These are 35 magazines, anthologies, and contests with themed calls for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the themed calls are: hauntings & hoarfrost; crime; seaside gothic; on vacation; jingle & joy; yule; past perfect; old friends; praise; flora & fungi; and pirate tales. Some of the outlets want submissions for more than one theme.
THEMED CALLS
Hauntings & Hoarfrost Anthology
They want fiction and poetry. “Gothic fiction is renowned for being filled with spine-chilling stories in isolated and forlorn places. What better setting could there be than the deep, dark, depths of winter? When snow and storms can isolate remote locations for days or weeks and bundling up to keep the cold away provides a different kind of anonymity and isolation even in the heart of cities.
Hauntings and Hoarfrost will be filled with stories of frosty mornings, blood stained snow and ghosts who appear and disappear like breath fogging the air.”
Deadline: 7 October 2023
Length: Up to 7,500 words
Pay: CAD20 for poetry, CAD50 for fiction
Details here.
Dreamforge Anvil: The Grand Uplift
They want themed and unthemed speculative fiction. “We like to see science fiction and fantasy stories with a positive vibe, where the human adventure is just beginning. Solar Punk and Hope Punk themed stories are welcome. We’re open to all genres of science fiction and fantasy, as long as they are not focused on horror and/or dark outcomes. This year, we’re also looking for stories to meet our 2024 double issue theme of “The Grand Uplift.”” They have detailed guidelines on this theme, including, “Stories for “The Grand Uplift” will suggest an inspiring and momentous shift that benefits humanity, fostering a sense of hope, progress, and optimism.”
Deadline: 14 October 2023
Length: Up to 7,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Hawk and Cleaver: The Other Stories Podcast
Hawk and Cleaver publishes horror, sci-fi, and thriller fiction on their podcast, The Other Stories. They want tales that terrify, scar and haunt. Their upcoming themes are: Crime II (deadline 14 October); Infestation (deadline 11 November); The End (deadline 9 December 2023).
Deadlines: See above
Length: Up to 2,000 words
Pay: £15
Details here (click on submission form for length and payment details).
Seaside Gothic
Seaside Gothic magazine will open for a brief submission window in October; they want seaside gothic fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Their website says, “There are three criteria that define seaside gothic literature.
It is led by emotion, not reason, exploring the human experience mentally and spiritually as well as physically… ; It addresses duality—land and sea, love and hate, the beautiful and the grotesque…; It connects to the edge, living on the seaside either literally or figuratively, and has one foot in the water and the other on solid ground…”
Submission period: 9th to 15th October 2023
Length: Up to 1,000 words
Pay: £0.01/word
Details here.
Bad Day Book Series: Five themes
This is a nonfiction and poetry anthology – these must be true and personal stories, of events that have happened. “Stories should be about bad things, but that are still funny. We are not looking to include tragic or heart breaking stories. This book is to get others to laugh, gasp, and cringe.” They have various themes with upcoming deadlines, including (but not limited to):
— On Vacation: Submissions for The Bad Day Book- On Vacation Edition will close October 15th, 2023.
— At Work: Submission deadline November 15th, 2023.
— Sports: Submission deadline December 1st, 2023.
— Love (Dating, Marriage, Relationships): Submission deadline January 5th, 2024
— Medical Caregivers: Submission deadline January 15th, 2024.
Deadlines for all Bad Day anthologies: See above
Length: Prefer up to 1,200 words, will accept up to 1,500
Pay: $40-75
Details here.
Griffith Review: Past Perfect
Griffith Review is an Australian literary and current affairs journal; they mostly publish work of Australian writers, and some work by international writers. They’re currently accepting nonfiction and fiction submissions only, on the ‘Past Perfect’ theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “The past, famously, is a foreign country – but in the twenty-first century, it’s one in which we increasingly seek solace.
No matter the relentless pace of technological innovation and the digitisation of everything from money to media – our appetites for retro design and aesthetics, for cultural products that reimagine technicolour-dream versions of decades gone by, or for fantasies of a past golden political age are ever on the rise.
But what fuels this love affair with recycling our history? What periods do we choose to romanticise, and how do our rose-tinted glasses occlude reality? Is all this nostalgia signifying – as the late Mark Fisher opined – the disappearance of the future?
This edition of Griffith Review surveys our need to idealise, sensationalise and glamorise – and asks what the circular nature of our obsessions says about our present cultural moment.” They want complete submissions only, no pitches.
Deadline: 15 October 2023
Length: Up to 4,000 words
Pay: Unspecified
Details here.
(Griffith Review will issue a separate call for poetry on this theme later in October.)
Consequence Magazine
They publish work “that addresses the human experiences, realities, and consequences of war and geopolitical violence through literature and art.” They accept fiction (including flash and excerpts), nonfiction (interviews, essays, and narrative non-fiction), poetry, translations, and art. All works will be considered for online and print.
Deadline: 15 October 2023
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, up to 4,000 words for non-fiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $30-50 for print prose, $60 for online prose, and $20-40 for poetry
Details here.
Sasee: Jingle & Joy
They want 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. Their upcoming theme is Jingle & Joy. Pay varies.
Deadline: 15 October 2023 for Jingle & Joy
Length: 500-1,000 words
Pay: Unspecified
Details here.
Beyond The Bounds Of Infinity Anthology
This is a fiction anthology “of cosmic horror and weird tales written by marginalized peoples whose experiences and worldviews have influenced their interpretation of dread. The anthology hopes to bring these diverse perspectives to the forefront of the horror community and, of course, make Lovecraft roll over in his grave!” They want stories from Persons of Color, Persons of Native American Heritage, Persons identifying as LGBTQIA+, Persons with disabilities, Neurodivergent persons, Women, and Persons adhering to historically marginalized or persecuted religions.
Deadline: 15 October 2023
Length: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars Anthology
This is a fiction and poetry anthology by WordFire Press. They want fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, humor, and romance, appropriate for up to a “PG-13” audience. Felines and or familiars (of other types) must be central to the work. “We’re familiar with familiars … or are we? Gifted adventurers across time and space have traveled with an animal familiar—often a cat, but other fuzzy, scaly, or prickly creatures make appearances, too. These magical companions might lead their humans into mischief, help them out of a sticky situation, or provide opinionated commentary along the way. But when the wizards are away, the familiars will play. Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars is an original collection that shines the limelight on the sidekicks, the familiars. Familiars have lives of their own, a sense of humor, and a shadowy underbelly that we totally overlook. Does the Siamese cat companion develop powers of telekinesis … maybe to knock deadly potions off the counter? What happens when a rat studies to become a familiar in a class full of cats? Is the circus leopard really the puppet master who makes her handler look good?
They don’t all have to be felines. What about unfamiliar familiars? A time-traveling elephant that never forgets a grudge against his warlock? A lowly earthworm horrified to find itself bonded for life to an ungrateful enchanter? … Make your stories humorous, dark, or heartwarming—so long as the familiar is the central figure in the story.”
Deadline: 15 October 2023
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.06/word
Details here and here and here.
Speculation Publications: Yule – A Collection of Yule Time Tales
This is a fiction anthology; they will also accept nonfiction on the theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “”In winter everything lies dormant in the silent earth, it is a sacred time of rest and reflection before the awakening, and the slow build toward brighter days.” We are looking for submissions of Pagan Yule stories, not Christmas stories. All genres are welcome, as long as it is Yule and Solstice centered. The winter solstice is the longest night of the year, but the light will return by degrees after that December night. We want stories about what happens in those dark and still winter months. Stories of transformation and growth. Stories of the winter witch, cold forests, elves and magical places. Old ghost stories.” Please see their note on contributor copies.
Deadline: 16 December 2023
Length:2,500-8,000 words
Pay: $10
Details here.
(Speculation Publications will also open for novella submissions in November – see the guidelines page – scroll down.)
Astrolabe
They want “work about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection. Into the woods. Across a line. Beneath the ocean. Along a seam. Into the branches of an alternate present or the crevasse of an alternate future. Across the rifts between one another. And then, once we find one other, the myths we make. We’re excited to see as many interpretations of this broad theme as there are stars in the night sky. We’re open to work of all genres, with a particular fondness for anything that moves beyond realism in form or content or spirit.” And, “We’ll happily consider fiction and CNF in all prose forms—prose poetry, micro, flash, and beyond—but we’re not considering lineated poetry at the moment.” They list their fee-free submission periods on their website.
Deadline: 22 October 2023 (for fee-free submissions)
Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose
Pay: $50
Details here.
Painted Hearts Publishing: Holiday/Winter themed LGBTQ romance
They publish LGBTQ+ romance. “Submissions should be … of a romantic nature, and contain a holiday/winter theme. All genres of LGBTQ+ romance and all heat levels are welcome.”
Deadline: 25 October 2023
Length: 15,000-20,000 words
Pay: $75
Details here (scroll down).
(They are also accepting LGBTQ+ romance submissions on other themes – see the guidelines page.)
War Monkey Publications: From the Yonder Volume V
This is a horror fiction anthology. They have detailed guidelines, including, “A horror, short-story collection of regional legends and tall-tales from around the World….The stories must be based upon a regional/cultural legend or tall-tale from any location or culture in the World. “Regional” can be a specific place (Loch Ness) or a larger region (Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest). We are seeking stories in the horror genre. Inclusion of elements of other genres is welcome, so long as, overall, the story is a horror story. The subject of the story can be based on any legend, so long as it has a horrific flavor. Ghosts, hauntings, alien abductions, monsters, demons, spirits, witches, etc., all are acceptable, as long as the subject is based on an actual legend or tall-tale. We want an original story involving the legend. Don’t rehash the legend itself or write an essay on the tall-tale. Instead, for example, WOW us with a new fable of some poor unfortunate who finds out that legends are sometimes all too real.”
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Length: 1,000-7,500 words
Pay: $10
Details here.
Open Minds Quarterly: Identity
Their website says, “We welcome writing and art from people with lived experience of what is variously called mental health challenges, mental illness, madness, and neurodiversity. We strive to promote these voices and perspectives by publishing work based on first-hand lived experience.” They are accepting submissions on the ‘Identity’ theme. (Also see their style guide here.)
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose, up to 4 poems
Pay: CAD25
Details here.
Zoetic Press: Non-Binary Review – Two themes
They want poetry, fiction, essays, translations, and art. They have two upcoming themes: Lies for Children, and Old Friends. Please remember, they accept submissions until a cap is reached, or the deadline, whichever comes first. All submissions must have a clear relationship to the theme. Apart from these two themes, they are also accepting submissions for Dear Horace Greely and Heartbeats: Visual Verse sections.
— Lies for Children: ““If you keep making that face, it’ll freeze that way.” “We found you under a cabbage leaf.” “If you drink coffee, it’ll stunt your growth.” “If you go to sleep with wet hair, you’ll catch pneumonia.”
Adults tell children some outrageous lies. Think back to your own childhood and explanations your parents gave you for things you didn’t understand or superstitions they perpetuated. Why do adults feel that children need credulity-straining fictions rather than objective truths? What things do we find so uncomfortable that we can’t explain them to children? How do those lies affect our relationship with the children we lied to, or the adults who lied to us? Some of these lies are benevolent (although kind of weird), but some can be trauma-inducing. We want to hear the stories behind those lies, and the consequences they engendered.
We’re NOT looking for fairy tales, re-tellings of children’s bedtime stories, tall tales, Santa Claus/Easter bunny/tooth fairy origin stories, or any other fictions that even children know are stories told for fun.” The deadline is 31 October 2023, or until filled.
— Old Friends: “There’s a reason why the idea of childhood friends is so popular in books, television, and movies: the idea of someone who’s known us for most of our lives and still likes us enough to want to be around us is tremendously attractive. Old friends don’t even have to be human – our pets, favorite books, geographical locations, cars, even food can be considered an old friend. But “old friend” isn’t necessarily a good thing. We’ve all had friends who aren’t exactly great influences in our lives, and the longer we know them, the more influence they can exert.
We’re looking for speculative takes on old friends – the weird, the outrageous, the mysterious. We’re NOT looking for buddy stories, sweetly nostalgic reunions with childhood school friends, or anything else that might appear on the Hallmark channel.” The deadline is 31 January 2024, or until filled.
Deadlines: See above
Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose; up to 3 pages for poetry
Pay: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry
Details here and here.
(They’re also accepting submissions for two other sections:
– “Dear Horace Greeley is our advice column for authors.” Details on the kind of questions you can ask, and publication of the letters, are here and here.
— “Heartbeats: Visual Verse isn’t just poetry. It’s poetry that can only work in a visual medium. We want layers of meaning and emotion; we want evocative images and surprising combinations of words, music, and visuals.” Details here and here.)
The Last Girls Club: Crones, Drones, and Ready Made Meals
This is a feminist horror magazine. Their upcoming theme is ‘Crones, Drones, and Ready Made Meals’. They accept fiction and poetry submissions, and nonfiction pitches. Their reading period closes on 1st November 2023, or when they reach their submission quota.
Deadline: 1 November 2023, or until filled
Length: Up to 2,500 words for fiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: $0.015/word for fiction, $10 for poetry
Details here and here.
Thema: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
They publish three themed issues a year. They accept short stories, essays, poetry, and art. Their upcoming theme is ‘The Missing Piece of the Puzzle’, and the deadline is 1 November 2023; they have other themes too, with later deadlines. Only writers outside of the US can submit by email, US-based writers have to post their submissions.
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Length: Up to 20 pages for fiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: $10-25
Details here.
The First Line Journal
They want fiction (all genres) and poetry that begins with pre-set first lines, one for each quarterly issue. For nonfiction, they want critical articles about your favorite first line from a literary work. For fiction and poetry, for the Winter issue, the first line is:
‘It was the farthest north they had ever been.’
Deadline: 1 November 2023 for the Winter issue
Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction; 500-800 words for nonfiction
Pay: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $10 for poetry (less postage fee for international writers – see guidelines)
Details here.
Ninth Letter: Praise
This literary magazine wants fiction, nonfiction, and poetry on the ‘Praise’ theme for its web edition – there is no submission fee for this section. “Robert Hass begins his 1979 book of poetry, Praise, with an epigraph:
We asked the captain what course
of action he proposed to take toward
a beast so large, terrifying, and
unpredictable. He hesitated to
answer, and then said judiciously:
“I think I shall praise it.”
What beasts do you praise? What monsters do you pay tribute to? How sharp are the objects of your veneration? We seek the flashlight pushing its beam through darkness; we seek the grin that bears the weight. Show us the reverence that glows like an ember in the ash. Show us your demons, and share with us the odes and hymns, the lullabies and incantations you sing to earn their peace. Show us your beasts, and give your beasts praise.”
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Length: Up to 3,500 words for prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: $75 for prose, and $25 per poem
Details here and here
(There are also other sections on their Submittable, including those with a submission fee – please be sure to submit in the correct category.)
Book XI: A Journal of Literary Philosophy – Books, reading, and being read
Book XI publishes personal essays, memoir, fiction, science fiction, humor, and poetry with philosophical themes. They want submissions on the ‘Books, reading, and being read’ theme. They want prose of 2,000 and 7,000 words, but will also consider shorter and longer works (see guidelines). They are affiliated with Hamilton College’s Arthur Levitt Center for Public Affairs. Please note, they will close earlier than the deadline if their submission cap is reached.
Deadline: 10 November 2023, or until filled
Length: 2,000-7,000 words for prose (see guidelines), up to 5 poems
Pay: $200 for prose, $50 for poems
Details here and here.
Horns and Rattles Press: Flora & Fungi
This is a horror fiction anthology, and the theme is Flora & Fungi. Apart from cash payment, contributors also get a copy – they will cover shipping costs up to $20. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 18 November 2023
Length: Up to 4,000 words
Pay: $20
Details here and here.
I Want That Twink OBLITERATED! Anthology
They want “pulp-inspired science fiction, fantasy and horror that explores or subverts classic genre tropes through queer protagonists and villains, particularly those who are non-traditionally masculine.” They have detailed guidelines, including, “IWTTO! is seeking classic pulp adventures centring non-traditionally masculine queer heroes and villains. … Whether fantasy, science-fiction or horror, we want to prove that hetero himbos don’t hold a monopoly on giant swords. We want out and proud thrill-rides starring queers who don’t give a fuck what society says. Smash systems, kiss boys, be gay do crime. … Bring us your femboy starship captains, bring us to trans berserkers fuelled by queer rage, bring us your literal demon twinks. Most of all, bring us stories that make you shriek…” And, “The editors are particularly interested in submissions from trans, non-binary, or intersex writers; aro or ace writers; disabled writers; neurodiverse writers; black, south asian, or east asian writers; or other writers of colour.”
Deadline: 17 December 2023
Length: Up to 6,000 words (see guidelines)
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here and here.
The Black Beacon Book of Pirate Tales
This is a fiction anthology, “we’re looking for pirate tales, preferably about pirates and buccaneers from the 16th to 18th centuries. Stories set in completely fictional/fantasy worlds will be considered but are likely to be a hard sell. That said, we’re interested in stories belonging to various genres just so long as the central characters and setting are pirates or centred on the theme of piracy, even if the story is set in the present. For example, a ghost story featuring a legendary pirate or a mystery about a lost treasure. We’re not looking for sci-fi or futuristic stories.” They also accept reprints.
Deadline: 31 December 2023
Preferred length: 3,000-9,000 words
Pay: $20
Details here and here.
New York Times: Modern Love
Modern Love is a non-fiction column. They want “honest personal essays about contemporary relationships. We seek true stories on finding love, losing love and trying to keep love alive. We welcome essays that explore subjects such as adoption, polyamory, technology, race and friendship — anything that could reasonably fit under the heading “Modern Love.” Ideally, essays should spring from some central dilemma you have faced. It is helpful, but not essential, for the situation to reflect what is happening in the world now.” Also, “Love may be universal, but individual experiences can differ immensely and be informed by factors including race, socio-economic status, gender, disability status, nationality, sexuality, age, religion and culture.” Send essays of 1,500-1,700 words. Modern Love has two submission periods, September through December, and March through June. Writers are paid. Send submissions to modernlove (at) nytimes.com. They especially welcome work from historically underrepresented writers, and from those outside the US.
Deadline: 31 December 2023
Length: 1,500-1,700 words
Pay: Unspecified
Details here.
(Also see their Tiny Love Stories column; these are also personal essays similar in theme to Modern Love, but much shorter, of 100 words.)
THEMED CONTESTS
American Antiquarian Society: Fellowships for Creative and Performing Artists and Writers
These are fellowships for historical research by the American Antiquarian Society at Worcester, Massachusetts, for those who wish to produce “imaginative, non-formulaic works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history.” Room fee will be charged if staying in the Society’s scholars’ housing. Fellowship projects may include (but are not limited to) historical novels, documentary films, TV programs, radio broadcasts, plays, screenplays, illustration and other graphic arts, magazine or newspaper articles, and non-fiction works of history for a general audience, either for adults or for children.
Value: $2,000 (less room fee of $500-700 in some cases – see guidelines), residency
Deadline: 5 October 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here and here
The Furious Gazelle’s 2023 Halloween Writing Contest
The Furious Gazelle literary magazine wants submissions of Halloween-themed poetry, fiction, short plays, and creative non-fiction. Each writer can submit either one short story (max 4,000 words), one play 9up to 10 pages), or up to three shorter pieces (any combination of flash pieces / poems is ok as long as they don’t exceed 3 submissions). Poems shouldn’t exceed two pages; flash pieces should be capped at 1,500 words each.
Value: $50; $5
Deadline: 6 October 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
The McGraw Business Journalism Fellowship
The McGraw Fellowship provides editorial and financial support to journalists who need the time and resources to produce a significant investigative or enterprise story that provides fresh insight into an important business, financial or economic topic. They accept applications for text, photo, audio, or short-form video pieces, and they encourage proposals that take advantage of more than one storytelling form to create a multimedia package. This is not a residency Fellowship. All Fellows work from their own offices. It is open to anyone with at least five years professional experience in journalism (you do not have to be a business journalist to apply; many of their many of their previous Fellows have been generalists, or cover beats such as health care, education or the environment). Freelance journalists, as well as reporters and editors currently working at a news organization or a journalism non-profit, may apply. The application includes a story proposal. They accept applications twice a year. The deadline to apply for Fall 2023 Fellowships is October 6, 2023. Applications for the Spring 2024 Fellowships will be due March 31, 2024. Also see their FAQ.
Value: Grants of up to $15,000
Deadline: 6 October 2023 (will also consider time-sensitive projects on a case-by-case basis outside of the deadline periods)
Open for: Anyone with at least five years of experience in journalism
Details here.
Defenestrationism: 2023 Flash Suite Contest
This is a contest for at least three flash fiction pieces (up to 1,000 words each) that co-relate in some way. A single piece of the suite may have been published before, otherwise, no previously published material. Finalists will be published daily on the site, followed by at least two weeks of Fan Voting – winners will be selected by a judging panel, with Fan Voting counting as an additional judge vote.
Value: $75, $60
Deadline: 11 October 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
One Story: Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship
This fellowship is for an early-career writer of fiction who has not yet published a book and is not currently nor has ever been enrolled in an advanced degree program (see guidelines). “We are seeking writers whose work speaks to issues and experiences related to inhabiting bodies of difference. This means writing that centers, celebrates, or reclaims being marginalized through the lens of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, religion, illness, disability, trauma, migration, displacement, dispossession, or imprisonment.” Apart from the stipend and tuition to attend One Story’s week-long summer writers’ conference, it offers free tuition for all One Story online classes and programming; a full manuscript review & consultation with One Story Executive Editor Hannah Tinti (story collection or novel in progress up to 150 pages/35,000 words). A fiction writing sample of 3,000-5,000 words is part of the submission requirement.
Value: Stipend ($2,000) and free admission at their writers’ conference, other benefits (see above)
Deadline: 12 October 2022
Open for: Early-career fiction writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
(There are other opportunities listed too on the One Story Submittable page, please be sure to submit to the correct category.)
Neal Peirce Foundation Journalism Travel Grants
These grants are for freelance and fully employed journalists to cover under-told stories about ways to make cities and their metro regions work better for all their people. The grants enable journalists to travel to cities within the U.S. to produce one or more stories for publication. And, “Reporters, writers, editors, and photographers working in print, online, radio, television and multimedia are eligible for travel grant awards if they have had stories published or aired in the previous 3 years. We especially welcome applicants early in their journalism careers or from backgrounds underrepresented in today’s news media.”
Value: Up to $1,500; will issue up to 7 grants
Deadline: 16 October 2023
Open for: Freelance and fully employed journalists
Details here and here.
Preservation Foundation Essay Contest: Travel Nonfiction
They want essays, 1,000-5,000 words, by unpublished writers (see guidelines). They are currently reading for the Travel Nonfiction category – “Stories should be factual and true accounts of a trip taken by the author or a person or persons known by the author.” Please read the guidelines carefully; “contest runners-up and winners are expected to remain on the site for as long as the Preservation Foundation exists.”
Value: $200; $100
Deadline: 30 October 2023
Open for: All unpublished writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
U.S. Naval Institute General Prize Essay Contest
This prize is for US-based writers, for an essay of up to 3,000 words on rethinking how Sea Services will have to address national, strategic, and operational challenges in an era of intense global competition, and how they will have to fight – see guidelines for the theme details/suggestions. The contest is open to “all contributors – active-duty military, reservists, veterans, and civilians”, according to their guidelines.
Value: $6,000, $3,000, $2,000
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Open for: “All contributors – active-duty military, reservists, veterans, and civilians”
Details here.
(See all of U.S. Naval Institute’s contests here, including those with November deadlines.)
The Young Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction
This is a prize for young UK writers for two categories, ages 11-15 and 16-19. They want historical fiction of 800-2,000 words. The fiction can be in any form – a story or an extract from a longer work, a poem or drama script, a fictional diary, letters, or reportage. The story can be set at any time in history, as long as it is an identifiable period before the author was born, in a world recognisably different from the present. They want mailed entries only.
Value: £500 travel and research grant for two category winners
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Open for: UK residents aged 11-19
Details here and here (download the entry form)
She Does the City: New Voices Fund
This fund is open to women, non-binary, and transgender writers, who have less than 20 bylines to their name and are Canadian residents, by She Does the City. “The New Voices Fund has been established to offer opportunities to talented writers who’ve not yet been discovered. If you love to write about the arts and entertainment, or have a compelling personal story to share, you’ve come to the right place. Chosen writers will receive a $200 honorarium.” Some of the topics they are interested in are: Your personal experiences as an artist; Unique perspectives within Canada’s arts & entertainment industry; and Creative projects that inspire positive change; Strong opinions, or emotional responses, to contemporary art and pop culture (recent films, TV series, plays, books, art exhibits).
They also have monthly themes, but writers can send submissions outside of these themes, as well.
Value: CAD200
Deadline: Unspecified
Open for: Emerging Canadian women, non-binary, and transgender writers (see guidelines)
Details here
(Also see She Does the City’s general pitch guide for freelancers here.)
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
