Foofraw Magazine: Monstrously Massive March
Foofraw Magazine is a project of Foofraw Press. “We are looking for weird horror featuring monsters or a big bad. Think Godzilla, The Thing, The Joker, or Jeepers Creepers.
While not a requirement, preference will be given to stories with original, unique, and singular antagonists.
This is a special call for our March issue, which will be a deluxe, double-sized edition that will go to print.” They want original stories only; no reprints. Submission is via a form on their website.
Deadline: 8 November 2026
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Pay: $0.02/word up to $50
Details here.

PodCastle: Undercity Magic
PodCastle is an online and audio fantasy fiction magazine, and part of the Escape Artists suite of magazines. They are open for a special call, on the Undercity Magic theme. They have detailed guidelines, including: “The City asks for much and gives little, so how do people make a life for themselves with their backs against the wall? For this special edition of Podcastle, we invite writers to give us their takes on the strange, the fantastical, the arcane ways and myths of how people make the impossible possible. We are interested in tales featuring both human and nonhuman characters encountering the challenges of a city; the wily, the shrewd, the schemers, the devious, and those who do not survive in The City at all despite their best efforts. … There are many stories set in western cities, and we are keen on expanding our perspectives to include reckonings with urbanity and the idea of “modernity” in places where imperial and colonial interests overwhelmingly define the city and its hardness.” They particularly want to hear from writers of the global majority.
Deadline: 13 November 2026 for themed submissions
Length: 2,000-6,000 words, can consider up to 7,000 words for reprints
Pay: $0.08/word for original stories of 2,000-6,000 words, $100 for reprints
Details here (theme guidelines), here (general guidelines), here (schedule) and here (submission portal)
(They’re now open for general / unthemed fantasy submissions as well, and will stay open till 30^th April 2027.)

IHRAM Press: Language, Censorship, and Translation
IHRAM (International Human Rights Art Movement) Press’s literary magazine is a “platform for creative activists at risk to speak up about urgent social-justice issues in their environments, providing readers with their unique perspectives on issues of human rights.” They want fiction, non-fiction, and poetry on the theme of Language, Censorship, and Translation. “We are seeking firsthand experiences, factual retellings of stories from the author’s life, and personal reflections exploring the relationship between language, identity, expression, and power. … We are particularly interested in work that considers how language shapes the way we understand ourselves and others, and what happens when people are denied, constrained, misunderstood, or unable to use their own voice.” They have several suggested topics for this theme, and also accept translations.
Deadline: 15 November 2026
Length: Up to 2,500 words for prose, up to 5 poems
Pay: $50
Details here.

My Galvanized Friend: The Immoral of the Story
They accept work from LGBTQIA+ writers in the US only; literary submissions (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) and art for a themed issue. “This winter we are looking to subvert the familiar and create new stories from the well-known, the tried and true, the classics of fairytale, folklore, and fable. Make it dark, make it queer, make it yours. For this issue, we’re looking for The Immoral of the Story.” The issue will publish in December 2026.
Deadline: 15 November 2026
Length: 500-3,500 words for prose, up to 2 pages for poetry
Pay: $25 for prose, $10/page for poetry
Details here and here

Flame Tree Anthologies
They are open for two fiction anthologies. They want original stories only, no reprints, for these.
-- Art is Horror: This is part of their Beyond & Within series. “Horror in art has historically served as a reflection of societal fears and anxieties evolving from medieval depictions of hell and plague to modern surrealism and psychological dread. Art in fiction has evoked the dangers of obsession with superficial aesthetics at the expense of life and soul (think Poe’s ‘The Oval Portrait’ and Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray). With Art is Horror, we want to show that art is never harmless decoration. Your story can grapple with questions such as: What did it cost to create this? How much cruelty do we forgive in the name of genius when it comes to the artists who create what we love? Who owns art? Who gets used to make it? How does art change people? How do we consume it, and how does art consume us? What happens when art reveals truths we want hidden? What happens when the well is dry? Through the lens of horror, this anthology will remind us that while art can preserve beauty, it can also trap, distort, or devour.” Length: 2,000-4,000 words.

-- Hungry Spirits: This is part of their ABC of Horror series. “Halloween is upon us once more, which means it’s time for the submissions window for my 8^th annual non-themed horror anthology from Flame Tree Press to be thrown wide open. Next year’s entry in the acclaimed ‘ABC of Horror’ series will be called Hungry Spirits, and as ever I’m looking for stories that are as disturbing, strange and original as you can make them. I’m not averse to humour, and neither am I averse to horror tropes like zombies, vampires and serial killers. But if you are going to write stories with such familiar, tried-and-trusted elements, then you need to find a new and unique way of presenting them. I want to be surprised and scared by your stories, and I want them to be populated by characters who are both believable and identifiable (even the evil ones). Your stories can be anything from 2,000-8,000 words, though the sweet spot is round about the 4,000-5,000 word mark.”
Deadline: 15 November 2026 for both anthologies
Length: See above
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here (click on the relevant links).
(They often open for themed submission calls; keep a lookout on their blog.)

Prairie Fire: Branching Out—All About Trees
They want fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for a themed issue, and have detailed guidelines, including: “Do you remember a time in childhood when you made friends with a particular tree, perhaps built a tree fort, climbed its branches and found solace, or whittled a piece of wood. Have you ever planted, nurtured, admired and taken delight in a tree, or its fruits? … And, in this time of ecological crisis, when climate change and deforestation are creating mass die-off for some trees, have you ever protested and fought to preserve them? … Prairie Fire invites you to branch out, go out on a limb, and shake the tree for your poems, stories and creative non-fiction that in some way includes and celebrates trees, forests and wood as central or supporting characters or themes.”
Deadline: 15 November 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words for prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: CAD0.10/word up to CAD250, CAD40/poem (see payment rates here)
Details here

Inkd Publishing Anthologies
They want submissions for fiction anthologies, and the deadline for two or these are in November. Hidden Villains: Enigma is a speculative fiction anthology with a bass beat of a hidden villain and a tale involving an Enigma, deadline 15^th November; and for Noncorporeal V: Disquiet, they want spooky stories, deadline 30^th November 2026; submission for each anthology is via a different form. US authors also get a contributor copy – see guidelines.
Deadlines: See above
Length: 2,000-6,000 words
Pay: $10 + royalty share
Details here (Scroll down)
(Inked Publishing is accepting submissions for two other anthologies as well:
Arcanum Magicka, “Magic in all its glorious forms! The editor is looking for engaging characters to start, and a solid ending, rather than extensive world building or in depth magic systems,” deadline 31^st December 2026;
and Smite: An Anthology of Women’s Rage: “We are seeking the stories that come out of the unspoken place that lurks and simmers within so many women 24/7, with no respite. The tales can be horror. They can be vigilante. They can be survival. They can be science fiction or fantasy or paranormal”, deadline 15^th February 2027; submission for each anthology is via a form; details here.)

Belanger Books: Sherlock Holmes – The Science-Fictional Adventures
This is a fiction anthology; they want Sherlock Holmes stories that are in the genre of science fiction. “The team that brought you Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells is back with an all new collection of Sherlock Holmes sci-fi adventures!
Description: In 1960, the Denver based scion society The Council of Four published a collection of science-fiction Sherlock Holmes stories titled, The Science-Fictional Sherlock Holmes. The book featured authors such as Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, Anthony Boucher, and August Derleth. Rather than making it a strict traditional Sherlock Holmes anthology, the authors put Holmes (and characters similar to Sherlock Holmes) in all sorts of different sci-fi settings.
This anthology will continue the tradition of The Science-Fictional Sherlock Holmes with all new Sherlock Holmes science-fiction adventures. Authors are encouraged to submit traditional Victorian era Sherlock Holmes science-fiction stories or stories set in futuristic settings. You can play around with Holmes and make him a robot, an AI, an alien lifeform, or any other creative way you see fit. He just has to still be traditional (i.e. a force for good).”
Deadline: 20 November 2026
Length: 5,000-10,000 words
Pay: $100
Details here (scroll down)

Agita Magazine: Ekphrasis
Agita is an online triannual magazine for flash horror and dark sci-fi. They are reading submissions for their third issue, and want “submissions of weird flash fiction that features ekphrasis.
Ekphrasis is the verbal representation of a work of visual art.
Weird fiction is a verbal representation of the world, in order to unsettle it.
We want stories that live at the intersection of the two. Pieces that emphasize the eerie power of weird art, whether fully ekphrastic or embedded within a traditional narrative. How does the weird seep in as reality is doubly estranged from these two layers of representation? Cursed paintings, uncanny statues, haunted mezzotints—send us your stories of weird art.” They are accepting submissions from all writers till 17^th November, and have an extended submission window for LGBTQIA+, disabled, or BIPOC authors from 18^th to 25^th November 2026.
Deadline: See above
Length: Up to 1,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here.

Free the Verse: Good Bones
Submit one poem for their next issue. “Our favourite poems are the unexpected kind. We love free verse poems that take familiar situations and turn them on their head, using unusual metaphors and drawing parallels no one else would see. Poems with a sense of place and story are always welcome, as are experimental pieces.” And, the theme is ““Good Bones”, but we encourage you to interpret it creatively. “Good Bones” will be title of this issue and therefore must not be the title of your poem.” Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 25 November 2026
Length: One poem
Pay: $10
Details here.

QB: Annual Drabble
Quotidian Bagatelle is a project of Foofraw Press and they are reading submissions for an annual drabble call; send a story of exactly 100 words. “Tell a story relating to an event from 2026.
The goal of these drabbles is to paint a picture of the year that was through fictional storytelling. It can be related to anything that happened in the world of politics, news, tech, sports, entertainment, culture, etc., but cannot be based on something personal.
Any genre whether that be humorous, horrific, fantastical, surreal, etc. and it can be satirical, a reimagining, a jumping-off point, etc.
Only one entry is allowed at a time, but if you receive a rejection before the submission period is over, you may submit again.” Submission is via a form on their website.
Deadline: 25 November 2026
Length: 100 words
Pay: $25
Details here.

Space & Time: Make Art, not Arson
Submissions are also scheduled to open for Space & Time and the theme is Make Art, not Arson. They want speculative fiction and poetry, and the deadline is 7^th November 2026.
Length: Up to 1,000 words for fiction, up to 35 lines for poetry
Pay: $0.01/word for fiction, $5 for poetry
Details here.

Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Conthology
Their guidelines say, “it’s time to announce the NINTH ANNUAL Weird Christmas Flash Fiction ConThology! …It used to be a contest, now it’s an anthology, and I like the word “conthology,” so that’s what it is! … This is a call for flash fiction of no more than 350 words that’s both about Christmas (or any other winter holiday) and simultaneously weird. Exactly what that means is up to you because you’re the one with literary pretentions and a damaged psyche. All you have to do is make something about the Christmas season seem new and unsettling with a bit of that grinning like you’re not sure if it’s funny or creepy, and you make your fellow co-conspirators in this hell of existence a bit more bearable.”
Deadline: 29 December 2026
Length: Up to 350 words
Pay: $35
Details here.

Interrobang Lit
They publish themed fiction. “An animal can hear human thoughts.
The character must start the story in their prompted state, but how they evolve from there, if they do, is completely up to you.” Submission is via a form on their website.
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Length: Up to 3,000 words
Pay: $3
Details here.

Hobbyhorse: Obsession
This is a new magazine; they want fiction and creative nonfiction on the Obsession theme. For fiction, “We love the speculative but aren’t interested in pulp action. Weird is good. Upsetting is great. Heartwarming is welcome. Connections to hobbies or creative life is a boon.” And regarding nonfiction, “We’re into people simply geeking out about their hobbies! Please, tell us WHY you love what you love! How’d you discover it? You know those stories before recipes which are really annoying when you just want the recipe? Well, here we’re actually into the story part! How-to guides with plenty of voice also welcome!” They also accept reprints.
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.02/word for originals, up to $70
Details here.

Zoetic Press: Nonbinary Review – Redemption
They want speculative fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. They want submissions on the Redemption theme: “We want your stories, poems and art that provoke, repulse and comfort. We want pieces that take kintsugi to the next level, mending broken gods with human souls, revegetating deserts with water lilies. Send us heroes who would rather be villains, gods begging their creations for mercy and time travelers wreaking havoc.
We are NOT looking for simple changes of heart, second-chance romances, convenient amnesia or forty-year-olds getting their life together. We want the bizarre, the grotesque, the impossible, and the wonderfully unbelievable. Give us redemption that costs a thousand lives, forgiveness that rewrites reality, and atonement that makes everything so much worse.
Make us question who deserves saving and whether some things are better left broken.”
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry
Details here and here.

Channel
Channel is an Ireland-based magazine, and they publish work grounded in ecological entanglement. “Although we draw inspiration from global nature writing traditions and from the many dedicated platforms for writing on climate and ecology that exist around the world today, the scope of our publishing is not limited by constrictive definitions of nature writing and eco-writing. We are interested in work that speaks directly of a writer’s love and fear for the biosphere, or that challenges the political and cultural conventions behind runaway climate change; equally, though, we believe that work drawing on nature for setting, image or metaphor can carry power to reshape our relationships with the world around us. Historically, all human language and creativity has been shaped by embeddedness in our environment – the kind of work we want to publish is the kind that takes that universal seed of connection and plants it, revelling in how it might grow.” They are accepting fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry for their Spring issue in November.
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Length: Up to 6,000 words for prose, up to 4 poems (see guidelines)
Pay: €35 per page up to €250
Details here.

Dead Fish Books Anthologies
Dead Fish Books wants speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror) for two anthologies:
-- Did I leave the Gas On: Tales of Coming Home: “You've fought the good fight, saved the world, finished the impossible journey, and come back to find... What did you forget to do before leaving? What are you returning to? Or perhaps you haven't finished the fight, but are right in the thick of things when you remember... We are looking for fun or sad or heroic stories, fantasy or science fiction or horror, all based around the idea of what awaits the weary adventurer.”
-- Screw Dem Space Horses: Equine Stories Across Space and Time:
“Space horses. Fantasy horses. Mythological horse-shaped or horse-adjacent creatures. Heroic horses. Evil horses. Unappreciated side-kick horses. We are looking for speculative fiction (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, or any mixture of these) where a horse or horse-adjacent creature is an integral part of the plot.”
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Length: 2,000-6,000 words preferred
Pay: $5 + royalties
Details here.

Big Bear Press: Superheroes/Supervillains Anthology
They want “speculative short stories that show your original interpretation on the theme of “Superheroes/Supervillains.” One man’s superhero is another man’s supervillain (and vice versa), so let’s see what you’ve got. Show us your classic superhero reimaginings. Your take on what makes a superhero or supervillain “super.” Undersung heroes, overachieving villains, supes originating in fairy tales or folk tales or fables—we want to read all about them.”
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Length: 8,000-10,000 words
Pay: $100
Details here and here.

Eternal Haunted Summer: Winter Solstice 2026 – Science Fiction
Their tagline is ‘Pagan songs & tales’, and they publish work on Gods and Goddesses and heroes of the world’s many Pagan/polytheist traditions – fiction (any genre), nonfiction, reviews, and poetry. For their upcoming issue (Winter Solstice 2026), the theme is Science Fiction. “Space exploration and time travel. Parallel universes and alternate history. Space opera and planetary romance. For this issue, every subgenre of science fiction is acceptable. Send us your best science fiction poems, short stories, and essays featuring a Pagan/polytheist, witchy, or mythological theme. Send us poems about human colonists befriending native planetary spirits, a human becoming the sword-wielding champion of an alien God, Wiccans adapting their mythology and iconography to a world without animal life, and devotees of Inanna traveling to a parallel Earth where her worship continued without interruption. Send us prose poems and short fiction about spirit workers healing a living spaceship, devotees of Libertas fighting a totalitarian government, time travelers visiting Eleusis to experience the Mysteries, and conservationists saving an icon of Mazu from a dying Earth. Send us essays about mythology in modern science fiction novels, a how-to for incorporating polytheism into a science fiction story, or an analysis of Pagan iconography in science fiction films.”
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Length: Up to 3,000 words for fiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: $5
Details here.

The HTML Review
“The HTML Review is an annual journal of literature made to exist on the web. … We are open for submissions each year from November 1st–December 1st for each issue, which we publish on the first day of Spring. Submitted work should not have been previously published or released. Send your pitch, prototype, or work-in-progress, and a bit about yourself through our submission form.” “While we keep a copy of the code for archival purposes, all contributors own their own work in perpetuity. Our editorial process includes text, design, and code. We do not set specific issue themes from the outset, but instead allow those connections to form organically.
We look for submissions that take full advantage of the web as a medium. Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, essays, graphic storytelling, and experiments are all welcome. Whether in aesthetic or subject matter, we love singular standalone works that have an ultra-specific focus.”
Also see ‘Some friends, inspirations, and idols’ section on this page to get a feel for what they are looking for. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Length: Unspecified
Pay: $500
Details here.

Utopia Science Fiction: Mystery
Utopia Science Fiction wants fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for their March 2027 issue – “What mysteries lurk out in space? What wonder in new civilizations?” Submission is via a form on their website.
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Length: 100-4,000 words for fiction (query for longer), up to 5 short or 1 long poem, up to 6,000 words for nonfiction
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $25 for poetry, $30 for nonfiction
Details here.

Speck: Masks
Speck publishes science fiction and fantasy from writers in the US only, and they want work on the Masks theme: “Be it hidden identities, magical artifacts, technological wonders, or something else you interpret...submit your fiction, poetry, or visual art”.
Deadline: 21^st December 2026
Length: Up to 2,500 words for fiction, up to 50 lines for poetry (see guidelines)
Pay: $5/page up to $50
Details here.

Android Press: Lunarpunk Anthology
They have detailed guidelines, including, “Android Press is seeking short fiction for What Blooms in Darkness, a new anthology of lunarpunk stories exploring the people, communities, ecologies, and possibilities that thrive beyond the dominant gaze. Some forms of life reach toward the sun. Others bloom beneath moonlight, spread through the soil, grow in caves, travel through deep water, or wait quietly in places the daylight can’t reach. Darkness can be fertile. It can provide shelter, privacy, rest, mystery, beauty, resistance, and room for transformation.
This anthology asks what becomes possible when people and communities are freed from the demand to remain constantly visible. What grows beyond surveillance? What knowledge survives underground? What relationships become possible in the quiet hours? What cultures flourish outside institutions that would exploit, suppress, assimilate, or erase them? What might the night teach us about building futures rooted in care, interdependence, ecological belonging, and liberation?” And, “Western storytelling has often used darkness as shorthand for evil, ignorance, danger, corruption, or despair. This stereotype has a web of foundations that includes evolutionary history as well as the racist rhetoric of western imperialism and colonization. We encourage contributors to look beyond those familiar stereotypes and associations.” They encourage submissions from underrepresented writers.
Deadline: 31 December 2026
Length: 1,500-10,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here and here (click on the relevant section to submit)

Blue Cubicle Press: Workers Write! will be Tales from the Contingent Workforce
“Issue 23 of Workers Write! will be Tales from the Contingent Workforce and contain stories and poems from gig, temp, and contract workers' perspectives.
We're looking for fiction and poetry from the point of view of rideshare drivers; seasonal agricultural, warehouse, or retail workers; independent contractors and freelancers; consultants; office or school temp workers - basically any nonpermanent employee who works outside full-time employment. Drop us a line if you have a question.”
Deadline: 31 December 2026, or until filled
Length: 500-5,000 words
Pay: $10-50
Details here.
(Blue Cubicle Press also publishes The First Line Journal, The Last Line Journal, as well as the Overtime series, and more.)

Northern Shadows Magazine: Where Dreams & Nightmares Collide
They want dark fantasy, sci-fi, and horror stories and poetry on the theme, When Dreams & Nightmares Collide. “What happens when a dream and a nightmare collide? Where the subconscious can’t quite decide if our fantasies are pleasant or terrifying. We want stories that explore dreams, nightmares, or that middle ground in-between. From horror stories that prey on the vulnerability of our sleeping selves to dark and whimsical worlds unlike our own that call to us while we drift in the void.”
Deadline: 1 January 2027
Length: 500-5,000 words for fiction, up to 3 poems (see guidelines)
Pay: $10 for fiction, $5 for poetry
Details here.

Mythmount Press: Decomposed Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. They have detailed guidelines, including, “This anthology is centered on one idea: decomposition. … Something can decompose physically, of course. But a society can decompose. So can a relationship. A memory, belief system, language, spell, identity, world, and so on! They can break down, unravel, and (of course!) rot. And sometimes, in the process, something entirely new can emerge.” And, “At its heart, Mythmount Press is a fantasy publication. That does NOT mean I am looking for one narrow version of fantasy. Writers from every genre background are welcome, and I actively encourage genre bending and blending. Actually, I prefer it. Horror writers, literary writers, romance writers, science fiction writers, historical fiction writers, weird-fiction writers, and everyone else!”
Deadline: 1 January 2027
Length: 2,000-5,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here and here

-- Blair: Lee Smith Fiction Prize: Blair’s mission is to publish emerging writers and writers from groups whose work has been historically neglected. They will open for a contest for a book-length literary novel or story collection. Submissions will open 15^th November; their submission portal will open during the submission period; Details here.

-- Poetic Justice Institute: Editor's Prize for BIPOC writers: This is a prize for a poetry manuscript. While there is a submission fee for the general category, there is no fee for BIPOC writers. “Manuscripts must be formatted for 8 ½ x 11 letter sized paper; pages must be numbered” and the suggested manuscript length is 50-100 pages (approximate). Apart from the cash prize of $1,000, the winning volume will be published by Fordham Press; Deadline: 15 November 2026; Details here and here.

-- editing.services Short Story Award: This was formerly called the ServiceScape Short Story Award. For this award, any genre or theme of short story is accepted. All applicants should submit a work of short fiction or non-fiction, 5,000 words or fewer. Read the guidelines carefully – they reserve the right to modify or terminate the contest at any time without prior notice, and they pay by cheque. Award: $1,000, Deadline: 30 November 2026; Details here.

-- One Teen Story Contest: This is an international fiction contest for writers ages 13-19 by One Story Magazine; there are three categories divided age-wise for this contest. It is for a story of 2,000-4,500 words. The contest opened on 20^th October and closes on 1 December 2026, and the prize is $500. See this page for details about the prize; Details here and here

-- Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets:
This is a contest for Caribbean poets around the world, for a debut poetry manuscript. “The Neville Dawes First Book Prize celebrates the work of an emerging Caribbean poet with a $1,000 USD cash prize and publication of a full-length manuscript by the University of Nebraska Press.” Deadline: 1 December 2026; Details here.

-- The African Poetry Book Fund: Sillerman First Book Prize: “The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry is awarded annually to an African poet who has not yet published a collection of poetry. The winner receives USD $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press.” Poetry manuscripts should be at least 50 pages long. Deadline: 1^st December 2026; Details here and here.

Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize
This prize is for young UK-based writers. They want fiction or non-fiction of 1,000-1,500 words on the relevance of Benjamin Franklin’s relevance in our time. The quote for this year’s competition is ““If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin, published in the May 1738 edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack.
Writers are asked to interpret this quote for its significance today. Winning entries will be published online.
Value: £750, £500
Deadline: 10 December 2026
Open for: UK writers aged 18-25
Details here.

Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival: Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize
This prize will be awarded to a Brooklyn- focused non-fiction essay which is set in Brooklyn and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. “We are seeking compelling Brooklyn stories from writers with a broad range of backgrounds and ages (minimum age 18 years old) who can render Brooklyn's rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer's actual experiences in Brooklyn.” Essays have to be 4-10 pages (up to 2,500 words). Value: $500
Deadline: 15 November 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (click on ‘Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize’.)

Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund
This is for emerging playwrights in the US and UK, for audio drama. For this cycle, they are particularly interested in original audio dramas in the following genres: Action & Adventure (including Mystery, Thrillers, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy), and Core Fiction (including Contemporary Fiction, Romance, and Literary Companion Pieces). “Audible will select up to five applicants to receive a fee of $25,000 each to write and develop an original audio play. In addition to the fee, Audible may provide the selected applicants with creative and logistical resources to assist each artist and project, including but not limited to: development and production fees, casting expertise and talent budget, access to Audible’s state-of-the-art studio and production equipment.” Submission is via a form.
Value: $25,000 each
Deadline: 18 November 2026
Open for: Emerging playwrights in US and UK
Details here.

C Magazine: Indigenous Art Writing Award
C Mag is a Canada-based contemporary art and criticism periodical; “Our content focuses on the activities of contemporary art practitioners residing in Canada and Canadian practitioners living abroad—with an emphasis on those from Black, Indigenous, diasporic, and other equity-deserving communities—as well as on international practices and dialogues.” You can read about them here. Their 5th annual Indigenous Art Writing Award is “an initiative created to support, compensate, and platform three standout individuals who are advancing critical and creative thought about Indigenous contemporary art.
Indigenous writers are invited to submit a single non-fiction text about an artist, project, exhibition, performance, event, initiative, theme, or other art-adjacent subject. Suggested length for submissions is between 1000-2000 words.
The winner will receive $1500 CAD; editorial support to prepare their article for publication in a future issue of C Magazine and to be shared across ICCA’s platforms; and a two-year C subscription. Two runners-up will receive $1000 CAD; an open invitation to develop a pitch for a different text to be published in C Magazine; and a two-year subscription. All participants can request feedback on their submitted work, and will receive a one-year subscription.
Applicants must identify as an Indigenous person. There are no geographical restrictions, although we strongly encourage those based in Canada to apply. Submissions should primarily be in English, but may include non-English words or phrases. For submissions entirely in another language, we kindly ask for translations.” Submission is via a form.
Value: CAD1,500; CAD1,000 for two runners-up
Deadline: 23 November 2026
Open for: Indigenous writers
Details here.

Speculative Literature Foundation’s Gulliver Travel Grant
This grant is to help writers of speculative literature (in fiction, poetry, drama, or creative non-fiction) in their non-academic research. It is to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other travel expenses. Writing samples (speculative literature) are part of the application requirement (see guidelines). This grant is awarded on the basis of interest and merit. Applicants need not have prior publishing credits to apply. They also have other grant submission periods coming up.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here (Gulliver Travel Grant) and here (schedule for all grants).

Dappled Things: The J. F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction
Dappled Things is a space for emerging writers to engage the literary world from a Catholic perspective. For this contest, they want stories of up to 8,000 words “with vivid characters who encounter grace in everyday settings—we want to see who, in the age we live in, might have one foot in this world and one in the next.” Please note, honorable mentions will also get publication and a subscription to the magazine.
Value: $700, $300
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition
This is an international contest for novel manuscripts in the malice domestic genre, for writers who have never been the author of any published mystery novel. “Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. Whatever violence is necessarily involved should be neither excessive nor gratuitously detailed, nor is there to be explicit sex. The suspects and the victims should know each other. There are a limited number of suspects, each of whom has a credible motive and reasonable opportunity to have committed the crime. The person who solves the crime is the central character. The “detective” is an amateur, or, if a professional (private investigator, police officer) is not hardboiled and is as fully developed as the other characters. The detective may find him or herself in serious peril, but he or she does not get beaten up to any serious extent. All of the cast represent themselves as individuals, rather than large impersonal institutions like a national government, the mafia, the CIA, etc.” The work must be at least 65,000 words. Minotaur is an imprint of Macmillan.
Value: $10,000 advance
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Open for: All writers (for a debut mystery fiction manuscript)
Details here (scroll down).
(Minotaur is also running a First Crime Novel Competition, the deadline for that is 13^th December 2026.)

3^rd SUSPECT Flash Fiction Contest: Bee
This is a flash fiction contest. “"He stood alone among the bees. The bees, for their part, were awake, buzzing along the hedgerows, sipping flowers for breakfast. Flowers he’d planted. He knew what bees liked. He had his notebook with him and was in the habit of jotting down ideas as they came to him. He jotted down the word library."—excerpt from The Bee Kingdom, by Joy Amina Garnett (Gaudy Boy, January 2027)
In conjunction with Gaudy Boy’s January 2027 publication of Joy Amina Garnett’s The Bee Kingdom, SUSPECT is calling for submissions inspired by the title of this unique family memoir. We are looking for flash fiction of 100-150 words that contain the word “bee” or its grammatical variants (e.g. bees) used and interpreted in any imaginative way.
The contest is open to everyone, and it is free to enter.”
Value: $300, $200, $100
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here.
(SUSPECT also accepts general / unthemed submissions from Asian writers. See the guidelines here.)

McGovern Center Writing Awards in Fiction
This is a call for US writers, for “unpublished fiction that is medical or healthcare-related in theme or focus.
There will be three distinct prizes awarded, as follows:

• McGovern Center Healthcare Provider Award in Fiction: open to any healthcare provider in the U.S., including residents and fellows. Applicants must be 18 years or older.
• McGovern Center Student Award in Fiction: open to any student, undergraduate or graduate in the U.S. Applicants must be 18 years or older.
• McGovern Center Community Award in Fiction: open to anyone in the U.S., 18 years or older.”

Value: $500 each (see the Participation Agreement)
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Open for: US writers
Details here.

After the End Poetry Competition
“The After the End project in partnership with the National Poetry Centre invites poets worldwide to submit original, previously unpublished work as part of an exciting research project exploring time, temporality, and the question of endings.
This initiative is part of a long-term, interdisciplinary research project seeking to understand who decides when something has ended and how different experiences of endings shape lives, communities, and policies globally. … Poems should engage with the concept of "after the end," exploring the temporal, ethical, social, or emotional dimensions of endings. Submissions may draw on personal, historical, or global events, reflect on lived experiences, or experiment with form and perspective. There are no restrictions on style or genre. We encourage innovative, reflective, and boundary-pushing poetry that amplifies underrepresented voices and perspectives.” And, “The project team would like to use the poetry submissions to inform the research on ethical and social perspectives of endings” (see guidelines). Send one poem of up to 40 lines. Submission is via a form.
Value: £200; £100 for runners-up
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Open for: All poets
Details here.

-- Minotaur: First Crime Novel Competition: Minotaur, an imprint of McMillan, is running a First Crime Novel Competition, the prize is an advance of $10,000, and the deadline for that is 13^th December 2026; details here.

-- The Academy of American Poets: Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize: This is an opportunity for US poets. The Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize is “to honor exceptional poems that help readers recognize the vulnerable state of our environment.” Poems could also be submitted in Spanish but must be accompanied by an English translation. Entries must be uploaded to Submittable as .doc, .docx, or .pdf files; and for entries by Performance or Spoken Word poets, most audio formats are accepted. Send one poem. The prizes are $1,000; $750; $500; $250, and the deadline is 14 December 2026; details here, here, and here (click on the relevant category)
And, the Academy of American Poets also has other prizes, including the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award, a $1,000 award recognizing a poetry collection translated from any language into English and published in the previous calendar year, deadline 15 February 2027, details here; see all the Academy of American Poets’ prizes here.

-- Poetry Society of America: The Four Quartets Prize: This is for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the US in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book in 2026. Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were published in 2026 and that brought together, they form a complete sequence. The minimum requirement is 14 pages of published poems unified by subject, form, and style. Entire books composed of a unified sequence, however long, are also welcome. Submissions will have to be mailed. Self-published work is not eligible. They have other awards also, though these have an entry fee, or do not have an application process. The award is $1,000 for three finalists, an additional $20,000 for the winner, and the deadline is 15 December 2026 (postmark date); details here (download the entry form).

-- San José State University: Center for Steinbeck Studies – The Steinbeck Fellows Program: This awards writers of any age and background a $15,000 fellowship to finish a significant writing project. Fellowships are currently offered in Creative Writing (excluding poetry) and Steinbeck Studies; Fellows may be appointed in many fields, including fiction, drama, creative non-fiction, and biography. The creative writing fellowship does not require that there be any direct connection between your work and Steinbeck's. The emphasis of the program is on helping writers who have had some success but have not published extensively, and whose promising work would be aided by the financial support and sponsorship of the Center and the University's creative writing program. Award recipients will be required to reside within the counties of the San Francisco Bay Area or adjacent counties of the California central coast or central valley during most of the fellowship period. There are up to 6 fellowships of $15,000 each, and the deadline is 4 January 2027. Details here and here.