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. Some are open to submissions from all authors for a fee, but allow free submissions from limited demographics.

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

x/y: a junk drawer of trans voices — ANTIFREEZE 
“x/y is open to anyone who identifies as trans (or to those who are seeking a platform to explore their relationship to gender but aren’t quite sure how they identify). Don’t be afraid to send us your weirdest, most challenging work, and interpret the theme however you wish; we are not interested merely in neat and tidy trans stories about representation and empowerment, but in representing the totality of the trans experience, scars and all. Though we are not currently able to pay for submissions for x/y, we hope to see this change for future issues. For now, you will receive both a contributor’s copy of the zine and a printable PDF so that you can print as many copies as you want. Submissions are currently OPEN for submissions for issue #6, themed to ANTIFREEZE. Send us your writing, art, comics, whatever protesting ICE and CBP—use your pen and your voice and stand up for our neighbors. Priority for this issue will be given to those most directly affected by current anti-immigrant policies. ICE OUT NOW.” There is no deadline given. They have other projects listed on the guidelines page, as well. Details here (scroll down).

Plott Hound  
This is a magazine of speculative fiction and poetry starring animals, and they will open for submissions in October. Regarding the kind of stories they want: “Stories with anthropomorphized animals as viewpoint characters and protagonists
-Animal-centric speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror)
-Underrepresented voices (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, neurodivergent) that engage with animal myths, tales, and futures
-Stories with uncommonly written about animals as protagonists
-Stories that dig deep into the senses and experience of animals
-Stories that explore the cultures and societies of animals, not just cultures and societies with animals. Think of rabbit language and warren infrastructure in Watership Down, or the clans and warrior code of feral cats in Warriors.” They also welcome translations. They publish one essay per issue, as well. Submission is via their Moksha portal. Length guidelines are: 1,000-5,000 words (prefer 3,000-4,000 words) for fiction, up to 5 poems, 1,000-2,500 words for essay; they pay $0.08/word for stories, $50 for poetry, $100 for essay; the submission period is 1^st to 15^th October 2026. Their submission portal will open during the reading period.

Kenyon Review
This prestigious literary magazine is accepting unthemed submissions, as well as submissions on two themes.
“In 2027, our magazine will feature folios on the following themes:

• Contemporary Caribbean Literature
• Caretaking and the Giving of Care

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

Rough Cut Press: rant
They publish work from the LGBTQIA community, and have occasional themed submission calls. Send short poetry or prose of up to 650 words on the ‘rant’ theme. They pay $25 for works up to 650 words. The deadline is 27 September 2026. Details here (see ‘what we look for’) and here.

The Green Sheaf: The Crone
Their About page says, “As a form of restorative justice for past female and gender fluid creators once overlooked in their lifetimes, The Green Sheaf will now only publish works by female-identifying and gender-fluid individuals. In an effort to craft a fine publication with limited resources, we hope to publish twice a year. One of those issues will be solely dedicated to creators of a historically marginalized background, and the other will be a contest issue, featuring prizewinners only, but open to all female-identifying and gender-fluid creators.” And, “For our Fall 2026 issue, we are seeking flash fiction and poetry that features The Crone, in all her glory, from female-identifying & gender fluid writers who are 50 and over.” They have detailed guidelines, including, “My editorial tastes mainly align with the original vision of The Green Sheaf: I love folklore, fairy tales, mythology, and the mystical. I also enjoy the speculative, the darkly fantastical, folk horror, the weird/numinous, the surreal/strange, the gothic, and magical realism/slipstream.” Submission is via Google forms, see the links on their submission guidelines page. They pay $50 for up to 500 words of fiction / up to 50 lines of poetry; the deadline is 18 September 2026.

Reckoning: Flash fiction
This magazine on environmental justice. Their general guidelines say, “We are always seeking work from Indigenous writers and artists, racialized writers and artists, queer, trans and/or disabled writers and artists, and anyone, anywhere in the world, who has suffered the consequences, intended or otherwise, of dominant society’s systemic disconnect with and mistreatment of the natural world.” About this special flash fiction call, they say, “For Reckoning’s next special issue, we are asking for environmental justice flash fiction of 1000 words or less. While we’ll take 1-1200 words, we strongly prefer things in the 500-1000 range. Outside of flash, what we specifically want are weird stories, dark stories, horror stories . . . and yet stories with some bit of hope to them, even if that hope is simply, We will persist, we will exist, we will endure. You can’t make the world a better place, after all, if you aren’t there to do the work.

We want you to take big swings. We want you to push boundaries of expectations and language.” About his preferences, the editor says, “I like weird. I like dark. I like things I don’t know I like until I like them. Go back and read my story for Reckoning 3. Is that hopeful? I don’t know. I know it’s a blood sacrifice. What I’m saying is that I want your dirty, I want your rough, I want your jagged. I want your environmental justice in a box just waiting to be read to know if it’s alive or dead.” They also have a reading list for inspiration on their guidelines page. Do not send reprints for this call. Submission is via their Moksha portal. They’re also open for critical essays, reviews, review pitches, and novellas; other genres are closed. They pay $0.15/word for flash fiction. The deadline is 31 October 2026. Details here (flash fiction guidelines), here (general guidelines / links to genre-specific guidelines), and here (submission portal)

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

Translunar Travelers Lounge
They will open for submissions mid-September. They want fun speculative fiction; stories must have elements of science fiction or fantasy. “A fun story, at its core, is one that works on the premise that things aren’t all bad; that ultimately, good wins out. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your story has to be silly or lighthearted (though it certainly can be). Joy can be made all the more powerful when juxtaposed against tragedy. In the end, though, there should be hope, and we want stories that are truly fun for as many different kinds of people as possible.
Swashbuckling adventure, deadly intrigue, and gleeful romance are some of the most obvious examples of what we’re looking for, but we won’t say no to more subtle or complicated topics, as long as they fit under the wider “fun” umbrella.” They are open for submissions from 15^th September to 15^th October 2026; first week of submissions (15^th to 21^st September) is reserved for writers of color only. They pay $0.03/word for stories up to 5,000 words.

& Change
This journal only publishes poetry by gay men. They ask for three to eight poems per submission packet. They are open to submissions year round but note that “you can generally expect a response around April, August, and December”.

manywor(l)ds
They say “We welcome submissions by those who identify with and as any of the following descriptors: trans, two-spirit, disabled, neurodivergent, Mad, queer, crip, nonbinary, genderqueer, intersex. This is a space for the words, works, and worlds of and by those whose bodyminds defy social expectations and invite new ways of thinking and knowing.” They are open to general submissions in January, March, April, June, July, September, October, and December. They also state “We support the liberation of all colonised peoples, and call for an immediate end to all projects of ethnic cleansing: from Palestine, to Sudan, to Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Afghans in Pakistan, and beyond. Further, we welcome writers from the affected communities to submit to manywor(l)ds at any time, irrespective of our open submission periods.” Submissions from those communities are allowed at any time. Additional submission guidelines are here. They pay a token amount to all contributors.

The Masters Review
They are open to submissions from all authors, but have a special portal for BIPOC and other historically marginalized writers. Authors can submit through this portal for free to receive either a faster response to their submission, or few lines of feedback on it. They are also open to only “new voices” so authors that have published single-author novel-length work or under contract with a major press are ineligible. They publish fiction and narrative nonfiction.

East Jasmine Review 
East Jasmine Review is an electronic literary magazine that publishes quality fiction, nonfiction, poetry, articles and reviews. They don’t have strict rules around who can submit but they state “Our first goal is to publish diverse voices that may not have mainstream access or traditional access to publishing. This includes but is not limited to LGBTQIA, ethnic minorities, women, lower socio-economic status, those who are older or younger, religious minorities, and non-American persons”. 

Bipolar Poetry
This not-for-profit online publication publishes original poetry by people who have been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder.

The B’K Magazine
This art and literature magazine prioritizes and pays traditionally marginalized creators, but they are open to submissions from all. They have very in-depth and detailed submission guidelines that everyone should read carefully before submitting.

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.

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. 

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 1,000 words in length.

The West Trestle Review
This respected journal is only open to submissions 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. 

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 February, June, and October; and for prose, only during April, May, August, and December.

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.

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.

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. 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. See their call for 2026 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, creative nonfiction, poetry, and drama (including that accompanied by video or dramatic audio). Send up to 3,500 for prose 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.

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. For their upcoming Winter issue, the theme is Body Image, and the deadline is 1 November 2026; see the submission form for details.

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.

1. Going South: LGBT lives below the Mason-Dixon Line
2. LGBT+Z: The Gen Z queer experience

 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.

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-$50/word. Pay for art (graphic design, cartoons and photo essays) can range up to $250.

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 literary journal that accepts a wide range of submissions from Black and Brown authors.

 

Presses/Anthologies 

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

Little District Books: Radiant Dawn – A Queer Hopepunk Anthology
Little District Books is a queer-owned and operated Washington, DC based independent book store that celebrates LGBTQ+ authors and stories. You can read about them here. This anthology is their first publishing project. “Coined by the esteemed author Alexandra Rowland, Hopepunk is defined by weaponizing kindness, community and optimism to overcome oppressive systems. Hopepunk can be cozy, like Becky Chambers or TJ Klune, or not, like Sam J. Miller and Ryka Aoki. Either way it is a glass half-full kind of vibe.” They want stories of optimism, community, and kindness overcoming the odds. They pay $0.05/word for stories of 2,500-10,000 words. The deadline is 15^th October 2026. 

Neon Hemlock Press: We’re Here – The Best of Queer Speculative Fiction 2026

They want fiction reprints only, of queer speculative fiction published published in 2026. “We’re Here 2026 will feature the best queer speculative short fiction published in 2026.… Authors and editors both are welcome to read the submissions guidelines and submit queer speculative work from 2026.“ And, “We are looking for:

• The best speculative stories published in 2026 under 17,500 words that implicitly or explicitly explores queerness and/or transness.
• We refer to queerness that is inclusive of ace/aro stories, trans and nonbinary stories, and intersex stories.
• What we don’t want to see: Original/unpublished work, unqueer work, non-speculative work.”

They pay $0.01/word for works of 17,500 words. The deadline is 31 December 2026. Details here (scroll down), here and here.

(And, Neon Hemlock Press is open for speculative chapbooks till 15th October, will open for novellas in October 2026 – see the announcement on this page.) 

Hear of Her
The new press Hear of Her is open to submissions for their first anthology, an erotic collection exploring female desire through the lens of darkness, in all its forms. You can learn more about what they are looking for here.

Rebel Satori Press
Rebel Satori Press is open to submissions for it’s LGBTQ+ speculative fiction imprint, Queer Space and Arabi Manor, it’s esoterica imprint. Queer Space only allows submissions from Queer authors and Arabi Manor is open to submissions from all authors but highly encourages submissions from Queer authors. You can read our full review here. Queer Space closes to submissions on October 14th, and Arabi Manor closes to submissions on October 31st.

Heyday Books: Berkeley Roundhouse program
Heyday is an established independent and nonprofit publisher that focuses on California and the American West. They publish nonfiction books that explore history, celebrate Native cultural renewal, fight injustice, and honor nature. They are open to submissions from Native voices in particular for their Roundhouse imprint, which you can learn more about here.

 

Palimpsest Press 
They only publish Canadian authors. They are open to submissions from authors who identify as BIPOC, Deaf, or Disabled, all year round. They accept submissions from authors who do not identify as BIPOC, Deaf or Disabled from March 1st through March 31st. They publish poetry and other literary genres.

Adarna House
This established press based in the Philippines is committed to promoting culture and languages is support of Filipino artistry and talent. They are open to submissions from Filipinos 18 years  or older, based anywhere in the world. There is no limit to the number of pitches one may submit. Submissions may be in Filipino or English or come with a Filipino or English translation.

Lantana
They are an award-winning children’s book publisher based in England, United Kingdom. They are looking for manuscripts and book dummies by authors and illustrators from underrepresented groups. They almost exclusively publish stories with child protagonists (including poetry, graphic novels and nonfiction) and are not looking for stories only featuring animal characters.

The University Of Arkansas Press
The University of Arkansas Press accepts unsolicited proposals for scholarly and trade books on topics related the African American history and culture. You can visit their website here to see the titles they’ve previously published.

aunt lute
A multicultural women’s press. Their priority is to publish work by women, both transgender and cisgender, particularly women of color. We have reviewed them here.

Little Puss Press
A feminist press run by trans women. They are open to general submissions of fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. They are also 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.

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.

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.

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.

Salaam Reads
They are an imprint of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. They are actively seeking to publish books that center on positive and joyous portrayals of the Muslim experience across all genres for children. They say “Our goal is to highlight well-rounded portrayals of Muslim children and families in mainstream children’s media. We want to share stories that center Muslim characters without depicting their religious identity as a major source of conflict.” They are open to submissions aimed at readers starting at 4 years of age and going up to 18. They particularly encourage submissions of MG and YA novels.

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

One Story: Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship
This international fellowship is for an early-career writer of fiction who has not yet published a book and is not currently nor has ever been enrolled in an advanced degree program – see guidelines. “We are seeking writers whose work speaks to issues and experiences related to inhabiting bodies of difference. This means writing that centers, celebrates, or reclaims being marginalized through the lens of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, religion, illness, disability, trauma, migration, displacement, dispossession, or imprisonment.” Apart from the $2,000 stipend and tuition to attend One Story’s week-long summer writers’ conference, it offers free tuition for all One Story online classes and programming; a full manuscript review & consultation with One Story Executive Editor Hannah Tinti (story collection or novel in progress up to 150 pages/35,000 words). A fiction writing sample of 3,000-5,000 words is part of the submission requirement. The deadline is 13^th October 2026; apply via Subfolio; details here.
(And, One Story will open for fiction submissions in the fall; their One Teen Story Contest for teenagers will open in the fall, as well.)

Latino Voices in Children’s Literature Writing Contest 
Free Spirit and Con Todo Press are now open for their Latino Voices in Children’s Literature contest. “The contest is open to Latino authors who are at least 18 years of age or older and residing anywhere in the United States. The contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children’s stories written by and about Latino people. Every entry is considered for publication and three cash prizes will be awarded.” It is for children’s books; there are two categories, ages 0-4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words); stories must feature authentic, realistic Latino characters and culture. They have detailed guidelines. Apart from cash prizes, there are non-cash prizes as well. The prizes are $1,000, $500, $300, and the deadline is 14 October 2026; details here and here (see the relevant category).

Gold Line Press Chapbook Competitions
They are running contests for chapbook-length fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, with no-fee submissions from POC, Indigenous writers, and writers facing financial hardship. Other writers pay a submission fee. “We invite submissions of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry that are chapbook-length as a key element of their concept. … We welcome a wide range of styles and approaches. In past years, Gold Line Press has published both writing that is innovative or genre-crossing, as well as writing that is more traditionally structured. While we have a particular interest in promoting the work of emerging writers, we welcome and celebrate submissions from writers at any stage of their career who are creating innovative and resonant chapbook-length texts.
We seek works of prose that are purposefully planned as chapbooks: novelettes, carefully curated collections of vignettes, short stories, essays, or other projects that take the chapbook format as an instrumental element of their design. Excerpts of novels or short story/essay collections should form a sustained and individual project in their foreshortened form. For poets, we also recommend that manuscripts be cohesive and self-contained in the chapbook length.
Length: 20-30 pages of poetry, 7500-15000 words of prose.” The prizes are $750 in each genre, and the deadline is 30 September 2026. Details here (see the relevant categories).

The Cave Canem Fellowship
Cave Canem supports the work of Black poets through an annual retreat. There is no submission fee for the application, and the retreat is free to attend to all Fellows. A sample of 6 pages of poetry is part of the application requirement. The fellowship includesinvitation to their annual retreat (consisting of intensive poetry workshops and readings, hosted at the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg, free to all Fellows), access to their Fellows & Faculty Fund, access to exclusive scholarships for select writing residences, inclusion in public programming (readings, panels, multi-genre collaborations, etc.), and more. Also, “Applicants must confirm that they will be 21 years or older at the time of the 2027 Cave Canem Retreat, which will take place June 6-13, 2027.”  The deadline to apply is 6^th October 2026. Details here and here.

Society of Authors: ADCI Literary Prize
This is a prize for UK writers, for published or self-published novels, including on Kindle; “the ADCI (Authors with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses) Literary Prize seeks to encourage greater positive representation of disability in literature.” The author must self-identify as disabled or chronically ill, and must be a British national OR resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for three years prior to the date of submission for the award. The prize is for a work of fiction that contains one or more characters that are disabled and/or living with chronic illness (poetry, short stories, and works for children are not eligible). Submissions must have been published or self-published in the UK between 1 November 2024 and 31 October 2026; Kindle submissions are eligible. There is a total prize fund of £2,000, and the deadline is 31 October 2026. 

We Need Diverse Books: Mentorship Program
Through September 30th, 2026 We Need Diverse Books’ mentorship program is open to applications. They pair established authors with aspiring ones for a calendar year. Each mentor provides support and feedback on their mentees completed manuscript draft or their portfolio. Their mentorships include the following: Picture Book Text (PB), Middle Grade (MG), Young Adult (YA); and Illustration (IL).. You can learn more about the mentorship here.

Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship
This is for published fiction and non-fiction writers who were born in Africa or whose parents were born in Africa (see ‘Do I need to prove my African birth place?’ in FAQ). The money is paid monthly over a course of a year. For non-fiction writers, additional funds can be made available, and given over a period of 18 months. A published writing sample is part of the application (see guidelines). One of the scholarship requirements is, writers have to submit 10,000 words of writing every month (see guidelines). They also say, “The Foundation will not review or comment on the monthly submissions as they come in. However, each Scholar will be offered the opportunity to be mentored by an established author or publisher. In most cases the mentorship will begin after the book has been finished and the Scholarship period has ended.” And, “Scholars are also asked to donate to the MMF 20% of whatever they subsequently receive from the book they write during the period of their Scholarship. … These funds will be used to support other promising writers. The 20% return obligation should be considered a debt of honour rather than a legally binding obligation.” They award £18,000 to fiction writers, possible additional funds for non-fiction writers. The deadline is 22 September 2026 (see ‘Important Dates’ in the entry requirements here.); see the application form here.

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

Horror Writers Association Grants
Their Diversity Grants, worth $500 each, are for “underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers.” Apply here.
Their Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship is for horror writers who identify as women; “Each Scholarship is worth $2500, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.” Apply here.
The application deadline for the above grants (via Submittable) is 2^nd October 2026. They have other grants as well, some of which are open now. 

Perugia Press Prize
This annual prize includes book publication and a $2,000 prize, as well as 20 author copies and an ongoing discount of 50% off of the cover price for additional copies. It is open only to women, inclusive of gender-expansive identities. There is a fee attached to this prize for general submissions, but BIPOC writers can submit for free. They close to submissions on November 15th. Please read their full guidelines carefully before submitting.

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 $1,000. 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.

BIPOC scholarship for Emily Harstone’s classes at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish
Each time Emily Harstone offers The Novel Writing Workshop (for manuscripts in progress), Submit, Publish, Repeat (for poems, short stories, and CNF publication in literary journals), and Manuscript Publishing for Novelists (for completed novel and memoir manuscripts) through the Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish, there is now an opportunity for 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.