This September there are more than five dozen calls for submissions. 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 calls for submissions a few days prior to the first day 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!
__________________________


Escape Pod. Genre: Science fiction (Audio and written format). Payment: USD $0.08 per word for original fiction. USD $100 per story for reprint fiction. Deadline: Opens September 1, 2022. Reprints accepted.

Bleed Error. Genre: Short stories, flash fiction, and poetry that runs the gamut of everything from absurdist horror to bizarre science-fiction to unsettling dark fantasy. "We love the uncanny." Payment: 1c per word, and $15 per poem (Canadian dollars.) Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Canthius. Restrictions: Open to women, trans men, nonbinary, Two-Spirit, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming writers. Genres: Unpublished poetry and prose (both fiction and creative non-fiction – "we welcome experimental works and play excerpts). Please limit prose submissions to 3500 words and poetry submissions to five poems." Payment: $50 for one page, $75 for two pages, $100 for three, $125 for four pages, and $150 for five pages or more, regardless of genre. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Not a Pipe Publishing. Restrictions: Open to LGBTQ writers. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, or any other works with a speculative element. Payment: A copy of the anthology and an equal portion of profits from the sale of the anthology. Deadline: September 1, 2022.
 
Madame Gray's Poe Pourri of Terror. Genre: Horror, 3K - 8K word count. Payment: $5. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Orion’s Belt. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry. 1,200 words max for prose. Payment: 8 cents/word. $25 for art. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Farmer-ish. Genre: Nonfiction, CNF, poetry related to farming (including recipes). Payment: $25 or copy of book (print only). Deadline: September 1, 2022. See themes.

Contrary. Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF. Payment: $20. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Short stories and poetry. See themes. Payment: 20.00 USD for featured authors, or $10.00 USD for stories published on their &More page and $5.00 USD for poems. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Blood, Sweat, and Steel. Genre: Military Science Fiction. Word Count: 7,000 – 10,000. Payment: A percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: September 1, 2022. See themes.

Bang!: An Anthology of Noir Fiction. Genre: Noir fiction. "Stories must adhere to the noir genre (although we’re not beyond including neo-noir or hard-boiled in that ball park), however we don’t want slavish reproductions or carbon cut-outs of genre classics. We want new spins on old themes. We want nihilism." Payment: £10 per story plus one contributor copy of the paperback. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Hellbound Sci-Fi. Genre: Science fiction. 4K - 10K word count. Payment: $5. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Sadwrn. Genre: Poetic prose in English or Spanish. "We want pieces that talk about the most otherwordly and intense settings of virtual universes. We want your beautiful dérives. We want your utter escapism, your childlike stray in the woods." Payment: €40/text and a complimentary copy of the zine. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Eerie River: It Calls from Below. Genre: Horror. "Think subterranean, buried alive, ancient buried treasure, something lost now found, underground, in basements, crawlspaces, caves, under a bed and dark places." Payment: Flat rate payment ¢1 per word CAD after approved edits - up to $70 CAD. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

And the Dead Shall Sleep No More. Genre: Dark fiction about Vampires. Length: Up to 6,000 words. Payment: $15. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Paradox Ghost Press. Genre; Horror. "We’re looking for predominantly horror short stories, flash fiction, and poetry, but they can run the gamut of everything from absurdism to bizarre (and terrifying) science-fiction to unsettling dark fantasy. We love the uncanny." Payment: 1 cent/word for fiction, $15 CAD per poem. Deadline: September 1, 2022.


Havok. Genre: Flash fiction on Theme of  GLUTTONY / TEMPERANCE. Payment: $10 via PayPal for each story published in an Anthology. Deadline: September 4, 2022.

Tin House. Restrictions: Eligible writers must not currently have an agent, and must not have previously published a book (chapbooks okay). Genre: Nonfiction and memoir, graphic nonfiction. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: September 4, 2022.

Eastover Press: Rural Writers of Color. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers who live in or hail from rural or semi-rural locales in the U.S. and whose short stories feature characters living or working in rural or semi-rural spaces. Genre: Short stories. Payment: $100-$300. Deadline: September 5, 2022.

Please See Me. Genre: Poetry, creative nonfiction/essays, fiction/short stories/flash fiction, and digital media (photography, drawings, podcasts, and short films) on theme of Women’s Health. "We are especially looking for content that connects us, make us feel something, or helps us see illness, wellness, health, or the healthcare environment differently." Payment: Not specified. Deadline: September 5, 2022.

Taco Bell Quarterly. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. "Send me thousands of experimental and completely unmarketable pieces that have a strange tension of where the Taco Bell will be mentioned, I'm a Literary writer and this is how I live laugh love." Payment: $100. Deadline: September 5, 2022.

The Victorian Writer (Australia). Genre: Fiction, poems, and articles/writing with particular interest in the craft of writing and the writing life. Payment: Poems ($70), and articles/writing of 600 words ($100) and 1200 words ($200) in the print edition. Deadline: September 5, 2022. See themes.


Into Chaos. Genre: Short stories of all genres that respond to their title and/or cover art. Payment: €150. Deadline: September 6, 2022.

Cossmass Infinities. Restrictions: Open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy short stories. Payment: $0.08/word for original fiction. Deadline: September 7, 2022.

Penguin/Random House Australia. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to Australian and New Zealand residents. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 7, 2022.

Tiny Tales Genre: Fantastic, bizarre, and enthralling fiction stories to turn into podcast episodes. Word Count: 500-1200 words (stories longer than 1200 words will not be considered). Previously published works are acceptable UNLESS they were published on podcasts or another form of audio. Payment: $0.04/word (USD) paid via PayPal. Deadline: September 7, 2022.


Coastal Shelf. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $20 - $30. Deadline: September 7, 2022. Opens to submissions on September 1.

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: September 7, 2022. Opens to submissions on September 1.

Lunate. Genre: Short stories of approximately 2,000 to 5,000 words. "We are keen to publish work that engages with the absurdity and strain of the world we find ourselves living in. We're particularly interested in stories set in the workplace, that engage with the climate crisis, and those that communicate a compelling sense of urban unease." Payment: £75.  Deadline: September 7, 2022. Print journal.

B Cubed Press. Genre: Poetry, Essays, and Prose. "Roe V. Wade has happened. The question is what is next? What happens in our country? What happens TO our country? what freedoms are next? Do we resist? How? There will be consequences. What are they? Who stands up? Who caves? This is a look at the consequences of a SCOTUS who reserves rights for the Rich, the Corporation, the Badged and the Powerful." Payment: 3 cents/word. Deadline: September 8, 2022.

Orion's Beau. Genre: Gay fantasy: fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $3. Deadline: September 11, 2022. See themes.


Science Write Now. Genre: Poems, short stories, book reviews, or literary or personal essays related to science, technology, engineering, or math. Theme: ‘Science, Disability, and the Body.’ Payment: $0.30/word up to $390 for new writing, $70 for a single poem or $180 for three poems, $40 for reprint stories or essays, and $20 for reprint poems. Deadline: September 12, 2022. Accepts reprints.

Bleak Midwinter: An Anthology of Gothic Horror. Genre: Short stories (5,000 - 8,000 words) of winter horror. We are looking for stories that encompass the darkness of the season and literary themes over Christmas/Krampus gore. Think of stories like The Shining or even Dickens's A Christmas Carol more than slasher-style Black Christmas. Payment: US: $40 + author copy/non-US: $45 + ebook author copy. Deadline: September 13, 2022.

Island Online. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $125. Deadline: September 13, 2022. 


Shoreline of Infinity. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, 6000 words max. Payment: £40/1000 words.  Deadline: September 14, 2022. Accepts translations of stories originally published in another language.

Solarpunk Magazine. Genre: Solarpunk. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $40/poem, and $75/essay.  Deadline: September 14, 2022.

Qwerty. Genre: Fiction, CNF, Poetry. Payment: $15 CAD. Deadline: September 15, 2022.

Gutter. Genre: Poetry and prose in Scotland and beyond. Length: Poetry submissions can consist of up to five poems, totalling no more than 120 lines. Prose, up to 3000 words. Payment: £25. Deadline: September 15, 2022.

Belanger Books: The Consultations of Sherlock Holmes. Genre: Fiction. "Stories in which Holmes serves as the “last resort” for other detectives — both private investigators and those from the official police force — who are in need of Holmes’s unique perspective and aid. These adventures could be written from the viewpoint of the other detectives, in which Holmes may figure only toward the end, or the stories might start with the other detectives arriving at Baker Street in order to consult with Sherlock Holmes. The key to these stories, however, is that Holmes does not figure into the mystery as the primary investigator, but he provides the crucial insights that enable his fellow detectives to solve the case." Payment: $50 or $100. Deadline: September 15, 2022.

Sasee. Genre: First-person, non-fiction material that is for or about women. Essays, humor, satire, personal experience, and features on topics relating to women are their primary editorial focus. Theme: “Gather & Gobble.” 500 to 1000 words. Payment: Varies. Deadline: September 15, 2022.

Cricket Media: ASK Magazine. Genre: Science articles for children 7–10 years old. Theme: Big Teeth Club. Payment: Unspecified. Deadline: September 15, 2022. Queries only.

Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: September 15, 2022. See themes.

Penumbric. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art, animation, and music. Payment: $10. Deadline:  September 15, 2022.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $0.03/word, up to $25. Deadline: September 15, 2022. See theme.

Aniko. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short stories and creative nonfiction on theme. Payment: $125 AUD. Deadline: September 15, 2022. See theme.

Obsolescence. Genre: Short stories focused on horrifying or fantastical interactions with technology. Length: 2,000-5,000 words. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: September 16, 2022.

The Bureau Dispatch. Genre: Short stories between 500 to 1,500 words. Payment: $50. Deadline: September 16, 2022.

Pyre. Genre: Horror, sci-fi, the weird, the macabre, fantasy, and magical realism: Flash fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, videos. Payment: $10. Deadline: September 18, 2022.

Reckoning. Genre: Creative writing and art about environmental justice. Poetry and prose. Payment: 8 cents a word for prose, $30 a page for poetry, art negotiable, minimum $25 per piece. Deadline: September 22, 2022.

Black Ocean. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC poets only. Genre: Full-length poetry manuscripts.  Payment: Royalties? Deadline: September 23, 2022. Opens September 9, 2022.

Island Online. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only. Genre: Nature Writing: Fiction and nonfiction. Payment: $200. Deadline: September 28, 2022. 

Dragon Soul Press: Reign of Fire. Genre: "All dragon stories. As long as dragons are involved, the story qualifies. All genres." Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: September 30, 2022. 

Griffith Review: Counterfeit Culture. Genre: Non-fiction, fiction on theme: Counterfeit Culture. "This edition of Griffith Review lifts the curtain on fakes, frauds and forgeries. Counterfeit Culture treads the tightrope between art and lies, exploring the appeal of stories, objects, bodies or experiences that offer the false promise of authenticity. How do we define what's real and what's not in a time of influencers and identity scams, counterfeits and cosmetic surgeries, disinformation and threats to democracy?" Payment: Negotiated. Deadline: September 30, 2022. 
​
Academia Lunare. Genre: Speculative non-fiction on theme "Religion." Payment: £40. Deadline: August 31, 2022.


Chicken Soup for the Soul: The advice that changed my life. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for stories that contain a great piece of advice that you were given or advice that you gave to someone else. Whether the advice is about a little thing that improve your everyday life, or major epiphanies that can change a life completely, we want to hear about them and how they made a difference." Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Aurealis. Restrictions: Australian and New Zealand writers. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy or horror short stories between 2000 and 8000 words. Payment: A$20 and A$60 per 1000 words. Deadline: September 30, 2022.


Women and the Sea. Genre: Mythic, gothic. "Deep, mysterious, beautiful, dangerous… women and the sea have a lot in common and have been tied together in myth and story from the beginning of time. Stories of women being drawn to the sea or being left on the shore, waiting for their men’s return, have been passed down through the ages. This anthology of stories about women and the sea will be filled with beautiful, atmospheric stories. I’m not looking for fantastical creatures but rather setting, mood." Payment: $50 CAD flat fee and a paperback copy of the anthology. Deadline: September 30, 2022. 

Crack in the Code: Cybernated Stories of Rebellion. Genre: Speculative fiction. "What we are looking for: Science fiction and fantasy stories where the androids, robots, and/or cyborgs have been naughty, going off programming, cracking their internal code, etc" Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: September 30, 2022. 

Weird Horror Magazine. Genre: Horror and weird fiction from 500 to 6,000 words. Payment: 1.5 cents/word. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Creature Publishing. Genre: Feminist horror. Length: 20,000–60,000 words. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $50 per author (via PayPal) for our web issues. Payment for print is $5 per page, minimum of $20, plus 2 contributor copies and a 1-year subscription. Deadline: September 30, 2022. Note: Submit early in the month.

Nashville Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art, and nonfiction. Payment: $25 per poem & song selection; $100 per selection for all other categories, including featured artwork. Translators receive $25 per poem & $100 for prose selections. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

VALRAVN. Genre: “Wyrd fiction” short stories (3,000 to 10,000 words). Horror, Espionage/Thriller, Science Fiction, Fantasy. Payment: $0.10 USD per word. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Kaleidotrope. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry—science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but also compelling work that blurs the lines between these and falls outside of neat genre categories. Payment: For fiction, $0.01/word (1 cent a word) USD. For poetry, a flat rate of $5 USD per accepted piece. For artwork, a flat rat of $60 for cover art. Deadline: September 30, 2022. (Opens Sept 1)

Reservoir Road Literary Review. Genre: Literary short stories, lyrical creative non-fiction, photography. Payment: $5. Deadline: September 30, 2022. Note: Submit early in the month. Submission window closes when their cap is reached.

Mythic. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy short stories. Length: 2,000-5,000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word for original fiction, $25 for reprints. Deadline: September 30, 2022. Accepts reprints.

Haven Speculative. Restrictions: Open to authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 1 cent/word for fiction and $5 - $10 for poetry. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Brigids Gate: Gothic Romance Anthology. Restrictions: Open to Women (including transgender and people otherwise marginalized because of their gender identity) and non-binary authors only. Genre: Horror/gothic romance. "We're looking for gothic romances that are equal parts horror and romance.The short stories should be mysterious, atmospheric, and include a HEA (or happy for now)." Payment: $0.08 a word. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

The Theatre Phantasmagoria. Genre: Horrror flash fiction up to 2,000 words. Payment: £10. Deadline: September 30, 2022. This is a monthly call. See themes.

AND A FEW MORE...

Propertius Press. Genre: Full-length manuscripts, Cozy Mysteries. "We are actively seeking submissions from Black, Minority, Indigenous, and other Persons of Color in all categories." Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Dead & Bloated. Genre: Horror. Payment: 3 cents/word. Deadline: October 1, 2022. Print publication.

The Last Line. Genre: Fiction that ends with the last line provided. Payment: $20-$40. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Keeping It Under Wraps. Genre: Personal essays. "We are looking for personal essays for an anthology about your experiences, views and ideas on bodies: your own or in general." Payment: 40GBP. Deadline: October 1, 2022.


Propertius Press. Genre: Full-length manuscripts, Historical Fiction. "We are actively seeking submissions from Black, Minority, Indigenous, and other Persons of Color in all categories." Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Nihilist Poet Militia: West. Genre: Poems (less than 20 lines) or prose (less than 300 words). "General strategy: Poetry, anti-poetry, or sub-poetry. Very short stories; memories; surrealism." Payment: $5. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Gordon Square Review. Genre: Poetry, short stories, personal essays, and hybrid prose works.   Payment: $25 per prose piece and $10 per poem. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Substantially Unlimited. Restrictions: Open to writers who identify as part of the disability community. Genre: Prose, up to 15 pages. See themes. Payment: $15. Deadline: October 1, 2022. Reprints accepted. 

Mythulu Magazine. Genre: Submit co-authored stories in any genre. Also looking for non-fiction commentary and experiences with co-created projects. Payment: $0.06/word or $15/page. Non-fiction pays $0.08/word. Creative works earn $0.04/word, with short stories capped at $75. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

This September there nearly three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $70,000 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! ​

____________________


Smokelong Fellowship for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: All writers previously unpublished in SmokeLong Quarterly and who do not have a published chapbook or book-length work in any genre (or are not under contract for such) are eligible to apply. Genre: Flash fiction (1000 words max). Prize: $500. Deadline: Opens Sept 1 (The application fee is $8. For writers who cannot afford an application fee, there is a free submission option in Submittable.)

Stories Out of School. Genre: Flash fiction. The story’s protagonist, or its narrator, must be a K-12 teacher. Stories must be between 6 and 749 words and previously unpublished. Prize: First-prize winners receive $1000; second-prize winners, $500. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

The Michael Marks Environmental Poet of the Year will be given to a poet whose previously unpublished series of poems brings most powerfully, to a wide readership, the subject of the environment and the place of the human within it. Prize: The Environmental Poet of the Year will have their short portfolio of poems published in a pamphlet that will be sold by Wordsworth Grasmere and the British Library. They will also receive £1,000, and be invited to read at a winner’s event at Wordsworth Grasmere. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

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: Sept 1, 2022.

AILACT Essay Prize. Genre: Papers related to the teaching or theory of informal logic or critical thinking, and papers on argumentation theory. Prize: $700 top prize. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

PEN Prison Writing Contest. Restrictions: Anyone incarcerated in a federal, state, or county prison in the year before the September 1 deadline is eligible to enter. Genres: Poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction. Prize: $100 - $250 prize per category. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

On The Premises Short Story Contest. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which the story’s main character(s) spend most (even better, all) of the story’s time in constant motion. For instance, they could spend the whole story in a moving vehicle. There are plenty of other ways to do it, too. (Just being on the Earth, which is spinning and moving around the sun, doesn’t count.)" Prize: Winners receive between US$75 and US$250, and publication. Deadline: September 2, 2022.

Shoreline of Infinity Flash Fiction Contest. Genre: Science fiction story about a pet. 1000 words max.  Prize: £50. Deadline: September 2, 2022.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. "On each competition weekend, we’ll reveal a set of story prompts and you’ll have 55 hours to submit your best story of 500-words (or fewer)." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: Opens September 2, 2022. Closes September 5, 2022. (Australian time)

Los Suelos. Genre: Short fiction on theme: Pets. Prize: $150. Deadline: September 5, 2022. 

KSP Short Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Open to Australian residents and citizens. Genre: Short fiction. Prize: $100 first place prize for youth. Deadline: September 8, 2022. (Free entry for youth only)

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. Deadline: September 9, 2022.

RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be a resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or have been a resident in the UK or ROI for the past three years. Genre: Nonfiction book. Prize: Two awards – one of £10,000, one of £5,000 – are offered to support writers to complete their first commissioned works of non-fiction. Deadline: September 14, 2022.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction; under 1,000 words based on prompt. Prize: $30. Deadline: September 14, 2022. 

Texas Teen Book Festival Fresh Ink Fiction Contest. Restrictions: Open to Texas residents enrolled in grades 6 -12. Genre: Fiction, no more than 2,000 words in length. Prize: $150. Deadline: September 14, 2022.

Forge Flash Prose Competition. Genre: Flash fiction and CNF, 1000 words max. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: September 14, 2022. Submit early in the month!

US Naval Institute and CIMSEC Fiction Essay Prize. Genre: Essay. Length: 3,000 words max. "Fiction is a powerful tool for testing hypotheticals and imagining other worlds as a means of examining our own. Once again, CIMSEC and the U.S. Naval Institute have partnered to invite authors to ask "What if?" as a means of exploring different visions of the future of maritime security." Prize: First Prize: $500 and a 1-year membership in the Naval Institute and CIMSEC. Second Prize: $300 and a 1-year membership in the Naval Institute and CIMSEC. Third Prize: $200 and a 1-year membership in the Naval Institute and CIMSEC. Deadline: September 15, 2022.

The Mollie Savage Memorial Writing Contest. Genre: Science fiction/fantasy short story. Prize: Winning stories are published in Toasted Cheese. If 50 or fewer eligible entries are received, first place receives a $35 Amazon gift card & second a $10 Amazon gift card. If 51 or more eligible entries are received, first place receives a $50 Amazon gift card, second a $15 Amazon gift card & third a $10 Amazon gift card. Deadline: September 18, 2022. 

Solarpunk Microfiction Contest. Genre; Microfiction, 250 words max. Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website. Deadline: September 22, 2022. See theme. Opens September 16.

Michael Marks Award for Poetry Pamphlets. Restrictions: Only pamphlets published in the United Kingdom are eligible. Genre: Poetry pamphlet. Prize: £5,000. Deadline: September 23, 2022.

Michael Marks Illustration Award. will recognise outstanding illustration of a poetry pamphlet published between September 18th 2021 and the closing date of September 23rd 2022. The judge will consider illustration in any medium and will be looking for a subtle and sustained relationship between image and text, as well as the overall quality of the images. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: September 23, 2022.

Shady Grove Literary. Genre: Any style, genre, tone of flash fiction. Length: 300 words max. Prize: $100. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Sejong International Sijo Competition. Genre: Sijo poem. Prize: $500. Deadline: September 30, 2022.


The Willie Morris Awards for Southern Fiction and Nonfiction. Genre: Novels and nonfiction books published in 2022. Book has to be set in one of the original eleven states in the Confederacy. (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.) Prize: $2,500.00. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry. Genre: Poem that evokes the South. Prize: $2,500 and expenses-paid trip to award ceremony in Oxford, Mississippi. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Art of Unity Creative Award. Genre: Poetry; essays and short stories (under 2500 words); video; music; dance; performance or visual work around the theme: “Never again: Remembering to heal and overcome.” "The most important hallmark of Holocaust remembrance and education is the phrase ‘never again.’ Unfortunately, tribal divisions, ethnic cleansing and genocides continue in the 21st Century. We are looking for submissions in any creative media (which can be exhibited online), and which highlight aspects of human unity, and positive cross-pollination between groups, ethnicities, religions and/or nations." Prize: First ($100), Second ($75) and Third ($50) place awards, as well as three honorable mentions, in four categories: Poetry, Short Story, Essay. and Youth (18 and under) category. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

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: September 30, 2022.

Iowa Short Fiction and John Simmons Short Fiction Awards. Restrictions: Any writer who has not previously published a volume of prose fiction is eligible to enter the competition. Genre: Short story collection. The manuscript must be a collection of short stories in English of at least 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages. Prize: Publication by the University of Iowa Press, royalties. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Cullman Center Fellowships. Fellowship. The Cullman Center’s Selection Committee awards up to 15 fellowships a year to outstanding scholars and writers—academics, independent scholars, journalists, and creative writers. Foreign nationals conversant in English are welcome to apply. Award: A stipend of up to $70,000, an office, a computer, and full access to the Library's physical and electronic resources. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

SLF Working Class Writers Grant. Genre: Speculative fiction. "These grants are awarded annually, since 2013, to assist writers of speculative literature to working class, blue-collar, poor, and homeless writers who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction, due to the financial barriers which have made it much harder for them to have access to the writing world. Such lack of access might include an inability to attend conventions, to purchase a computer, to buy books, to attend college or high school, to have the time to write (if, for example, you must work two jobs simply to pay rent and feed a family, or if you must spend all your waking hours job-hunting for months on end). " Prize: $1000. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

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: September 30, 2022.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is held four times a year. Restrictions: The 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 of at least six cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits. Genre: Short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500, Annual Grand Prize: $5,000.  Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest. Genre: Short fiction. Prize: $100. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Art of Unity Creative Award. Genre: Literary (poetry; essays and short stories under 2500 words); video; music; dance; performance or visual work around the theme: “Never again: Remembering to heal and overcome.” All pieces must be previously unpublished. Prize: First ($100), Second ($75) and Third ($50) place awards, as well as three honorable mentions, in four categories: Poetry, Short Story, Essay.  and Youth (18 and under) category. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: September 30, 2022. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

Speculative fiction is near and dear to my heart, so I am always on the lookout for speculative fiction magazines open to submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees.

For over a hundred paying speculative fiction magazines accepting submissions see: Mega-List of Speculative Fiction Magazines Accepting Submissions

Happy submitting!
___________________

And the Dead Shall Sleep No More. Genre: Short fiction, flash fiction, poetry about vampires. “Anything that’s dark, creepy, weird and just a little off-kilter. We’re open to genre fiction, particularly anything related to horror, science-fiction, speculative fiction or weird fiction. But we’re also interested in anything that twists or subverts these genres in some unexpected way.” Payment: $15. Deadline September 1, 2022.

Jay Henge: Phantom Thieves Sagacious Scoundrels. Genre: Speculative fiction. “Elusive and fantastic thieves and scoundrels of all genders and species who can be long gone before the victim even knows what happened. Show us what admirable trickery your scoundrels and robbers and smugglers have up their sleeves!” Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words. Length: Up to 15k words. Open until filled.

Jay Henge: The Nameless Songs of Zadok Allen. Genre: Speculative fiction. “What lurks in the deep? Who listens from the shadows? What sorts of abominable experiments are taking place at the mysterious ivy-covered university? We want your Lovecraftian tales. “ Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words. Length: Up to 15k words. Open until filled. Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words. Length: Up to 15k words. Open until filled. Reprints accepted.

Strange Horizons Genre: Poetry, art. Payment: $50 for poetry, $100 — $200 for art. No reprints. No simultaneous submissions. Note: Fiction will open on November 1.

StarShipSofa. Genre: Science Fiction (podcast). “From the soft, social science fiction to the weird pulpy stuff to the vigorous hard SF and YA adventure. We welcome all sub-genres and all variety of punks in all their colours. From high-octane action to quiet philosophical stories, we’re after it all.Science fiction is a rich and diverse genre, push it’s boundaries as far as you can go. We welcome translations and are very interested in stories that take place/written by authors outside the US/Anglo-sphere, as well as as alternative movements and styles. These include (but not limited to) “non-Western” science fiction, Chinese SF, Soviet speculative fiction, Afro-futurism, etc.” Payment: $50 USD flat rate per story for nonexclusive, one time audio rights. Authors are paid for their stories on the 7th of the proceeding month. Accepts reprints.

Dark Moon Digest. Genre: Horror short stories, flash fiction, reviews, and columns. “We strongly encourage work written by authors typically unrepresented in publishing, such as women, people of color, LGBTQ, and those from non-Western cultures. Also, if the previous sentence pissed you off for some reason, then you definitely aren’t the kind of author we wish to read. Fiction reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, Tales from the Crypt, and Tales from the Darkside. We want stories with complex characters and ideas spun in ways nobody’s ever conceived. Make our brains hurt. Make our hearts explode with love and terror. Make us fear.” Payment: $0.03 per word for original fiction/$0.01 per word for reprints. Note: Submittable will close every month once they reach 300 submissions, then reopen at the start of the next month. If you fail to locate any submission categories, check back again on the 1st. Accepts reprints.
Etherea. Genre: Fantasy and science fiction short stories. Length: 2000–5000 words, but longer will be accepted. Etherea Magazine is an Australian publication, so payment will be made in Australian dollars, Payment: A$100 per story, regardless of length. They are also looking for flash fiction, from 500 to 1000 words. A flat rate of A$25 will be paid per story. Horror may be accepted in this section, however it must have an element of the supernatural.

Mithila Review is a journal of international science fiction and fantasy devoted to speculative writing, arts, and culture. “Along with original speculative fiction and poetry, we also publish reviews, interviews, discussions, and essays centered around stories, books, movies, television series, arts, comics, and other media, with speculative elements that explore the interstitial spaces of politics, identity, and culture and reflect the diverse (and often underrepresented) experiences, perspectives, and nuances of the world we live in today.” Payment: $10 for original essays. (Open to nonfiction only)

Thirteen Podcast is an audio-drama/audio fiction podcast specializing in feature length (~ one hour) productions that are characterized by slow-burn, atmospheric stories, horror and ghost stories. Payment for stories 5,000 words and above is $50 and payment for stories under 5,000 words is $25.

Existential Hologram: A Science Fiction Anthology. Genre: Science Fiction, Virtual Reality, Simulation Theory. “What if everything we see, hear, taste and touch represents a minuscule fraction of the whole of existence? We want tales centered on the realities of reality — from the askew to the virtual (think Twilight Zone to The Matrix or Tron).” Word count: 2,000 to 14,000 words. Payment: Royalty split. Deadline: Open until filled.

In Space, No One Can Hear You Laugh — A Comedy Anthology. Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Comedy, Satire “Space opera can often be a wonderous, cold and scientific place. But it doesn’t have to be! Ever hear of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Galaxy Quest? The Adventures of Pluto Nash? Red Dwarf?” Word count: 2,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalty split. Deadline: Open until filled.

Bards and Sages Quarterly. Genre: All speculative genres (horror, fantasy, science fiction, slipstream, steampunk, magical realism, etc) up to 5,000 words in length. Payment: $30 for original fiction; $15 for reprints.

The Were-Traveler. Genre: Fiction based on image. Theme: Curst & Twysted Tarot. Payment: $10 — $15.

Three-lobed Burning Eye. “Original speculative fiction: horror, fantasy, and science fiction. We’re looking for short stories from across the big classifications and those shadowy places between: magical realism, fantastique, slipstream, interstitial, and the Weird. We will consider suspense or western, though we prefer it contain some speculative element. We like voices that are full of feeling, from literary to pulpy, with styles unique and flowing, but not too experimental. All labels aside, we want tales that expand genre, that value imagination in character, narrative, and plot. We want to see something new and different.” Length: Short fiction 1000–7000 words, Flash fiction 500–1000 words, (2000–5000 preferred). Payment: $100 for short fiction, $30 for flash fiction; + 1 print annual. Deadline: Open now.

Space Horror Anthology. Genre: Stories with one horror trope and one sci-fi trope. Payment: $25. (Open until filled.)
​
Radon. Genre: Short stories and poetry containing elements of anarchism, transhumanism, dystopia, and/or science fiction. Payment: 1 cent per word for original work, half a cent per word for reprints