This list of publishers meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically underrepresented writers or focus on publishing content produced by historically underrepresented writers. Some of these publications are open to a wide range of writers including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ writers, and those living with disabilities. Some have limited definitions and are only interested in work by Black authors.
We try to make it as clear as possible who the publisher is seeking work from. Sometimes the focus of the press is limited, even though there are no limitations on who can submit. A few of the opportunities are also limited by geography, again, we try to make this clear. There are always additional submission details at the site we link to, but we try to cover the basics as best we can as part of this list.
If you belong to a limited demographic that is not listed here, this list might be helpful to you.
As long as a press/opportunity/journal is open to submissions we will continue to list it, so some of the content on the list is new, some overlaps with previous issues. This article is an ongoing collaborative effort by Emily Harstone and S. Kalekar. Please send us an email at support@authorspublish.com if you have any feedback or an opportunity/journal/publisher, to recommend.
Literary Journals/Magazines
Haven Speculative
They publish speculative fiction and poetry. They now have Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall submission periods. “Our submission cycle is split into four reading periods, each containing three parts: a month explicitly reserved for submissions by authors of color, members of LGBTQIA+ communities, and writers belonging to other underrepresented groups; a month open to general submissions, during which anyone may submit; and a month in which we’re closed to submissions so that we may do the difficult (and exciting!) work of choosing content for future issues.” Till 31 July 2025, they want submissions from underrepresented writers only; “authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups.” They also publish climate crisis focused Dry and Wet issues each year; scroll down on the guidelines page for these themes. They accept up to 6,000 words for fiction, up to 5 poems, and pay $0.08/word for fiction, $20/poem. Through August, they will be open to submissions by all writers. Details here and here.
khōréō
This is a quarterly magazine of speculative fiction and migration, and they only publish fiction by immigrant and diaspora authors. They also accept speculative fiction translations with migration themes. Send up to 5,000 words for fiction, or up to 3,500 words for translations. They pay $0.10/word. The deadline is 31 July 2025. Details here (submission guidelines), here (translation guidelines) and here (submission portal).
Lucky Jefferson: Awake – Homecoming
Awake is a zine by Lucky Jefferson for Black writers and artists only. They want poetry, prose, and art submissions on the Homecoming theme. “”Home” is elusive for many folks in the Black diaspora. We seek to find home in our communities, in our culture, in our bodies, and in each other. Homecoming invites Black writers to reflect lovingly on the spaces, places, and people that have made them feel at home—like they belong. Whether it’s a barber shop in your neighborhood, your auntie’s kitchen table, or your favorite sweater, share a poem expressing your love and devotion. Your work does not need to follow any specific structure, but should celebrate and pay homage to your subject.” This will be a print issue. They pay $15-50, and the deadline is 1 August 2025. Details here and here (see the relevant category in Submittable).
(Lucky Jefferson has a few calls for writers open now, see their Submittable page for details.)
Splinter: First Nations Issue
Splinter is an Australia-based journal and they want submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from First Nations people for this issue.“Whether you’re Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori, Sámi or belong to another first peoples community, we want to hear your voice. For the First Nations issue, we are looking for writing that speaks to the weight and wonder of living as First Nations people — where past, present and future aren’t separate but walk together. … We’re interested in the fractures and the fight, the moments of stillness, the ridiculous. What does it mean to carry culture, to carry knowledge in a world that wants us to forget? What does survival feel like today — and what does joy look like in the cracks?” They publish profiles, essays, memoir, criticism, fiction, poetry, writing about writing, as well as experimental work. And, “For profiles, essays, writing about writing, and criticism, we are looking for pitches of ideas (rather than completed works). For memoir, poetry, and fiction we are looking for submission of completed works.” They pay AUD250-900, and the deadline is 3 August 2025. Details here (scroll down) and here.
Geist
“Geist is a magazine of ideas and culture with a strong literary focus and a sense of humour.” They’re reading submissions for A Fold in Time: ‘90s. They accept work from Canadian writers only. They accept non-fiction, fiction, comics, poetry, and hybrid forms. They pay CAD50-1,000. While they charge a submission fee, Canadians who are Black writers, Indigenous writers and writers of colour need not pay a fee (see guidelines / the relevant category in Submittable). The deadline is 1 August 2025. Details here, here, and here.
Ubwali Literary Magazine
They want short stories, essays, visual art (including photography), and poems only from Zambian writers and artists living anywhere in the world. They pay $10, and the deadline is 31 July 2025.
Room Magazine: Science
This Canadian magazine accepts work by persons of marginalized genders only, including but not limited to women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people. They want submissions on the Science theme. They accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry and art. They want work on the Science theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Science is both a lexicon for what we know and a field of exploration for what we don’t know yet. In Room Magazine’s Science, as in science, we will savour curiosity, question orthodoxy, dig into hidden histories and understudied areas, and titrate, examine, hypothesize, collaborate, queer, and dream our way to wilder futures. How do we come about and decide what is knowledge? What knowledge is accessible, credible/sanctioned, or forbidden? What pseudo-sciences shaped society in the past, and are doing so now? What does it mean to have nonhuman teachers during the Anthropocene?”
Send up to 3,500 words for prose, up to 5 poems. They pay CAD50-200 for writing. They have separate submission categories for Canadian and international writers. They close by category as they reach their submission quota. Details here and here.
CVNT
A new journal that declares they exist “for the solicitation, exhibition, advancement, & support of transfeminine writers”. Submissions are restricted to transfeminine people, binary trans women, & genderqueer folks. They accept submissions of poetry, fiction, & creative nonfiction on a rolling basis.
Meridians
The journal is a venture of Smith College and is published by Duke University Press. Their mission is to make scholarship by and about women of color central to contemporary definitions of feminisms in the explorations of women’s economic conditions, cultures, and sexualities, as well as of the forms and meanings of resistance and activist strategies. Alongside scholarly work they also accept poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. They close to submissions for this reading period on September 30th.
Gasp Magazine
I’m not linking to this publication in the title, because their website is not safe for work as they are a publisher of adult work. Please do not click on this link unless you are 18+/ They focus on sharing a multifaceted discussions on sexuality, eroticism, and queerness. They are interested in essays, interviews, research articles, creative writing, poetry, artistic illustrations, and photography (with additional rules) that reflect upon sex or the absence thereof in one way or another.
The Saartjie Journal
This new journal is only open to writing and visual art by Black women artists and writers. They accept submissions of previously unpublished original poems, short stories, and visual art.
Mande
This is a journal of bipolar talent. “Mande is always open to submissions from bipolar creatives on any topic. While I appreciate the long shadows bipolar throws, I’m particularly interested at the moment in its high points, in any joy or positive elements you find in bipolar. We also publish work by people familiar with bipolar, as long as it’s directly related to manic depression.” They pay for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. They pay $50-250.
Midwest Weird
This is an audio literary magazine, seeking submissions of weird fiction or nonfiction from Midwestern authors, with a particular interest in underrepresented communities.
Cripple Punk Mag
This Substack publishes “essays, criticism, news and reviews, literary nonfiction, fiction, rants and raves, comics, and hybrid works on the subject of disability and live music, especially within the context of punk, alternative, and DIY music.” They also have an annual print anthology. Payment starts at $10 and is dependent on length and sliding scale based on need. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Previously published work is allowed, and work should be between 300 and 1000 words in length.
The West Trestle Review
This respected journal is only open to submissions previously unpublished poetry and art by creators around the globe who self-identify as women or as non-binary. They are always open to free submissions by BIPOC writers who self-identify as women or as non-binary, and you can see those guidelines here.
Woodsqueer
This new literary journal describes their focus by stating “At Woodsqueer, we view nature as inherently “queer.” It’s queer to care about the fate of our natural world, to possess this liminal space, and to make a dwelling of your own there. While we are especially interested in the voices of underrepresented artists, we are looking for any writer who thinks their work to be queer within our natural world.” They accept poetry, fiction, and essays as well as art and photography. They are open to previously published work as long as the author is upfront about the work being a reprint.
Decolonial Passage
According to their website they “publish writing from writers of all backgrounds regardless of race, origin, or gender while simultaneously centering African, African American, and Black Diaspora writing.” Their mission statement goes into more details about this. They are open on a rolling basis to essays, creative nonfiction, short stories, and flash fiction. They are open to poetry only during the months of January, March, May, July, September or November.
AC|DC
They publish short stories and creative nonfiction by LGBTQIA+ authors. They are currently open to submissions.
Magnets and Ladders
They publish the work of disabled writers in two issues a year.
DisLit Youth Magazine
They only publish work by writers 14-22, and they primarily publish disabled writers.
AURORE
This publications tagline is “a curated collection of erotic stories written by and for women and LGBTQ+ based on their own experiences”. Because it is a NSFW site, the link to get to it is here, instead of the title, please only click on it if you are 18+ They publish nonfiction erotica and their website is NSFW, please do not visit it if you are under 18.
Heaven Magazine
They are interested in publishing fiction, creative non fiction, flash, and poetry by all underrepresented creators.
Sinister Wisdom
A multicultural lesbian literary & art journal. Founded in 1976, this literary journal is always open to submissions.
Saffron City Press
Saffron City Press is an online literary journal dedicated to amplifying the voices of Middle Eastern and Middle Eastern-American writers.
Plentitude
They want submissions from LGBTQ2S+ writers only; their Submittable has separate submission slots for Canadian and international writers (international submissions will reopen on 1st October). Every genre has a monthly submission cap. Pay is CAD60 per poem, CAD125 per prose contribution (fiction and creative nonfiction), CAD100 for book reviews and Genre Bender (hybrid) submissions. Details here and here.
Arcanum Magazine
Arcanum Magazine is a digital and print magazine for creative writing, visual art, cultural criticism, and journalism by and for the Black diaspora. They are a paying market that is open on a rolling basis to creative writing, cultural criticism, news, and journalism, as well as visual art.
Bookish Brews
They describe themselves as a “book blog and a celebration of diverse books and authors (with a side of your favorite brew)”. They prioritize BIPOC writers but are open to submissions from other historically underrepresented groups also. They publish nonfiction, craft, and lifestyle essays as well as book reviews.
Zindabad Zine
This print and electronic publication is based in the UK. They are open to submissions on a rolling basis. Currently they are closed to submissions for the print issue but open to electronic ones. They only accept work from people “in a diaspora”. They publish personal essays, articles, poetry, fiction, visual art and photography.
The Kalahari Review
A weekly African literary magazine interested in material exploring modern Africa and Africans in unique and avant-garde ways. They publish their work on Medium.
Transition
Born in Africa and bred in the diaspora, Transition is a publication of the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, published three times annually. Transition publishes writing by and about Africa and the African diaspora, with an eye towards a global perspective. They accept submissions year-round on a rolling basis, and generally respond to submissions within four months.
Lavender Review
An international, biannual e-zine published in June and December, they are open to submissions of poetry and art by, about, and for lesbians (including whatever LGBTQ might appeal to a lesbian readership). Submissions are open year round.
Ricepaper
This publication offers Asian Canadian context to ongoing arts and cultural issues, new perspectives on emerging and established Asian Canadian artists, and challenges mainstream media perspectives, little-known facts of interest, or critical stories that haven’t been told elsewhere. They are open to submissions from Asian writers around the globe as long as the editors can see a link between the content and some aspect of the Asian Canadian experience.
Raising Mothers
Raising Mothers celebrates and centers the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and Brown parents. Some sections have reading periods; columns are open year-round. Guidelines are here.
African Writer
They are open to all genres of literature from Africa and the African Diaspora. They do not allow simultaneous submissions.
Afritondo
According to their website, “Afritondo is a media and publishing platform that aims to connect with and tell the stories of Africans and black minority populations across the globe.” They accept a wide range of work, including manuscript-length work.
Brittle Paper
Brittle Paper is an online literary magazine for readers of African Literature. They accept the following: “fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, book reviews, essays, literary commentaries, fun listicles, and any writing with a literary bent”.
Torch Literary Arts
Torch Literary Arts is a nonprofit organization. They publish and promote creative writing by Black women only; you can read more about them here. They publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers. “We are interested in work that challenges and disrupts preconceived notions of what Black women’s contemporary writing should be.” General submissions are accepted for Friday Features only, in which they publish fiction, hybrid works, poetry, and drama (including that accompanied by video or dramatic audio). Send up to 2,500 for fiction/hybrid works, up to 10 pages for drama, or up to 5 poems. Pay is $150. Submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis; you can submit here.
Tagg Magazine
Tagg is a US-based queer women’s publication. Their website has several themes they accept articles on, including personal essays, listicles, dating advice and fashion-related content. Articles are 350-1,000 words long and pay $75-175. They welcome pitches for article ideas. See the pitch guide for contributors here.
Bi Women Quarterly
BWQ features the voices of women “with bi+ sexualities (i.e., bi, pan, fluid, and other non-binary sexualities)” and they see “woman” as a broad category and welcome contributions those who identify as trans, non-binary, cis, etc. They publish articles, creative writing, musings, and more.
KOENING ZINE
They publish art, fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction submissions primarily by Asians, but they are open to submissions from non-Asians. Their uniting theme is Asian Folklore. Submitters must be over 18.
POETRY SANGO-OTA
We only usually include journals currently open to submissions, but this list is always published on the third Thursday of a given month, and this journal is only open to submissions through the 1st to the 10th of each month, so we are listing it and encouraging you to set a calendar alert for when it reopens on the 1st of the next month. “We are interested in poems with a keen connection to a sense of place, nature, or otherworldly geographies.” They only publish African poets, and pay N2,500 per poem.
The Gay & Lesbian Review
The Gay & Lesbian Review is a bimonthly magazine of history, culture, and politics targeting an educated readership of LGBT people, and their allies that publishes themed features (2,000-4,000 words), reviews, interviews, and departments. They have announced a couple of themed calls, and they also invite suggestions for future themes.
- Forgotten History: From a Civil War bromance to a lesbian prison riot
- The Kink Issue: Alternative sexualities
- Ethnographic Journeys: LGBT lives in premodern cultures
Writers can send proposals or complete pieces. They pay for features ($250) and full-length book reviews ($100).
The Acentos Review
The Acentos Review publishes writing, art, music and multigenre work by Latinx writers. They are open to submissions all year long. Details here.
Craft
This respected literary journal is open to creative work from authors of all backgrounds, but they offer free submissions + fast response times to BIPOC and other mis- and underrepresented writers, here. Craft pays $100 for flash and $200 for short fiction and creative nonfiction.
Aloka
They want work by non-native English speakers only – poetry, translations, fiction, and hybrid work. Send up to 5 poems, or up to 2 prose pieces, up to 2,500 words each.
The Lighthouse / Black Girl Times
The tagline of The Lighthouse is, “Cultivating spaces of solidarity and safety for southern Black girls to shine through focused programming and research.” They have an extensive guide for pitching articles, including “We … are always looking for thought-provoking stories and other content from marginalized communities, Black girls, (in particular, but not exclusively) and gender non-conforming people. In addition to story and long-form story pitches and op-eds, they accept photography and original artwork for their online blogging platform, The Black Girl Times, and their monthly newsletter, The Black Girl Times Redux. Also, “Each month, we have an editorial theme board (kind of like the mood boards interior designers use) we post on our social media accounts (@luvblkgrls). The theme board is intended to be an inspiration and provocation of thoughts, ideas and feelings. Your response(s) can be literal or abstract and loose. And again, it might not have anything to do with anything we’ve seen.” Pay is $0.25-$1/word. Pay for art (graphic design, cartoons and photo essays) is $150-1,000.
Screen Door Review
They only publish work by individuals who are Southern and queer. You can learn more about how they define Southern here. They publish flash fiction and poetry.
Emergent Literary
An exciting new literary journal that accepts a wide range of submissions from Black and Brown authors.
Presses/Anthologies
Flame Tree: Africanfuturism Anthology
This is part of their Gothic Fantasy series. Their guidelines say, “we open submissions for Africanfuturism Short Stories.
This is Africa, based in Kenya, defines Africanfuturism as located in “the African point of view, experience, culture, themes, and history with technology based in Africa”. So, we’re expecting stories from Black African, African-diaspora, African–descent writers. And please note the difference between this Africanfuturism title and Afrofuturism. The latter typically includes stories centred on the Black experience in the West. Whereas, for this open submission call, the stories should be set in and about Africa – whether that’s a future Africa, an alternative Africa or a parallel Africa, the choice is yours. The genre implies a lean towards science fiction rather than fantasy, and towards positive scenarios and concepts, but of course is open to interpretation: the publication of these two books offers a dialogue that explores tradition and influence, and fresh insights both about our past, and visions of our future.” They want stories of 2,000-4,000 words. They also accept reprints. They pay $0.08/word for originals. The deadline is 2 November 2025.
(Flame Tree also has other anthologies open for submissions, with varying the themes, requirements, and deadlines; they usually announce all their anthology calls on this page.)
Third World Press
An African-centered press that is focused on publishing work that is “life-giving and life-saving to the community, and other communities on the Diaspora”. They are the largest Black-owned press in the United States. They are only open to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, young adult and children’s books submissions during the month of July.
Singapore Unbound: 2025 Gaudy Boy Open Call for Novel Manuscripts
“Gaudy Boy is a New York City-based independent press that publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction by extraordinary Asian voices, is open to submissions of unpublished adult novels by authors of Asian heritage residing anywhere in the world. One or more selected manuscripts will be published in 2026 or 2027. Each author will receive book publication and an advance of USD1,500.” They also accept translations. The deadline is 31 July 2025.
(See all of Singapore Unbound’s calls here.)
NeuroQueer: Annual Spoon Knife anthology
NeuroQueer is an imprint of Autonomous Press, and they publish an annual genre bending anthology called Spoon Knife which is now accepting submissions of short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. They are a paying market. Autonomous Press does not accept unagented submissions, but this is one of the ways they find authors. The theme of this anthology is Polarites, and they include details and image along the theme lines on their site. They pay $30, plus 1 cent per word. All contributors also receive a copy of the anthology their work appears in. The deadline for submissions is July 31st.
aunt lute
A multicultural women’s press. Their priority is to publish work by women, both transgender and cisgender, particularly women of color.
Balestier Press
They are committed to promoting diversity in publishing, with a particular focus on Asia. They accept submissions of a wide variety of creative works including fiction, poetry, short stories, graphic novels, creative nonfiction, memoirs. They are also open to works in translation. Assume rejection if you have not heard from them after three months.
Little Puss Press
A feminist press run by trans women. They are open to general submissions of fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. They also are open to reprint proposals of literary/historical works of significance by transgender authors. They have good distribution, excellent press, and have already published work that has won a major award.
Palimpsest Press
A small press specializing in poetry and other literary works, they only publish Canadian authors. They are open to submissions from authors who identify as BIPOC, Deaf, or Disabled, all year round. Learn more here.
Arte Público Press
They focus on publishing literary work by “Hispanic writers”, and they publish work in both English and Spanish, but primarily focus on English work. They also have bilingual children’s and YA book imprint, Piñata Books.
Phoenix
Phoenix is a new speculative imprint launched by Nigerian publisher Ouida Books in collaboration with Nnedi Okorafor and Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn. Phoenix is dedicated to publishing African speculative fiction and fantasy (Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism). You can learn more about it here.
The Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series
This opportunity, from Black Lawrence Press, is for immigrants living in the US – for manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid writing. “Poets and authors, at any stage of their careers, who identify as immigrants are welcome to submit a book manuscript of poetry or prose or a hybrid text for consideration. Submissions are accepted year-round. However, selections are made in June and November for a total of two books per year. In addition to publication, marketing, and a standard royalties contract from Black Lawrence Press, authors chosen for the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series will receive a travel stipend of $500, which can be used for book tours or in any manner chosen by the authors.”
North Dakota State University Press: Contemporary Voices of Indigenous Peoples Series
The goal of this series to feature the authentic stories, poetry, and scholarly works of Native Americans, First Nations, Maori, Aborigines, Indians, and more to give voice to contemporary Indigenous peoples. NDSU Press considers book-length manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for publication in this series.
Random House Canada
The Canadian arm of Random House changed their submission policy have opened their policy exclusively to LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC writers, as well as those from other traditionally underrepresented communities. They are particularly looking for “High quality commercial fiction in the following genres: literary, romance, speculative fiction, historical fiction, and mystery. Please note that we do not currently accept screenplays, stage plays, young adult fiction, children’s fiction, or picture book queries. All non-fiction submissions must be submitted via a literary agent.” They are open to submissions internationally, this is not limited to Canadians.
Tundra Books, Puffin Canada, Penguin Teen Canada
These children and teen focused Canadian imprints are open to direct submissions by underrepresented authors and illustrators only. Authors need not be Canadian.
Monsoon Books
This respected press accepts unsolicited manuscripts with Asian, particularly Southeast Asian, themes.
Arsenal Pulp Press
A Canadian independent press that publishes a wide variety of work, prioritizes work by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors. We have reviewed them here.
Blind Eye Books
Blind Eye Books publishes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and romance novels featuring LGBTQ protagonists. They are a print publisher and their book covers are beautifully designed and really stand out. The books they have published have won and been nominated for a number of awards, including the Lambda. We have reviewed them here.
Lily
A small poetry press that publishes work of varying length. Submitting shorter work is free for everyone, but submitting poetry manuscripts is free only for poets who identify as Black. They are always open to these submissions.
Angry Robot
A great science fiction publisher that only accepts direct submissions from Black authors.
Heartdrum
Heartdrum is an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, which is edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, and is in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Native and First Nations writers and writer-illustrators are welcome to query her directly via a form on her website. Native and First Nations illustrators are also invited to reach out.
Opportunities/Support/Contests
Speculative Literature Foundation: Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds Grants
These are grants for writers of speculative literature, and they have various grants in through the year. The upcoming ones are The Diverse Writers Grant, for writers from an underrepresented and underprivileged backgrounds (“such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, etc. — whose marginalized identities may present additional obstacles in the writing and publishing process”), pays $500, deadline 31 July; The Diverse Worlds Grant, for work that best represents diversity, regardless of the writer’s background, pays $500, the deadline for this is also 31 July 2025. For either of these grants, the submitted project “must be a book-length work of speculative fiction.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. Nonfiction, poetry, picture books, and editorial projects are not eligible for either grant.” Writers can apply for either or both grants. Details here.
Sisters in Crime: Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers
This is a grant for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community. It is for an unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words. An unpublished writer is preferred, but writers with publication of not more than 10 pieces of short fiction and/or up to 2 self-published or traditionally published books are also eligible. Also, winners and any runners-ups who wish to maintain their anonymity, may do so, or they may choose to select a pen name for announcements. Please note, you have to register/log in to access the submission portal. The award is $2,000, and the deadline is 31 July 2025.
(See all of Sisters in Crime grants/awards here.)
The FSG Writer’s Fellowship
This is for emerging writers from underrepresented communities in the US. This fellowship, from Farrar, Straus and Giroux, is a yearlong program designed to give an emerging writer from an underrepresented community additional resources to build a life around writing: funding, editorial guidance, and advice on how to forge a writing career. It offers the unique opportunity for a writer to spend time with and enjoy the support and mentorship of the FSG community. It is for U.S. writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have never published a book, and are uncontracted. This fellowship will take place remotely. The applicant should be writing for an adult audience. Submissions include a writing sample (40-50 pages for prose, 8-12 pages for poetry). The award is $15,000, and the deadline is 18 July 2025. Details here and here.
Strive Publishing & Free Spirit Publishing – Black Voices in Children’s Literature
This is a contest for US-based Black writers, and Free Spirit Publishing is an imprint of Teacher Created Materials (TCM). They want children’s stories by and about Black people. “Eligible entries will include original children’s books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring authentic, realistic Black characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, identity, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development. Religious and fantasy themes will not be considered.” The prizes are $1,000, $500, and $250, and the deadline is 22 July 2024. Details here and here.
(Their Submittable page also has details of their other calls currently open. Also see TCM’s Manuscript Submissions and Writing Contests tab; Free Spirit and Con Todo Press will open for a Latino Voices in Children’s Literature contest in September.)
Faber Children’s: FAB Prize
This is for undiscovered BAME writers and illustrators; you can read the prize announcement for 2025 here. Entrants must be of black, Asian or minority ethnic background and UK- or Ireland-based. For writers, they want a maximum of 5,000 words of text (no minimum word count). Also, “it does not have to be a short story (though those are welcome too!)
We do strongly advise you to complete your work insofar as you can, even if you do not enter the whole manuscript: after the ceremony agents will request the full manuscript, so in order to get the most out of the prize, it is best to have the whole manuscript ready to go.” Please send the complete manuscript if it is a picture book. Entries must be text or artwork for children. The prize is a worldwide publishing contract for a writer; second place £500; there are other non-cash prizes for both winners; the deadline is 25 July 2025.
Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers
This is a prize for young indigenous Australian writers of 35 years or younger. It alternates between short fiction and poetry and for this cycle, they want fiction up to 3,000 words. “The aim of the prize is to provide the winner with the opportunity to focus on and develop their writing skills and portfolio.
First prize includes $5000, an optional writing residency at Trinity College, and publication of the successful piece in Overland. The runner up will receive $500, with the possibility of a second runner up to be determined by the judges.” The deadline is 27 July 2025.
BOA Editions: Blessing the Boats Selections 2025
Blessing the Boats Selections spotlights poetry collections by women of color. Send a poetry manuscript, minimum 65 pages and maximum 120 pages. One poet receives Book publication by BOA Editions in Fall 2027, and $1,500 honorarium. The submission deadline is 1 August 2025.
Small Harbor Publishing: The Washburn Prize
The prize is awarded once a year for a micro chapbook, which Harbor Review will publish digitally on their website. They waive fees for all BIPOC submitters. They close to submissions on July 31st.
The Writers Union of Canada: BIPOC Writer’s Connect
BIPOC Writers Connect is a free event, with no application fees, but advance application is required. They are open to applications from BIPOC writers across Canada. They close to applications on July 21, 2025 at 11:59 pm PDT. This year’s conference takes place on October 22, 2025 on Zoom. It will include one-on-one time for feedback with a professional writer who has reviewed your work in advance; workshop on query letter-writing; industry panel discussion; and networking opportunities.
Princeton University Press: Global Equity Grants
These grants are for authors of underrepresented groups to support the preparation of works that is already under contract, in production, or published within the last 12 months. Grants range from $500 to $2,000. The grants can be used to cover a wide range of supports including parental/family care, and translation. More details at the source. Applications are considered on a rolling basis.
The Writing Barn Scholarship
The Writing Barn has a small but budding scholarship program available for our programming. Scholarships are awarded on the following criteria: seriousness of purpose, talent and financial need. They also offer specific Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity scholarships for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Neurodiverse writers, and writers with disabilities.
BIPOC scholarship for Emily Harstone’s classes at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish
Each time Emily Harstone offers a solo class through the Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish, there is now an opportunity for one to two writers who identify as BIPOC to take it for free. If you registered last year, please note that the form re-set in January, and you are encouraged to fill it out again.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
