These are calls for submissions and contests – for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the themed calls are: Medusa; maps & biomes; preteens; the sea; wildfire; solarpunk; lunarpunk; prehistories; after the Gold Rush; human monsters; madam president; vacant spaces; and war. Also see this list for more themed calls, and this list of speculative fiction calls; a few deadlines are coming up.

THEMED SUBMISSIONS

Riddled With Arrows: Spotlight 2022
“For this special issue we seek writers and artists currently working in metafiction, metapoetics / ars poetica, and / or any other genre or media which ultimately explores, examines, celebrates and / or in any other way spotlights the process and product of writing as art, particularly as it relates to modern writers, readers, and consumers.”
Deadline: 11 March 2022
Length: Up to 1,500 words for fiction and nonfiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: $25
Details here.

Dear Poetry Journal
Their guidelines say, “Your poems should identify their dears, whether by direct dedication, title, and/or contents. Your dears can be anyone or anything; we are up for your creative interpretations, just so long as you’re on theme!”
Deadline: 14 March 2022
Length: Up to 3 poems
Pay: $5
Details here.

Tempered Tales: Medusa
Tempered Tales is a new upcoming magazine by Brigids Gate Press, a new pres started in February 2021. They are looking for fiction and poetry on the Medusa theme. “The work can be set in any time period, including now or the future. It can rely heavily on her mythology or just give it a nod. It should be her story, good or bad. Horror, fantasy, dark fantasy, mystery, or any combination of mash up welcome.” They are open for other submissions in June (do not send work for those projects now).
Deadline: 15 March 2022
Length: 100 words for drabbles, 500-1,500 words for short fiction, up to 350 words for poetry
Pay: $0.08/word for short fiction; $50 for poetry and drabbles
Details here.
(Submissions are also open for Moonflowers & Nightshade, an anthology of Sapphic horror. The anthology “will include a diverse group of stories, including but not limited to stories involving genderqueer, non-binary, BIPOC, genderfluid, lesbian, trans, bisexual, and pansexual characters.” Pay is $0.04/word, and the deadline is 1 April 2022.)

Dark Matter Magazine: Human Monsters Anthology
Dark Matter Magazine was established in 2020. They publish science fiction and horror stories, work “on the shadow side of reality”. They are reading submissions for their first trade anthology, in the horror fiction genre. “We are looking for stories centered around one of our favorite sub-genres, Human Monsters. We enjoy twisty-turny, dark, psychological, thrilling, dangerous, menacing, gothic, strange, ugly, murderous, messed-up tales of people doing awful, no-good, very bad things to one another. We are not looking for anything cosmic, paranormal, science fiction, cryptid/creature, or supernatural at this time. Just monsters in human skin”.
Deadline: 15 March 2022
Length: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.

Mythulu Magazine: Three themes
They publish speculative fiction, nonfiction, and cartoons/graphic panels. They’re reading work for three issues. Please note, for graphic stories, rough storyboard pitches for each theme are due much earlier than the deadlines listed below – see guidelines.
— Maps & Biomes: “Innovative settings are the foundation for new genres. Why do readers care about maps and what makes a map legendary?
On the business side, how do you make your map earn an ROI? And most of all, what makes a world good enough to spawn a new genre?
Submit short stories that feature wildly original biomes or bizarre weather. Show us settings fundamentally at war with character needs.” Deadline 15 March 2022.
— Wildly Original Fairy Tales & Myths: “Capture an adulthood dilemma so universal it transcends culture and time—then explain it so a child can understand.
Any era. Any world. Any hero or antihero.
Focus on the hardest-earned lessons of your life. The things you wish someone had explained to you earlier, and wrap that wisdom in a package “younger you” would have adored.” They do not want reimagined fairy tales. They want “unique shorts in the poetic style of myths and fairy tales.” Deadline 16 June 2022; rough storyboard pitches due 7 April.
— Symbiosis: “Submit co-authored stories in any genre. Also looking for non-fiction commentary and experiences with co-created projects. Co-authoring is rising in popularity, both as a way to satiate the ravenous demand of readers more quickly, and to leverage team imaginative advantages. We’re curious about the pros and cons of this strategy. Naturally, we also host a Devil’s Advocate column to whoever provides the best cautionary advice regarding cooperative labor.” Deadline: 1 October 2022; rough storyboard pitches due 7 April.
Deadlines: See above
Length: 500-2,800 words for fiction; 200-1,200 words for nonfiction; up to 8 pages for graphic-style stories
Pay: $0.04/word for creative works, capped at $75 for short stories; $0.08/word for nonfiction; $30/page up to $150 for graphic stories
Details here.

Flame Tree Publishing: First Peoples Myths and Tales
This is a speculative fiction anthology from Flame Tree Publishing. This collection is “inspired by stories of the first peoples in Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, the first migration, the first exploration, the discovery of land and landscape without the footprint of humankind. Stories of injustice will sit with memories of hope and wonder, dreamtime tales of creation and joy will highlight the enduring spirit of humanity.
We are looking for submissions from writers with appropriate heritage, whose stories will be cast alongside ancient myths and legend from around the world and will bring new perspectives to the legacy of First Nations, of First Peoples. The stories themselves can be speculative, fantastic, mythic or folkloric, they can delve into themes such as colonisation, other worlds, natural ecology and utopianism, they can be challenging and adventurous.” They also accept reprints.
Deadline: 16 March 2022
Length: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.

(For more submission calls for underrepresented writers, please see this list by Emily Harstone – a few deadlines are coming up.)

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Preteens; Teenagers; and other themes
They publish nonfiction stories and poems, of up to 1,200 words, on specific themes. They have extensive guidelines on each theme, excerpts of which are below.
— Preteens: This book is about preteen years (ages 9-12). “Scientific research has proven that being thankful improves your health, your cognitive functions, and your relationships. Young people who see the silver linings, count their blessings, and maintain a positive perspective weather the ups and downs of life much better than those who bemoan their fates and focus on the negative.
We’re looking for your uplifting true stories and poems about how you used the power of gratitude to change your own life while you navigated the preteen and teenage years. You’ll help readers through your examples and your personal tips on how to use thankfulness and appreciation.” They have several suggested topics, including: Learning that less can be more; Realizing that possessions are not as important as other things, like relationships and family; Doing for others – volunteer work, random acts of kindness; Appreciating your family members. The deadline is 30 March 2022.
— Teenagers: This book is about teenage years (ages 13-19). The premise is the same as for the Preteens book, above, except that this one talks about the teen experience. The deadline is 30 March 2022.
They also have other themes listed, with deadlines later in the year: Angels; Cats; Crazy, eccentric, wacky, lovable, fun families; How stepping outside my comfort zone changed me; Messages from heaven; Miracles; Thanksgiving, Xmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa & New Year’s; The advice that changed my life; and The power of positive thinking.
Deadlines: 30 March 2022 for both Preteens and Teenagers
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $200.
Details here (themes), here (guidelines), and here (submission portal).

B Cubed Press: Three themes
They are open for speculative fiction, essays, and poetry submissions for three anthologies. They will also accept reprints.
— Madam President: “Madam President is the name on the door.
Who that is and what it means is up to you.” Deadline: 30 March 2022
— Alternative Holidays: “Holidays as seen through the speculative fiction window”. Deadline: 30 March 2022
— Scott’s Planet: This is a shared-world anthology. “FTL Travel Happened. Putting Colonies in space became cheap. Everyone had one. Then the bubble burst. The Colonies were abandoned. But not everyone wanted to leave. This is their story.” Deadline: 30 May 2022
Deadlines: 30 March for Madam President and Alternative Holidays; 30 May 2022 for Scott’s Planet
Length: 500-5,000 words for Scott’s Planet; for Madam President and Alternative Holidays, “Story length for our books average about 2200 words but have ranged from 100 to 7500 words. However, we only use one or two stories over 5000 words and our advice is to keep it under 5K, unless we communicate in advance.”
Pay: $0.03/word + royalties
Details here.

Lackington’s: Prehistories
Lackington’s wants speculative fiction on the ‘Prehistories’ theme. “We’re indulging our obsession and going “Prehistories” at last. What does your fiction speculate about sunken Doggerland or the vanished human species that homo sapiens displaced? How would you fill in the traces left by the Sea Peoples and other Bronze Age cultures we know next to nothing about? What does your fantasy look like using only Stone Age tech? If you have tales about megafauna, archeologists, ancient Earth, or low-tech secondary worlds, we want to read them.” The speculative element may be subtle or overt. “Fantasy, SF, slipstream, post-apocalyptic, magic realism, mythopoeia, folktale, grimdark, weird, or any flavour of ‘punk, it’s all good … we prefer stories with experimental prose and structures”.
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Length: 1,500-5,000 words
Pay: CAD0.01/word
Details here.

Cohesion Press: SNAFU – Dead or Alive
This is a fantasy, horror, and science fiction anthology by Cohesion Press. They want “action-based horror, themed within conflict in the wild, wild West. … anything that can be considered a high-action monster story set within an obviously Western theme. … We want lots of monster goodness and lots of action.
We will also be looking for soldiers/cavalry, bandit gangs (or bandidos, for south of the border), sheriffs, private security for gold claims. … Just ensure the action is central to the story, from start to finish, and don’t forget monsters!”
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Length: 2,000-10,000 words
Pay: AUD0.05/word
Details here.

(Submissions are also open for several anthologies from Shacklebound Books: War Torn, a reprint military science fiction or stories which feature science fiction in a big way, pays $20, deadline 1 April 2022; Maelstroms, tales of dark fantasy on the high seas, pays $0.01/word, open until filled; Dread Space, dark military sci fi/military sci fi horror pays $0.01/word, open until filled; Drabbledark, an anthology of dark drabbles and Planetside, science fiction drabbles – both drabble anthologies are non-paying and open until filled.)

Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing: Abandoned – An Anthology of Vacant Spaces
They want stories “exploring the phenomenon of full spaces gone empty. … You must include some sort of abandonment, whether real or virtual, that concludes by the end of the story to meet the theme requirements.” Some ideas are: “A videographer meets a ghost in a haunted house.
A lone explorer finds an abandoned spaceship.
An old base on the bottom of the ocean offers treasures to a deep-sea scientist. But who built it?”
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Length: Up to 7,000 words
Pay: $50
Details here.

Android Press: Two anthologies
They are open for two fiction anthologies.
— Cyberpunk-Solarpunk Anthology: They want solarpunk stories, which depict climate change as an opportunity for transformation and adaptation, are about social justice, and portray positive visions of the future, as well as cyberpunk stories, which depict the stark contrast between the haves and the have nots in technologically-advanced, dystopian cityscapes. They also accept reprints.
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Length: 500-7,500 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.

— Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology: This is a fiction and poetry anthology. “Lunarpunk tells optimistic and hopeful stories about future societies led by genuinely diverse communities and powered by renewable energy, where nature and technology coexist in harmony rather than in conflict.” Also, “The main difference between (Solarpunk and Lunarpunk) is the aesthetics not the politics. … in many ways it can be thought of as a gothic take on solarpunk. … think of solarpunk and lunarpunk in terms of a dicotomy. If solarpunk is about bright colors, daylight and sun, science, community, etc… then lunarpunk is about darker colors, nighttime and moonlight, spirituality … introspection and more individual focus”. And “In addition to hopeful and optimistic stories with a lunarpunk aesthetic, we’re looking for stories that highlight the spiritual side of futures where society is more utopian.​”

Deadline: 30 April 2022
Length: 500-7,500 words for fiction, up to 5 poems for poetry
Pay: At least $0.08/word for fiction, $30 for poetry
Details here.

(And Solarpunk Magazine is open for its Lunarpunk issue, accepts fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art, pays $0.08/word for fiction of 500-7,500 words, deadline 14 March 2022.)

Third Flatiron: After the Gold Rush – Future SF, climate change, economics
This is a speculative fiction anthology. Their guidelines say, “Complications of booms and bubbles. Possible topics might include
– Effects of accelerated culture (e.g., what the Internet’s doing to society)
– Ecological consequences caused by human over-expansion, such as climate disasters
– Economics: The Dutch had the tulip craze; California had the Gold Rush (a weird Western might work here.) Today, it’s cryptocurrency and supply chains. In future planets or civilizations, what will become the most valuable commodity?” (They also publish flash humor pieces of up to 1,000 words.)
Deadline: March 15th- 1 April 2022
Length: 1,500-3,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here (scroll down for theme details) and here (payment details).

Cemetery Gates Media: Picnic in the Graveyard
This is a horror fiction anthology. They want horror stories that take place in a cemetery/burial place.
Deadline: 1 April 2022
Length: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.07/word
Details here.
(Submissions are also open for the This is… wrong! horror trilogy of offbeat horror from Black Hart Entertainment; they want everything from nastysplattergore to comedy fiction, and poetry; pay is $10, and the deadline is 31 March 2022.
And Shredded: A Sports and Body Horror Anthology is also open for submissions. Pay is $0.03/word for stories and the deadline is 31 March 2022 for general submissions, and 7 April 2022 for writers from marginalized identities.)

Seaborne: The sea
They publish fiction, nonfiction, and poetry about the sea. Fiction can be in any genre, “albeit we prefer folklore, gothic, fabulism, magic realism, weird and mysterious works. For vignettes, we are looking for pieces … which capture the essence of the sea, brief but evocative, like a message in a bottle.” For creative nonfiction, send “creative and personal essays, nature writing, historical & travel pieces, or evocative accounts of true stories.”
Deadline: 3 April 2022
Length: 1,500-4,000 words for fiction; 800-2,500 words for creative nonfiction; up to 3 poems
Pay: £5
Details here.

Terrain.org: Wildfire
They want fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, multimedia and mixed genre pieces about wildfire in this climate crisis. “Wildfires… are burning at an astonishing scale—from Algeria to Siberia, from the wetland marshes of the Brazilian Pantanal to the foothills of Athens and the shores of Lake Tahoe.
The era of a solo ranger watching for smoke from a fire lookout tower is over. We are all called to be on the lookout now. Whether you live on the frontlines of wildfire, in the constantly shifting plume of toxic smoke, or care deeply for the people, animals, and places that are affected by fire, we invite you to explore how we are shaping this era of megafires and how it is shaping us.”
Deadline: 4 April 2022
Length: Up to 5,000 words for prose, up to 6 poems
Pay: $200
Details here.

Consequence Forum: human consequences and realities of war and geopolitical violence
Consequence Forum is an independent, non-profit organization that publishes two monthly features online (in addition to other online content) and a print journal in the fall and the spring. They publish fiction, nonfiction (interviews, reviews, essays, and narrative nonfiction), poetry, reviews, visual art, and translations focused on the human consequences and realities of war and geopolitical violence. Submissions are considered for either the print journal or an online feature. One way they determine if a piece is better suited for online is if it lends itself to the electronic medium (i.e. longer works, work that uses space in innovative ways, pieces easily accompanied by audio and/or video, etc).
Deadline: 15 April 2022
Length: Prose up to 5,000 words; up to 5 poems
Pay: $40-80 for print prose and $80 for online prose; $40 per online or print poem; $20-40 for reviews; $200 for art
Details here.
(Also, Ukraine-themed poems, fiction, essays, and artwork submissions as well as general submissions are open for Wordpeace, a digital literary magazine on peace and social justice. The deadline is 1 April 2022. There is no payment.
And Mascara Literary Review’s deadline for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry on the Resilience theme has been extended to 20 March 2022. Pay is AUD200.
Apart from these, Panel Magazine, a magazine of fiction, poetry, nonfiction and the arts, is open for submissions from writers in Central and Eastern Europe, and to those writing about Central and Eastern Europe. Pay is €20, and the deadline is 1 May 2022.)

Water Dragon Publishing: Two themes
This is an imprint of Paper Angel Press focused on publishing fantasy and science fiction. They’re open for two themed anthologies, and also for unthemed SF and fantasy short fiction, called Dragon Gems.

— The Future’s So Bright: This is a science fiction, fantasy, humor, and weird fiction anthology. “If you could catch a glimpse of the future, what would you hope to see? An environmentally-friendly paradise? High-tech advancements? Newly-evolved species of wildlife?
For this collection, we want positive visions of the future. Show us terraces covered in gardens and solar panels, sprawling colonies under glass on Mars, and the explorers of tomorrow.”
Deadline: 30 April 2022
Length: 2,000-8,000 words
Pay: $0.02/word
Details here.

(Another call for stories of hopeful futures is Hopepunk, from Mithila Review; accepts fiction and poetry, pays $0.08/word for the first 5,000 words of fiction, deadline 20 May 2022.)

— Corporate Catharsis — The Work From Home Edition: This anthology “gives you the opportunity to explore the impact of the COVID pandemic on your personal and professional life through your speculative fiction. We’re certain that you can, far too easily, find inspiration from your real or virtual workplace. Magic, mayhem, revenge — and, yes, perhaps even redemption — can all be found there.” Also, “Your story does not need to be set in a corporate environment. We welcome stories involving, among other settings, retail, education, or stay-at-home parenting. Your story can be from whatever genre best fits its theme, but should contain some fantastical element.”
Deadline: 30 July 2022
Length: 2,000-10,000 words
Pay: $0.02/word
Details here.

THEMED CONTESTS

The Joan Shorenstein Fellowship
This is a residency/fellowship from Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy. “The mission of the Joan Shorenstein Fellowship is to advance research in the field of media, politics and public policy; facilitate a dialogue among journalists, scholars, policymakers and students; provide an opportunity for reflection; … The primary focus for a Fellow is to research, write and publish a paper on a media/politics topic.” Also, “Past fellows include journalists from local, national and international TV, radio, print, and digital media; media and civic technology innovators; nonfiction authors; political advisors and policymakers; leading academic scholars in fields such as media research and political science; and policy analysts. Successful former fellows have come from a variety of backgrounds and career stages.” Applicants must be a working journalist, politician, scholar or policymaker currently or recently active in the field. For the Fall semester, the deadline is in March; for the Spring semester, the deadline is in September.
Value: $30,000; residency
Deadline: 15 March 2022
Open for: Non-fiction authors and journalists
Details here.

Limp Wrist: 2022 Glitter Bomb Award
Limp Wrist publishes the work of LGBTQ poets, non-binary poets, and their allies; read more about them here. Writers can send up to three poems, each poem a maximum of two pages. Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English—other languages are okay to include, as long as the majority of the poem is in English. Translations are not eligible.
Value: $600; $50 for honorable mentions
Deadline: 24 March 2022
Open for: LGBTQ/Nonbinary poets and their allies
Details here and here.

Invisible City: Blurred Genres Flash Contest 2022

Invisible City is an online publication of the MFA in Writing Program at the University of San Francisco. Contest submissions must be 750 words or less and can be flash fiction, prose poetry, or some unique combination of the two.

Value: $500, $200, $100
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
BreakBread Magazine: Villena Aldama Art & Writing Contest
This contest is for writers under 25 years. Writers are invited to submit work in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art/hybrid forms that adheres to BreakBread Magazine’s submission guidelines. BreakBread publishes work by creatives under the age of 25.
Value: $250 in each genre
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Open for: Writers under 25
Details here and here.

(Another essay contest, for undergraduate students in an American college or university, who are legal residents of the US and aged 18 years or over, is the New York Times Modern Love College Essay Contest. The winner gets $1,000; the deadline is 27 March 2022. Other contests for US-based writers are the National Endowment for the Arts’ Creative Writing Fellowships for poets, awards $25,000, deadline 10 March 2022; and Creative Capital Awards – one of the categories this year is literature – fiction, poetry, nonfiction, genre-defying literary work, and socially engaged and/or sustainable text-based practices, and the theme is Wild Futures: Art, Culture, Impact. These awards grant $50,000 each, and the deadline is 1 April 2022.)

Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award
This international grant is for supporting the recipient in crime fiction writing and career development activities. She or he may choose activities that include workshops, seminars, conferences, and retreats, online courses, and research activities required for completion of the work. This is for an emerging writer (see guidelines). The application process includes a writing sample – an unpublished piece of crime fiction, written with an adult audience in mind. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress, 2,500 to 5,000 words.
Value: $2,000; the winner can choose from a range of activities
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Open for: Writers of color
Details here.

A Public Space Writing Fellowship
This is an international six-month fellowship for emerging writers, and the aim is “to seek out and support writers who embrace risk in their work and their own singular vision.” Three fellowships will be awarded. Writers get editorial support from A Public Space editors to prepare a piece for publication in the magazine; an honorarium; the opportunity to meet virtually with members of the publishing community, including agents, editors, and published writers; the opportunity to participate in a public reading and conversation with A Public Space editors and contributors. As part of the application process, writers have to submit a prose piece, up to 8,000 words; if selected, the piece submitted will be the piece published in the magazine.
Value: $1,000 each
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Open for: Writers who have not yet published or been contracted to write a book-length work
Details here (announcement with Submittable link)

The Restless Book Prize for New Immigrant Writing
This is a prize for a debut literary work by a first-generation immigrant. The prize alternates between fiction and non-fiction. For this cycle, they are reading non-fiction manuscripts. Non-fiction submissions can take the form of a memoir, a collection of essays, or a book-length work of narrative non-fiction. The submission should address some combination of identity, the meeting of cultures and communities, immigration and migration, and today’s globalized society. Non-fiction submissions must consist of either a complete manuscript, or a sample of at least 25,000 words and a detailed proposal that includes a synopsis and an annotated table of contents. All submissions must be in English (translations welcome). Candidates must not have previously published a book of non-fiction in English. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also gets publication.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Open for: First-generation residents of their country
Details here.

Hugo House Writer-in-Residence
This residency in Seattle is for practicing, published writers and writing teachers who are experienced working with writers of all levels in a traditional workshop setting, and on a one-on-one basis as a mentor. For this cycle, they are accepting applications for two writers in residence, one for poetry, and one for prose. They should have a specific artistic project they are working on during their residency (e.g., developing a manuscript for publication) and should have a special interest in helping writers become better writers and fostering an appreciation of the craft. The application includes a writing sample. Their guidelines also say, “If you do not meet some of the eligibility requirements, but have demonstrated success in other categories, our panel will weigh the components of your application accordingly. Also, “Writers-in-Residence teach a minimum of two six-week classes per calendar year (subject to approval) as part of the Hugo Classes program and will receive separate compensation for teaching.”
Value: $500 per month for 12 months, additional compensation for Hugo Classes
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Open for: Published writers
Details here.

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
This prize is for humor poetry. Submit a poem of up to 250 lines.
Value: $2,000 and a subscription to Duotrope; second prize of $500; 10 prizes of $100 each
Deadline: 1 April 2022
Open for: All poets
Details here.

The Fountain Essay Contest: Revival
They want an essay on the topic (post-Covid) ‘Revival’. See guidelines for details on the theme. Ideal length is 1,500-2,500 words. Read the FAQ carefully, any of the entries may be published, whether or not they win the prize.
Value: $1,000, $500, $300; two prizes of $150 each
Deadline: 1 April 2022
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Alpine Fellowship Prizes: Three prizes for creative writers
Apart from themed Poetry, Writing, and Theatre prizes detailed below, they also have a Visual Arts Prize, and an Academic Writing Prize. The theme for the 2022 symposium is Freedom. Applicants can enter more than one prize in a single year, but it must be with different pieces of work; one piece of work can only be entered once.
— Poetry Prize: This international prize is awarded for poetry on the Freedom theme. Writers can submit one poem or a collection, of up to 500 words. Winners and runners up will be invited to attend the symposium.
Value: £3,000
Deadline: 1 April 2022
Open for: All poets
Details here and here.
— Writing Prize: This international prize is awarded for the best piece of writing on the Freedom theme (up to 2,500 words in any genre except poetry), which is the theme of the 2022 Alpine Fellowship Annual Symposium. The winner and two runners-up will be invited to attend the symposium.
Value: £10,000, £3,000, £2,000
Deadline: 1 April 2022
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.

— Theatre Prize: This prize is awarded for the best play on the Freedom theme. It is aimed at encouraging theatre writers at the start of their careers to explore and challenge philosophical ideas using the dramatic form. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also gets a rehearsed reading at the Fellowship’s annual Symposium to which they will be invited to attend. Runners up will be invited to attend the symposium to exhibit their work. To apply, applicants must send: 1) A treatment of your idea in response to the theme; up to 500 words; 2) A sample of previous work of at least 10 pages; and 3) A 3-4 sample pages of your proposed script or a 1-2 detailed page synopsis of your story. The final piece must be 45 minutes in length and require no more than four actors.
Value: £3,000
Deadline: 1 April 2022
Open for: All playwrights
Details here and here.

Robert Louis Stevenson Fable Competition
This is for writers globally – write a fable in up to 350 words, in the style of Robert Louis Stevenson; and they accept entries from minors as well as multiple entries. See the website for tips and examples of appropriate themes. Please read the guidelines carefully, all entrants grant the Robert Louis Stevenson Club the right to publish any entries. This project supports Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022.
Value: £500, £100
Deadline: 2 April 2022
Open for: All writers
Details here.

A couple of contests with later deadlines are:
— Coastal Shelf: Two contests: They will be open for two contests with cash prizes; writers can send one fee-free submission for each contest. The FuPo Poetry Contest is for “funny and poignant” poems; and the Ceiling 250 Contest is for very short fiction or prose poetry under 250 words long. The prize is $500 for each contest, and non-winning entries will be considered for the journal, which pays $30. The reading period for the contest is 1-30 April 2022. Also, regular submissions to this journal are usually charged, but they have some fee-free periods. Details here.
— The Black Orchid Novella Award: This is an international contest for novellas (15,000-20,000 words) that confirm to the tradition of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series. They should focus on the deductive skills of the sleuth. They are not looking for derivatives of the Nero Wolfe series, or the milieu. They accept mailed submissions only. The prize is $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and the deadline is 31 May 2022 (postmarked). Details here.

Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.