Orion Magazine: Memory and Place
Orion is an environmental magazine and they’ve issued a themed poetry call for a special issue. “Orion is excited to announce that its Spring 2027 issue, on Memory and Place, will contain a special expanded poetry section. As such, the magazine will hold an open call for poetry submissions. Coinciding with Orion’s 45th anniversary, this special issue will explore subjects like the politics of memory and borders, the specificity of place, rootedness and relationality, and cultural preservation and dispossession. … Our poetry call will be open from September 1oth-15th, or until we reach 800 submissions. We ask each poet to please submit only one poem, and for that poem to not exceed two single-spaced pages.” A slot will open on their submission portal for this call during the reading period. Do not send work in other genres for this call.
Reading period: 10^th to 15^th September 2026, or until filled
Length: One poem (see above)
Pay: $200
Details here (scroll down to ‘Poetry’).
(Orion is also accepting unthemed article pitches for the magazine till 15^th September 2026; do not send other genres. Pitching is via a form. Details here.)

The Icarus Writing Collective: Alchemy
The Icarus Writing Collective is a mythic magazine, and their tagline is ‘adapt, retell, transcend’; they have a detailed About page: “Despite the Greek influences on the aesthetics of the zine, we heavily encourage writers to adapt from their own cultures and favorite mythologies.” They want flash and short fiction, as well as art, on the Alchemy theme: “Science and magic. Transmutation and transformation.
The search for knowledge and the limitless bounds of humanity.
Elixirs, potions, curses. Alchemical, elemental, fantastical.” Submission is via Google forms.
Deadline: 10 September 2026
Length: Up to 1,000 words for flash, 1,000-5,000 words for short fiction
Pay: $5
Details here.

Flame Tree Anthologies
They are open for four anthologies: two romantic fantasy anthologies, as well two anthologies in their Myths, Gods, & Immortals series.

• Of Love Forbidden: “Supernatural lore forges together lands, courts and families. It is in place to tighten generations and is knitted together by legend and tradition. If mistreated, it threatens to unravel entire realms. Forbidden love is the trickiest of all, and these compelling stories will explore the heart’s desires set against the backdrop of complicated politics and societal expectations. Where alliances are everything, these flawed romances play out before fae, mortals and beasts. When the head and heart battle one another, one must seal their fate: either keeping peace and harmony or severing deep bonds that could threaten to tear apart worlds… all in the name of love.” (Deadline: 13^th September 2026 for Of Love Forbidden.)
• Of Fae & Fire (scroll down): “The world of fae is the perfect bewitching setting for matters of the heart. These mysterious beings can be trickster figures, ruthless and immortal, morally dubious or harmoniously good. They can take a range of forms, and we encourage originality and creativity in imagining how their magic unfolds. Drawing on ancient folklore or reflecting the modern world, we welcome stories that explore the politics and power surrounding fae courts, hidden forest realms, or other fantasy lands beyond human laws. Combined with fire, whether that’s through elemental magic, dragons, precious objects forged in flame, slow-burn romance or intense passion, we’re looking for stories turning up the heat with high stakes!” (Deadline: 13^th September 2026 for Of Fae & Fire.)
• Icarus: “He is famous for flying too close to the sun, but what else do we know about Icarus? Son of master craftsman Daedalus, he is inextricably linked to the myth of the labyrinth, Theseus and the minotaur. But he does not play the role of hero, merely of a boy who succumbs to hubris, high-flying ambition or weakness in the face of dizzying heights, depending on your interpretation. Mentioned only fleetingly by various classical writers, this character nonetheless possesses strong moral and psychological symbolism that has inspired art and literature throughout the mediaeval, Renaissance and modern periods. Now it is your turn to investigate and extrapolate his possible stories, whether following his path in the mythological era, reinterpreting him for today's world or setting him in an imagined future, whether literally 'Icarus' or metaphorically so. We seek original stories riffing on the theme.” (Deadline: 4^th October 2026 for Icarus.)
• Pandora: “Forever identified with the box – or more accurately, jar – that unleashed all the horrors in the world, Pandora is the archetypal first woman of Greek myth. According to Hesiod, she was the ‘beautiful evil’ that set the precedent for all women to follow. Pandora was devised by Zeus (in punishment on mortals for the gift of fire by Prometheus), moulded from clay by Hephaestus and endowed with gifts from other gods. She herself was presented as a gift – and a curse. Variously interpreted through the ages as an act of mild naivety, insatiable curiosity, or malicious intent, Pandora’s opening of the jar and the nature of its contents have often reflected attitudes and beliefs of the times. We’re looking for stories that give voice to the character of Pandora, explore wider events, motives and consequences, or imagine alternative settings and modern equivalents.” (Deadline: 4^th October 2026 for Pandora.)

Deadlines: See above
Length: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word for originals, $0.06/word for reprints
Details here and here.

Cursed Morsels: A Food Systems Horror Anthology
They want both horror and Weird fiction for this anthology. “Food systems include all infrastructure involved in the growth, production, distribution, marketing, sale, consumption, and disposal of food. For this project, writers are welcome to write about present-day food systems, historical food systems, or food systems for worlds that have never existed.”
Deadline: 14^th September 2026
Length: 2,000-5,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here (scroll down).
(Cursed Morsels is also looking to publish a single-author horror and Weird fiction short story collection of 40K to 60K words; the submission deadline is September 14^th; details here.)

Waxen: Labor
They accept short fiction, poetry, and art. “We are interested in the weird, the occult, the surreal, and the horrific.
We love experimentation.” They are open throughout the year, with cut-off dates for issues; please note, their Fall issue is full and they’re reading submissions for the Winter issue, on the Labor theme.
Deadline: 15 September 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction
Pay: $50
Details here.

Metphrastics: Wounds
This is an online poetry zine inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. They publish ekphrastic poetry only, responding to the Met’s permanent collection and select special exhibits; you can read more about them here. “We welcome submissions year-round responding to works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection and special exhibits - all areas, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, costume, musical instruments, and the Met building itself. All styles are welcome from poets around the world.” For their Fall issue, they want poetry on the Wounds theme: “This can be a literal or abstract wound depicted in a painting, a “wounded” or damaged work of art itself, kintsugi and other artistic repairs of “wounds,” weapons that have caused wounds, having your heart broken in the Egyptian Wing, or any other way you’d like to interpret this prompt.” The deadline for this theme is mid-September.
Deadline: 15 September 2026
Length: Up to 3 poems
Pay: $10/poem
Details here.

The Dionysian Public Library: Slashed Budgets -- An Anthology of Corporate Horror
This is a fiction anthology. “Overtime that never ends. Poverty wages that are never enough. A work-life balance that feels more like death. The Library is now open for the fourth installment in our annual series of themed Halloween collections, Slashed Budgets: An Anthology of Corporate Horror. Send us your tales of labored labor, of fingers bloody from filing, of upward mobility gone wrong. As wealth stratification increases, opportunities for safe and fair work become harder to find, and the cost of living gets higher and higher, we are looking for stories about the struggle of trying to survive the daily grind and the world which demands it.”
Deadline: 15^th September 2026
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Pay: $10
Details here
(They have other projects listed on the guidelines page, as well.)

Liminal Lit: After
Their tagline is, ‘For voices that exist between cultures, languages, and belonging.’ You can read more about this on their Mission page. They’re reading submissions for their second issue, and the theme is After: “After explores what remains, what changes, and what begins following moments that shape us. We invite poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction that interprets this theme in original and compelling ways.
We encourage broad interpretation, whether your work reflects on memory, transformation, grief, joy, migration, family, identity, love, language, resilience, or entirely unexpected places the theme may lead.” Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 15^th September 2026
Length: Up to 3,500 words for fiction, 800-2,500 words for nonfiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $100
Details here.
(And, Shenandoah will open for unthemed fiction submissions on 10^th September, and close when they reach their submission cap; they accept short fiction and novel excerpts up to 8,000 words; their submission portal will open during the reading period. They pay. Details here.)

Inkd Publishing: Constellations of Becoming – Queer Futures and Other Worlds
They want submissions for fiction anthologies, and the deadline for one of these is in September. ‘Constellations of Becoming – Queer Futures and Other Worlds’ is “an anthology of speculative fiction centering queer voices, characters and imaginations. It’s a collection of stories across the speculative spectrum — science fiction, fantasy, horror, magical realism and beyond — that explore imagined worlds, alternate realities, transformative possibilities and the many ways queer lives persist, evolve and dream.. Good writing will triumph over concepts too tightly aligned to a perception of the theme. We encourage you to weave the theme into an engaging story with well-developed characters and deep emotion.” Stories have to be submitted via a form. US authors also get a contributor copy – see guidelines.
Deadline: 15 September 2026
Length: 2,000-7,000 words
Pay: $10 + royalty share
Details here (Scroll down)
(Inked Publishing is accepting submissions for two other anthologies as well: Hidden Villains: Enigma, a speculative fiction anthology with a bass beat of a hidden villain and a tale involving an Enigma, deadline 15^th November; and Noncorporeal V: Disquiet, for which they want spooky stories – see guidelines for details, deadline 30^th November 2026; submission for each anthology is via a different form; details here.)

Chicken Soup for the Soul Anthologies
They publish themed nonfiction prose and nonfiction poetry anthologies. A couple of their deadlines are in September:

• 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.” The submission deadline for Count Your Blessings has been extended to 15^th September 2026.
• Random Acts of Kindness: “Small gestures can make a big difference in someone's day, even in someone's life. In our fast-paced world many people tend to only pay attention to what is important to them.
  … We are looking for true stories about random acts of kindness that have happened to you or stories about a kindness that you performed for someone else. Stories can be serious or funny but they should definitely inspire our readers to look for ways in which they can perform kind acts.” The submission deadline is now 30^th September 2026.

They have other themes listed too, with later deadlines: Humorous Stories; Married/couples stories; Cat Stories; Dog Stories; Pet Stories; Holiday Stories; Married/couples stories; and Stories about Positive Thinking.
Deadline: See above
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $250
Details here and here (also see other tabs on this page, including FAQ).
(Submissions are also open for Canid Literary & Arts: they publish “Tributes to womankind’s best friend”. “Canid Literary & Arts is an annual journal devoted to our species best friend–the dog. We are a print publication committed to publishing poetry, short stories, creative nonfiction, and are committed to showcasing exciting and inclusive work across genres. Canid seeks work that challenges us to see the crossroads where the human and dog experiences meet in new and honest ways through both established and emerging voices.” The submission deadline is 30^th September 2026. They pay a token amount. Details here.)

The Green Sheaf: The Crone
You can read about The Green Sheaf here. They want submissions on The Crone theme. “For our Fall 2026 issue, we are seeking flash fiction and poetry that features the Crone, in all her glory, from female-identifying & gender fluid writers who are 50 and over.” They have detailed guidelines, including, “Who is YOUR version of The Crone?
Is she the fierce Morrigan, or is she the Cailleach?
Is she the elder Hecate, or is she the Baba Yaga?
Is she Grandmother Spider, or Nana Buluku?
Has she given out her last fuck, or has she settled gently into a well-deserved rest?
Or, maybe a little bit of both?
Whoever she is, please make this your own.” The editor loves folklore, fairy tales, mythology, and the mystical, and also enjoys the speculative, the darkly fantastical, folk horror, the weird/numinous, the surreal/strange, the gothic, and magical realism/slipstream. Submission is via Google forms.
Deadline: 18 September 2026
Length: Up to 500 words for fiction, up to 50 lines for poetry
Pay: $50
Details here.
(Submissions are also open for the Women With Weapons Anthology from Blaft Publications. Your story should prominently feature a woman wielding a weapon. “*Or many weapons. Or many women, wielding many weapons.
**Trans women are women.
***Non-binary weapon wielders are also welcome.
… Your story may be in any genre. It may be set in the past, present, or future. … This call is open to writers of all genders residing anywhere in the world. However, we are an Indian company, and will give preference to stories that will work for our primarily Indian audience.” Also, your story must FAIL the REVERSE BECHDEL TEST – please see the guidelines for details. They pay INR3,000 + INR3/word for stories of 1,000 – 8,000 words. The deadline is 15^th September 2026; details here.)

Flash Fiction Online: Human-Shaped
Flash Fiction Online is accepting speculative fiction submissions only for the current submission period, on the Human-Shaped theme: “With the recent dramatic leaps in artificial intelligence, the question of what makes us human has never felt more pressing, complex, and relevant. For this call, we're asking for the inverse, stories about what is only "human shaped."
This is not a call for stories about AI. We want you to think more broadly—from recognizable human-shaped creatures like vampires and zombies, to shapeshifting aliens and doppelgangers to, yes, robots, and beyond.”
Deadline: 30^th September 2026, or until filled
Length: 500-1,000 words
Pay: $100
Details here.
(And Flash Fiction Online will open for unthemed flash fiction – both speculative and literary – on 1^st October 2026, and close when they hit their submission cap.)

Fear in Dust: Portals
This is a print journal for horror poetry. They want poetry on the Portals theme. Submission is via Duosuma. They want “Horror poetry with a specific focus on the unsettling while targeting a general audience with content appropriate for readers 13+”.
Deadline: 30 September 2026, or until filled
Length: One poem of up to 60 lines
Pay: $5
Details here.

Heartlines Spec
This Canadian magazine of speculative fiction and poetry wants work on long-term relationships; their goal us to publish at least 50% work from Canadian writers for each issue. “We're looking for short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. We don't want the blaze of new love or the obsession of a new friend. We want pieces that show that comfort that develops when people know each other for years.
Give us deep space, dusty frontiers, or dreamy fantasy. We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. … We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules.”
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Length: 500-3,500 words for fiction; up to 5 poems
Pay: CAD0.08/word for fiction; CAD60/poem
Details here and here
(Heartlines will next open an early submission window for equity-deserving groups from December 24^th to 31^st, and will open for general submissions from 1^st to 31^st January 2027.)

Air and Nothingness Press Anthologies
They publish speculative fiction anthologies. They want fiction for two themes:

• Are You Everything Alright: “Theme: Modern society is progressing toward nothing worth arriving at.
  Human rights, gender rights, immigrant rights, disability rights, climate rights, work rights. We are looking for stories about apocalypse issues, but those where people on the side of decency come out on top and those opposed have a very bad day. We'd like to see hopeful endings. This theme is subject to interpretation.
  We are open to stories of any genre for this particular open call.”
• Endings: “There are no beginnings to these stories. There are no middles. There are only endings.
  For this open call we want submissions comprising the last 15 minutes of the action/SF/fantasy story/film/book:
  the hero fights the dragon, the last ship departs the dying planet, the last desperate gambit of the remaining members of the team to defeat the final foe. Start your story mid-action if you like.
  We are open to F/SF genre stories for this particular open call.”

Deadline: 30 September 2026 for both anthologies
Length: Up to 2,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here and here.

Farlands Fiction Anthology: Space Ace
This is a fiction anthology. “The theme of the anthology is Space Ace, focussing on asexual and aromantic representation in science fiction. We are inviting authors to submit your science fiction short stories featuring asexual and aromantic characters.” Stories must be science fiction and in some way connected to the theme of space, and must feature at least one asexual and/or aromantic character in a prominent role. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Length: 1,000-10,000 words
Pay: £0.02/word
Details here.

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable: Odd and Even
They want fiction, poetry, and memoir, and the theme is Odd and Even. Send one piece of prose or one poem. They have detailed guidelines.
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Length: Up to 2,000 words for prose; one poem
Pay: $10 for poetry, $20-50 for prose (see guidelines)
Details here.

Laughing Man Press: Smitten Land Magazine – The Plagues
The theme is ‘The Plagues’. They want fiction with religious horror and biblical plagues for this issue of their magazine.
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Length: 2,000-10,000 words
Pay: $10
Details here.
(They’re also reading submissions for a fiction anthology, celebrating two years of religious horror; the deadline is 31^st December 2026. See The Smitten Land Anthology on their guidelines page for details.)

Black Anchor Publishing: Yuletide – A Horror Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. “Black Anchor Publishing is seeking short horror fiction for a winter anthology to be released for the 2026 holiday season.
We are looking for the darker side of the longest nights of the year. Christmas, the solstice, the deep of winter, the gathering, the feast and the celebration, all of it turned cold and blackened. We want the dread that lives under the tinsel, the thing waiting past the firelight, the old fear of a sun that might not come back.
What we do not want is the tired stuff. No slasher Santa. No killer Krampus. No evil elves. Those stories have been told to death, and we are steering hard away from them. Give us something quieter, older, stranger. Reach for the folk horror, the ghost story told at the hearth, the empty chair at the table, the carol heard where no one is singing, the guest who should not be there, the tradition no one remembers, but everyone still performs. Surprise us with the horror the season has always carried underneath.
All winter and holiday sub-genres are welcome, including Yuletide, folk, ghost, maritime winter, psychological, weird, and other seasonal horror, so long as the work is literary, atmospheric, and genuinely unsettling.”
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Length: 1,500-2,500 words
Pay: $0.01/word
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. 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 September 2026
Length: Up to 17,500 words
Pay: $0.04/word
Details here.

Independence Literary Review: Healthcare and Healing Folio
This literary magazine is affiliated with Baylor University; they publish online and in print. They accept unthemed nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, and art, and also works for the Healthcare and Healing folio. “Our first themed folio, “Healthcare and Healing,” will feature your creative explorations of healthcare, illness, and healing in their manifold forms. We want work that opens new windows of understanding into the body and the mind and the ways they can rupture, be repaired, be reconfigured, and be re-understood. We want to facilitate a conversation about what it means to care for ourselves and others with compassion, and the ways in which art can be a beacon of light in the process.” Prose can be flash length or longer; and regarding nonfiction, “in addition to personal essays, lyric essays, essays on place, and cultural criticism, we welcome graphic essays and speculative memoir.”
Deadline: 1 October 2026
Length: Up to 5 poems, up to 1,000 words for flash prose, up to 7,500 words for short prose
Pay: $50-200
Details here and here.
(Submissions are also open for Kenyon Review; they’re accepting unthemed submissions, as well as submissions on two themes.
“In 2027, our magazine will feature folios on the following themes:

• Contemporary Caribbean Literature
• Caretaking and the Giving of Care

We invite work that broadly interprets these themes. When you submit, you will have the option to identify your work for general submission or the themes.” They’ve listed the themes on their Submittable. They accept flash (up to 1,000 words) and short non-fiction (up to 7,500 words), fiction, and poetry. They also accept excerpts from larger works (up to 30 pages) as well as translations. They pay $0.08 per published word of prose (minimum $80, maximum $450) and $0.16 per published word of poetry (minimum $40, maximum $200). The submission deadline is 30 September 2026. Details here and here.)

Nomadic Delirium Press: Delicious Doubles – Pirates
They want science fiction stories on the Pirates theme. They will be selecting two stories for this publication. “We will be pairing two stories together from two different authors and publishing them together. The theme for the current collection will be PIRATES. We want science fiction stories of at least 5,000 words that have pirates as their main characters. Your stories can be set on a future Earth, or they can be set anywhere in the universe, but pirates have to be central to your story. We are most interested in a good story with believable characters. Good writing is what will give you one of the two spots that are available in this Double.”
Deadline: 1 October 2026
Length: At least 5,000 words
Pay: $50 (and potentially $50 more – see guidelines)
Details here.

Blue Cubicle Press: The Last Line
This annual journal wants stories that end with the line, ‘It was after midnight when we finally made it home.’ This line cannot be altered in any way. Please see their note about payment and contributor copies for overseas contributors.
Deadline: 1 October 2026
Length: 300-5,000 words
Pay: $20-40
Details here.
(The Last Line is a journal of Blue Cubicle Press, which also publishes The First Line journal, Workers Write, and Overtime.)

Thinking Ink Press: The Neurodiversiverse – Bridging Worlds
This is a speculative fiction, poetry, and art anthology; they want “Speculative fiction about neurodivergent people building bridges between alien worlds—for whatever that means to you”. They have detailed guidelines, and want “stories, poetry, and art with a range of neurodivergent perspectives on building bridges between worlds that are alien to each other. We invite you to put your spin on what that means, or to look to the first volume in the series, The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters for inspiration.
We welcome all stories well told, but we are particularly interested in tales of representation, empowerment, and own voices for neurodivergent people—especially stories which highlight how neurodivergent perspectives and experiences might give advantages when finding common ground between groups with alien cultures.” And, “For this anthology, we are particularly interested in short stories written by people who are neurodivergent.”
Deadline: 1 October 2026
Length: Up to 15,000 words for short stories (less than 7,000 words preferred), up to 1,000 words for flash, up to 200 lines for poetry (less than 100 lines preferred)
Pay: $100 per short story; $50 per flash fiction; $50 per poem (potentially more if Kickstarter is funded)
Details here.

Book Worms Horror Zine: Occult Horror
They want fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for their 12^th issue. “This Spooky Season, Book Worms Horror Zine is celebrating the kind of horror that truly gets under our skin: the things we’re not supposed to know.
Secret societies. Demonic cults. Government conspiracies. Forbidden rituals. A frat/sorority house with a hidden basement. A pajama party Ouija board game that goes horribly, horribly wrong. If there’s a secret—and something sinister lurking behind it—we want to hear about it.
We’re looking for stories that explore the fear of what’s hidden, what’s forbidden, and what might be waiting just beyond the veil of what we think we know.” They also accept poetry and topical essays. Please note, submissions by all authors (barring those they have previously published) have to be mailed (see guidelines).
Deadline: 1 October 2026 (must be received by this date)
Length: Up to 1,500 words, poem of 20 lines or fewer
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction and nonfiction, $25 for poetry
Details here.

Tales from the Moonlit Path: Halloween issue
They want fiction for their Halloween issue. “Tales from the Moonlit Path publishes dark, eerie, speculative stories. Horror is not a necessary element, although fiction should contain some aspect of the weak, frail, changeable human condition.
Gore and explicit sex for the sake of visceral shock will not find a home here, though we are not opposed to it in general, if it belongs in the story.
We are interested in character-driven stories more so than plot-driven, and we prefer dark fiction that makes us think, makes us feel, wraps us in its well-spun dream.
Hard sci-fi and fantasy are a hard sell for us, but not impossible. Revenge and ironic stories are also a hard sell.” And, “Please note that while reprints are considered, unpublished stories will be weighed more heavily for inclusion in the magazine.” They also accept queries for articles / book reviews, but are unable to pay for these.
Deadline: 1 October 2026
Length: Up to 2,000 words
Pay: Unspecified
Details here.

Wild Hyacinth
They publish Canadian writers, and also accept work from overseas writers. About the theme: “As summer draws to a close, our third issue examines the tension between self-confidence and self-worth through themes of vanity and diffidence.” They want fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 9 October 2026
Length: Up to 4,000 words for prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: CAD25 for writing
Details here.

WordFire Press: Superheroes, Super Problems
This is a fiction anthology. “Being super means dealing with super problems, as well as mundane ones. Superheroes, Super Problems is an original anthology exploring the balance between the extraordinary responsibility of being a superhero and the ordinary struggles of human existence…and the limitations of Spandex. … Imagine a superhero has been battling villains all day long, but his kids refuse to eat the dinner he made. Or a gloating villain returns to her lair only to find her chihuahua has chewed through the cord to her death laser. … As you create your own superheroes, we not only want to know their powers, but how they juggle life. Show us that the only superpower that matters is humanity. … The main character doesn’t have to possess powers, and could even be the super villain.” Humor is welcome, as are darker themes. They do not want stories with copyrighted material: “that means no Superman, Batman, Spider Man, Wonder Woman, or any other existing intellectual property.” And, “Original fiction and poetry in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, humor, and romance, appropriate for up to a “PG-13” audience. Superheroes or super powers must be central to the story. Diverse cultures and non-traditional legends and persons welcomed.”
Deadline: 15 October 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.

Little District Books: Radiant Dawn – A Queer Hopepunk Anthology
“Hopepunk is defined by weaponizing kindness, community and optimism to overcome oppressive systems. Hopepunk can be cozy, l… or not …. Either way it is a glass half-full kind of vibe.
Needless to say, the world needs more Hopepunk.” They want stories of optimism, community, and kindness overcoming the odds.
Deadline: 15^th October 2026
Length: 2,500-10,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here.

Eye to the Telescope: Faeries
They want speculative poetry on the ‘Faeries’ theme. “Faerie. An umbrella term that is composed of so many different creatures, you may even be surprised at what it might represent. Faeries themselves, of course, but also: Elves, Goblins, Leprechauns, Trolls, Imps, Nymphs, Giants, the Green Man and Woman, Pixies, Mermaids or Sirens, Selkies, Woodwose, hell—even Nightmares (they’re not just bad dreams, you know)! This is by no means an exhaustive list, as entire dictionaries have been written on the subject (hat tip to Katherine Briggs). The waters have been terribly muddied about the truth of faeries, beginning with the Victorians in the 19th century, whom looked upon the well-established tales and folklore of these powerful and dangerous creatures and decided that they needed to be made into winged, child-friendly, twee, helpful little sprites that might grant wishes or endow upon the interlopers of their woodland festivities innumerable gold and riches. Nothing could be further from the truth. While such old “faerie propaganda” can only serve to benefit the fae that desire to capture an unsuspecting human to torture for their own enjoyment, or merely just because; I am seeking fellow poets that are out to set the record straight. So, let’s take back the mythos and lore, laying bare their dark and mischievous roots.” They also accept translations. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 15 October 2026
Length: Up to 3 poems
Pay: $0.07/word (up to $30)
Details here.

Consequence Magazine: The America Feature; the Iran Feature
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 nonfiction), poetry, translations, and art. All works will be considered for online and print.
They’re also reading submissions for two special features: The America Feature (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art – “for a special feature on America that documents, illustrates, or addresses geopolitical violence in the United States”), and The Iran Feature (translations – “Consequence Forum invites previously unpublished translations from Farsi into English that examine the manifold human, cultural, psychological, or historical consequences of war in Iran”), apart from unthemed work. See their Duosuma for details on these features.
Deadline: 15^th October 2026
Length: Varies
Pay: $30-50 for print prose, $40 for online prose, $20-30 for poetry
Details here and here

Whytaker Lyon Press: Virginia Sideways Anthology
They want alternate history stories with a Virginia element. “Calling all alternate history enthusiasts! We’re looking for compelling short stories that twist the timeline and refuse to let go. We’re talking Jamestown surviving as a thriving Swedish colony, Robert E. Lee accepting command of the Union Army in 1861, the Readjuster Party dominating Virginia politics for decades, or even Dr. J leading the Squires to 5 consecutive NBA Championships. We’re looking for a wide range of “what if” scenarios with variable tones—dramatic, humorous, dark, hopeful, military, political, character-driven, or speculative.” They want alternate history stories (pure or blended with elements of science fiction, mystery, thriller, literary fiction, or light speculative fiction). Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 31 October 2026
Length: 3,000-10,000 words
Pay: Half a cent a word
Details here.

MIDLVLMAG: Human Capital
“MIDLVLMAG (short for Mid-Level Management Literary Magazine) is a …digital literary journal dedicated to publishing poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction (CNF) that explores the intersection of the personal and the professional. In a late-stage world where everything is commodity, the spaces we create to confront that reality are essential.
Part absurd and part serious. Part gallows humor and part sweeping epic. MIDLVLMAG is all literary. We want to be a catharsis to the hustle & grind culture, and a decompression when we’re off the clock.” You can read about them here. They want submissions on the Human Capital theme. “Human Capital is flesh, and blood, and heart. It is the us/we/you/me as cost and payment, united in our dignity and struggle.”
Deadline: 31 October 2026
Length: Up to 3 poems, up to 4,500 words for prose
Pay: $25
Details here.

Belanger Books: Sherlock Holmes – The Science-Fictional Adventures
This is a fiction anthology; they want Sherlock Holmes stories that are in the genre of science fiction. “The team that brought you Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells is back with an all new collection of Sherlock Holmes sci-fi adventures!
Description: In 1960, the Denver based scion society The Council of Four published a collection of science-fiction Sherlock Holmes stories titled, The Science-Fictional Sherlock Holmes. The book featured authors such as Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, Anthony Boucher, and August Derleth. Rather than making it a strict traditional Sherlock Holmes anthology, the authors put Holmes (and characters similar to Sherlock Holmes) in all sorts of different sci-fi settings.
This anthology will continue the tradition of The Science-Fictional Sherlock Holmes with all new Sherlock Holmes science-fiction adventures. Authors are encouraged to submit traditional Victorian era Sherlock Holmes science-fiction stories or stories set in futuristic settings. You can play around with Holmes and make him a robot, an AI, an alien lifeform, or any other creative way you see fit. He just has to still be traditional (i.e. a force for good).”
Deadline: 20 November 2026
Length: 5,000-10,000 words
Pay: $100
Details here (scroll down)
(Belanger Books is also open for two other anthologies, which pay royalties: Steel True, Blade Straight 2026-2027: “The Belanger Books Journal of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Inspired Stories, Poems, and Scholarship”. Deadline 11^th October 2026; and
The Pontine Dossier: Millennium Edition 2026 Annual: They want articles and scholarship: “An article of Pontine Scholarship about Solar Pons, characters in the Solar Pons canon, or author August Derleth.” Deadline 31 October 2026. Details here – scroll down.)

The New York Times: Modern Love
Modern Love is a nonfiction column by The New York Times. “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; September through December, and March through June. Writers are paid, though pay is unspecified.
Deadline: 31 December 2026
Length: 1,500-1,700 words.
Pay: Unspecified
Details here

-- Princeton Arts Fellowship: International fellowship, only accepting applications for the Program in Dance, Program in Theater and Music Theater, and the Department of Music for this cycle.There is a teaching duty attached. Pays $93,000 per year ($186,000 for the two-year fellowship), additional $7,000 per year for research and classroom expenses, residency at Princeton; deadline: 8 September 2026; open for: all playwrights; details here.
(Princeton’s Hodder Fellowship is also accepting applications for fellowships in the same disciplines, and the deadline to apply is 8^th September - details here.)

-- Guggenheim Fellowships: For US and Canadian citizens in various disciplines, including literature, who have already demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts. Deadline: 15 September, work samples to be uploaded by 29 September 2026 – see timeline here – scroll down; details here (see various tabs on this page – eligibility, how to apply, application timeline, selection process, and FAQ).

-- Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship: For published fiction and non-fiction writers who were born in Africa or whose parents were born in Africa. The money is paid monthly over a course of a year. Pays £18,000 for fiction writers, possible additional funds for non-fiction writers, mentorship; deadline: 22 September 2026 (see ‘Important Dates’ in the entry requirements here.); details here (entry requirements) and here (application form).

-- New York Public Library: Cullman Centre Fellowship: Open for all writers whose project draws on the collection housed in The New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, formerly the Humanities and Social Sciences Library. Visual artists can also apply (see guidelines). New users have to register on their portal to apply. Pays $90,000 and residency, deadline: 25 September 2026, details here.

-- the engine(idling Drive Award: “the engine(idling is an online literary journal seeking poetry and visual art submissions from the crafty / the restless / the difficult personalities of this world.” They are open for a fee-free poetry contest. Send one poem. Submission is via a form. Award: $205.58, deadline: 30 September 2026, details here.

-- The Camargo Fellowship: This is their flagship program; a residency at Cassis, France is for artists (including writers, playwrights and translators) and scholars/thinkers, to think, create and connect. Applicants should have a publication and/or grant track record. Teams of up to 3 people can apply. They also welcome spouses/partners and dependent minor children – see guidelines. Pays €350 per week (€3,500 for 10 weeks), basic coach class travel booked in advance for the fellow (see guidelines), deadline: 1 October 2026, details here, here, and here

Columbia Journalism School: J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards
These awards are given for non-fiction works in progress which deal with a topic of American political or social concern, to aid their completion. Writers must already have a contract with a US-based publisher. One of the application requirements is 50-75 pages from the work in progress. There is no fee for the work-in-progress award. The prizes are run by Columbia Journalism School. The relevant category will open in their Submittable during the application period.
Value: $25,000
Opens on: 9 September 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here
(They have other awards as well, which charge entry fees.)

Harvard University: Radcliffe Institute Fellowships
These are for various disciplines, including creative arts – which include, but are not limited to, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, as well as journalism, and playwriting. “We welcome applications proposing innovative work that confronts pressing social, scientific, and policy issues and seeks to engage audiences beyond academia. Reflecting Radcliffe's unique history and institutional legacy, we welcome—but do not limit eligibility to—proposals that focus on women, gender, and society or draw on the Schlesinger Library’s rich collections.
We also invite proposals relevant to the Institute’s multiyear focus area, which for 2024–2029 is academic freedom and connecting across difference.” Application is via their submission portal. The fellowship pays $78,000, and an additional $5,000 for project expenses; fellows also get an office at Harvard University, additional funds for moving expenses, childcare and housing, etc. The deadline for some disciplines, including creative arts, is in September. See the eligible disciplines for this cycle here.
Value: $78,000; additional funds for project expenses, and other things
Deadline: 10 September 2026 (for humanities, social sciences, creative arts, and non-fiction and journalism)
Open for: Published writers and journalists
Details here.

Garden Party Collective: Mental Health Poetry Contest
This contest is for poets who have struggled / are currently struggling with mental illness. They will soon open for submissions: “We accept submissions during National Suicide Prevention Week: September 6th - 12^th”. And, “while this contest is for poets who are currently struggling with or have struggled with any mental condition(s), the poems themselves can be about any topic.”
Value: $100 each
Deadline: 12^th September 2026
Open for: Poets who have struggled / are currently struggling with mental illness
Details here and here.

Gulf Coast: The Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing
This prize is for critical art writing, of up to 1,500 words. Their guidelines say, “The Prize invites submissions of expository writing, scholarly essays, and exhibition reviews that have been written–or published–within the last year.”
Value: $3,000, two prizes of $1,000 each
Deadline: 14 September 2026 (see Submittable)
Details here and here (see the relevant category in Submittable).

American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Awards
The American-Scandinavian Foundation annually awards translation prizes for outstanding translations of poetry, fiction, drama, or literary prose written by a 20^th- or 21^st-century Nordic author. The Nadia Christensen Prize recognizes an outstanding translation of a literary text from a Nordic language into English; the Leif and Inger Sjöberg Award recognizes a distinguished effort by an emerging translator whose literary translations from a Nordic language have not previously been published. There is also the Wigeland Prize (this is for the best translation by a Norwegian), the Inger and Jens Bruun Translation Prize, which recognizes the best Danish translation, and the Turið Sigurðardóttir Translation Prize, which honors the best translation from a work of Faroese or Icelandic literature into English. The application includes 25-50 pages of prose or 15-25 pages of poetry.
Value: $5,000 (Nadia Christensen Prize); $2,000 (Leif and Inger Sjöberg Award); $2,000 (Wigeland Prize); $2,000 (The Inger and Jens Bruun Translation Prize); $2,000 (Turið Sigurðardóttir Translation Prize)
Deadline: 15 September 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.

Fulbright Scholarships
This is a program for US citizens. They offer “more than 380 awards in more than 120 countries for U.S. citizens to teach, conduct research, and carry out professional projects around the world. … For the full list of our award offerings, visit the U.S. Scholars Awards Search. Location, activity type, and eligibility vary across awards. Some awards may be restricted to certain career profiles or disciplines. Awards range from a few months to a full year.” There are opportunities for higher education faculty and administrators, professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, and independent scholars outside of the academy. Applicants can opt for teaching, research, teaching/research, and professional projects in various countries. For professionals and artists, those who have had more than seven years’ experience are eligible to apply. For this cycle, “To commemorate Freedom 250, we are highlighting U.S. Scholar awards in American Studies” (see here).
Value: Various
Deadline: 15 September 2026
Open for: US Citizens
Details here.
(Also see Fulbright programs for non-US scholars, for opportunities in the US.)

Academy of American Poets: Ambroggio Prize
This is an opportunity for US poets. They want a book-length poetry manuscript originally written in Spanish and with an English translation. Poets may translate their own work or collaborate with a translator who may or may not be a poet; the poet and translator must share the prize. The original manuscript in Spanish must be between 48 and 100 pages. Their website also says, established in 2017, the Ambroggio Prize is the only annual award of its kind in the United States that honors American poets whose first language is Spanish.
Value: $1,000 and publication
Deadline: 15 September 2026
Open for: US poets
Details here and here.
(The Academy of American Poets has other awards as well, both fee-free and fee-based – see their Submittable for all open calls.)

Edge & Busby: Witnessed – An Anthology of Literary Horror
They’re looking for themed horror fiction for this anthology contest; there are a couple of prizes for the winning stories, and the rest of the stories selected for the anthology will get paid, as well. “We're looking for psychological horror where the threat is the people, not the premise.” And, “The theme is Witnessed. Take it wherever it pulls you, the watcher in the next room, the witness who couldn't intervene, the testimony nobody asked for, the thing seen that can't be unseen.
We're drawn to stories where the worst things happen between people. Serial killers between killings. Stalker stories told from the wrong side. Communities turning on one. Obsessions that wear a friendly face. Family obligations curdling. We want the kind of dread that comes from trying to understand why people do what they do, and the kind of fear that makes a reader recognize themselves in the wrong character.” This is their inaugural contest. They’ve listed the kind of stories they want, and also what they do not want, on the guidelines page. Send stories of 2,000-6,000 words. Submission is via their Subfolio.
Value: “First prize $500. Second prize $200. The other 14 selected stories each receive a $100 honorarium”
Deadline: 15^th September 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.

American Academy in Berlin Fellowship
This is for US-based people (including collaborators) who wish to engage in independent study (generally, for an academic semester). Academy fellows are established and emerging scholars, writers, and professionals who wish to engage in independent study. Applicants working in most other fields—such as journalism, filmmaking, or public policy—must have a significant record of publication or production. Writers of fiction and non-fiction must have published at least one book with a reputable press at the time of application (composers, artists, and poets are by invitation only). Candidates should explain how their projects will benefit from a residency in Berlin, but they need not be working on German topics. Past recipients have included historians, economists, filmmakers, art historians, journalists, legal scholars, musicologists, public-policy experts, former government officials, NGO leaders, and writers. Most accommodations are also suitable for couples; they also offer accommodations for a limited number of families with children. You have to sign into SlideRoom to apply.
Value: Round-trip airfare, $5,000 per month, residency near Berlin
Deadline: 25 September 2026
Open for: Those permanently based in the US
Details here and here.

Speculative Literature Foundation: Working Class Writers Grant
They are open for various grants through the year for speculative literature, which “spans the breadth of fantastic writing, encompassing literature ranging from hard science fiction to epic fantasy, including ghost stories, horror, folk and fairy tales, slipstream, magical realism, and more. Any piece of literature containing a fabulist or speculative element would fall under our aegis.” One of their upcoming grants is the Working Class Writers Grant, an international grant for “speculative fiction writers who are working class, blue-collar, financially disadvantaged, or homeless, who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction due to financial barriers which make it hard to access the writing world. Such lack of access might include an inability to purchase a computer, books, and tuition, or to attend conventions or workshops. Often, these writers, many of whom work more than one job, have less time to write. … Unlike our other grants, you may choose to receive this grant anonymously or pseudonymously.” A cover letter and writing sample are part of the application requirement. The form will be available during the submission period.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 30^th September 2026
Open for: Working class writers of speculative fiction (see guidelines)
Details here.
(They have other grants as well; the Gulliver Travel Research Grant, which opens in November annually and pays $1,000; the A.C. Bose Grant for South Asian Speculative Literature, which opens in January each year and pays $1,500; you can see all the Speculative Literature Foundation grants here.)

Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
They want a short story on any theme; they are reading submissions for their 73^rd contest. Stories should ideally be up to 3,000 words, though those up to 4,000 words are considered. Readers of the magazine are interested in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Their newsletter subscribers include publishers, artists, musicians, and fellow writers. Their guidelines say, “While your writing should appeal to a reader with these interests and in these creative professions, all story themes are considered.”
Value: $150
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Willie Morris Awards for Southern Writing
These awards are for works that evoke the American South. For fiction and non-fiction, the awards are for published/soon-to-be-published books (see guidelines); for poetry, send a poem of up to 60 lines. Poems should evoke the US South. “Books must be published during the submission year and cannot be self-published. Advanced reader copies or proofs for books that will be published in October, November or December of 2026 are eligible.” And, “Winners also receive an expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Miss., where we celebrate the winning writers as part of the Oxford Conference for the Book.”
Value: $12,000 for prose; $3,000 for poetry
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.

2026 Sejong International Sijo Competition
This is an international sijo contest from the Sejong Cultural Society. “The sijo is a traditional three-line Korean poetic form organized technically and thematically by line and syllable count. Using the sijo form, write one poem in English on a topic of your choice.” Their website has resources on how to write sijo.
Value: $500, $250, $100
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Open for: All poets
Details here.

Horror Writers Association Grants
They offer grants / scholarships for horror writers, some of which are open now. Most of them specify how these funds may be used, and require a writing sample as part of the application process – see their detailed individual guidelines for more information.

• Their Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship is for horror writers who identify as women; “Each Scholarship is worth $2500, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.” And, their Horror Writers Association Scholarship, also worth $2,500, is for all horror writers. Apply for these two scholarships here.
• Their Diversity Grants, worth $500 each, are for “underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers.” Apply here.
• The Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund for Non-fiction Writing is “an endowed fund providing grants for research and writing nonfiction relating to horror and dark fantasy literature. The Fund will provide grants annually (the amount is flexible).” Apply here.
• The Dennis Etchison Young Writers scholarship, which awards $500, “will be open to students in grades 10-12 (or the equivalent, if home schooled), with an interest in writing horror/dark fiction.” Apply here.
• The Dark Poetry Scholarship, worth $1250, is “for anyone with an interest in writing horror/dark fantasy poetry”. Apply here.

Value: Varies
Deadline: 2 October 2026
Open for: Horror writers
Details here (links to individual grants/scholarships) and here (Submittable)
(HWA also organizes Bram Stoker Awards, the deadlines for which are in November and December. See the relevant categories here.
And, submissions are also open for HWA’s Young Adults Write Now fund, which “will provide up to five (5) endowments of $250 each per year for selected libraries to establish new, or support ongoing, writing programs. The program is currently open to United States libraries”.)

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.” Typically, two Hearst Foundations Fellowships and two Robert and Charlotte Baron Fellowships are awarded annually. Fellowship projects may include (but are not limited to) historical novels, poetry, podcasts, 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: $2,400, residency
Deadline: 5 October 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.

-- One Story: Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship: They will soon open for applications. This international 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 $2,000 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. The application period is 8^th September to 13^th October 2026; this category will open in their Submittable during the application period. Details here.
And, One Story will open for fiction submissions in the fall; their One Teen Story Contest for teenagers will open in the fall, as well.

-- Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship: This is for a poet of American birth, who is willing to spend a year outside the continent of North America. One of the requirements is a poetry sample (either up to 40 typed pages or a printed volume of your poetry and no more than 20 additional typed pages). Applications have to be mailed. The award is approximately $78,000 adjusted for inflation; if there are two winners, each will receive the full amount, and the deadline is 15 October 2026 – must be received by this date; details here.

-- Northwestern University Press: Drinking Gourd Chapbook Prize: This is for poets who are people of color with US citizenship, who have not previously published a book-length volume of poetry, inclusive of chapbooks. Send a poetry manuscript of 25–35 pages – see guidelines – along with a completed entry form. The prize is $500, and the deadline is 31 October 2026. Details here and here.

-- editing.services Short Story Award: For this award, any genre or theme of short story is accepted. All applicants should submit a work of short fiction or non-fiction, 5,000 words or fewer. Read the guidelines carefully – they reserve the right to modify or terminate the contest at any time without prior notice, and they pay by cheque. The winner gets $1,000, deadline 30 November 2026, and it is open for all writers. Details here.)