Here are 34 upcoming deadlines for submitting fiction, article pitches, and entering contests. All of these are paid opportunities.
Almost all of these were previously listed in Freedom With Writing, or Authors Publish Magazine.
Be sure to subscribe to both publications (for free), so you can get early notifications about opportunities to get published.
Thanks to S. Kalekar for most of the listings in this article.
Dead Sea Press wants submissions for three anthologies
Blood Rites Horror’s Dead Sea Press wants “aquatic or nautical horror stories — supernatural, realistic or altogether otherworldly” — for three anthologies. The proceeds will go to The Shark Trust.
— Terror in the Trench: Stories “on the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. Feel free to interpret this theme as you wish; we’ll consider stories about the unknown, about strange, leviathan creatures… “ Deadline 28 January 2022.
— Death in the Deep: Stories “about the big open blue. Sharks, whales, dolphins – they all inhabit this vast expanse, but what else is out there? Think isolation, think exposed, think vulnerable… think shark.” Deadline 28 February 2022.
— Rampage on the Reefs: This anthology “will bring us to the surface. We’re looking for colourful, weird aquatic horror; monsters in the shallows, coral formations hiding eerie beasts… psychedelic, high-thrills horror that proves it’s not always safe closer to the shore.” Deadline 28 April 2022.
Deadlines: Various (see above)
Length: 1,000- 6,000 words
Pay: $10
Details here.
Deadline: January 28th, 2022
— S Kalekar
Room Magazine wants submissions on ‘Audacity’ theme
Room Magazine publishes writing by marginalized genders, including women, both cisgender and transgender, transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people; they are accepting submissions of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and art for their Audacity-themed issue. “We want you to show us what “Audacity” means to you. Maybe it stirs up some negative emotions, like the way a politician has the audacity to inflict harm, or a man has the audacity to explain kickboxing to the woman about to teach the class. But the writing we’re most interested in explores transformative audaciousness: the unapologetic embracing of the self, warts and all. … However you interpret our theme, the one aspect these submissions should have in common is bravery. This shouldn’t be easy, or comfortable; change never is.”
Length: Up to 3,500 words
Pay: CAD50/page up to CAD200
Details here
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Belmont Story Review is open for submissions
This is a “magazine of literary arts, faith, and culture”. They publish “an eclectic mix of storytelling which includes fiction, personal essay, and poetry at the intersection of faith and culture.” Please note, they can only pay by US checks – for those who cannot accept these, i.e. writers outside the US and Canada, they pay in kind, by way of additional copies.
Length: Up to 12,000 words for prose, up to 5 pieces for poetry
Pay: $100 for prose, $50 for poetry (click on individual sections in Submittable for guidelines and pay rates)
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Split Lip Magazine is open for submissions
They favor interesting, literary narratives with a modern, pop culture appeal. They publish online monthly and in print annually – flash fiction, short stories, memoir, poetry, and art, as well as interviews and reviews (for interviews and reviews, query first via webform – see guidelines). January is one of the months when they accept fee-free submissions from all writers – these are sometimes closed earlier, if their Submittable cap is reached. Fee-free submissions for all writers are in January, March, May, August, September, and November. Fee-free submissions for Black writers are open till end-June.
Deadline: 31 January 2022 (see above)
Length: Up to 3,000 words for fiction, up to 2,000 words for memoir, one poem
Pay: $50 for web contributions, $5/page for print, $25 for reviews and interviews
Details here and here (scroll down).
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
NonBinary Review is open for submissions
NonBinary Review, from Zoetic Press, wants poetry, fiction, essays, and art and they have themed issues. “We invite authors to explore each theme in any way that speaks to them: re-write a familiar story from a new point of view, mash genres together, give us a personal essay about some aspect of our theme that has haunted you all your life.” For the Shared Worlds theme, their guidelines say, “We all have those books from childhood that resonated with us. Worlds where we felt at home with characters who felt like real friends. For this issue, we’re looking for stories from your favorite alternative worlds: Narnia, Discworld, Dune, Wonderland — but there’s a catch. We DON’T want characters we’ve heard of – we’re not looking for Jack, the Pumpkin King or Toad of Toad Hall. We’re looking for more. The life you would have lived in Middle Earth. The adventure you went on in Westeros. Your experience of being Sherlock Holmes’s next door neighbor.
All works should be based in a well-established fictional world and should obey that world’s rules and customs, and we should be able to recognize that fictional world from your work. Works may NOT be based around major characters or previously published stories from those worlds, although they may be mentioned.”
Deadline: 31 January 2022 for Shared Worlds
Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose; up to 3 pages for poetry
Pay: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry
Details here.
(They’re also open for another themed issue, Person First in an Identity First World, and that has an end-April deadline.)
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Sirens Call Publication wants submissions on ‘Deep into the Woods’ theme
This is an anthology of horror or dark fiction, and all stories must take place within the woods/forest. “Be it day or night, the forest hides its secrets from our eyes. Whether you find yourself alone or with others, its innocence can be deceiving, and its inhabitants deadly. What horrors await within the wooded land where nature reigns supreme? … Your story can be supernatural, otherworldly, creature-horror, or down-right evil.”
Deadline: 31 January 2022
Length: 2,000-8,000 words
Pay: $10-25
Details here.
(Their online magazine, The Sirens Call, is also open for submissions until 31 January 2022; payment is a PDF copy of the magazine.)
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Forbidden Magic anthology is open for submissions
The Cellar Door is a dark fiction anthology series from Dark Peninsula Press, and they’re reading submissions on the Forbidden Magic theme. “Horror stories featuring forbidden or taboo magic. Must include some form of spell casting, necromancy, or alchemy. Stories may include some elements of dark fantasy, but must be a horror story first and foremost.” They want stories of supernatural horror, voodoo, witchcraft, cosmic horror, and dark fantasy.
Length: 2,000-7,500 words
Pay: $25
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Mysterion is open for submissions
They want science fiction, fantasy and horror stories that engage meaningfully with Christian themes, characters or cosmology. “We love science fiction and fantasy, enjoy good ghost stories, and think there’s great fiction material hidden in the mysteries of Christian theology–cherubim, leviathan, nephilim, visions, prophecy, and more”, according to guidelines. The stories need not teach a moral or be close to an approved theological position. Nor do they need to be pro-Christian – see their detailed guidelines on the kind of work they see too often, and what they would like to see. They are especially interested in stories that show Christians from cultures beyond those of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. They also accept translations and reprints, and art submissions.
Length: Up to 9,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Nothing Without Us Too anthology is open for submissions
They want genre and literary fiction for this anthology (barring ghost stories, which they have too many of; and barring erotica and fan fiction, which they do not want). They have extensive guidelines. The call is only open for writers “across the disability, mental illness, developmental disabilities, neurodiversity, Blind, and d/Deaf spectrums. We welcome those who manage what are known as “invisible” and “visible” disabilities and/or chronic conditions.” Also, “The protagonist must be disabled, Blind, d/Deaf, neurodivergent (such as autistic, having ADHD), and/or they must manage mental illness and/or chronic illness.” This anthology is open to writers around the world; they have a special quota for Canadian writers (see guidelines).
Length: 500-3,500 words
Pay: CAD0.08/word
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Horror That Represents You anthology is open for submissions
This is a horror fiction call for marginalized writers (you can decide what that means – see guidelines), about stories that represent them, which means, “you get to decide what this means, too. Is it a favourite trope you want to keep alive? A story inspired by your regional myths? Something pulled directly from your family? A personal fear? Something mainstream media has never done justice to? you get to decide what this means, too. Is it a favourite trope you want to keep alive? A story inspired by your regional myths? Something pulled directly from your family? A personal fear? Something mainstream media has never done justice to?”
Length: 1,000-7,000 words
Pay: $0.11/word
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Samhain Sorceries anthology is open for submissions
Samhain Sorceries is a sword-and-sorcery fiction anthology from DMR Books. Their guidelines say, “The concept for this book will be sword-and-sorcery stories where Samhain/Halloween is relevant to the plot. For clarification, sword-and-sorcery is a genre that combines swashbuckling adventure with supernatural elements (usually of a horrific nature) in a pre-industrial setting. Unlike most S&S stories, which are set in an invented world like Hyperborea or Nehwon, the tales in Samhain Sorceries should take place in the British Isles. Any time period is suitable, as long as it’s pre-industrial.” See guidelines for editor preferences, and the kind of stories/genres they are not looking for.
Length: 4,000-8,000 words
Pay: $0.01/word
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Ghosts of the Old Gods anthology is open for submissions
Submissions are open for Ghosts of the Old Gods, an epic fantasy anthology from Hydra Publications; they want grim and bleak stories. Pay is $35 for stories of 6,000-10,000 words.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Luminescent Machinations: Queer Tales of Monumental Invention anthology is accepting submissions
Neon Hemlock Press wants submissions for a fiction anthology. They want “Speculative stories focusing on queerness in the darker side of science-fiction, fantasy and horror: mechs, mecha and cybernetics as both extensions and perversions of humanity” for this anthology. They have extensive guidelines, including: “Starships, piloted and unpiloted machines of war or industry, the occasional cyborg… mecha are a representation of war, of power and resistance, of transcending human limits, a representation of extension of the body itself. We are looking for stories about these machines and the people who interface with them through a queer lens, in the most inclusive definition of queer. Queer, trans, undefinable.”
Length: Up to 6,000 words (1,000-4,000 preferred)
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here, here (scroll down), and here (Submittable).
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Alpennia: The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast is accepting submissions
They want historic fiction with lesbian themes, which will be published online and on their podcast. “Stories must be set in an actual historic culture–i.e., a specific time and place in history–and the plot and characters should be firmly rooted in that time and place. (No time-travel or past memories, please.)” Stories may include fantastic elements that are appropriate to the historic setting (see guidelines) and must be set before 1900. Romance is optional, and romance stories should have some other significant plot element in addition to the romance; they do not want erotica. Stories should feature lesbian-relevant themes. Authors of all genders and orientations are welcome to submit.
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Good Story Grant is open for submissions
They will award two grants, and writers of all levels, in all genres, can apply. Their guidelines say, “The 2022 Good Story Grant aims to help two writers reach the next step in their creative journeys. This grant is open to writers of all skill levels, and working in all genres and categories. The award is $1,500 US, used however you’d like … as long as it has to do with writing and helps you tell your story. This year’s award is two grants. One open to all writers and one open to writers who identify as BIPOC, with the aim of championing underrepresented voices.” One of the requirements is an essay on what the grant will mean to you and how you will use the funds,
Value: $1,500 for two writers
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest is open for submissions
The magazine runs a short story contest thrice a year. Readers of this magazine are interested in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. While the writing should appeal to a reader with these interests, stories can be on any theme. Stories should be up to 3,000 words, but up to 4,000 words will be considered.
Value: $100
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
The Drip Action Theatre Company’s Joy Goun Award is open for submissions
They are looking for plays that are 30-40 minutes long, and these will be performed in the UK as part of the Arundel Festival Theatre Trail. Their website says the Train “is a great showcase for both new and established writers, from the UK and beyond.” There is a prize for the best submitted script, as well as for other successful playwrights. Seven plays will be chosen from the open call, along with a specially commissioned piece.
Value: £250; £200 each for other successful playwrights
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Poetry Northwest’s James Welch Prize for Indigenous Writers is open for submissions
This is a poetry prize for Indigenous writers in the US – “new, emerging, and established poets who are community-recognized members of tribal nations within the United States and its trust territories (including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Chamorros, and American Samoans). Only poets who have not published more than one book-length collection are eligible; however, previous publication is not a requirement.” Submit up to three poems. Apart from cash prizes, two poets will also be invited to read at a literary venue.
Value: $1,000 each
Open for: Indigenous writers in the US
Details here and here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Alpennia: The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast will soon open for submissions
They want historic fiction with lesbian themes, which will be published online and on their podcast. “Stories must be set in an actual historic culture–i.e., a specific time and place in history–and the plot and characters should be firmly rooted in that time and place. (No time-travel or past memories, please.)” Stories may include fantastic elements that are appropriate to the historic setting (see guidelines) and must be set before 1900. Romance is optional, and romance stories should have some other significant plot element in addition to the romance; they do not want erotica. Stories should feature lesbian-relevant themes. Authors of all genders and orientations are welcome to submit.
Reading period: 1-31 January 2022
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Red Dragonfly’s Taking Flight Playwriting Competition is open for submissions
This is for playwrights with East and South-East Asian heritage, and who are UK-based. They want one-page ideas for a one-hour play.
Up to 10 shortlisted writers will attend a free workshop and mentorship sessions, before a winner is finalized. The end-January deadline is for submission of ideas.
Value: £1,000
Open for: UK-based writers of East and South-East Asian heritage and those from the British East and South-East Asian communities (see guidelines)
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Snarl is open for submissions, and a contest
This magazine is open for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions from creators of marginalized identities only – see their FAQ section for details. (They’re also accepting submissions for their poetry and prose contest from US-based writers only; the deadline for that is 31 January 2022, and the prize is $300.)
Deadline (for the magazine): Open now
Length: Up to 8,000 words for prose; up to 5 poems
Pay: $25 for flash & micro, $50-$75 for longer prose; $15/poem, plus $5 per additional printed page
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Nashville Review is open for submissions
They usually publish fiction (short stories, flash pieces, novel excerpts), poetry, nonfiction (memoir excerpts, essays, imaginative meditations), translations, and comics. Their guidelines say, “From expansive to minimalist, narrative to lyric, epiphanic to subtle: if it’s a moving work of art, we want it.” They read submissions in January, May, and September, and category-wise submissions may close early if volume demands; art and comics are received year-round. At the time of writing, only nonfiction and comics still remained open for the January submission period.
Deadline: 31 January 2022; may close earlier by category if cap is reached
Length: Up to 8,000 words for prose; up to three poems (up to two poems in case of translation)
Pay: $25 per poem, $100 for prose and art pieces
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
MudRoom is open for submissions
The literary magazine MudRoom is open for submissions of fiction, essays, essays in translation, and poetry; pay is $15, and submissions for their Spring issue are open until end-January.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
A Public Space is open for submissions, and a fellowship
Submissions are open for all writers, for A Public Space – they want fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations, until 31 January 2022, and writers are paid an honorarium.
They’re also accepting applications of a New York based Editorial Fellow, and pay for that is $10,000; the deadline for that, too, is 31st January.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Typehouse Literary Magazine is open for submissions
This magazine publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, artwork, and photography. Genre fiction submissions are welcome, especially speculative fiction. “We are looking for submissions that grab us and convey a unique perspective and honest insight into our world.” They do not want COVID-19 fiction or poetry, but can accept nonfiction on this theme on a limited basis. They have revised their guidelines, and during January, they’re accepting fee-free submissions from all writers. Please see their revised schedule – they have published their fee-free submissions schedule for various demographics for the whole of 2022; for example, during February, which is Black History Month, they’ll accept fee-free submissions from Black writers; during March, which is Disability Awareness Month, they’ll accept fee-free submissions from writers living with visible and invisible disabilities, and so on.
Deadline: 31 January 2022 for fee-free submissions from all writers (see above)
Length: 500-5,000 words for prose, can accept up to 3 pieces (a max total of 7,500 words); up to 6 poems
Pay: $25
Details here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Earthjustice is Hiring a Senior Development Writer
Earthjustice is a nonprofit environmental law organization. They are seeking a Senior Development Writer (SDW) who will be responsible for creating effective donor-facing messages and stories. The SDW should have 5 or more years’ writing or editing experience in the Development field. The job is full-time and can be remote or based in their San Francisco, CA office. Salary for San Francisco, CA is $83,300 to $92,500 and salary for remote locations is $70,800 to $92,500. Details here and here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2022
— Fatima Saif
The Last Girls Club wants submissions on Active Shooter theme
This is a feminist horror magazine and they’re reading fiction and poetry on the ‘Active Shooter’ theme. “Think of the new training videos/protocols for students and teachers, office spaces, public spaces, the sense of inevitability of every news cycle including a shooting. Embrace the the sense of resigned acceptance of terrorism. Welcome to the future. No whining allowed.”
Length: Up to 2,500 words; up to 3 poems
Pay: $0.01/word, up to $25; $10 for poetry
Details here.
Deadline: February 1st, 2022
— S Kalekar
The First Line Journal is open for submissions
They want fiction and poetry that begins with pre-set first lines, one for each quarterly issue. They also accept 4-part (or 5-part, if also using the last-line prompt from The Last Line Journal – see guidelines) stories from writers who want to use all the 4 (or 5) prompts, but all of these must be submitted by the 1 February 2022 deadline. For nonfiction, they want critical articles about your favorite first line from a literary work. For fiction and poetry, the first lines are:
Spring: ‘Rayna sat in front of the mirror removing her makeup and wondered who she would discover underneath.’ Due date: February 1, 2022
Summer: ‘Thomas hadn’t expected to be alive when the town’s time capsule was opened.’ Due date: May 1, 2022
Fall: ‘Lily unlocked the back door of the thrift store using a key that didn’t belong to her.’ Due date: August 1, 2022
Winter: ‘When he died, their father had two requests.’ Due date: November 1, 2022
Deadlines: 1 February 2022 for the Spring issue, and for 4-part (or 5-part) stories; later for other issues (see above)
Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction; 500-800 words for nonfiction
Pay: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $5-10 for poetry (less postage fee for international writers – see guidelines)
Details here.
Deadline: February 1st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Escape Artists: CatsCast is open for submissions (+ other calls)
They want submissions of speculative cat stories, to publish on their website in electronic and audio format. “CatsCast is looking for fun speculative cat stories! A CatsCast story should leave cat-loving listeners a little happier after listening than they were before.
Specifically, we’re looking for speculative fiction stories about cats. “Cats” in this context are, well, cats — but since this is a speculative fiction podcast, they don’t have to be exactly the same species as the housecats we have here on Earth. The stories should have happy, or at least hopeful, endings for all featured cats. Humor is strongly encouraged but not required.” They also accept reprints.
(CatsCast will also now be a regular podcast from the Escape Artists suite – see this announcement on their website.)
Deadline: 1 February 2022
Length: Up to 6,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
(Their sister publication Escape Pod, for science fiction stories, is also open now and has an end-May deadline, according to their schedule. Their other associated markets’ 2022 schedules are also up; please see:
— the schedule for Cast of Wonders, a young adult market, which will open for a week in February for Halloween-themed submissions;
— the schedule for PodCastle, a fantasy market, which will be open during March; and
— the schedule for Pseudopod, a horror market – Pseudopod will open earlier for reprints (on 1st March 2022) than it will for original fiction submissions. All the above markets pay $0.08/word for original fiction.)
Deadline: February 1st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award is open for submissions (+ another award)
They want a short story, of up to 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. They want to see Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics, sacrifice, adventure. They do not want stories that show technology or space travel as evil or bad, galactic empires, paranormal elements, UFO abductions, zombie stories, thinly veiled copies of previous winners, non-standalone novel excerpts, or screenplays.
Value: 8c/word, and various non-cash awards
Deadline: 1 February 2022
Open for: All writers
Details here.
(They also have a fantasy short story contest, the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award, that pays $0.08/word for stories of up to 8,000 words in all fantasy genres, and will open for submissions from 14 February to 30 April 2022.)
Deadline: February 1st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Playwriting is open for submissions
Playwrights have to write to a prompt: What does it mean to be a human in a computerized world?
Value: $5,000
Open for: All playwrights
Details here
Deadline: February 1st, 2022
— S Kalekar
North American Guild of Beer Writers is Accepting Pitches
North American Guild of Beer Writers is a member organization of beer writers, reporters, and podcasters. They are accepting pitches for their 2022 Diversity in Beer Writing Grant. They are looking for “stories of all kinds from all over, and welcome submissions that tell stories about:
-Homebrewing
-Festivals focused on inclusion and engaging new audiences
-Efforts to advance knowledge and appreciation about beer
-Profiles of interesting people and organizations
-Topical news or historical insights focused on culture and community”
All writers are encouraged to apply – whether they have covered beverage alcohol or not. Writers will be paid $0.50/word, up to $1,000. For details, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Deadline: February 1st, 2022
— Fatima Saif
Bucknell University’s Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing is open for submissions (+ another call)
This residency is offered by Bucknell University, and provides writing time of up to four months. It’s for writers of fiction or creative non-fiction working on a first or second book. There are two residencies, in fall and spring semesters. Some record of publication is desirable.
Value: $5,000 and residency
Deadline: 1 February 2022
Open for: US writers
Details here.
(Also see details of the Bucknell Seminar for Undergraduate Poets, for those in the US – fellowships include tuition, housing in campus apartments and meals, and the application deadline is 31 January 2022; and some travel scholarships are also available.)
Deadline: February 1st, 2022
— S Kalekar
Cast of Wonders wants submissions for CatsCast (+ Two other calls)
They want submissions of speculative cat stories, to publish on their website in electronic and audio format. “CatsCast is looking for fun speculative cat stories! A CatsCast story should leave cat-loving listeners a little happier after listening than they were before.
Specifically, we’re looking for speculative fiction stories about cats. “Cats” in this context are, well, cats — but since this is a speculative fiction podcast, they don’t have to be exactly the same species as the housecats we have here on Earth. The stories should have happy, or at least hopeful, endings for all featured cats. Humor is strongly encouraged but not required.” They also accept reprints.
Deadline: 1 February 2022
Length: Up to 6,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Deadline: February 1st, 2022
— S Kalekar
