This list of publishers meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically underrepresented writers or focus on publishing content produced by historically underrepresented writers. Some of these publications are open to a wide range of writers including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ writers, and those living with disabilities. Some have limited definitions and are only interested in work by Black authors.
We try to make it as clear as possible who the publisher is seeking work from. Sometimes the focus of the press is limited, even though there are no limitations on who can submit. A few of the opportunities are also limited by geography, again, we try to make this clear. There are always additional submission details at the site we link to, but we try to cover the basics as best we can as part of this list.
If you belong to a limited demographic that is not listed here, this list might be helpful to you.
As long as a press/opportunity/journal is open to submissions we will continue to list it, so some of the content on the list is new, some overlaps with previous issues. This article is an ongoing collaborative effort by Emily Harstone and S. Kalekar. Please send us an email at support@authorspublish.com if you have any feedback or an opportunity/journal/publisher, to recommend.
Literary Journals/Magazines
Agbowo
They publish work by African origin writers only. They accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, interviews/reviews, and art/photography. Pay is NGN20,000-50,000. There is also an editor’s prize for poetry, for $100. Please send only one submission per reading period. The deadline is 30 August 2024.
Tahoma Literary Review
This respected literary journal accepts poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. They have a limited number of free submissions each month to authors and poets who identify as historically marginalized, they charge for all other submissions. Submit at the start of the month to avoid hitting submission caps. This reading period ends on October 15th.
Powders Press
A literary journal that only publishes LGBTQIA+ writers, Powders Press is currently reading for it’s sixth issue they are looking for “queer fiction and poetry on the theme of Masquerade. This theme is non-exhaustive and we’re not necessarily looking for regency romances about masquerade balls but rather an exploration of the masks we wear as individuals.” They close to submissions September 21st.
Ecotone
This is “the literary magazine dedicated to reimagining place” – they accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They usually charge for online submissions, but will open a brief window for fee-free submissions. During Fall 2024, they will accept fee-free submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry during August 29–31; they specially welcome work from writers historically underrepresented in literary publishing during this submission window. And September 1–5 is their general submission window for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction (they charge $3 fee via Submittable, no fee via post). Length guidelines are up to 10,000 words for prose; 3-5 poems. Pay is $100 minimum for poetry and a $200 minimum for prose.
Geist
Their website says, “Geist is the Canadian magazine of ideas and culture”. They accept work from Canadian writers only – nonfiction, fiction, comics, and poetry. They charge for submissions but they offer fee-free submissions to Canadian BIPOC writers. Send up to 5,000 words for prose, or up to 5 poems. They pay CAD100 per page of poetry, CAD300-500 for shorter nonfiction for the Notes & Dispatches section, and CAD1,000 for longer nonfiction and fiction (see guidelines). The deadline is 26 August 2024. Details here and here.
Heartlines Spec
This is a Canadian magazine of speculative fiction and poetry, focused on long-term relationships; their goal us to publish at least 50% work from Canadian writers for each issue. “We’re looking for short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. We don’t want the blaze of new love or the obsession of a new friend. We want pieces that show that comfort that develops when people know each other for years.
Give us deep space, dusty frontiers, or dreamy fantasy. We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. While we are primarily looking for stories with happy endings (yeah, yeah), we also want endings that are earned. If things get a little teary or gory, that’s ok.
We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules.” Length guidelines are 1,000-3,500 words for fiction; up to 5 poems, and pay is CAD0.08/word for fiction; CAD60/poem. They have an early submission period for equity-deserving groups, from 24 August to 31 August 2024; and they will open submissions for all writers during 1-30 September 2024. Details here (guidelines) and here (submission portal).
Haven Speculative
This speculative fiction magazine has opened a submission window for underrepresented writers only, and the deadline is 31 August 2024; their August submission window for all writers has closed. “by authors from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the science fiction and fantasy canon”. They also published two climate emergency focused issues each year: the Wet issue in September, and the Dry issue in March. Send up to 6,000 words for fiction, up to 1,000 words for nonfiction, up to 5 poems. Pay is $0.08/word for prose, $20 per poem. Details here and here.
Apparition Lit: Harbinger
Apparition Lit is a quarterly speculative fiction and poetry magazine. They’re reading submissions on the Harbinger theme during the second half of August. As part of their equity initiative, they have a one-week extra reading period for writers who self-identify as BIPOC in their cover letters; they will also accept simultaneous submissions from writers who identify as Disabled, BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+ (see guidelines). Length guidelines are 1,000-5,000 words for fiction, up to 5 poems. Pay is $0.05/word for stories, $50/poem. (Apparition Lit also has a themed flash fiction challenge, open on the first fortnight of every month – see guidelines.) Sadly, this will be the last issue of Apparition Lit – see the announcement for magazine closure here. The general reading period (for all writers) ends 31 August 2024, and will extend by a week for BIPOC writers.
Reckoning
They publish creative work on environmental justice. They accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, translations, and art, as well as reviews and review pitches, and have separate guidelines for fiction reviews (pays $50) and for nonfiction reviews (pays $25). They are especially interested in work by Indigenous, Black, Brown, queer, trans, disabled, neurodivergent and/or otherwise marginalized writers and artists from everywhere. Pay is $0.10/word for prose, and S50/page for poetry. They’re reading submissions for Issue 9, and the deadline is 22 September 2024. Details here and here.
Lucky Jefferson: Foráneo
They are reading submissions from Latin American Writers only for an upcoming digital Issue, and the theme is Foráneo. “What do you do with the unknown when you can’t ignore it anymore? What do you do with the questions about the universe, the lands and oceans to be explored, the future to be lived? What do you do when familiar things become alien? What do you do with the foreign? You create something about it! We cannot always describe the weird and unknown, but we can certainly try. For this Lucky Jefferson’s first Halloween issue, we are inviting Latin American writers, artists, and poets to send us their poetry, prose, and art that reflect the eerie, the frightening, and the mysterious unknowns in life. What is foreign and scary for you? The future? The unknown parts of the sea? The pains and horrors of the human body? … We will be accepting bilingual submissions! Spanish, Portuguese, and other Latin American languages are welcome (although we can only translate Spanish to English and vice versa if you want your work to be translated).” Pay is $15-25, and the deadline is 30 September 2024. They have more than one opportunity open, please be sure to submit in the correct one.
(Lucky Jefferson is also accepting poetry and prose from all writers for a contest, the prize is $100 each for poetry and prose, and the deadline for that is 18 August – see their Submittable page for details.)
AURORE
This publications tagline is “a curated collection of erotic stories written by and for women and LGBTQ+ based on their own experiences”. They publish nonfiction erotica and their website is NSFW and please do not visit it if you are under 18.
ALOCASIA
A journal of queer plant-based writing. They accept submissions on a rolling basis.
Sinister Wisdom
A multicultural Lesbian Literary & Art Journal. Founded in 1976 this literary journal is always open to submissions.
Saffron City Press
Saffron City Press is an online literary journal dedicated to amplifying the voices of Middle Eastern and Middle Eastern-American writers.
Plentitude
They want submissions from LGBTQ2S+ writers only; their Submittable has separate submission slots for Canadian and international writers. Every genre has a monthly submission cap. Pay is CAD60 per poem, CAD125 per prose contribution (fiction and creative nonfiction), CAD100 for book reviews and Genre Bender (hybrid) submissions. Currently, are only open for Canadian LGBTQ2S+ writers. Details here and here.
Canto Cutie: Childhood, youth, and experiences in school
Canto Cutie publishes the work of Cantonese writers and artists and the Diaspora. They want writing and art for Volume 8, which “will be about childhood, youth, and experiences in school. We are looking for work about growing up and adolescence.” They also say, “submissions are conducted primarily in English. Cantonese language art and writing are accepted and encouraged. Anonymous submissions are permitted for politically sensitive works.” Submissions are open until filled. Details here and here.
Arcanum Magazine
Arcanum Magazine is a digital and print magazine for creative writing, visual art, cultural criticism, and journalism by and for the Black diaspora. They are a paying market that is open on a rolling basis to creative writing, cultural criticism, news, and journalism, as well as visual art.
Midnight & Indigo
They only accept work by Black women writers – speculative fiction, character-driven fiction, and essays. They pay $0.07/word for general and speculative fiction, and $100 for essays. They have rolling submissions for speculative fiction, and have deadlines for general fiction and essays. The deadline for their Music issue and Black speculative fiction issue is 1 September 2024. Details here and here
Decolonial Passage
According to their website they “publish writing from writers of all backgrounds regardless of race, origin, or gender while simultaneously centering African, African American, and Black Diaspora writing.” Their mission statement goes into more details about this. They are open on a rolling basis to essays, creative nonfiction, short stories, and flash fiction. They are open to poetry only during the months of January, March, May, July, September or November.
Bookish Brews
They describe themselves as a “book blog and a celebration of diverse books and authors (with a side of your favorite brew)”. They prioritize BIPOC writers but are open to submissions from other historically underrepresented groups also. They publish nonfiction, craft, and lifestyle essays as well as book reviews.
Mayday: Black
For Mayday: Black submissions, they want nonfiction pitches and drafts from Black writers – their website says, they are “committed to delivering a new experience for Black writers, including those seeking first-time publication. We welcome nonfiction work in opinions and analyses; personal, braided, and reported essays in contemporary and historical contexts. Bring your authentic, curious, courageous, well-rounded stories on life, living, love, loss, representation, race, racism, death, dying, Black plight and civil rights, neighborhood blight, gentrification, white flight, and more. (In no way is this an exhaustive list!)” They pay $50 for Mayday: Black essays of 800-3,000 words. Details here and here. (This magazine also occasionally accepts fiction, nonfiction, culture pieces, poetry, reviews, interviews, and translations from all writers, and pays $10-20 for these.)
Moko Magazine
A journal of Caribbean arts and literature, Moko publishes short stories, poems, interviews, essays, reviews of books, art, photography, and other types of visual media about the Caribbean and its diaspora. They are not interested in academic pieces.
Zindabad Zine
This print and electronic publication is based in the UK. They are open to submissions on a rolling basis. Currently they are closed to submissions for the print issue but open to electronic ones. They only accept work from people “in a diaspora”. They publish personal essays, articles, poetry, fiction, visual art and photography.
The Kalahari Review
A weekly African literary magazine interested in material exploring modern Africa and Africans in unique and avant-garde ways. They publish their work on Medium.
Transition
Born in Africa and bred in the diaspora, Transition is a publication of the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, published three times annually. Transition publishes writing by and about Africa and the African diaspora, with an eye towards a global perspective. They accept submissions year-round on a rolling basis, and generally respond to submissions within four months. They are currently looking for submissions on the ‘Solidarities’ theme (see guidelines), as well as unthemed work.
Lavender Review
An international, biannual e-zine published in June and December, they are open to submissions of poetry and art by, about, and for lesbians (including whatever LGBTQ might appeal to a lesbian readership). Submissions are open year round.
Ricepaper
This publication offers Asian Canadian context to ongoing arts and cultural issues, new perspectives on emerging and established Asian Canadian artists, and challenges mainstream media perspectives, little-known facts of interest, or critical stories that haven’t been told elsewhere. They are open to submissions from Asian writers around the globe as long as the editors can see a link between the content and some aspect of the Asian Canadian experience.
Raising Mothers
Raising Mothers celebrates and centers the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and Brown parents. Some sections have reading periods; columns are open year-round.
Prismatica Magazine
An LGBTQ fantasy and science fiction magazine that publishes short stories, poetry, reviews, interviews, and articles. They have very specific submission guidelines so please read those carefully.
African Writer
They are open to all genres of literature from Africa and the African Diaspora. They do not allow simultaneous submissions.
Djed Press
This journal is based in Australia and they “prioritise submissions from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, on whose land we live and work and whose sovereignty has never been ceded.” They only accept submissions from “Australian and/or Australia-based Bla(c)k and other POC creators.” They really stress that work is likely to be edited and that you shouldn’t submit if you are not comfortable with that. Pay is AUD50-150 for text.
Afritondo
According to their website, “Afritondo is a media and publishing platform that aims to connect with and tell the stories of Africans and black minority populations across the globe.” They accept a wide range of work, including manuscript-length work.
Brittle Paper
Brittle Paper is an online literary magazine for readers of African Literature. They accept the following: “fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, book reviews, essays, literary commentaries, fun listicles, and any writing with a literary bent”.
Torch Literary Arts
Torch Literary Arts is a nonprofit organization. They publish and promote creative writing by Black women only; you can read more about them here. They publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers. “We are interested in work that challenges and disrupts preconceived notions of what Black women’s contemporary writing should be.” General submissions are accepted for Friday Features only, in which they publish fiction, hybrid works, poetry, and drama (including that accompanied by video or dramatic audio). Send up to 2,500 for fiction/hybrid works, up to 10 pages for drama, or up to 5 poems. Pay is $150. Submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis; you can submit here.
Tagg Magazine
Tagg is a US-based queer women’s publication. Their website has several themes they accept articles on, including personal essays, listicles, dating advice and fashion-related content. Articles are 350-1,000 words long and pay $75-175. They welcome pitches for article ideas. See the pitch guide for contributors here.
Bi Women Quarterly
BWQ features the voices of women “with bi+ sexualities (i.e., bi, pan, fluid, and other non-binary sexualities)” and they see “woman” as a broad category and welcome contributions those who identify as trans, non-binary, cis, etc. They publish articles, creative writing, musings, and more.
KOENING ZINE
They publish art, fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction submissions primarily by Asians, but they are open to submissions from non-Asians. Their uniting theme is Asian Folklore. Submitters must be over 18.
POETRY SANGO-OTA
We only usually include journals currently open to submissions, but this list is always published on the third Thursday of a given month, and this journal is only open to submissions through the 1st to the 10th of each month, so we are listing it and encouraging you to set a calendar alert for when it reopens on the 1st of the next month. “We are interested in poems with a keen connection to a sense of place, nature, or otherworldly geographies.” They only publish African poets, and pay N2,500 per poem.
Reappropriate
Reappropriate is an Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) race advocacy and feminism blog, focusing on race, gender, identity, Asian American history, and current events. Pay is $75-150 for work of 800-2,500 words.
The Gay & Lesbian Review
The Gay & Lesbian Review is a bimonthly magazine of history, culture, and politics targeting an educated readership of LGBT people, and their allies that publishes themed features (2,000-4,000 words), reviews, interviews, and departments. They have announced a few themed calls, and they also invite suggestions for future themes.
- The Gossip Issue: Unearthed scandals of the past
- The State of LGBT Rights: What’s next for the movement?
- The Travel Issue: The role of travel in LGBT culture
Writers can send proposals or complete pieces. They pay for features ($250) and full-length book reviews ($100).
The Acentos Review
The Acentos Review publishes writing, art, music and multigenre work by Latinx writers. They are open to submissions all year long. Details here.
Craft
This respected literary journal is open to creative work from authors of all backgrounds, but they offer free submissions + fast response times to BIPOC and other mis- and underrepresented writers, here. Craft pays $100 for flash and $200 for short fiction and creative nonfiction.
Aloka
They want work by non-native English speakers only – poetry, translations, fiction, and hybrid work. Send up to 5 poems, or up to 2 prose pieces, up to 2,500 words each.
The Lighthouse / Black Girl Projects
The tagline of The Lighthouse is, “Cultivating spaces of solidarity and safety for southern Black girls to shine through focused programming and research.” They have an extensive guide for pitching articles, including “We … are always looking for thought-provoking stories and other content from marginalized communities, Black girls, (in particular, but not exclusively) and gender non-conforming people. In addition to story and long-form story pitches and op-eds, they accept photography and original artwork for their online blogging platform, The Black Girl Times, and their monthly newsletter, The Black Girl Times Redux. Also, “Each month, we have an editorial theme board (kind of like the mood boards interior designers use) we post on our social media accounts (@luvblkgrls). The theme board is intended to be an inspiration and provocation of thoughts, ideas and feelings. Your response(s) can be literal or abstract and loose. And again, it might not have anything to do with anything we’ve seen.” Pay is $0.25-$1/word. Pay for art (graphic design, cartoons and photo essays) is $150-1,000.
Singapore Unbound: SUSPECT
Their website says, “SUSPECT grew out of SP Blog, the blog of the NYC-based literary non-profit Singapore Unbound.” They want poetry, literary fiction, essays, and any kind of writings that do not fall into these categories, written or translated into English by authors who identify as Asian. They also publish reviews of books by Asian authors and interviews with Asian writers and artists. Pay is $100, and there is no deadline listed.
Breath & Shadow
Breath & Shadow only publishes work from people with disabilities. This is how they define disability: “We use the term “disability” broadly to encompass anyone with a physical, mental, emotional, cognitive, or sensory impairment that significantly affects one or more major life functions.” They accept writing on any topic in terms of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and drama. Pieces do not have to be about disability. The academic or article type nonfiction, including profiles, interviews, and opinion pieces, do have to relate to disability in some way. They pay $25 per poem (max 2) and $40 for prose.
Screen Door Review
They only publish work by individuals who are Southern and queer. You can learn more about how they define Southern here. They publish flash fiction and poetry.
Emergent Literary
An exciting new literary journal that accepts a wide range of submissions from Black and Brown authors.
LatinX Lit Audio Mag
LatinX Lit Mag is a safe space for literary work written by authors who identify as Latinx or Hispanic.
Presses/Anthologies
We’re Here: The Best of Queer Speculative Fiction
Neon Hemlock is open for a reprint anthology, ‘We’re Here: The Best of Queer Speculative Fiction’. They want speculative stories published in 2023 under 17,500 words that implicitly or explicitly explore queerness and/or transness. Pay is $0.01/word, and the deadline is 31 December 2024.
Rebel Satori Press
This LGBTQ+ Press currently has three calls for submission. The first is for LGBTQIA+ poets in New Orleans, that have already completed book length manuscripts. This call closes to submissions on September 30th. The second is for their new LGBTQ+ speculative fiction imprint Queer Space, which is also seeking book length submissions. Their is no official end date for this call. The third is for their Arabi Manor imprint is actively seeking book length works of nonfiction in the following areas of esoterica: Witchcraft, Modern grimoires, Heathenism, Paganism, Divination (Tarot, Runes, etc), books not decks, Esoterica/Occult topics in general. This call closes to submissions on October 31st.
fifth wheel press
fifth wheel press is accepting submissions from individuals who belong to the queer, trans, and/or gender variant communities. They close to submissions September 15 for their fall 2024 digital anthology which is focused on the theme, light em up. AI submissions are not allowed.
Phoenix
Phoenix is a new speculative imprint launched by Nigerian publisher Ouida Books in collaboration with Nnedi Okorafor and Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn. Phoenix is dedicated to publishing African speculative fiction and fantasy (Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism). You can learn more about it here.
The Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series
This opportunity, from Black Lawrence Press, is for immigrants living in the US – for manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid writing. “Poets and authors, at any stage of their careers, who identify as immigrants are welcome to submit a book manuscript of poetry or prose or a hybrid text for consideration. Submissions are accepted year-round. However, selections are made in June and November for a total of two books per year. In addition to publication, marketing, and a standard royalties contract from Black Lawrence Press, authors chosen for the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series will receive a travel stipend of $500, which can be used for book tours or in any manner chosen by the authors.”
North Dakota State University Press: Contemporary Voices of Indigenous Peoples Series
The goal of this series to feature the authentic stories, poetry, and scholarly works of Native Americans, First Nations, Maori, Aborigines, Indians, and more to give voice to contemporary Indigenous peoples. NDSU Press considers book-length manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for publication in this series.
Random House Canada
The Canadian arm of Random House changed their submission policy have opened their policy exclusively to LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC writers, as well as those from other traditionally underrepresented communities. They are particularly looking for “High quality commercial fiction in the following genres: literary, romance, speculative fiction, historical fiction, and mystery. Please note that we do not currently accept screenplays, stage plays, young adult fiction, children’s fiction, or picture book queries. All non-fiction submissions must be submitted via a literary agent.” They are open to submissions internationally, this is not limited to Canadians.
Somos en escrito Literary Foundation Press
They publish a literary magazine as well as books, they are “dedicated to publishing raza authors to express the narratives and needs of our communities, which typically get overlooked by the mainstream presses. We intend to be the institution nobody else will build for us.”
Tundra Books, Puffin Canada, Penguin Teen Canada
These children and teen focused Canadian imprints are open to direct submissions by underrepresented authors and illustrators only. Authors need not be Canadian.
Arsenal Pulp Press
A Canadian independent press that publishes a wide variety of work, prioritizes work by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors. We have reviewed them here.
Blind Eye Books
Blind Eye Books publishes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and romance novels featuring LGBTQ protagonists. They are a print publisher and their book covers are beautifully designed and really stand out. The books they have published have won and been nominated for a number of awards, including the Lambda. We have reviewed them here.
Lily
A small poetry press that publishes work of varying length. Submitting shorter work is free for everyone, but submitting poetry manuscripts is free only for poets who identify as Black. They are always open to these submissions.
Sourcebooks
We’ve reviewed Sourcebooks here, and their adult nonfiction imprint and their romance and horror imprints are always open to all submissions, but they also deserve to be on this list because their fiction imprint, their mystery imprint, their young adult imprint, and three of their children’s book imprints, all say “Our submissions are currently CLOSED to unagented projects, with the exception of works that directly promote diversity, equality and inclusion. For more information please email InclusiveFiction@Sourcebooks.com.” So if you have work that matches that description in those genres, please reach out to them.
Forever
The romance imprint of Hachette Book Group and Grand Central Publishing is open to direct submissions from BIPOC-identifying authors.
Angry Robot
A great science fiction publisher that only accepts direct submissions from Black authors.
Scholastic Canada
They are open to direct submissions from Canadian authors or focusing on Canadian content, who are from underrepresented communities, including Black writers, Indigenous writers, writers of colour, writers with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ writers and writers who identify with other marginalized groups.
Heartdrum
Heartdrum is an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, which is edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, and is in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Native and First Nations writers and writer-illustrators are welcome to query her directly via a form on her website. Native and First Nations illustrators are also invited to reach out.
Opportunities/Support/Contests
2025 Perugia Press Prize Contest
Perugia Press is a feminist micro press. This yearly contest closes to submissions of full length poetry manuscripts on November 15th. It is open to manuscripts by women (which includes all gender-expansive definitions of that term) who have no more than one previously published full length books and are based in the US. The winner of the contest receives book publication and a $2,000 dollar prize. Additional details at the website, but it is important to note that while the contest has a fee for submissions it is waived for all BIPOC poets.
Horror Writers Association Scholarships
These scholarships offer various amounts for assisting authors in professional development as horror writers. There are various amounts and requirements. They have Diversity Grants, worth $500 each, which “will be open to underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers. … the Diversity Grants have adopted the broadest definition of the word diversity to include, but not limited to, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabled, and neurodiverse.” The Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly scholarship, worth $2,500, is for writers who identify as women, and the Horror Writers Association scholarship, worth $2,500, is for all writers (no membership necessary). There is also the Dark Poetry Scholarship, the Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship for Nonfiction Writing, the Dennis Etchison Young Writers Scholarship, and Young Adults Write Now endowment program for libraries. The funds can be used for various things like course fees, resources like textbooks and guides, subscriptions for appropriate periodicals, and registration fees for relevant literary festivals. Except for The Scholarship from Hell (for StokerCon), all their scholarships opened for applications on 1st August 2024, and the deadline is 1 October 2024.
Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour
This is an annual prize, awarded to a previously unpublished and unagented aspiring author of colour in the UK/Ireland (see guidelines). For 2024, they want works of narrative fiction. Apart from cash, the winner and shortlisted writers get editorial consultation with an agent. Submission requirements include a writing sample from the manuscript, and summary. The prize is £200, and the deadline is 19 August 2024.
Gold Line Press: Chapbook Contest
Gold Line Press is affiliated with the PhD in Creative Writing & Literature Program at the University of Southern California and they are currently accepting poetry, fiction, and nonfiction manuscripts for their chapbook contests. Their is a $15 fee to submit, but that fee is waived for “writers of color, indigenous writers, and writers facing financial hardship”. They close to submissions on September 30, 2024.
VS. Books
VS. Books was created in 2017 by Vivek Shraya, with the goal of mentoring and publishing emerging, unpublished BIPOC writers living in Canada. It is an imprint of Arsenal Pulp Press and they only publish books via this mentorship. They offer advances and editorial feedback and support. The deadline for this submission period is September 3rd. Full details are available on the website.
Academy of American Poets: Ambroggio Prize
This is an opportunity for US poets. They want a book-length poetry manuscript originally written in Spanish and with an English translation. Poets may translate their own work or collaborate with a translator who may or may not be a poet; the poet and translator must share the prize. The original manuscript in Spanish must be between 48 and 100 pages. Their website also says, established in 2017, the Ambroggio Prize is the only annual award of its kind in the United States that honors American poets whose first language is Spanish. Winner gets $1,000 and publication. The deadline is 15 September 2024. Details here and here.
(They have other awards as well, both fee-free and fee-based – see the Academy of American Poets’ Submittable for current open calls).
Queer Adventurers 2024 Essay Contest: Border Crossings
This annual contest always has a theme and in 2024 it is Border Crossings. They say “Tell us about an international journey that changed your life. Write about how sexuality and gender identity impact your ability to cross borders freely. Interpret the theme metaphorically and tell us how your gender expression or sexuality transgresses borders.”
They also make it clear that all submissions must centre both the theme and the writers sexuality or gender identity. Stories must be true and written by an LGBTQIA author without the assistance of AI.
Authors of winning and second place essays receive cash prizes. Winner, runner up and finalists will have their essays published on Queer Adventurers. The deadline is October 31, 2024.
Curtis Brown Creatives: Scholarship Opportunities
Curtis Brown Creatives regularly offers scholarships for their courses. Some are London based and some are online. Right now they have three scholarships, the first is a Breakthrough Scholarship for Fantasy Writers with Low Income, which is for a nine week online course. The deadline is September 15th. The second is a Breakthrough YA & Children’s Fiction Scholarship for Writers of Colour. This scholarship will award one writer of colour with limited financial means a place on their online three-month Writing YA & Children’s Fiction course. The deadline is October 6th. The third is a Breakthrough Scholarship for TV Screenwriters with Low Income for a three-month a London-based course, and the deadline for that is October 20th. Additional eligibility details are on the website.
The Academy of American Poets: Literary Seminars
These new seminars from the Academy are taught by respected experts. Scholarships are available with varying deadlines, the nearest upcoming deadline is September. Click on the individual course offerings to learn more.
Society of Authors: Dursilla Harvey Access Fund
These are small grants for UK-based/British writers, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats. “Usual grants will be £150 or less, but fair consideration will be given to all proposals.” Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. (Society of Authors also has awards for works in progress as well as contingency funds – all their grants are here.)
The Writing Barn Scholarship
The Writing Barn has a small but budding scholarship program available for our programming. Scholarships are awarded on the following criteria: seriousness of purpose, talent and financial need. They also offer specific Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity scholarships for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Neurodiverse writers, and writers with disabilities.
Forward Funds: Creative Capital x Skoll Foundation Creator Fund
The crowdsourcing platform for creatives, Kickstarter, now has Forward Funds. Their website says, “Forward Funders are foundations, nonprofits, and organizations that back Kickstarter campaigns related to their visions and missions around a more creative and equitable world. Each Forward Funder makes a public commitment and then backs projects just like anyone else—through single pledges that bring the works one step closer to reality.” One such fund is the $500,000 Creative Capital x Skoll Foundation Fund. This backs projects by Asian, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx creators in the US on the crowdfunding platform – “Effective immediately, funds will be awarded on an ongoing basis to creators with active projects across all of Kickstarter’s categories: Arts, Comics & Illustration, Design & Tech, Film, Food & Craft, Games, Music, and Publishing.” Projects launched on Kickstarter following their rules are eligible, and creators can nominate themselves for specific Forward Funds via a form. This is for both, creators and organizations.
BIPOC scholarship for Emily Harstone’s classes at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish
Each time Emily Harstone offers a solo class through the Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish, there is now an opportunity for one to two writers who identify as BIPOC to take it for free. If you registered last year, please note that the form re-set in January, and you are encouraged to fill it out again.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2024 Guide to Manuscript Publishers. She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
