These are themed calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from 51 outlets that are open for submissions now; a couple of the outlets are open for more than one call. Some of the themed calls are: Cupid’s misfire; metamorphosis; solarpunk horror; endings; miracles, messages from heaven & angels; immortality; climate crisis (and climate justice); resistance; chaos; bad romance; acquired tastes; while the snowstorm was raging; and reverse evaluation.
THEMED CALLS
Little Ghost Books: Friday the Flirteenth – A Monsterotica Zine
This is a fiction zine. “We’re looking for short (1-2k word count) Monster Erotica submissions for a small seasonal zine.
This year we have a Friday the 13th in February, and what better way to celebrate than with a little monsterfucking? Help us create a little treat for the occasion just in time for Valentine’s Day! Themed slashers with a sexy twist, fated mate supernatural stories, and unexpected carnal creature surprises welcome.
This collection will be published zine-style in a short run.” Also, “Because of the quick production, please note that editorial and approvals for print will be fast! Accepted authors will need to respond to edits quickly between Jan. 9- Feb. 5th.”
Deadline: 9 January 2026
Length: 1,000-2,000 words
Pay: $30
Details here.
Book Worms Zine: Apocalyptic Horror
“We’re kicking off 2026 with all the optimism of a Threads viewing—yes, the 1984 nuclear war drama, not the app. … For our 10th issue of Book Worms Horror Zine, we’re chasing that same level of end-of-the-world dread. If our current political climate gives you the creeps, channel it. Or take us somewhere entirely different—your own futuristic nightmare is fair game, as long as the vision is dark.
We’re looking for stories and poetry that dive into nuclear winters, climate catastrophes, algorithmic uprisings, techno-anarchy, or whatever fresh brand of apocalypse your twisted imagination can conjure.” Please note, submissions have to be mailed.
Deadline: 10 January 2026 (must be received by the deadline)
Length: Up to 1,500 words for fiction, up to 20 lines for poetry
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $25 for poetry
Details here.
Rat Bag Lit Drabbles: Cupid’s Misfire; Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit
Rat’s Bag Lit is open for drabbles (stories of exactly 100 words) on two themes. They can close before the deadline if their submission quota fills. They’re also open for unthemed micros (stories up to 300 words). They accept short fiction too, for which they charge a submission fee.
— Cupid’s Misfire: “We want the weirdest tales of times when Cupid’s arrow goes astray. Perhaps he hit the wrong person. Or maybe he misjudged the compatibility before he even fired! Who’s brilliant idea was it to give a bow and arrow to a winged baby anyway? So give us the wild, the weird, the wonderful. We’re looking for the stories showing us how it can all go wrong.”
— Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit: “Old English folklore promises that if you say “rabbit” three times upon waking on the first of the month, you’ll have good luck. For this call, we’re looking for the weirdest rabbit stories you’ve got. Maybe the white rabbit leads your character on a strange adventure into outer space. Maybe a lucky rabbit’s foot turns out to be unlucky for everyone except one very unexpected character. What happens when a black rabbit hops across your path? Let’s find out.”
Deadline: 10th January or when filled, for Cupid’s Misfire drabbles and unthemed micros; 30th January 2026 or when filled for Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit drabbles
Length: Exactly 100 words for themed drabbles; up to 300 words for unthemed micros
Pay: $1 for drabbles, $0.01/word up to $3 for micros
Details here and here.
Your Body is a Fever Dream: A Cosmic Body Horror Anthology from trans and gender nonconforming voices
This is a project of Tenebrous Press, a fiction and narrative poetry anthology. “A cosmic body horror anthology from trans and GNC voices, a companion volume to YOUR BODY IS NOT YOUR BODY, and a charity drive all rolled into one.” And, “Only accepting submissions from creators who are: Trans, NB, agender, intersex, GNC, and generallyany gender identity other than binary cisgender.” They also accept reprints and art.
Deadline: 10 January 2026
Length: Up to 4,000 words
Pay: $0.03/word
Details here and here.
The Fantastic Other: Metamorphosis
They publish “all things fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, surrealist, fabulist, and magical realist”. They are open for the Metamorphosis theme for the Winter 2026 issue. “Metamorphosis: a complete change of form, structure, or substance. It is an imperative of life, and for many, the only means of survival.
Please send us Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Art that speak to the nature of metamorphosis. Keep in mind that our reading of our themed submissions is broad and may not be taken literally.”
Deadline: 12 January 2026
Length: Up to 3,500 words for fiction, up to 50 lines for poetry
Pay: $5
Details here.
Seaside Gothic
This UK-based magazine publishes art, fiction, poetry, and nonfiction that meet the criteria of seaside gothic literature (it is led by emotion, not reason, exploring the human experience mentally and spiritually as well as physically; It addresses duality—land and sea, love and hate, the beautiful and the grotesque; It connects to the edge, living on the seaside either literally or figuratively, and has one foot in the water and the other on solid ground).
Reading period: 12th-18th January 2026
Length: Up to 1,000 words
Pay: £0.01/word
Details here.
The Orange & Bee
This is an Australian Substack-based magazine, and they accept work related to fairy tales. They want fiction, poetry, and hybrid works “that engage in a significant way with the long history of fairy tales. We are interested in works that stretch, expand, test, subvert, and challenge the fairy-tale tradition.
We are interested in works that are entertaining, but also in works that matter: that is, in works that are both pleasurable to read and thought-provoking.
We are interested in works in which the relationship between your writing and the fairy-tale tradition is complex and thoughtful. Works that—ideally, though this is a Big Ask—open up our hearts and minds, offering us a new way to think or feel about the fairy-tale tradition as well as broader themes and issues.” They are especially interested in diverse perspectives.
Deadline: 14th January 2026 (see guidelines)
Length: Up to 1,000 words for flash fiction, up to 4,000 words for short fiction/non-fiction, up to 50 lines for poetry
Pay: $80 for flash fiction, $0.08/word for short fiction, $50 for poetry
Details here and here.
(And, The Fairy Tale Magazine, which publishes fairy tales and poems,will also open briefly for submissions on the Green Man/Woman, Dryad, Yaksha, Tree Spirit theme, during January 15th to 21st 2026; submission is via a form, which will be active on their website during the submission period. Please note, this is not a children’s publication. They have detailed guidelines on the theme; it is unclear whether there is payment; details here.)
Solarpunk
They accept solarpunk fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Their 2026 schedule is on their website. Writers can submit unthemed solarpunk stories, as well as stories for their Solarpunk Horror issue (to be published later in the year) during their January, April, and July submission periods. They have detailed guidelines on the theme, including, “The concept of solarpunk horror lives in the tension between the world we’re building and the forces—internal or external—that threaten to unravel it. It’s not grimdark, and it’s not nihilism. Instead, it asks: What scares us in a future where we’ve chosen healing? Solarpunk horror imagines communities striving toward ecological balance, mutual aid, and decentralized power, and then explores the shadows created by that very light. The fear in solarpunk horror doesn’t come from the collapse of society, but from the fragility of hope, the difficulty of sustaining utopia, and the unexpected consequences of living in an intimate relationship with the natural world.” They also accept translations and art. Regarding story length, they say, “Generally, we are looking for stories between 1,500 and 4,000 words. Our word limit remains 7,500 words, but 1,500 and 4,000 words hit our sweet spot.”
Deadline: 14 January 2026
Length: See above for fiction; up to 5 poems (see guidelines); 1,000-2,000 words for nonfiction
Pay: $0.10/word for fiction, $50/poem, $100 for essays / articles
Details here and here.
Flame Tree Anthology: Black Horror, Then & Next
They will accept two horror fiction submissions from this open call for the anthology, which is part of their Beyond & Within series and complement their Gothic Fantasy-series titles Black Sci-Fi, Afrofuturism and the upcoming Africanfuturism. “Black Horror, Then & Next: Short Stories (title TBC)will be a landmark anthology surveying the evolution of Black (American) literary horror while boldly imagining its future. We seek stories that recognize the legacy of Black horror, its literary milestones, cultural roots, and innovative voices, while pushing the genre into new, daring territory. We welcome submissions from Black authors who are engaged with the genre’s history and also eager to reimagine it. … We are especially excited by fiction that:
• Embraces the power of horror to unsettle, illuminate, or transform
• Draws from Black American cultural histories, mythologies, or lived experiences or forges new ones
• Experiments with form, perspective, or speculative possibility
• Surprises us with fresh nightmares, folklore, or futures
• Honors the past while writing fearlessly toward tomorrow”
They only want original stories, not reprints, for this anthology.
Deadline: 14 January 2026
Length: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Inner Worlds Zine: Endings
This speculative fiction magazine is accepting submissions for its last issue; you can read more here. They accept “Science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror prose with a strong emotional or psychological focus. We are mainly interested in fiction, but we’re open to speculative memoir or creative non fiction, as long as it has speculative elements. … For our final issue we are looking for stories on the theme of endings. We’d like to read about loss, change, grief, relief, hope, and possibility.” Also, “The first two weeks of the reading period are reserved for members of marginalised groups, primarily BIPOC, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women and other marginalised genders, neurodivergent authors, Deaf and disabled authors, and authors with lived experience of mental health challenges or who identify as Mad. The second half is for general submissions and is open to everyone.”
Deadlines: 14 January – members of marginalized groups only; 15th to 31st January 2026 – general submissions
Length: 500-2,500 words
Pay: £0.02/word
Details here and here.
The Last Girls Club: Haunted
This is a feminist horror magazine; they want submissions on the Haunted theme. “”In the night; in the dark.” We’re going old school Shirley Jackson “and the furniture laughed” creeping dread. It doesn’t have to be a house, it could be a submarine, a tent, a treehouse, a rabbit warren, whatever. Save the monster until the very end. We want growing shadows, days lost, locked doors that are suddenly ajar, lost journals in random cabinets.” They accept fiction and poetry submissions, and nonfiction pitches.
Deadline: 15 January 2026, or until filled
Length: Up to 2,500 words for fiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: $0.015/word for fiction, $10 for poetry
Details here and here.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles, messages from heaven & angels
They publish true stories and true poetry, up to 1,200 words. They’ve posted details on a few themes. The upcoming deadline is for Miracles, messages from heaven & angels, about “unexplained happenings and occurrences. Stories about miracles, angels, messages from heaven, premonitions, amazing coincidences and other unexplainable but good events! Here is another chance for you to share a story about a miraculous event or amazing coincidence that happened to you.
We are looking for powerful, astounding, stories that will make people say “wow” or give them chills. This book is for everyone, whether religious or non-religious.” They also have several themes / suggested topics on the guidelines page.
Deadline: 15 January 2026
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $250
Details here and here (also see other tabs on this page, including FAQ).
(Chicken Soup for the Soul is also reading true stories and poetry on other topics, including Stories about November & December holidays; the deadline for that is 28th February 2026, theme details on this page.)
Rattle
Rattle publishes various kinds of poetry, including Tribute to Invented Forms (deadline 15th January); Tribute to the Future poems (deadline 15th April); Rattlecast Prompt Poems; Poets Respond, where poets respond to a news story or an event that happened the previous week; and general poems – send up to 4, and a monthly ekphrastic challenge.
Deadline: Varies (see website)
Length: Varies
Pay: $100 for poems published online, and $200 for poems published in print
Details here.
River Glass Books: Writes of Nature
They are reading chapbook manuscripts (20-30 pages) till mid-January, in any genre or form. “We are interested in un-themed manuscripts as well as socio-environmental work for our new Writes of Nature series.” And, “Each manuscript will be considered for publication as a limited-edition chapbook in 2026 or 2027. Additionally, individual pieces may be selected for publication in a forthcoming anthology.
We are also reading shorter manuscripts (3-5 pages of any genre / form) for potential publication in a forthcoming anthology.”
Deadline: 15 January 2026
Length: See above
Pay: $75 for chapbooks, and an anthology copy for shorter works Details here.
Dancing Griffin Press: VERY SPECIAL EPISODES – A 90s Stranger Danger PSA Anthology
This is a horror fiction anthology. “We’re looking for stories that recapture the magic of some of the most disturbing “very special episodes” of the 90’s, like the time Shawn from Boy Meets World joined a cult, the time the kids from Smart Guy ended up in a pedophile’s basement, or even the time 7th Heaven tried to convince us that marijuana will make you die.” Stories must take place in the 90s in a suburban setting, include an encounter between strangers that ends in at least one death, address a social issue, and be extreme, nothing purely comedic will be accepted.
Deadline: 15 January 2026
Length: 2,000 to 4,000 words
Pay: “$25 for selected stories, $40 for our absolute favorite”
Details here.
Two Lines Press: Calico Series – Call for Animal Stories in Translation
Two Lines Press is the publishing imprint of the Center for the Art of Translation. They want themed fiction in translation; do not send stories originally written in English. “Two Lines Press’s Calico Series is looking for stories that largely feature one or more animals for a forthcoming edition. This call is open to translations from any language into English. While we love cozy cat stories, we’re looking to be surprised by how animals appear in today’s fiction. Perhaps it’s a story about a human’s relationship to animals, or perhaps there are no humans in the story whatsoever. Work may skew toward ecofiction or speculative, may feature animals in captivity or the wild—the parameters are wide. Overall, we’re looking to feature writing with a strong attention to craft. We highly encourage translators of literature from underrepresented regions and demographics to apply, as well as those earlier in their translation careers.” Translators are expected to have identified the original copyright holder and obtained confirmation that the translation rights are available before submitting.
Deadline: 15 January 2026
Length: 2,000-10,000 words
Pay: $200 for the first page, $25 for each subsequent page
Details here and here.
Eye to the Telescope: Immortality
Eye to the Telescope is the journal of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association. They want poems on the Immortality theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “What does it mean to be immortal? How could such a thing even be possible – and what costs might it require? What are the benefits, and the downsides? As an immortal, what truths or lies about our lives might you come to understand?
As science develops at a breakneck pace, we watch people grasp for shreds of immortality in the real world. … Every day, we innovate new ways to extend our lifespans and fight back against the inevitable tide of death. In the world of fantasy and pop culture, immortality takes on even more flavors. Many supernatural beings – ghosts, vampires, zombies, fae – are described as having unnaturally long lifespans, or being impervious or immune to the effects of time. Sometimes, such a state exacts a price: the drinking of blood, the murder of innocents, the sacrifice of a soul. Sometimes, it allows for incredible things: knowledge and happiness and hope that extends across a blissful eternity. Immortality can be a gift, or it can be a curse. It can grant the bearer(s) wisdom, or foolishness – or both.
Immortality, as a concept, doesn’t have a clear-cut definition. This ambiguity is a gift, and I encourage you to play with it.” They also accept translations (see guidelines). Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 15 January 2026
Length: Up to 3 poems
Pay: $0.05/word (up to $25)
Details here.
Syracuse Cultural Workers: 2027 Women Artists Datebook
This organization “strives to nourish communities that honor diversity and creative expression, and inspire movements for justice, equity and liberation while respecting our Earth and all its beings.” You can read about them here. This is a call for artwork and poetry for their 2027 Datebook; they want submissions by women and femmes (LGBTQIAA+) only. They want “Inspirational Work that Promotes Activism and/or Healing.” They’re asking for artwork too – please see their website. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 15 January 2026
Length: Up to 4 poems, up to 30 lines each
Pay: $70 for poetry, $70-200 for art
Details here.
Splinter Journal
This Australian journal accepts works from around the world. They have detailed guidelines, including, “We are always looking for writing that picks apart all the ways reality has been shattered, illuminates the shining threads of it that remain unbroken, and hints at the ways we’ll start putting it all back together.” They accept submissions of fiction, memoir, and poetry. They only accept pitches (not completed submissions) of essays, writing about writing, criticism, and profiles. They’re reading for Issue 5. “While we don’t want writers to feel limited by the below list, these are some themes and voices we are particularly interested in for issue five:
Regional First Nations voices
Housing and homelessness
The climate crisis (and its more optimistic cousin climate justice)
The fate of progressive politics (if it exists?) in so-called Australia
Literary criticism that engages with the above themes
You don’t need to address these themes directly in your writing, but please prioritise submitting work that brushes up against these prompts.” And regarding poetry, they say, “We will accept three stand-alone poems per writer, or one collection comprising up to four poems.” They also accept translations. And, “Splinter issue five is published by Writers SA with support from Adelaide University, Flinders University, and the Don Dunstan Foundation.”
Deadline: 19 January 2026 (see guidelines)
Length: Up to 4 poems; no limits for fiction (see guidelines)
Pay: AUD900 for fiction, essays, and profiles, AUD700 for criticism, AUD600 for memoir, AUD500 for writing about writing, AUD250/poem or AUD450/collection of up to 4 poems
Details here and here.
Flash Fiction Online: Resistance
They are open for reprint flash fiction stories on the Resistance theme. Please note, the story must have been published elsewhere. They’re also accepting translations on this theme; “but the story must have been previously published, either in the original language or in English. The submitter must provide contact information for both author and translator.”
Deadline: 31 January 2026, or when filled
Length: 500 – 1,000 words
Pay: $40
Details here.
Alpennia: Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast
This is a fiction podcast series on lesbian-relevant themes, and it is open for all writers. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Stories must be set in an actual historic culture–i.e., a specific time and place in history–and the plot and characters should be firmly rooted in that time and place. (No time-travel or past memories, please.) Stories may include fantastic elements that are appropriate to the historic setting. …Stories must be set before 1900. We’d love to see stories that reach beyond the popular settings of 19th century America and England unless you do something new and interesting in them. … Romance is optional, and romance stories should have some other significant plot element in addition to the romance.” They also say, “We will be publishing four stories. (If we get some really great flash fiction, there’s the possibility of doubling up if the total meets the word count limit.)”
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Phylum Press: Devil’s Ivy
They want fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art for their quarterly journal. “Each year, Phylum will choose 4 different species from a phylum within the natural world. These four species will be the names and inspiration for each ISSUE we publish during that year.” The current phylum is Magnoliophyta and the current issue is on Devil’s Ivy. “Devil’s Ivy, or more commonly known as Pothos, is a common houseplant and is native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, Australia, New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Like writers and writing, this plant is hardy, makes the environment around them better, and can range from aesthetic winter house plants, or woody vines taking over a structure.
Also like writers, there are a massive variety of Pothos Plants (65 different species), and each has its own differentiation and identity. At Phylum, the Pothos Plant represents hope. In this chaotic, violent world, little bits of light and happiness mean more than ever, and are hardier than they seem. For this Issue, we are looking for stories that are hopeful, scrappy, unassuming but powerful, and as tangled as the Devil’s Ivy.” And, “While we love to receive works that relate to each ISSUE’s theme, we do not preference those submissions over others.”
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words for prose, up to 5 poems
Pay: $10
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. While we are primarily looking for stories with happy endings (yeah, yeah), we also want endings that are earned. If things get a little teary or gory, that’s ok.
We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules.”
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: 500-3,500 words for fiction; up to 5 poems
Pay: CAD0.08/word for fiction; CAD60/poem
Details here (guidelines) and here (submission portal)
Brink: Chaos
Brink is a journal of cross-genre writing; they publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry (also video essays and cinepoetry), hybrid work, and translations. They want submissions on the Chaos theme. “We are interested in writing that presses boundaries by using more than one medium to tell a story; work that looks and feels different on the page. Additionally, we look for submissions that engage the issue’s theme and the notion of being on the brink.
Initially, you might approach chaos at face value. After all, everything feels like it is on fire. Long held beliefs, institutions, and environments are increasingly destabilized through the intervention of human hands. Accelerated capitalism is actively destroying the world as we know it, one ecosystem, community, or country at a time. That particular flavor of chaos is self-evident. We’re interested in something with a bit more bite.
Consider how chaotic energy also gestures towards creativity. Something limitless and unmeasurable, boundless and ongoing. A bristling potential always on the verge of combusting on the spot. Chaos is a swirling intensity, but it often already exists before it is identifiable or named.
Tell us about the chaos of silence or stillness. The entanglements, to paraphrase Karen Barad, of matter and meaning. How would you write about chasms of nothingness? Or rework the myths of the primeval deities from which Chaos came? Plant life, paradoxes, or hybrid literary forms all gesture towards the possibility of chaos.”
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: 3-5 poems, up to 3,000 words for prose
Pay: $25-100
Details here and here.
(Brink is also open for an unthemed and fee-based award for hybrid writing.)
Ruadán Books: Summer in the City Anthology
Ruadán Books is an independent publisher of dark thrillers and speculative fiction. They are open for their Summer in the City fiction anthology. They want “dark speculative fiction stories set in summertime cities that are as much characters in your narratives as the people are. These cities should exist (or have existed) in our world”. Also, “How do you determine if a city has been spoken for? We don’t. We tried that with WITC and it became a logistical nightmare. Understand that we are looking for cities world-wide and that your story should make a reader feel like they have been there. Rich descriptions and even a sentient setting will be looked at favorably. Understand that if we receive 19 stories about “New York” your chance of acceptance is markedly lower than if you send us a story about San Paulo, Lahore or Kinshasa.”
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: 3,000-7,500 words
Pay: $0.10/word
Details here and here.
Mysterion: Christian speculative fiction
They publish science fiction, fantasy and horror stories that engage meaningfully with Christian themes, characters or cosmology. The stories need not teach a moral, or be close to an approved theological position, or be pro-Christian. They are especially interested in stories that show Christians from cultures beyond those of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. They also accept translations and reprints. They have two annual reading periods for fiction, January and July. Art is accepted through the year.
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: Up to 9,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here and here.
Hollow Oak Press: Cozy Fantasy Anthology
They are accepting submissions for their 2026 cozy fantasy anthology. “We’re open to any definition of fantasy—second-world, urban, historical, paranormal, you name it—as long as it has cozy themes. We want whimsical, slice-of-life, optimistic stories and worlds that feel like a freshly laundered, warm blanket on a cool morning. We do still want something to happen in your story, though—this just isn’t the call for stories that center war, trauma, brutality, or world-ending plots. We will judge all stories by their own merits though, so if you think you have something that fits, we want to read it.
Some tips: We’re looking for character-driven stories that evoke themes of friendship, healing, and/or community. Think Practical Magic, Legends and Lattes, or The Hobbit. We prefer clean prose that makes every single word count.”
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: 3,000-8,000 words
Pay: $30
Details here.
(– Also see Hollow Oak Press’s Acorns series, their home for unthemed flash speculative fiction; pay is $5 for stories of 1,000-1,500 words.)
Parsec Ink: 23rd Triangulation Anthology – Bad Romance
This is a speculative fiction and poetry anthology. “You know that friend who keeps falling for terrible people? That couple that not only fights all the time but makes each other a worse person, and they keep getting back together? Send us them.
We want stories or poetry about trashfire, toxic relationships, with a speculative element.” All stories must “contain a failed romance. Your protagonists may succeed at everything but love” and contain a speculative (science fiction or fantasy) element. They do not want stories with graphic trauma or abuse. They also accept reprints of both fiction and poetry
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, up to 60 lines for poetry
Pay: $0.03/word for original fiction, 25 cents per line for original poetry
Details here.
Violet Lichen Books: ECO25 – The Year’s Best Speculative Ecofiction
Violet Lichen Books is an imprint of Apex Book Company. This is their second annual reprint anthology. “Editors and publishers are encouraged to nominate their best works of speculative ecofiction published in 2025. … This is a best-of anthology and nominations are open to previously published stories only.” Authors can nominate their own works. “The story must be ecofiction; e.g., the plot or main themes must be focused on ecology, climate, the environment, conservation, the natural world, our relationship to animals and other non-human life, or related themes. A story merely set in nature or in a climate-based scenario is not enough to qualify, if it does not engage with these themes.” Stories must contain speculative elements. The original publication date must be between January 1 and December 31 2025. If the story is a translation, the eligibility year is the English publication date. And, stories published in Apex Magazine or in Apex Book Company anthologies or in works edited by staff are eligible.
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: 950 – 7,500 words
Pay: $0.01/word
Details here and 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 nonfiction, they want critical articles about your favorite first line from a literary work.
For fiction and poetry, the first lines are:
Spring: ‘I flipped through the notebook and found half-finished poems, some drawings, and ______________. [Fill in the blank.]’ Due date: February 1, 2026
Summer: ‘The summer between [his/her/their] junior and senior years, Alex worked as a server at Wharf Mountain.’ Due date: May 1, 2026
Fall: ‘The line of people stretched all the way around the block.’ Due date: August 1, 2026
Winter: ‘Lawrence was the last to arrive.’ Due date: November 1, 2026
They also accept 4-part stories (or 5-part, if also ending with the last-line prompt from The Last Line Journal – ‘It was after midnight when we finally made it home.’ – see guidelines) from writers who want to use all the 4 (or 5) prompts, but all of these must be submitted by the 1 February 2026 deadline.
Deadlines: 1 February 2026 for the Spring issue, and for 4-part (or 5-part) stories; later for other issues (see above)
Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction; 500-800 words for nonfiction
Pay: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $10 for poetry (less postage fee for international contributors – see guidelines)
Details here.
Acquired Tastes Anthology
This is a project by Roxanne Gay; it is an anthology call for writers ages 15-21. “In 2014, I published an essay, “Not Here to Make Friends” where I wrote about the importance and delight of unlikeable female protagonists. Likeability, I said, was a very elaborate lie, a performance, a code of conduct dictating the proper way to be, a trap, constraining women to very narrow ideas about how they should be. In fiction, characters who don’t follow this code are labeled as unlikable, as problems, as less worthy of taking up space on the page. I wrote the essay because of my own conflicted experiences with likability but also because I have spent a lot of time over the years thinking about unlikeable characters and how unfairly they are maligned.
As I also noted in my essay, unlikable are characters I’m frequently drawn to. I want interesting characters to do bad things and get away with their misdeeds. I want characters to think ugly thoughts and make messy decisions. I want characters to make mistakes and put themselves first without apologizing for it. I want authenticity and to read stories about real people who aren’t always picture perfect.
Because I remain fascinated by unlikable characters, I’m putting together Acquired Tastes, an anthology celebrating unlikeable characters: how we create them, how we understand them, how we love them and how they enrage us, and why they are so necessary to our stories.
This call is for young adult writers, whose work I’d like to include in this anthology alongside some more familiar names.
I’m looking for short fiction or essays, from young adults, ages 15-21.”
Deadline: 2 February 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $1,000
Details here (see the relevant category.)
(Also see The Audacity Emerging Writer Essays; The Audacity is Roxanne Gay’s newsletter, featuring essays by emerging writers; you can only have three publications or fewer and no books or books under contract to submit. They pay $1,000 for essays of 1,500 to 3,000 words, and are open on an ongoing basis; details here – see the relevant category.)
The Slab Press: Two anthologies
They want fiction submissions for two anthologies.
— Obsidian: The Dark Space Novelette Anthology: “We are looking for darker stories about exploration, isolation, and the harsh conditions of space. Think space horror, like Sunshine or Event Horizon, psychological stories, dystopian, and bleak. The crucial thing is the space setting.
What we will love: stories that focus on character.” They’ll pay 1p a word up to £100 for stories of 9,000-25,000 words, and the deadline is 15 February 2026.
— Screams and Wails: The Rock-Horror Anthology: They want “original horror short stories with music at their still-beating heart. Think cursed instruments; songs that drive the listener mad; zombie fans; haunted studios.
What we will love: anything with music or music culture as a predominant theme, but are particularly keen on alternative rock types such as rock, indie, metal, goth, prog, dub etc. We want the mood, style and trappings of music, which means fiction, aspiration, glamour, dirt and grit, but mostly fiction.” Do not send real music lyrics or reprints. They accept translations (see guidelines). Pay: 1p a word up to £50 for stories of 2,000-9,000 words, and the deadline is 28 February 2026.
Deadlines: See above
Length: See above
Pay: See above
Details here.
The Ranger’s Almanac
They accept “stories, poetry, artwork, photographs, and music for consideration in a (US) Forest and Park Service-specific literary journal” from rangers and creators across the US. Submissions must be related to, or inspired by, a national/state forest or park and must be PG-13.
Deadline: 28 February 2026
Length: Stories of 500 to 10,000 words
Pay: $5 for poems, photos, and reprints; $10 for music and original audio pieces; $25 for artwork; $5 per 500 words for stories
Details here and here.
Thema: While the Snowstorm Was Raging…
They publish three themed issues a year. They accept short stories, essays, poetry, and art. Their upcoming theme is ‘While the Snowstorm Was Raging…’. 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 March 2026 (see guidelines)
Length: Up to 20 pages for fiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: $10-25
Details here.
Transcendent Fiction Publishing: Verify You’re Not Human Anthology
Tf Publishing is a furry & speculative fiction publisher. And, Verify You’re Not Human is “an anthology about therian experiences. Stories may be realistic without any fantastical elements, or may result in transformation or some other kind of adapting to a therian identity over the course of the story.
The main character of the story must be therian (or similar forms of identity, such as otherkin) – this can be a “coming out” story as the character recognises themselves as therian, or can be an established identity.
The story should have a strong focus on what it means to be therian – stories where this is incidental or not a focus will likely not be accepted. There are, however, many ways to be therian and all kinds of this will be considered.” Stories may be of any age rating including explicit 18+ stories, and may be of any genre so long as they include obvious therian (or otherkin, etc.) main characters.
Deadline: 1 March 2026
Length: 2,000-10,000 words
Pay: AUD 1c/word
Details here.
MIDLVLMAG: Reverse Evaluation
“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.” They want submissions on the Reverse Evaluation theme. “Reverse Evaluation is, on its most basic level, when employees have the opportunity to review the performance of their supervisors, managers etc. That only begins to scratch the surface…
Reverse Evaluation is the tide turning, the game played fairly, and lost dignity regained. It is when we take back what is ours, show mercy we were never given, build the vision of ourselves we know to be true.
Reverse Evaluation is justice, equity, in the now and the future. It is vengeance, revenge, the long built hurts washed away. It is the shovel, the spade, burying burdens, and unearthing lost treasures.
Reverse Evaluation is freedom from the cruelty of history, institution, and tradition.
Let them know what’s on your mind.”
Deadline: 7 March 2026
Length: Up to 3 poems; 1,500-4,500 words for prose
Pay: $25
Details here.
DreamPunk Press: TEETH Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. “We’re talking eerie, or creepy, or Gothic. We are NOT interested in overly gory fiction or slasher fiction.
The theme for this anthology is TEETH.” They do not want reprints.
Deadline: 31 March 2026
Length: 3,000-3,500 words
Pay: $200
Details here.
Synthesized Sunsets: Mist
Synthesized Sunsets is “a magazine and podcast about speculative fiction, romantic art, and the evolution of popular culture. Every few months, the magazine will rebrand to reflect a new “season”, complete with an aesthetic theme.” You can read about them here. They have detailed guidelines, including, “We are only accepting speculative fiction at this time; that is, stories where some novel idea of “what could be” or “what could have been” is central. We will also be prioritizing stories that are on-theme, although this is not strictly a requirement. This season’s theme is mist.”
“We are looking for speculative fiction stories that preferably relate to this issue’s mist theme. By speculative fiction, we mean stories have some novel speculative idea about possible futures or alternate pasts. This idea may be scientific or technological, but it could also be philosophical, sociological, mythological, etc. While we hope to publish primarily sci-fi and fantasy, our definition will include works not normally considered within those genres. At the same time, just because a story has sci-fi aesthetics (e.g. spaceships and aliens) does not mean it is speculative fiction.”
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 12,500 words
Pay: $50
Details here.
THEMED CONTESTS
(Apart from the themed contests, some unthemed contests are also open, including:
— Porter House Review 2025-2026 Editor’s Prize: Porter House Review, an online literary journal, have announced their 2025 – 2026 Editor’s Prizes in Poetry and Fiction of $500 each. While there is a $10 submission fee for the prize, it will be waived from 5th to 7th January. They have detailed guidelines. Also, all submitted works will be considered for publication; writers will be paid; details here.
— Jack Hazard Fellowship: “Jack Hazard Fellows are fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and memoir writers who teach full time in an accredited high school in the United States. We provide a $5,000 award that enables these creative writers who teach to focus on their writing for a summer.” The deadline is 9 January 2026; details here and here
— Colgate University: Olive B. O’Connor Creative Writing Fellowship:
For the current application period, they offer one fellowship for creative nonfiction, and one for poetry. One of the application requirements is a writing sample. Writers who have recently completed an MFA, MA, or PhD in creative writing, and who need a year to complete their first book, are encouraged to apply. It also includes residency at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. There are teaching duties attached. The fellowship is $58,000 + other benefits, residency, and the deadline is 12 January 2026; details here.
— Lit Fox Award for Poetry Book: This is an award for a poetry book. The manuscript should be at least 48 pages. Prize is publication, 25 author copies, and a cash award of $1,500; the deadline is 15th January 2026; details here and here.
— César Egido Serrano Foundation: VIII International Short Tales Contest: This is the eighth edition of their international global micro-fiction contest. Write a story of up to 100 words in any of these languages: Spanish, English, Arabic, or Hebrew. There will be one winning story, and the top scoring stories in each of the remaining languages will get runner-up prizes. Please note, public voting is part of the assessment (see rules). And, “Attendance at the award ceremony is an essential condition, except in cases of duly justified force majeure. In the event of unjustified absence, the jury reserves the right to reassign the prize to the next best-ranked finalist in that category.” Also note, they can publish any of the submitted stories. Submission is via a form on their website. The prizes are €20,000 for the winner and €2,000 for three runners-up; the deadline is 31 January 2026; details here and here.
— Bucknell University: Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing: An opportunity for US writers, a cash award of $5,000 and residency offered by Bucknell University, provides writing time of up to four months. It’s for any creative genre in the literary arts, including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, hybrid work, graphic novel, etc. Writers should be working on a first or second book. Some record of publication is desirable; deadline: 1 February 2026; details here.
(See the full list of their programs and residencies here.)
— The Pegasus Poetry Book Prize: This prize is by the Poetry Foundation and Graywolf Press, and it ”awards $10,000 and publication to an unpublished first or second poetry collection by a United States poet 40 or older. This prize replaces the Poetry Foundation’s former Emily Dickinson First Book Award and will be offered periodically rather than annually.” Manuscripts must be 48 to 80 pages, and multilingual works containing a full English translation by the author will be considered. And, “Poets will need to register and submit manuscripts through the Poetry Foundation’s Grants and Awards Online Portal. To access the portal, poets must submit an initial registration form. Registrations will be approved within 3 to 5 business days.” The cutoff for registering on their portal is 26th January, and the deadline for submitting the manuscript is 2nd February 2026 (see ‘Important Dates’ on the guidelines page);
details here.
— The Northern Writers’ Awards: The Hachette Children’s Novel Awards: These are open to debut writers of middle-grade children’s fiction and early teen fiction living in the North of England. Middle-grade fiction is for children aged approximately 7-11, and teen fiction is for readers aged 11 – 13. There will be two winners of this award, getting £3,000 each; and a programme of mentoring and other opportunities (see guidelines). The deadline is 12 January 2026 for the initial round; details here and here.
— Discoveries 2026: It is for UK- and Ireland-based unpublished and unrepresented women writers, for a novel-in-progress (adult fiction). This prize is run by The Women’s Prize Trust, Audible, Curtis Brown Literary Agency, and Curtis Brown Creative writing school. Apart from a cash prize, winner also gets literary representation. There are also non-cash prizes for shortlisted and longlisted writers; the award is £5,000, deadline is 12 January 2026; details here and here.)
Teachers & Writers Magazine: The 2026 Bechtel Prize for Innovation in Creative Writing Instruction
Their website says, “Each year the Teachers & Writers Magazine editorial board awards the Bechtel Prize and a $1,000 honorarium for an essay describing a creative writing teaching experience, project, or activity that demonstrates innovation in creative writing instruction.” They want essays up to 2,500 words, and have detailed guidelines about the kind of essays they want.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 11 January 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.
(Teachers & Writers is also open for article submissions for the magazine; please be sure to submit in the correct category.)
Golden Haiku Poetry Contest
This is a modern Haiku contest for poets globally. The theme for 2026 is The Joy of Nature. “Golden Haiku follows the Haiku Society of America’s guidelines for modern haiku, which does not require the traditional 5-7-5 structure. Removing the strict structural requirements for syllables frees the author to use evocative language to capture a moment or expression of beauty in a short, descriptive verse.” (See guidelines for details). It is open to poets of all ages, and there are also regional/DC prizes for adults as well as schoolchildren.
Value: $500, $200, $100 for adults; $150 for high school winner; $75 for elementary/middle school winner
Deadline: 11 January 2026
Open for: All poets
Details here.
The John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
This is for US high school students in grades 9 through 12. Essays must describe an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1917, the year John F Kennedy was born. The official may have addressed an issue at the local, state, or national level. Essays should be 700-1,000 words and must quote at least five sources.
Value: $10,000, $3,000, $1,000 each for finalists; an award for the nominating teacher of the first-place winner (see here)
Deadline: 12 January 2026
Open for: US high school students
Details here (also click on tabs on the page for various details)
Fourteen Hills: Stacey Doris Memorial Poetry Award
This is a poetry contest – send one poem of 3 to 10 pages. Their guidelines say, “Stacy Doris was a poet, translator, and an Associate Professor in San Francisco State University’s Department of Creative Writing, where she taught for ten years. … Doris created new worlds with her unexpected poetics. Following upon her spirit of creative invention, engaging wit and ingenious playfulness, discovery in construction, and radical appropriations based on classical forms, pastiche, etc., and love, the Stacy Doris Memorial Poetry Award is given toa poet with a truly inventive spirit.” Works that don’t win will be considered for publication in Fourteen Hills.
Value: $500
Deadline: 15 January 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here
(They also have another fee-based national award for emerging prose writers, as well as a fee-free one for San Francisco State University students/graduates.)
The New England Quarterly: Walter Muir Whitehill Prize in Early American History
This prize is for an essay on early American history (before 1925), not previously published, with preference being given to New England subjects. Essays should be up to 14,000 words, and can be emailed (as both PDF and Word attachments) or mailed.
Value: $2,500
Deadline: 15 January 2026 (emailed or postmarked)
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.
Zócalo Public Square Poetry Prize
They want poetry from US poets whose poem best evokes a connection to place. “The prize interprets “place” in many ways: A place may possess historical, cultural, political, or personal importance, and may be literal, imaginary, or metaphorical.” Please read the conditions at the bottom of the page carefully.
Value: $1,000, $100 for honorable mentions
Deadline: 23 January 2026
Open for: US poets
Details here.
Speculative Literature Foundation: A. C. Bose Grant
This grant supports South Asian or South Asian diaspora writers developing speculative fiction. Work that is accessible to older children and teens will be given preference. “This grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature. Speculative literature 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.” A writing sample of up to 5,000 words is part of the application. Applicants need not have prior publishing credits to apply.
Value: $1,500
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Open for: South Asian or Desi/South Asian or Desi diaspora writers
Details here; the schedule for their other upcoming grants is here.
Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
The magazine runs a short story contest thrice a year. Readers of this magazine are interested in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. While the writing should appeal to a reader with these interests, stories can be on any theme. Stories should be up to 3,000 words, but up to 4,000 words will be considered.
Value: $150
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award
They want a short story, of up to 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. They want to see Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics, sacrifice, adventure. They do not want stories that show technology or space travel as evil or bad, galactic empires, paranormal elements, UFO abductions, zombie stories, thinly veiled copies of previous winners, non-standalone novel excerpts, or screenplays.
Value: 8c/word, and various non-cash awards
Deadline: 1 February 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here (click on ‘Contest rules’).
(They also have a fantasy short story contest, the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award, which opens in January.)
Biographers International Organization: The Frances “Frank” Rollin Fellowship
They offer two fellowships, open to all biographers anywhere in the world who are writing in English, who are working on a biography of an African American figure or figures whose story provides a significant contribution to our understanding of the Black experience, and who are at any stage in the writing of a book-length biography. A publishing contract is not required for eligibility. Memoirs are not eligible. An excerpt of up to 20 pages is part of the application. The Biographers International Organization also has other awards (some of which are open for all writers), as well as other resources. Value: Two fellowships of $5,000 each
Deadline: 1 February 2026
Open for: See above
Details here.
St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition
This is a contest for young writers, they want a themed essay of 2,100 words, on ‘Disruption in Tech + Politics + Demography: What happens when they collide?
Pick a case where at least two of these forces meet, and propose a bold idea to maximize the benefits while minimizing the risks over the long term.’ See guidelines for details. To be eligible, writers must be enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university, and be born in 1996 or later.
Value: CHF20,000, split between three winners; they’ll also cover travel, accommodation, and admission to the symposium in Switzerland.
Deadline: 1 February 2026
Open for: Young writers (see above)
Details here.
New America National Fellows Program
This international program brings on thinkers—journalists, scholars, filmmakers, and public policy analysts—whose work enhances the public conversation about the most pressing issues of our day. The product of the fellowship should be a nonfiction reporting project in the form of a book, film, podcast, longform article, or well-researched multimedia project. Fellows advance ideas through research, reporting, analysis, and storytelling. The organizers look for projects that are original and ambitious, with viable plans for their implementation. Their goal is to find bold, impactful thinkers and to fund them for a year; long enough to make progress on a book, develop a series of articles, produce a documentary, or work on another project that is accessible. Fellows have to attend two cohort gatherings throughout the fellowship year. There are no residency or nationality requirements, though fellows need to be involved in the New America community.
Value: Generally $15,000-30,000
Deadline: 2 February 2026 (letters of reference are due 5 February)
Open for: All journalists, scholars, filmmakers and public policy analysts
Details here.
Keats-Shelley Memorial Association: Young Romantics Prize
The Young Romantics Poetry (up to 30 lines) and Essay Prize (750-1,000 words) is open to anyone aged 16-18.
“The theme of 2025-26’s Young Romantics Poetry Prize has been chosen to mark the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s The Last Man. Entrants are invited to submit poems on the subject of either “Dystopia” or “Utopia”.”
For the essay prize, choose one of these two topics:
“1. Mary Shelley’s The Last Man imagines a plague which all but wipes out the human race. What is the appeal of dystopias in literature?
2. ‘The most successful writers are both insiders and outsiders.’ Do you agree?”
Value: £700, £300
Deadline: 2 February 2026 (see guidelines)
Open for: Writers ages 16-18
Details here.
(They are also running Keats-Shelley prizes for adults. For the essay contest – on any aspect of the writing and/or lives of the Romantics and their circles, up to 3,000 words – entry is free, and winner gets £1,000. There is an entry fee for the poetry prize, and the deadline for both is 2 February 2026, details here.)
(A few contests with later deadlines are:
— Baen Fantasy Adventure Award: “Write and submit a short story of no more than 8,000 words. It must be a work of fantasy, though all fantasy genres are open, e.g. epic fantasy, heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, contemporary fantasy, etc.” Also see the kind of stories they want to see: “Adventure fantasy with heroes you want to root for. Warriors either modern or medieval, who solve problems with their wits or with their weapons—and we have nothing against dragons, elves, dwarves, castles under siege, urban fantasy, damsels in distress, or damsels who inflict distress.” They pay “industry-standard rates” as well as non-cash prizes, and will open for submissions from 20th January to 30th April 2026. Stories sent outside these dates will be deleted unread. Details here – click on contest rules. Also, “The winners will be officially announced during the Baen Traveling Roadshow at Dragon Con, in Atlanta, Georgia. (We would prefer the winners attend the convention, but it is not required.)”
— Kinsman Quarterly: Voices of Mixed Heritage: This is an award forauthors and poets of mixed heritage or relationships. “Submit essays, fiction, or poetry exploring themes of multicultural or third-culture identity, love, belonging, home life, and pain. We seek heartfelt reflections on living between worlds.
Win up to $500 in cash prizes and publication in Kinsman’s upcoming anthology.” They accept prose of 300 to 2,000 words, and up to 10 pages of poetry. Please note, you have to log into their website to access submission guidelines. The prizes are $500, $250, $150; $25 Amazon gift cards for runners-up, and the deadline is 28 February 2026; details here.
(Kinsman Quarterly has other contests in 2026 too, both fee-based and fee-free, see brief information about those on this page; again, you have to log in to access detailed information.
— BCALA Self-Publishing Literary Awards: “Through this contest, the BCALA honors the best self-published ebooks by an African American author in the U.S. in both fiction and poetry genres.
These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora. The purpose is to encourage the artistic expression of the African American experience via literature and scholarly research including biographical, historical, and social history treatments by African Americans.” The awards are $2,500 each for a self-published poetry and prose ebook, and the deadline is 28 February 2026; details here.
(Submissions are also open for The Caine Prize for African Writing, also called the African Booker. Entries must be sent by the publisher or a third-party institution that is independent of the author – entries sent by the author will be ineligible. It is for published short stories of 3,000 to 10,000 words, written by an African writer, published within the last five years – see guidelines. The award is £10,000, and the submission deadline is 27 February 2026, 12:00 GMT.)
— And, The Academy of American Poets has a couple of prizes that are closing mid-February; the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award for a translated and published poetry collection with an award of $1,000; and the Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship for an American translator to travel, study, or otherwise advance a significant work-in-progress of translation of twentieth-century Italian poetry, an award of $25,000 – see the relevant categories here.)
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
