, silly, serious, heart-pounding, and heart-breaking, and perhaps doubly so when viewed through a science-fiction, fantasy, and horror lens." Payment: US 3¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $3, maximum $25. Payment is on publication.Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Zombie Pirate: Full Metal Horror. Genre: Sci horror, cosmic horror, and bizzaro horror. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Colp: Treasure. Genre: Short fiction, all genres. "For this collection, we would like your stories that feature a treasure, whether they be buried treasure, cultural treasures or any other interpretation of the word." Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 2500 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

CRICKET: Best Friends Forever? (ages 9–14) Genre: Contemporary and historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy, folk tales, myths and legends, and poetry touching on the theme of friendship. Payment: Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Spider Magazine:Wordplay (ages 6 - 9). Genre: Word games, language activities, riddles, puzzles, and more. Payment: Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Spider Magazine: Get a Move On! (ages 6 - 9). Genre: Stories, poems, nonfiction, and activities on the theme of movement and activity, from the great outdoors to the basketball court behind school. "We’re interested in the excitement, challenge, and joy of getting up, out, and moving!" Payment: Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Ladybug: Making Make Believe (ages 3 - 6). Genre: Short stories, poetry, rebus stories, and songs to fuel the young child’s imagination. "We’re interested in work with an imaginative or magical twist, whether it’s a contemporary story of children at play, a gentle fantasy, a retelling of a folk or fairy tale, or an exaggerated story told by a narrator who might not be entirely reliable. LADYBUG accepts fiction up to 800 words (shorter work is fine) and poetry up to 20 lines. For our young audience, we are looking for lively writing that begs to be read aloud, as well as playfulness, humor, and lyricism." Payment: Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Ladybug: My Family (ages 3 - 6). Genre: Short stories, nonfiction, poetry, rebus stories, and songs about family life. "Send us stories about the personal or cultural traditions that make each family special: celebrating holidays, passing down jokes and stories, annual scavenger hunts, favorite trips, and more. Whether funny or heartfelt, we’re interested in stories about the routines and rhythms that give young children a sense of belonging. LADYBUG accepts fiction up to 800 words, nonfiction up to 400 words, and poetry up to 20 lines." Payment: Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word.  Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Babybug: Beep-Beep, Vroom-Vroom! (for babies and toddlers). Genre: Poetry, action rhymes, finger plays, and simple stories about all kinds of vehicles. "For inspiration, you might think of little ones who are fascinated with construction sites or sailboat-filled harbors, or those who love watching bicycles, trains, buses, and garbage trucks. Please keep manuscripts short; poems can be up to eight lines and stories up to six sentences. When we read submissions, we are especially interested in rhythmic writing that babies and toddlers will want to hear again and again." Payment: Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Babybug: Breezy Summer. (for babies and toddlers). Genre: Poetry, action rhymes, finger plays, and very short stories that celebrate summertime. "Your work might explore sunny outings to the park or beach, the season’s special games, sights, and sounds, or some other interesting aspect of summer. We’re looking for playful writing that the very young will want to hear again and again. Please be concise; poems can be up to eight lines and stories up to six sentences." Payment: Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art, and CNF. Must be "compressed" in some way. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

The Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: June 25, 2020.
Midnight and Indigo. Genre: Character-driven, speculative short stories written by Black women writers. Payment: $50 - $75. Deadline: June 28, 2020.

Dragon Soul Press: Lethal Impact. Genre: Speculative fiction. "In this post-apocalyptic anthology, nothing matters except survival. In a world full of humans pitted against each other, how can there be anyone left to trust?" Word Count – 5,000-15,000. Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Deadite Press. Genre: Extreme horror and splatterpunk. Length: 20,000 to 100,000 words. Payment: 50% royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2020. No simultaneous submissions.

Jolly Horror Press: Coffin Blossoms. Genre: Horror.Your story must include elements of both horror and comedy. "We wanna chuckle when we read it, in between sh*tting our pants." Payment: $25. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Downstate Story. Genre: Short stories. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2020. Snail mail only.
Eraserhead Press. Genre: Bizarro fiction novels and novellas. "We want surprising, unique, well-crafted weird stories with compelling plots, eccentric characters, and never-before-seen concepts." Length: 20,000 - 100,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2020.
Ruminate. Genre: All styles of creative nonfiction—essays, short memoirs, literary journalism, etc—only requiring that it be in prose form (no line breaks). Payment: $20 per 400 words. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Muskeg Press Genre: Short stories, up to 5,000 words. "In 1348, the Black Plague hit Florence, Italy, and it would kill tens of thousands of the city's residents by the time the pandemic was over in 1351. Among those who lived in Florence at the time was Giovanni Boccacio, who would become famous for writing The Decameron. We're now living through a similar moment in time, as we each do our part in fighting the global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. At Muskeg Press, we look back and admire the attitude of Boccacio, who, in the midst of a terrible pestilence, wrote a great work of art that survives to the present day." Payment: $350. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

The Threepenny Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $400 per story or article, $200 per poem or Table Talk piece. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Podcastle. Genre: Fantasy podcast. Length: Up to 6,000 words. Payment: $0.06/word for original; $100 for reprints, $20 for flash fiction reprints. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Allegory. Genre: Speculative fiction and nonfiction about the business of writing. Payment: $15.  Deadline: June 30, 2020. Accepts reprints.

Quommunicate Publishing: Even More Queer Families: LGBTQ+ True Stories Anthology. Genre: Short personal memoirs in prose, poetry and dramatic form up to 3,500 words on the theme of family from an LGBTQ+ perspective. Payment: $5/page. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Serendipity. Genre: Poetry, prose, and art that engages with issues of race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and intersecting identities. "LGBTQ BIPOC are strongly encouraged to submit. Please do not submit if you do not identify as BIPOC." Payment: $15. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

And Lately, The Sun. Genre: Short stories about climate change. Payment: AUD$80; one story will receive an editor’s pick payment of AUD$500. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

MORE...

Thema: The Tiny Red Suitcase. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: The Tiny Red Suitcase.   Payment: $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: July 1, 2020. Accepts reprints.

Tell-Tale Press. Genre: Fantasy, horror, mystery/crime, and/or science fiction short stories. Payment: $5 for 500 to 1000 words; $10 for 1000 to 3000 words; $25 for 3000 to 5000 words. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

Eerie River: With Blood and Ash. Genre: Dark Fantasy. "Earth, wind, fire, water and spirit. Dark versus light. We are giving a lot of leeway for story building, but magic must play a part in your world and there must be a dark fantasy element. Create a fantasy world for this to all play out in, or build something in ours. The choice is yours. The only requirement is that you must feature elemental magic." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

The Were-Traveler: People of Color Destroy Lovecraft. Genre: Horror. They want stories with "POC characters that turn Lovecraft's racism and monsters on his/their heads." Payment: $10 for shorts, $5 for microfiction. Reprints accepted. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

This June there are four dozen writing contests calling for every genre and form, from poetry, to creative nonfiction, to completed novels. Prizes range from $50,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck!


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Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest. Restrictions: Canadian high school, college, and graduate students. Genre: Short essay on "The Ideas of Milton Friedman: Exploring the Connections between Economic Freedom and other Freedoms or Aspects of the Human Condition." Prize: CAD$1,500 in each age category. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

International Human Rights Art Festival: Creators of Justice Literary Award. Genre: poetry, short stories and essays which use the written word to celebrate justice. Prize: First Prize: $150; Second Prize: $100; Third Prize: $50. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Hiett Prize in the Humanities. The Hiett Prize in the Humanities is an annual award aimed at identifying candidates who are in the early stages of careers devoted to the humanities and whose work shows extraordinary promise and has a significant public component related to contemporary culture. Restrictions: All applicants must reside in the United States. Prize: $50,000. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

The PEN/Heim Translation Fund. Genre: Book-length works of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama in translation. Beginning in 2017, under the administering of the PEN/Heim Translation Fund, PEN will also offer the PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature. From the pool of annual submissions, judges for the PEN/Heim Translation Fund will select one project of narrative prose that has been translated into English from the Italian to receive this award, which will come with a $5,000 prize. Prize: $2000 - $4000. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Dan Veach Prize for Younger Poets. Restrictions: Open to poets aged 18-23. Genre: Poetry. Prize:  $100 and publication in the Atlanta Review. Deadline: June 1, 2020. 

Governor General's Literary Awards. Restrictions: Books must have been written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. They do not need to be residing in Canada. Genre: The Governor General’s Literary Awards are given annually to the best English-language book in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Young People’s Literature (Text), Young People’s Literature (Illustrated Books). Prize: $25,000. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Only undergraduates enrolled full time in United States and Canadian universities and colleges for the academic year 2017-18 are eligible. "This Prize has traditionally encouraged submissions from students with an Asian background, but we urge all students to enter." Genre: Fiction of no more than 7,500 words. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: June 1, 2020. 

Baltimore Science Fiction Society Amateur Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to Maryland residents or students at a MD 2- or 4-year college, and not a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America or published in a professional science fiction/fantasy magazine Genre: Science fiction short stories. Prize: 1st place is $250; 2nd place is $100; 3rd place is $50. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction. Sponsored by the American Bar Association. Restrictions: Entrants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Genre: Original works of short fiction that illuminate the role of the law and/or lawyers in modern society. 5000 words max. Prize: $3,000 and publication in ABA Journal. Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Writing for Peace. Restrictions: Open to writers ages 13-19. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. "Writing for Peace challenges young writers to expand their empathy skills by researching an unfamiliar culture and writing from the point-of-view of a character within that new world, while exploring social, political, and environmental pressures, and universal themes." Prize: $200.  Deadline: June 1, 2020

The Mother of All Contests. Genre: Flash fiction about motherhood (29 words max). Prize: Free Gotham 10-week workshop. Deadline: June 2, 2020.

Green Stories Writing Competition. Genre: Full length adult novel about building a sustainable society. Prize: £750: 1st prize £500, 2nd prize £100, third prize £50 plus £50 for best student submission (18-25 years) and £50 for best < 18 year submission. Deadline: June 2, 2020.

Icelandic Festival of Manitoba Poetry & Short Stories Contest. Genre: Poetry and short stories. Length; 1200 words max. Prize: $50 - $125. "You do not need to be of Icelandic descent to submit an entry however material reflecting Icelandic culture and interests will be given preference." Deadline: June 3, 2020.

Literary Taxidermy. Genre: Short story, must begin and end with lines from one of three chosen novels. Prize: Up to $1500 and publication. Deadline: June 4, 2020. Note: There is a voluntary $10 fee. Entrants are encouraged to pay the fee, but the fee will be waived in the case of financial hardship.

Neltje Blanchan/Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Awards. Restrictions: Wyoming writers. Genres: The Frank Nelson Doubleday Award is given for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script written by a woman writer. The Neltje Blanchan Memorial Writing Award is given annually for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script which is informed by a relationship with the natural world. Prize: $1,000.00. Deadline: June 4, 2020.

The Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award. Sponsored by Sisters in Crime. Restrictions: Open to emerging writers of color. An unpublished writer is preferred, although publication of one work of short fiction or academic work will not disqualify an applicant. Prize: $1,500. Deadline: June 8, 2020.

Sapiens Plurum. Genre: Short stories that personalize the consequences of climate change so readers feel as well as know them. But stories must offer hope, at least a possibility, for without hope people rarely act. This year, the contest asks brilliant imaginers such as you "Can you rewrite our children's history?" Prize: 1ST PRIZE: $1000; 2ND PRIZE: $500; 3RD PRIZE: $300. Deadline: June 9, 2020.

Young Lions Fiction Award. Restrictions: Open to US citizens 35 years of age or younger. Genre: Novel or a collection of short stories. Each year, five young fiction writers are selected as finalists by a reading committee of Young Lions members, writers, editors, and librarians. Submissions by publisher only. Authors may not submit their own work. Prize: $10,000.00. Deadline: June 11, 2020.

Cave Canem Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to black poets of African descent who have had no more than one full-length book of poetry published by a professional press. Genre: Poetry book. Prize: $1000. Deadline: June 12, 2020.

Eden Mills Teen Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to Canadian teens. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Two $50 prizes, 2 $25 prizes. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Christopher Hewitt Award. Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF, drama. "The award showcases outstanding responses to the AIDS pandemic and the realities of individuals living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Prize: $75 in each category. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Prizes. Genre: English translations of poetry, fiction, drama, or literary prose originally written in Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, or Swedish by a Scandinavian author born after 1800. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Norton Writer's Prize. Sponsored by W.W. Norton & Company. "The Norton Writer’s Prize will be awarded annually for an outstanding essay written by an undergraduate. Literacy narratives, literary and other textual analyses, reports, profiles, evaluations, arguments, memoirs, proposals, mixed-genre pieces, and more: any excellent writing done for an undergraduate writing class will be considered." Genres: Creative Nonfiction, Scholarly Essay. Prize: $1,500. Two runner-up prizes of $1,000. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Fred Otto Prize for Oz Fiction/Warren Hollister Prize for Oz Nonfiction. Genre: Short Fiction, Art & Creative Nonfiction. All work must be related to the world of Oz. Prize: $100 in each genre. 2nd Prize $50 in each genre. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Vermont Studio Center – Full Fellowship Awards. The Vermont Studio Center offers 54 fellowships; open to anyone in the world. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Bard Fiction Prize. Genre: Published fiction book. Prize: $30,000 and a one-semester appointment as writer-in-residence at Bard College. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest for Young People. Restrictions: Open to people 25 years of age or less. Genre: Essay (max 700 words). Theme: “A Letter from Myself in 2030.” Prize: 1st US$840, 2nd US$420. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Towson University Prize for Literature. Restrictions: Open to Maryland writers. Genre: Book-length manuscript of fiction, poetry, drama or imaginative non-fiction. The work must have been published within the three years prior to the year of nomination or must be scheduled for publication within the year in which nominated. Self-published works will not be considered. Prize: $1,000.  Deadline: June 15, 2020.(?) See nomination form HERE.

Ocean Awareness Youth Contest. Restrictions: Open to students in grades 6 - 12. Genre: Art, poetry, prose, film. "Theme | Climate Hope: Transforming Crisis." Prizes: $100 - $1,500. Deadline: June 15, 2020.

Solid Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to high school students. Genre: Essay (See site for topics.) Minimum number of words is 600 and maximum is 800. Prize: Scholarship of $1000. Deadline: June 18, 2020.

Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Open to writers who have lived in the state of Maine for at least one year. Genre: Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: June 18, 2020.

Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: Books published between May 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019 must be received on or before June 19, 2020.

Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing. Genre: Editorial writing. The Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship was established to enable a mid-career editorial writer or columnist to have time away from daily responsibilities for study and research. Freelancers may also apply. Fellowship:  $75,000. Deadline: June 20, 2020.

A Midsummer Tale Narrative Writing Contest. Theme: Quarantine. Length: 1,000 words minimum; 5,000 words maximum. Prize: $35 - $50 Amazon gift card. Deadline: June 21, 2020.

African American Voices in Children's Literature Contest. Restrictions: The award is open to writers of African American heritage who are residents of Minnesota and at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing in Minnesota. Genre: Fiction or nonfiction board books for ages 0-4 (50-125 words) and picture books for ages 4-8 (300-800 words) featuring contemporary African American characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development. Deadline: June 22, 2020.

Great Lakes Colleges New Writers Award. Restrictions: Open to Americans and Canadians.   Genre: Poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. In each category, the submitted work must be an author’s first published volume. Prize: $500. Deadline: June 25, 2020.

Linda Flowers Literary Award. Restrictions: Entrants must live in North Carolina. "The North Carolina Humanities Council invites original, unpublished entries of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry for the Linda Flowers Literary Award. Submissions should detail examinations of intimate, provocative, and inspiring portraiture of North Carolina, its people and cultures, bringing to light real men and women having to make their way in the face of change, loss, triumph, and disappointments." Prize: $1,500. Deadline: June 25, 2020.

Angela Poetry Magazine - The Lighthearted Poetry Contest #2. Genre: Lighthearted Poetry. Prize: Publication, royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize is awarded to the author of the best first novel published in the previous calendar year. Restrictions: Only American authors publishing in English are eligible. Non-eligible books include short story collections, flash fiction, memoirs, biographies and books published solely in electronic format. Prize: $1000. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $750 in any single year. Genre: Biographical Nonfiction. Stories must be between 1000--10,000 words in length. Prize: First prize in each category will be $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Louise Meriwether First Book Prize. Restrictions: Open to fiction and narrative nonfiction by women of color and nonbinary writers of color who are US residents. Genres: First book of fiction, including novels and short story collections, or narrative memoir, of 50,000 to 80,000 words. Prize: $5,000 and a publishing contract from the Feminist Press. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest. Restrictions: Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment and at least 5,000 copies (or 5,000 hits for online publication). Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi or Horror. 17,000 words max. Prize: $1,000 1st Prize awarded each quarter; one of those winners also receives the $5,000 annual "Golden Pen Award" grand prize. 2nd Prize $750, 3rd Prize $500. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, Griffin Poetry Prize. Restrictions: One prize goes to a living Canadian poet or translator, the other to a living poet or translator from any country, which may include Canada. Genre: Poetry. Books must have been published in English during the calendar year preceding the year of the award. Prize: C$200,000, is awarded annually in two categories – International and Canadian. Each prize is worth C$65,000. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Letheon. Genre: Poetry related to the perioperative setting. "Are you a medical professional or related to one? Perhaps you have been anesthetized recently, or you are overly acquainted with the waiting room. If you are connected to the world of anesthesia, we encourage you to share your experience with us." Prize: $500. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Drue Heinz Literature Prize. Restrictions: The award is open to writers who have published a book-length collection of fiction or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals of national distribution. Online and self-publication does not count toward this requirement. Genre: A manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Prize: $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Utah Division of Arts and Museums Original Writing Competition. Restrictions: Utah writers. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $1,000 top prizes for book-length manuscripts of novels, creative nonfiction & history, collection of poetry or short stories, and juvenile book; $300 top prizes for individual poems, short stories, and personal essays. 2nd Prize $500 for the book-length categories, $150 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Blue Mountain Poetry Card Contest. Genre: Poetry. "Poems can be rhyming or non-rhyming, although we find that non-rhyming poetry reads better. We suggest that you write about real emotions and feelings and that you have some special person or occasion in mind as you write." Prize: First prize $300. Second prize $150. Third prize $30. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Contest. Restrictions: The competition is open to all citizens and residents of the Commonwealth aged 18 and under. Genre: Essay. The theme of the contest is "A Connected Commonwealth." Prize: Past prizes have included certificates, resources for winner's school, visits to Cambridge University, a trip to London and a week of activities, work experience at international organisations, and having your entry featured in worldwide media. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic is no match for writers! Literary magazines have stepped up and spawned a whole new genre - lockdown writing. How isolation affects people is varied and often unpredictable. People can become more gregarious, sympathetic and communicative, or they can drift toward the opposite side of the spectrum, becoming suspicious, angry and hostile. In all cases, the experience of isolation is disorienting.

These journals are looking for artistic, personal, and even humorous writing about life during the pandemic. All are paying markets, and none charge submission fees.

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Critical Read

"As we all adjust to life indoors, isolated from the world, we grow more aware of what gives our lives meaning. Art remains inseparable from our lives. Art is perhaps even more urgent in this time, as we turn to the people and places most important to us in order to find a sense of normalcy and safety. Critical Read is seeking 300-word personal essays about a particular work of art—be it a work of visual art, performing art, or literature—you are turning to in these uncertain times."

Payment: $25

Deadline: May 19, 2020

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Appalachia

"Those who read and write for Appalachia journal find their true selves in the backcountry and wilderness areas around the world—but especially in the Northeast. And within the Northeast, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and wild areas of Maine especially call to us.

Appalachia journal is looking for thoughtful essays in the range of 1,000 to 2,000 words on the COVID-19 pandemic. What has getting onto trails and cliffs and hills meant during this terrifying period? Do you see mountains more as life itself and less as recreation now? What is it like going to the backcountry and finding that facilities are closed, people must stay away from each other?"

Payment: Not specified. "We do our best."

Deadline: May 20, 2020.

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Muskeg Press

"In 1348, the Black Plague hit Florence, Italy, and it would kill tens of thousands of the city's residents by the time the pandemic was over in 1351. Among those who lived in Florence at the time was Giovanni Boccacio, who would become famous for writing The Decameron. The Decameron's main narrative tells the tale of seven young women and three young men who escape the plague by travelling to a countryside villa. There, they each tell one story each night for ten nights. They told stories of love, of lust, greed, of the fickleness of fortune, of the power of the human will.

We're now living through a similar moment in time, as we each do our part in fighting the global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. At Muskeg Press, we look back and admire the attitude of Boccacio, who, in the midst of a terrible pestilence, wrote a great work of art that survives to the present day.

With that in mind, we are putting out a CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS for any author out there who would like to spend this time in self-isolation to write a story for a forthcoming publication of Muskeg Press. We'll select 10 stories from all the submissions, and publish them in a book around Christmastime of 2020."

Length: Up to 5,000 words.

Payment: $100. Deadline June 30, 2020.

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Funny Women Surviving Coronavirus Lockdown by Laughing Through It


You’ve laughed. You’ve cried. You’ve stopped wearing a bra and started day-drinking. Now’s the time to start writing. The Syndrome Mag is curating a book of funny essays about how women across the world are coping with quarantine, social distancing, teleworking and all the other changes we face because of the COVID-19 crisis. We are looking for hysterical first-person stories and lists on specific issues from a women’s perspective. 

Payment: $20 for each essay (800-1200 words) accepted into the book.

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Pandemic Publications

This Canadian project has a mandate to "provide relief for multi-disciplinary artists through modest bursaries, while showcasing original and thought-provoking work from a diversity of voices." They are currently seeking writing loosely based around the following three themes: All things considered; On doing nothing; When this is all over. They have particular fondness for positive or darkly comedic writing.

Payment: $120 CAD for fiction and non-fiction; $50 CAD per poem; $150 CAD for photography and illustrations.

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Plenitude

Plenitude Magazine is Canada's only queer literary magazine. They are currently seeking poetry and prose from Canadian LGBTQ2S+ writers for their “Queer Isolation in a Pandemic” call.

Payment: $35 CAD per poem and $80 CAD per prose contribution (including book reviews and articles).

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Rattle

Poets Respond is a call for poetry written within the last week about a public event that occurred within the last week. "Our only criterion for selection is the quality of the poem; all opinions and reactions are welcome."

Payment: $100