September Opportunities:
There are many publishers seeking manuscripts. Read the opportunities below.
If it sounds right for you, click on the link. If your work is accepted, please let us know. We want to celebrate with you. Thanks!
These opportunities were found in C. Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers Newsletter:
ANTHOLOGY FLASH FICTION CONTEST
€12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2025. To enter, submit an original, unpublished flash fiction piece, written in English with a maximum of 250 words. There is no age limit. The winner will receive a €300 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology.
MARGARITA DONNELLY PRIZE FOR PROSE
$21 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2025. $500 cash prize. Winner will be published in CALYX Journal Vol. 35:3, Summer/Fall 2026. Winner and up to two finalists will receive a one-volume subscription to CALYX Journal and publication on CALYX’s website. Please submit up to 10,000 words of unpublished fiction or creative nonfiction. One piece of prose per submission. Submissions are restricted to women and nonbinary writers.
THE GHOST STORY SUPERNATURAL FICTION AWARD
$20 ENTRY FEE Deadline September 30, 2024. Ghost stories are welcome, of course—but your submission may involve any paranormal or supernatural theme. What we’re looking for is fine writing, fresh perspectives, and maybe a few surprises in the field of supernatural fiction. Story length should run between 1,500 and 10,000 words. $1,500 and publication to the winner of our short story competition. Two other writers will receive Honorable Mentions that include publication and a $300 cash award.
WOMEN’S FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
£6 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 22, 2025. The winner will receive £500. Three additional finalists will each receive £50. The winning entry and three finalists will be published in the December 2025 edition of Mslexia
CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: LAUGHING
We are looking for stories about something that happened to you or someone close to you, the kind of stories that get you and your listeners laughing when you tell them. Rat out your spouse. Share that funny thing your kid said. Tell us that hilarious thing that happened when your relatives did. All submissions need to be true — we do not publish fiction. Stories should be no longer than 1,200 words. Pays $250 and 10 free copies of the book.
Fine Books & Collections covers a broad range of topics and subjects of interest to book collectors, dealers, librarians, curators, and bibliophiles, from early manuscripts to modern first editions and everything in between. The core of each article is an engaging narrative. Features generally run 1,500–2,000 words, and we buy approximately eight of them per year. The digest (front of the magazine) section contains shorter, newsier pieces of 500–700 words. Rates are $200-600.
Off Assignment is a literary magazine with a penchant for journeys and a fascination with strangers. Word counts: 800–2000 / 1500–3000 / 1000-2500 / 300–800 depending on column. We consider full drafts only, and pay $500 for “Letter to a Stranger,” “No Equivalent,” and “Under the Influence” essays. We pay $100 for “Witching Hour” essays.
The Drift is a magazine of culture, literature, and politics. We want sharp, surprising interventions; socially engaged cultural criticism; class-sensitive analysis; pieces that point out what’s being avoided or talked around in politics, media, arts, or even academia; upbeat cynicism; un-self-serious screeds; generous takedowns; entries from the margins; fiction; poetry; 150-word reviews of books/ films/ TV shows/ art/ ephemera. Pays $2,000 for essays, $500 – $1,000 for short stories, $150 for poems, $25 for Mentions.
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These opportunities were listed on Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.
Uncanny Magazine. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: September 8, 2025.
Samjoko Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, play, screenplay. Payment: $20. Deadline: September 10, 2025.
Shenandoah. Genre: Fiction. Payment: $80 per 1000 words of prose up to $400. Deadline: Opens September 10, 2025, and closes when they reach capacity.
Book Worms. Genre: Horror: fiction, poetry, and essays. See theme. Length: Up to 1,500 words. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: September 10, 2025.
Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. See themes. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction up to 6,000 words. For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: September 14, 2025.
Tin House. Genre: Debut Short Story Collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: September14, 2025. Opens September 13.
Plott Hound. Genre: Speculative fiction starring animals. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: September 15, 2025.
Rat Bag. Genre: Fiction that crosses genres and blurs the lines between literary and genre. Payment: $1 – $10. Deadline: September 15, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.
Eye to the Telescope: Cyberpunk. Genre: Speculative poetry. Theme: Cyberpunk. Payment: $0.05/word (up to $25). Deadline: September 15, 2025.
Novellum. Genre: Short stories, poetry, novellas, art. Payment: “Competitive rates.” Deadline: September 15, 2025.
Contests With August Deadlines:
Here are some links to guidelines for publications seeking submissions. Google “Seeking Submissions in August” to find more. Writer Advice does not receive any payment for sharing these with you.
If you have a contest that you’d like us to advertise please send us your link, genre, payment, deadline, and whatever fees you charge. Thanks.
The Lorelei Signal. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, and poetry with strong female characters. Payment: $15 for short stories, $5 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces, $5 for reprints. Deadline: August 15, 2025. Accepts reprints.
Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Dark, eerie speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: $10 for fiction. Deadline: August 20, 2025.
The Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy-tale inspired stories/poems. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 21, 2025.
Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF, translations. comics, photography. Payment: $75 CAD. Deadline: August 21, 2025.
Search for the Any Key. Genre: Action/adventure, but can be placed in any time period, on other planets or any type of setting. All genres accepted and may contain humor, drama, romance, etc. Diverse characters welcome, human or otherwise. Payment: $15 plus royalties. Deadline: August 29, 2025.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Funny stories. Genre: Nonfiction. We are looking for stories about something that happened to you in your life – in your relationship with a partner or spouse, a parent or child, a family member or friend, at work or at home that made you and the people around you laugh out loud. Did you mean for it to be funny? Payment: $200. Deadline: August 30, 2025.
Sundress. Genre: Full-length poetry manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2025. Submission fee is waived for all BIPOC writers.
Cast of Wonders. Restrictions: Open to young authors. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. See themes. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction up to 6,000 words. For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: August 31, 2025.
https://orionmagazine.org/submission-guidelines/
From August 1- 15 we will be accepting nonfiction story pitches for our Spring 2026 Labor Issue: Working the Land.
https://blackyouthproject.com/submissions/
Pitch an original article for the site.
We love to host content from new and emerging Black millennial voices on pop culture, LGBTQIA+ issues, politics, feminism, and many other topics. We embrace Black feminism in our politics and it informs what we do.
https://www.remappingdebate.org/article/freelance-remapping-debate
Remapping Debate is looking for a highly experienced reporter or three to do freelance pieces for us from time-to-time. They would be deeply reported stories generally ranging from approximately 2,500 to 3,500 words for which we’d pay $1.25 per published word.
https://www.businessinsider.com/contact?r=US&IR=T
Business Insider covers business, personal finance, tech, lifestyle, politics, and more.
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If you have a market or contest to share, please tell us about it so we can share it and you can get more material to choose from. Win-win!
Thanks to Winning Writers for sharing these contests, which I’m passing along to you.
|
07/22/25 |
Prose Manuscript |
Active |
$1,000.00 |
Recommended |
|
07/31/25 |
Scholarly Essay |
Active |
$2,000.00 |
Highly Recommended |
|
07/31/25 |
Prose Manuscript |
Active |
$500.00 |
Recommende |
|
07/31/25 |
Individual Poems |
Active |
Highly Recommended |
|
07/31/25 |
Short Fiction |
Active |
$100.00 |
Neutral |
|
Sisters in Crime Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers |
07/31/25 |
Short Fiction |
Active |
$2,000.00 |
Recommende |
Here are some Anthologies Seeking Submissions in July according to Duotrope, which also shares information about Writer Advice Contests.
Click on the links to see if they want something in your genre(s).
Cosmic Daffodil Journal 7/15/25
https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/cosmic-daffodil-journal-CI3sQ
Cypress Review 7/15/25
https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/cypress-review-d5WzQ
Mouthful of Salt 7/25/25
https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/mouthful-of-salt-0J1G5
And from Publishedtodeath.blogspot.com some submissions requests with no deadline.
Short Story Substack accepts one short story every month. Genre: All genres. Word count 6,000 – 10,000 words. Payment: Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Reprints accepted.
Poetry Substack accepts one poem every month. Genre: Poem. Must have a rhyme scheme or a rhythm scheme. No blank verse or free verse. Payment: Base Pay of $10 for the chosen poem + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Reprints accepted.
Strange Horizons is open to speculative fiction submissions between Monday 1600 UTC and Tuesday 1600 UTC, every week of the year except during the month of December.
Assemble Artifacts is looking for stories of wonder and suspense. “We prefer stories of at least 5,000 words, but are open to longer and shorter works. Please include a one to three sentence pitch of your story, and an author bio with your submission. We are open to writers of all levels of experience.” Payment: 8-10 cents per word for short fiction.
Backyard Earth is a “round the world” series of books. The idea is that they will make five books – one for each continent (more or less). Each book will contain one story for every country on that continent. Submissions will stay open until they have a full complement. Short fiction only. Payment: $25.
Psychopomp. Genre: Nonfiction essays on art, short fiction, novels, movies, music, fashion, culture, entertainment, science, and more, that fall under the umbrella of goth, death, funerary, grief, loss, alternative, otherworldly themes. Payment: $50.
The International Human Rights Festival (IHRAF). Genre: Poem, short story, or essay (2500 words or less) Payment: $50.
The SFWA Blog is open to pitches for original nonfiction articles on topics that might be of interest to new and/or established creators of science fiction and fantasy. SFWA welcomes pitches from both members and nonmembers; Black, Indigenous, and other writers of color, as well as writers of other under-represented identities, are encouraged to submit article pitches. Payment: 10 cents/word.
Pillow Talking (Podcast). Genre: First person, narrative/creative nonfiction stories of real-life bedroom conversations. Payment: $25AUD.
Stone’s Throw. Genre: “We’re looking for dark fiction, crime and noir, length between 1,000 and 2,000 words.” Payment: $25. Open to submissions the first four days of every month.
Protean. Genre: Poetry, critical essays. Payment: $60 – $400. Open until filled.
Sally Port Magazine: Making the Choice. Genre: Fantasy. Payment: 5 cents/word.
The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Prose. They prefer stories under 3,000 words but will consider up to 5,000 words. Payment: $100. Deadline: Free submissions open on the 1st of each month and close when cap is reached.
Another Jane Pratt Thing. Genre: “It Happened to Me” Your Turn. What Happened to You, Sweetie? We want to hear your stories, no matter how mundane, no matter how unhinged. Payment: $50.
If you have a market or contest to share, please tell us about it so we can share it and you can get more material to choose from. Win-win!
