Flame Tree: The Book of Demons
They want horror stories for The Book of Demons, an anthology in their Beyond & Within series. “Whether they be evil spirits and fallen angels from the ranks of the Judeo-Christian Devil and his infernal minions, or listed in the magick dictionaries and grimoires from the late 16th century to the 20th century, or spirits and tricksters from myriad cultures and legends around the world, or even the perils of addiction or trauma – in one form or another, demons pervade storytelling globally. They are legion.
So the demons in your story could derive from an existing belief or culture, could be newly imagined, or could be a metaphor for human tragedy and struggles. We want your unique, horror-inflected, interpretation for this next anthology of stories, all about the otherworld of demons.” They do not want reprints. They are looking to get around four stories from this open call for the anthology.
Deadline: 7 June 2026
Length: 3,000-4,000 words (will also read slightly outside this range – see guidelines)
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here. 

Space & Time Magazine: Sharpen Your Tools
Space & Time publishes speculative flash fiction and poetry. They now have monthly themes, and you can submit during the first week of every month. During the June submission period, the theme is ‘Sharpen Your Tools’. “We seek boundary-breaking speculative work with fiction and poetry that disrupts, illuminates, and transforms. We welcome genre-blending stories that combine horror, science fiction, and fantasy into a compelling whole.
We also accept submissions in Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Italian for translation into English.”
Deadline: 7 June 2026
Length: Up to 1,000 words for fiction, up to 35 lines for poetry
Pay: $0.01/word for fiction, $5 for poetry
Details here and here.

Mslexia: Gold
They accept submissions by women-identified authors only, of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, pitches, and fun projects. For fiction and poetry featuring in Mslexia Showcase, they want work on the Gold theme: “Let your mind dwell on glinting nuggets, necklaces, filigree and rings.”
They also have interesting sections in each genre; for instance in fiction, they have a section called The World’s Wife, in which they want a fictional prose monologue in the voice of the wife, mistress, sister, daughter, mother of a famous real or fictional person. Some of their submission sections are for subscribers only, and a few are closed, but many of them are open to all writers.
Deadline: 8^th June 2026 for the showcase theme; varies for others
Length: Varies
Pay: £30 (see here)
Details here (scroll down and click on various sections/genres).

Agita Publishing: Side Hustle – Horror Stories for Late Capitalism
This is a fiction anthology. “A particularly insidious aspect of late capitalism is that a lot of people can’t survive without taking second jobs, gig work, seasonal employment. Depending on your source, it could be as much as a third of the world’s population. These jobs are already horrifying enough: no benefits, shitty pay, dangerous conditions. But what if they were… darker?
Side Hustle is an anthology of horror and dark science fiction stories about the extra work we do to stay afloat. Uber driver for the damned. Security guard for a room without doors. Freelance editor of unspeakable codexes. Vendor of cursed small appliances on ebay. Grave robber. Whatever extra job you have to take to pay the bills, whatever you need to sell to stay alive, we want to hear about it. 
We encourage formal experimentation. A horror story told in receipts, in delivery app ratings, in an email exchange over the purchase of a defective homunculus, in an academic CV. How can you explain these gaps in your resume?
We also encourage submissions from outside the United States. What does gig work look like where you live?” They have an extended submission window for underrepresented writers (see guidelines).
Deadline: 14 June 2026 for general submission; extended submission window for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled authors June 15-21
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here.

(Submissions are also open for Tundra Swan Press’s Earth Resists and Reclaims, an eco-horror anthology. They have detailed guidelines and pay $50 for stories of 2,000-6,000 words; the deadline is 15^th June 2026.)

Baffling Magazine: Gossip
Baffling Magazine, published by Neon Hemlock Press, publishes “speculative stories that explore science fiction, fantasy, and horror with a queer bent. We want queer stories and we want trans stories and we want aro/ace stories. We want indefinable stories. We welcome weird, slipstream, and interstitial writing.” They want fiction on the Gossip theme, as well as unthemed fiction.
Deadline: 15 June 2026
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
(Neon Hemlock Press will also open for submissions for their Novella Series from 15^th to 30^th June 2026 for trans women and writers of color; details here – scroll down.)

Cast of Wonders: Banned Books Week 2026 – The Seeds That Grow
Cast of Wonders is a YA speculative fiction podcast and magazine; they’re open for submissions for their annual Banned Books Week call and the theme for 2026 is The Seeds That Grow. They have detailed guidelines, including, “For Banned Books Week 2026, we want to see stories themed on the power of Little Free Libraries, and their science fictional/fantastic equivalents. Send us your stories of story seeds finding fertile soil, of green shoots of hope, capsule libraries cast out into the universe. You can see the ALA's Banned Books Week theme of 'Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read' and more … We aim for a 12-17 age range”. They prefer stories of up to 5,000 words, though can accept works up to 6,000 words. They also accept reprints. Cast of Wonders is part of the Escape Artists suite of magazines.
Deadline: 15 June 2026 (see schedule)
Length: See above
Pay: $0.08/word for originals, $20-100 for reprints
Details here (theme details – see Banned Books Week 2026) and here (general submission guidelines).

(And their sister magazine, Escape Pod, is open for science fiction and fiction reprints for a special theme, Democratic Futures, relating to the future of democracy; they pay $0.08/word for originals; the deadline is 30^th June 2026; see the announcement here, their general guidelines here, and the submission portal here.)  

In a Flash: Recipes
In a Flash is a Substack-based literary magazine and they publish one piece of themed flash nonfiction a month. For June 2026, the theme is Recipes. Send a creative nonfiction piece of up to 500 words on this theme. The submission period for each month’s theme is from the 1^st to the 15^th of that month. Do not send work outside of the reading period. And, “We’ll also spotlight the author with a Q&A section.”
Deadline: 15 June 2026
Length: Up to 500 words
Pay: $25
Details here (general guidelines) and here (theme for this and coming months). 

Cracked Anvil Press: Off the Broken Path – Dark Tales of Enchanted Forests
They want stories featuring enchanted forests for this anthology. “Tell us tales of enchanted forests. Stories filled with grit and gore. Tales of warning and woe. And if your story ends happily… make sure your characters bleed for it.
We like to be surprised. Excited. Engaged. Preferring short, compact prose to long, drudgy sentences. Stories that move quickly, with subtle set ups and brutal pay offs.” Regarding genre / theme, they want “Fantasy. Grimdark. Horror. With enchanted forests taking a central role in the story. (With a preference for fantasy settings.)”
Deadline: 15 June 2026
Length: 1,000-5,000 words (can accept shorter or longer – see guidelines)
Pay: $5
Details here.

Campfire Publishing: Savagery on the Salty Seas
They want maritime-themed horror stories for this call. “The ocean has long been a place of mystery, haunted by the brutality of colonizers, voyages that never arrived at port, the often-fatal whims of pirates, and shrouded in the shadows of mythology and folklore.
Campfire Publishing is keeping its eye out for a wide range of chilling voices that anchor us in tales of horror on the high seas from seasoned to novice, we LOVE publishing and supporting newer writers!
We want twists and turns, thrills and chills; We never want to look at the ocean the same way again!”
Deadline: 15 June 2026
Length: “10,000 (can be slightly higher or lower, but stories 7,500 words and under may not be considered.)”
Pay: $50
Details here.

Occult Detective Magazine: Folk Horror Special #1
“We are looking for PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED stories – reprints to which you own the rights – which:

• Fit with the themes and tone generally considered Folk Horror, rural or urban
• Have some investigative element(s) in line with our regular ODM publications” (You can read the general guidelines for Occult Detective Magazine here.)

They also say, “we may well take ONE or TWO new, unpublished stories to add spice, but competition for those very limited slots will be fierce.” And, “We hope for a broad selection of submissions, including Folk Horror from other than the UK and USA, and with a diverse range of protagonists/central characters and settings. Stories concerning LGBTQ+ and BIPOC characters welcome as usual.”
Deadline: 19 June 2026
Length: 5,000-10,000 words
Pay: £25 for reprints, £0.01 up to £50 for originals
Details here.

Transcendent Fiction Publishing: Mertails Anthology
They have detailed guidelines for this fiction anthology, including, “Mertails is an anthology about merfolk - traditional mermaids or something a little more exotic. Stories can be of any genre, so long as the primary characters are merfolk of some aspect. The stories can be urban fantasy, high fantasy, or for those bold enough, the editor would love to see some sci-fi takes.” This call is open to all writers.
Deadline: 30 June 2026
Length: 2,000-10,000 words
Pay: AUD0.01/word
Details here. 

Belanger Books: The Detective And The Ghost Finder – The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes And Carnacki
This is a fiction anthology. “Sherlock Holmes once said, “No ghosts need apply”, adhering to scientific deduction over spiritualism. Carnacki, the Ghost Finder was an occult detective who used sophisticated technology to investigate supposed supernatural occurrences. Together, these two great detectives must solve crimes where the rational and irrational merge. Will they unmask charlatans or will they uncover demons in their midst? Will Holmes have to concede that sometimes, ghosts need apply? … We are looking for NEW, UNPUBLISHED tales which must feel like traditional Holmes and Carnacki stories. The stories should have the canonical Holmes and Carnacki working together to solve a mystery, set in their natural late Victorian/Edwardian period.
Watson may or may not make an appearance, as may Dodgson and others of Carnacki’s circle. Remember, Carnacki’s stories had rationale endings just as often as those involving the supernatural. Both types of stories are acceptable for the anthology.”
Deadline: 30 June 2026
Length: 5,000-10,000 words
Pay: $100
Details here (scroll down).
(Belanger Books also has other Sherlock Holmes themed submission calls with later deadlines, details here.)

Book Worms Horror Zine: Summer edition
They want fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for their 11^th issue. “Pack your poisonous bug spray, your Blair Witch map, and your messiest mess kit—then join us for our campiest issue yet!
This summer, Book Worms Horror Zine is heading to camp, and we want your creepiest, campiest horror stories to share around the fire. We’re talking classic summer scares like Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp, and The Evil Dead—but don’t be afraid to blaze your own twisted trail. Conjure a new type of monster crawling up from the pond scum, turn a Kumbaya sing-along into an alien abduction, or dream up something so strange and disturbing we’ll never leave home again.” Please note, submissions by all authors (barring those they have previously published) have to be mailed (see guidelines).
Deadline: 15 June 2026 (must be received by this date)
Length: Up to 1,500 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.

[RECORDED] A Found Media Anthology
The editor wants fiction submissions; any genre is welcome though horror is preferred. “I adore "found footage" horror. I want more found media fiction in my life. That's why I'm editing [RECORDED] — an anthology of found media fiction, to be published in 2026. I'm seeking stories (any genre, horror strongly preferred), told as found media; think stories written as emails, as transcripts from videos, as social media posts, forum threads, audio recordings, whatever. I love it all.” Regarding genre, they say, “horror, science fiction, fantasy, noir, weird—I have a preference for speculative but will read anything as long as it's about found media!” They also accept translations. Please note, they will run a crowdfunding campaign for this anthology. The submission form will be active during the reading period. They offer $50 for stories of 500-1,200 words, and $150 for stories of 1,201-3,000 words; more if funding stretch goals are met.
Reading period: 15^th to 30^th June 2026
Length: 500-3,000 words
Pay: See above
Details here.

Kilter & Rammel Publishing: Fun in the Dark – Small Town Weirdness
This is a fiction anthology in their Fun in the Dark series, and the theme is Small Town Weirdness. “We welcome submissions in a variety of genres – horror, science fiction, fantasy, weird or bizarro fiction, crime/mystery etc. As long as your story clearly fits with both the theme of the individual anthology and within the overall tone of the series – fun yet dark – we want to see it!
Regarding the theme, they say, “At the heart of “small town weirdness” is the contrast between the comforting familiarity of life in a small community and the inexplicable, unsettling or macabre happenings that might befall the residents or visitors! So, we’re looking for stories set in places where the ordinary or mundane sits alongside the bizarre or uncanny. Think insular communities with odd traditions, strange or eccentric locals, buildings with mysterious histories or geography that behaves in weird, unnatural ways.
Although we refer to “small town weirdness”, we’d also be happy to see submissions set in villages, gated communities, suburbs etc. — anywhere there’s a small, tight-knit residential community is suitable.”
Deadline: 30 June 2026
Length: 2,000-5,000 words
Pay: £20
Details here.

The Truth We Carry: An Anthology of Survivor Voices
“The anthology is focused on publishing creative work from survivors of domestic abuse and sex trafficking. While survivorship and/or lived experience with abuse or exploitation is a prerequisite to being published with The Truth We Carry, and we do expect submissions to deal with some aspect of being a survivor, your submission does not have to be autobiographical, and it can be fiction. The consistent element we look for an “aha!” moment about the survivor experience.”  And, “Please note: We aim for ~75% of published work to be from Maine survivors.” They will accept submissions till 30^th June 2026, or until they meet their submission cap, whichever is earlier.
Deadline: 30 June 2026, or until filled
Length: Up to 3,000 words preferred
Pay: $100
Details here and here.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings
They publish themed non-fiction prose and non-fiction poetry. They have detailed guidelines as well as several suggested topics their themes. One of their upcoming themes is Count Your Blessings. “One of the most important keys to contentment and happiness is the ability to count your blessings. Even during the toughest times, if we can find gratitude and count our blessings we feel better. Each day holds something to be thankful for and it could be just as simple as having the sun shine or having food on the table.
There is always a silver lining if you look for it.
We are looking for stories about how you count your blessings. Stories can be serious or funny but definitely should be inspirational and heartwarming. Attitude adjustments, finding contentment and gratitude, a new way of handling your daily life, and other great ideas to inspire readers to find their own paths to happiness and to remember to count their blessings every day are what we are looking for.”
They have other themes listed too, with later deadlines.
Deadline: 30 June 2026
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $250
Details here and here (also see other tabs on this page, including FAQ).

Fear in Dust: Ghosts
Fear in Dust is a new horror poetry zine. They are reading for their inaugural issue, and the theme is Ghosts.
Deadline: 30 June 2026, or until filled
Length: 1 poem (up to 60 lines)
Pay: $5
Details here and here.

Tractor Beam
They accept speculative fiction and comics. They have detailed general guidelines, including, “We are looking for original written and graphic works exploring anti-apocalyptic futures on Earth that have actionable soil-based technologies as their premise.” About the upcoming issue theme, they say, “There’s a Mandinka proverb: rice fields that share borders share the same waters. Neighbors share more than fences; they share seasons, soil, and whatever tempestuous, whorling thing runs between them—animal, vegetable, or otherwise.
For the sixth issue of Tractor Beam, we’re looking for stories about the role of water in soil, growth, land, and ecosystems large and small. We are specifically seeking anti-apocalyptic visions that explore the future of water in farming and food production, island ecologies, hybrid sea-soil technologies, the people who move water and the people water moves. Stories about drought, diaspora, and what gets carried downstream.
There’s a reason hunger symbolizes longing and thirst symbolizes need. No matter how rich the soil, a seed needs the catalyst of water to grow. Water is the original technology.
We’ve been calling this the water issue, but it’s as much the fluidity issue, the migration issue, the can’t-contain-the-flood issue, the can’t-survive-without-it issue. There are no borders that can contain water, and no borders that will contain the fallout of not having enough.
As anyone who’s irrigated anything knows, water goes wherever it wants to go.”
Deadline: 30 June 2026
Length: Up to 6,000 words for fiction
Pay: $1,000
Details here and here.

The New York Times: Modern Love
Modern Love is a nonfiction column of the New York Times. 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.” Modern Love has two submission periods, March through June, and September through December. Writers are paid. They especially welcome work from historically underrepresented writers, and from those outside the US.
Deadline: 30 June 2026
Length: 1,500-1,700 words
Pay: Unspecified
Details here.

Infernal Museum: Galactic Mindsea Empire – Wonderdomes
This is a shared-world anthology; Infernal Museum only publishes stories set in their Galactic Mindsea Empire and information on the Empire is on their website; “Start with a quick overview on the Galactic Mindsea Empire in a Nutshell page. More tips on getting started can be found on the untold tales page.” For this anthology, they want stories about special chemical pools in the Empire, called wonderdomes. “The Empire uses wonderdomes for many purposes. The float pool can heal the injured and restore the (recently and not too damaged) dead to life. It can reform criminal minds and return balance to disturbed minds. It can change a person's gender and alter their appearance in countless other ways, even adding non-human organs and appendages. What can't a wonderdome do?
More about wonderdomes can be found on the Home-level Tech page”.
Deadline: 30 June 2026
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Pay: $0.04/word
Details here.

Inkd Publishing: Two themes
They want submissions for two fiction anthologies. Both stories have to be submitted via different submission forms on their website. US authors also get a contributor copy – see guidelines.
-- Beyond the Red Line: “The act of redlining is born of segregationist ideologies from financial institutions to prevent services like healthcare, credit and insurance from being provided fairly to Black and Brown residents, cutting them off, and its practices continue to haunt the majority of us today from a socioeconomic standpoint. Through it all, we persist, but in these stories, location has NEVER stopped supernatural horrors or unknown anomalies….
Show us the past, present, and future across the red ink rivers of blood, sweat, and tears that carve throughout different lands across the country and even, the world in its different forms and names.
Horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy short stories that are told from the other side of town, where haunted, million dollar mansions don’t exist. We’re not looking for hauntings behind ornate doors with gilded knobs. We’re looking for time traveling public transit. The failed gentrification of haunted halfway houses. The home loan that takes more than you bargained for in the fine print…
What cryptid slithers around the grounds of the trailer park taking cigarettes and souls? 
Do aliens browse for human specimens in your apartment complex? 
What evil grand wizard cursed the land you live in, poisoning the air and creating food deserts in your communities?
What tales lie across the tracks and Beyond the Red Line?” Deadline: 30 June 2026
-- Cthulhu Awakens: They want stories for their Lovecraftian anthology. “This is horror. Express yourself as the theme moves you.
Incorporate the Lovecraftian theme as you will into your horror story. Not all need contain an eldritch horror, remember The Alchemist. Good writing will triumph over concepts tightly aligned to a perception of the theme.” Deadline: 15^th August 2026
Deadlines: See above
Length: 2,000-6,000 words for each anthology
Pay: $10 + royalty share
Details here  (Scroll down for Beyond the Red Line)

Dark Ink: Movie Horror Themed Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. “We are currently accepting submissions for an upcoming horror anthology centered on movies, filmmaking, and the act of watching films—where cinema itself becomes the doorway to terror.” And, “Each story must involve movies or filmmaking in some capacity.” Send horror or dark thriller stories. Dark Ink is an imprint of AM Publishing.
Deadline: 1 July 2026
Length: 2,500-6,000 words
Pay: $20
Details here.

Thema: Waiting in Line
They publish three themed issues a year. They accept short stories, essays, poetry, and art. Their upcoming theme is ‘Waiting in Line’. They have other themes too, with other deadlines. They also accept reprints. Only writers outside of the US can submit by email, US-based writers have to post their submissions.
Deadline: 1 July 2026 (see guidelines)
Length: Up to 20 pages for fiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: $10-25
Details here.

Liars’ League: Women & Girls – MURDER & MISCHIEF
They want themed short fiction in any genre – flash fiction, short stories. and novel extracts (so long as they can stand alone). One of their upcoming themes is Women & Girls – MURDER & MISCHIEF:““Only 1/3 of our submissions come from female authors, so our annual Women & Girls theme celebrates stories written & performed by women – and this is its 10th anniversary! To commemorate 50 years since the death of Agatha Christie, the Grande Dame of Crime, the theme for this event in 2026 is Murder & Mischief (which could include robbery, blackmail, kidnapping, burglary, fraud, theft & any other criminal-adjacent capers). The only restriction is that both the story’s author & the protagonist(s) should be women.”  Apart from cash payment, Liars’ League offers reading of your story by a professional actor, as well as podcast, video and online publication of your work.
Deadline: 5^th July 2026
Length: 800-2,000 words
Pay: £20
Details here and here.
(Liars’ League has other themes listed too, with later deadlines; Rag & Bone, their Halloween theme, has a 6^th September deadline; and Grit & Glitter, their Christmas theme, has a 1^st November submission deadline; details here.)

Eye to the Telescope: Aliens
They want speculative poetry on the ‘Aliens’ theme. “From close encounters to first contact to space operas to UFO Earth visits, stories about aliens or extraterrestrials proliferate in our diverse cultures and communities. Aliens can take on many forms: humanoid, animal-like, plant-like, virus-like or completely divergent from species on Earth. They can be hive-minded or individualistic, coming from other worlds or dimensions. Their presence can be metaphors for migrations, conflict, cooperation, friendship, anxieties, the unknown, the familiar or obstacles. They can live in egalitarian societies or hierarchies of power. They can be serious and scary, as well as whimsical, expressive, cute, cordial or funny. What do they look like? What do they do for fun, for work? What do they eat? What do they wear? What do they want? Why are they here? Why are we there—in their homeworlds or at some mutual location? Looking to weave a vibrant issue on ETs and their interactions with humans or species of various experiences and backgrounds! Open to free verse, scifaiku, humor, rhyme, concrete poetry and more!” They also accept translations. Deadline: 15 July 2026
Length: Up to 3 poems
Pay: $0.05/word (up to $25)
Details here.

Black Hare Press: The Emerald City – Multigenre Anthology
This is a multi-genre anthology (horror, spec fic, science fiction). The theme is The Emerald City; “What’s in your verdant city?” They have several suggested topics that you can write on, including, but not limited to,
-- In the aftermath of a toxic apocalypse, does the green fog that shrouds the city hide something worse than the air?
-- Do dragons rule the skies, the streets, and the seas?
-- A man on the edge of his sanity painting everything green? Why?
-- Do zombies rot in the streets they rule?
-- Why is the flora taking over the deserted city?”
Deadline: 19 July 2026
Length: 3,000-10,000 words
Pay: $20
Details here (theme details) and here (general guidelines).

Scylla: The Monstrous & The Divine Sapphic Anthology
Authors must be female identifying or non-binary; and the main character/s must be sapphic/wlw. They want short and flash fiction as well as poetry for this anthology. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Submissions should focus on Sapphic goddesses and monsters as you’ve not seen them before. Bring them down from the heavens and out of the caves. While goddesses and monsters aren’t like us, they do still crave the company of ones who love, fear and worship them. Not necessarily in that order.” And, “Sapphic urban fantasy, political fantasy, magical realism, sci-fi of ALL kinds, contemporary fantasy, weird fiction, and/or gender-bent takes are all welcome. Just make it speculative! Special consideration will be given to mythologies outside Greek and Roman (though interesting takes on these are still welcome).
We are interested in goddesses and mythic monsters hailing from all cultures and backgrounds.” They also accept reprints. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 31 July 2026 (5 PM AEDT)
Length: Up to 1,000 words for flash fiction and poetry; 2,500-5,000 words for short fiction
Pay: AUD0.10/word up to AUD400 for original fiction; up to AUD100 for reprints
Details here.

Whitaker Lyon Press: Meet Virginia – A Romance Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. “Calling all meet-cute enthusiasts! We’re looking for short romance stories that hook you in and refuse to let you go. We’re talking red wine spilled on your ex-boss’s new (and very attractive) fiancé, rival pickleball players getting stuck in a haunted elevator, estranged lovers who reunite for the first time in ten years—at their wedding on national TV. One catch: your story has to have a Virginia element, whether that’s a main character who plays for the Flying Squirrels, a best friend who’s determined to move to Chincoteague, or a beloved family pet named Ol’ Dominion. We’re looking for a wide range of meet-cutes with variable levels of spice, ranging from short and sweet to spicy and sweeping.” Stories can be in any romantic subgenre (contemporary, rom-com, fantasy/romantasy, western, historical, paranormal, sports, etc). And,  “While stories must have a Virginia element, writers from anywhere in the world are welcome.”
Deadline: 31 July 2026
Length: 1,500-7,500 words
Pay: $20
Details here.

A Midnight Kind of Place Anthologies
They want horror fiction for their themed anthologies. Three of the anthology themes, which invite submissions from all writers, are:
-- Rats (“Who doesn’t love a good rattish tale? Stories can be around any topic or theme, but must include rats as a key part of the story.”);
-- Wasps (“Don’t you just hate wasps? Aren’t they the devil’s own minions? Stories can be around any topic or theme, but must include wasps as a key part of the story.”);
-- Spiders (“Creep us out with your best spider stories. Stories can be around any topic or theme, but must include at least one spider as a key part of the story.”); and they have a limited-demographic anthology as well,
-- The Best of Scottish Horror (where they invite horror fiction from Scots only – see guidelines).
They also accept reprints for all of the anthologies.
Deadline: 31 July 2026
Length: 1,000-10,000 words
Pay: £30 for originals
Details here.

The First Line Journal
They want fiction (any genre) and poetry that begins with pre-set first lines, one for each quarterly issue. For non-fiction, they want critical articles about your favorite first line from a literary work. For fiction and poetry, the first line for the Fall issue is:
‘The line of people stretched all the way around the block.’
Deadline: 1 August 2026 for the Fall issue
Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction; 500-800 words for nonfiction
Pay: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for non-fiction, $10 for poetry (less postage fee for international contributors – see guidelines)
Details here.

-- BOA Editions: Blessing the Boats Selections 2026: Blessing the Boats Selections spotlights poetry collections by women of color. Send a poetry manuscript; one poet receives book publication and an honorarium of $1,500; deadline: 15 June 2026; details here.

-- PEN/Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History: For literary works of non-fiction that use oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement; two grants of $15,000 each; deadline: 15^th June 2026; details here and here.

-- PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants: An international grant to support the translation of book-length works of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or drama; grant of $2,000-4,000; deadline: 15^th June 2026; details here and here.

-- The PEN/Bare Life Review Grants: Recognize literary works by immigrant and refugee writers; two grants of $5,000 each; deadline: 15^th June 2026; details here and here.

-- The PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists: Applicants must have already published one work for children or young adults by a US trade publisher that was warmly received by literary critics, but whose work has not yet attracted a broad readership; grant of $5,000; deadline: 15^th June 2026; details here and here.

-- PEN America: US Writers Aid Initiative: A one-time grant to address an emergency situation; for professional writers – fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists in the US; application period: 1-15 June 2026; details here.

-- Academy of American Poets: James Laughlin Award: For a second full-length poetry manuscript by a US poet, contracted by a publisher; cash award of $5,000 and a weeklong residency at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida; deadline: 15 June 2026; details here and here.

-- Anne Brown Essay Prize: An essay prize for Scottish writers; awards £1,500; deadline: 15 June 2026; details here.

-- 4^th Write Short Story Prize: a fiction competition open to Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers living in the UK or Ireland, for a story up to 6,000 words; the contest is promoted by HarperCollins; prize £1,000, deadline: 19 June 2026, details here.

-- The BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest for Caribbean Writers: A short story contest for Caribbean-descended writers. There are two categories, with different eligibility requirements; The BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize and BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean; prizes: $1,750 each; deadline: 1 July 2026; details here (click on the relevant categories).

-- The International Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation: Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award, an opportunity for non-American TV scriptwriters under the age of 30; the winner will be flown to New York City to be presented with an award and a $2,500 prize at the International Emmy World Television Festival; deadline: 1 July 2026; details here.

Associates of the Boston Public Library: Alan Andres Writer-in-Residence
The fellowship aims to provide an emerging children’s/YA writer with the financial support and office space needed to complete one literary work for children or young adults. The year-long fellowship also entails working at the library. Eligible projects include fiction, non-fiction, a graphic novel, script, memoir, or poetry intended for children or young adults. About who can apply, they say, “There is NO residency restriction to apply, but you must be able to spend at least nineteen (19) hours per week at the Boston Public Library’s Central Library in Copley Square. Must be legally eligible to work in the US, as a U.S. citizen or green card holder.” Applicants cannot have prior professional book publications. Application includes a writing sample and a proposal.
Value: $70,000, can request an additional $2,500 for training or hiring a professional (see guidelines); use of a private office (see guidelines)
Deadline: 5 June 2026
Open for: Those eligible to work in the US, as a US citizen or green card holder
Details here and here.
(Also see their Alan Andres Picture Book Writer Fellowship for unpublished picture book writers who are U.S. citizens or green card holders living in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Vermont); the award is $25,000 and the deadline is 5^th June 2026, details here.)

The Dream Foundry Emerging Writers Contest
This is a contest for emerging writers of speculative fiction (it is for writers who are relatively new to paid or incoming-earning publication of speculative short fiction in English; please check detailed eligibility rules on their website). Send a speculative fiction story of up to 10,000 words. They want short speculative fiction only (science fiction, fantasy, weird fiction, etc.); do not send stories that have no speculative element. Submission is via a form on their website.
Value: $1,500, $750, $400
Deadline: 8 June 2026
Open for: Emerging writers of speculative fiction
Details here.

Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest
This is for junior and senior division (11-14 and 15-18) students worldwide. The theme for this ocean awareness contest is Your Story, Our Ocean (see guidelines) for this cycle. There are various categories: Visual Art (handcrafted and digital); Poetry & Spoken Word; Creative Writing; Film; Performing Arts: Music & Dance; and Interactive & Multimedia. Please also see their various special awards, including  (but not limited to) the We All Rise Prize – five prizes of $500 each, in each category - for youth in the U.S. who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Latine.
Value: Awards ranging from $1,000 to $100 in each category; various special prizes (see here)
Deadline: 8 June 2026
Open for: Students ages 11-18
Details here.

Preservation Foundation Contest: General non-fiction
This is an international contest for unpublished writers (see guidelines). Their upcoming deadline is for the general non-fiction category: “Any appropriate nonfiction topic is eligible. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. So-called "creative nonfiction" will not be considered.” Entries should be 1,000-5,000 words. Please note, they want all entries, regardless of whether or not they win, to be on their website for as long as the foundation exists (see guidelines). Also see contests in other genres, which have deadlines later in the year (Biographical non-fiction: 31^st August; and Travel non-fiction: 31^st October 2026.)
Value: $200, $100
Deadline: 30 June 2026 for general non-fiction
Open for: Unpublished writers
Details here (scroll down).

Singapore Unbound: SUSPECT Poetry Contest
This is an international poetry contest, formerly called the Singapore Unbound Poetry Contest. They want poems that use both the words “minor” and “deconstruction”, together or separately, in imaginative ways.
Value: $300, $200, $100
Deadline: 30 June 2026
Open for: All poets
Details here.
(See all of Singapore Unbound’s contests and submission calls, fee-free and fee-based, here.)

Richard J. Margolis Award
The award is for non-fiction writers of social justice journalism. It is for a promising new journalist or essayist whose work combines warmth, humour, wisdom and concern with social justice. Applications should include 2-3 non-fiction writing samples, up to 30 pages. At least one sample should be non-memoir material. Apart from a cash prize, the winner also gets residency at Blue Mountain Centre artists’ colony. They also say, “Applications are accepted year round but must be received by July 1 for consideration for the current-year award. Applications received after this date will be considered for the award in the following year.”
Value: $10,000, residency; $1,000 for runners-up
Deadline: 1 July 2026
Open for: Non-fiction writers of social justice journalism
Details here and here.

The Forum Essay Prize: Science and the arts
This is an essay prize run by Forum of Modern Language Studies (Oxford Academic) and is open to all researchers, whether early-career or established. The theme this year is, Science and the arts. They have detailed guidelines, including, “The topic may be addressed from the perspective of any of the literatures and cultures (including literary linguistics, translation and comparative approaches) normally covered by the journal: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Slavonic, and Spanish. Please note that material of a predominantly social science or sociological nature falls outside our scope.
We are seeking submissions that focus on literature, film, art, or other cultural outputs that relate to the subject of “Science and the arts”, be that through engaging with the theme more broadly, or with regard to specific aspects of the theme as it relates to the discipline(s) covered by Forum for Modern Language Studies.” The winning essay will also get published in an issue of Forum for Modern Language Studies. Submission is via a form.
Value: £500
Deadline: 1 July 2026
Open for: All researchers, whether early-career or established
Details here.

Hubert Butler Essay Prize
This is a themed essay contest, of up to 3,000 words, for writers who are UK or European Union citizens. “The Hubert Butler Essay Prize is intended to encourage the art of essay-writing with a European dimension and to expand interest in Butler's work.” The subject for the 2026 essay prize is: ‘‘“Poetry makes nothing happen” (W.H.Auden). What impact can high culture make in the real world?
The quotation in the essay title is taken from Auden’s elegy for Yeats, written in 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. In times of global conflict, there can be an acute awareness of the impotence of art. What impact, if any, can high culture have in a world threatened by disaster?”
Value: €2,500
Deadline: 3 July 2026
Open for: UK or EU citizens
Details here.

On the Premises: Less
They want a story based on a prompt on their website. For this cycle, the prompt is Less. “For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story in which one or more characters are trying to make something–anything–smaller in some way. Trying to change their behaviors (“I will ____ less”) or their weight counts, and so does inventing a way to make something faster (“this process will take less time”). So does inventing a shrink ray.
In the spirit of the contest premise, you get less space to work with this time. Stories must be between 1,000 and 3,000 words long. Usually you can go as long as 5,000 words, but not this time! This time you must work with LESS!“ They do not want children’s fiction, exploitative sex, over-the-top grossout horror, or stories that are obvious parodies of existing fictional worlds/characters created by other authors.
Value: $250, $200, $150, $75
Deadline: 3 July 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here (general guidelines) and here (theme details).

The Orchards Poetry Journal: Grantchester Award
In each issue, two poems will be eligible for The Grantchester Award. Regarding submissions they say, “While we encourage rhymed verse in traditional forms, we also accept finely wrought free verse.” Send up to 3 poems, preferably unpublished. They do not have a deadline listed, but they do say, “We are now OPEN for submissions for the Summer 2025 issue. The journal is released biannually (usually in July and December), in print and online.”
Value: $50, $30
Deadline: Open now
Open for: All poets
Details here.

-- The H G Wells Short Story Competition: This is an international short story contest; they want short fiction of 1,500-5,000 words on this year’s theme, The Cheat (see FAQ). There is no fee for The Margaret and Reg Turnill Competition for young writers, i.e. for those under 21 years, and the prize for that is £1,000. The deadline is 7 July 2026. Details here.

-- Drue Heinz Literature Prize: This is for previously published writers (see guidelines). The prize is for a manuscript – they want a short story collection, or two or more novellas. “Eligible submissions include an unpublished manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 300 pages.” They also accept translated manuscripts. There have been changes to the prize in 2026, including expanded eligibility criteria, which you can review here. The (increased) award is $25,000, and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract. The submission period is 1^st to 31^st July 2026, and it is open for published writers worldwide (see guidelines). Details here and here; the relevant category will open in their Submittable during the submission period.)