S. Kalekar
These magazines pay up to $1,000 for fiction. Some of these magazines accept other genres as well, like non-fiction and poetry. They are open now, or will soon open for submissions.The Ampersand Review
They accept fiction, non-fiction essays/memoirs/excerpts, and poetry from Canadian writers only. And, they accept review pitches (not submissions) for books written by Canadian authors and published by Canadian publishers within the last 12 months, or that are forthcoming; review pitches are accepted on a rolling basis. They’re reading submissions for Issue 10. The magazine is affiliated with Sheridan College. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 11 January 2026
Length: Up to 3,000 words for fiction, up to 4,000 words for non-fiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: CAD100 for prose, CAD50-100 for poetry
Details here.
(– And Splinter, an Australian journal, accepts works from around the world. They accept submissions of fiction, memoir, and poetry. They accept pitches only of essays, writing about writing, criticism, and profiles. They’re reading for Issue 5. “While we don’t want writers to feel limited by the below list, these are some themes and voices we are particularly interested in for issue five:
Regional First Nations voices
Housing and homelessness
The climate crisis (and its more optimistic cousin climate justice)
The fate of progressive politics (if it exists?) in so-called Australia
Literary criticism that engages with the above themes
You don’t need to address these themes directly in your writing, but please prioritise submitting work that brushes up against these prompts.” They also accept translations. They pay AUD900 for fiction, essays, and profiles, AUD700 for criticism, AUD600 for memoir, AUD500 for writing about writing, AUD250/poem or AUD450/collection of poems – see guidelines; deadline 19th January 2026; details here and here.
— EVENT Magazine is open too, for fiction and poetry from Canadian writers only, during this submission period. They pay $40/page for poetry and $35/page for prose, up to $500. The deadline is 31 January 2026, or when their submission cap is met, whichever is earlier; details here and here.)
Solarpunk
They accept solarpunk fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. They are open for the first two weeks in January. Their 2026 schedule is on their website. Writers can submit unthemed solarpunk stories, as well as stories for their Solarpunk Horror issue (to be published later in the year) during their January, April, and July submission periods. They also accept translations and art. Regarding story length, they say, “Generally, we are looking for stories between 1,500 and 4,000 words. Our word limit remains 7,500 words, but 1,500 and 4,000 words hit our sweet spot.”
Deadline: 14 January 2026
Length: See above for fiction; up to 5 poems (see guidelines); 1,000-2,000 words for non-fiction
Pay: $0.10/word for fiction, $50/poem, $100 for essays / articles
Details here and here.
(– And, Mysterion, which publishes science fiction, fantasy and horror stories that engage meaningfully with Christian themes, characters or cosmology, is also open now. The stories need not teach a moral, or be close to an approved theological position, or be pro-Christian. They pay $0.08/word for original stories up to 9,000 words, and the deadline is 31 January 2026; details here and here.
— Submissions are also open for Alpennia: Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast; it is a fiction podcast series on lesbian-relevant themes, and it is open for all writers. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Stories must be set in an actual historic culture–i.e., a specific time and place in history–and the plot and characters should be firmly rooted in that time and place. (No time-travel or past memories, please.) …Stories must be set before 1900. … Romance is optional, and romance stories should have some other significant plot element in addition to the romance.” They pay $0.08/word for stories up to 5,000 words, and the deadline is 31 January 2026; details here.)
Hybris Press: Otherside
OTHERSIDE is a new magazine that accepts speculative fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and art by 2SLGBTQIA+ creators only. You can read about them here. They are open for original fiction and poetry submissions until 14th January 2026, and they’ll have an extended submission window only for BIPOC, trans, and/or disabled authors, from 15th to 21st January. They are open for non-fiction on an ongoing basis. Their first issue will be published in March 2026. They do not accept work from writers who do not identify as 2SLGBTQIA+.
Deadline: See above
Length: 500-4,000 words for original fiction, up to 3 poems, up to 4,000 words for non-fiction (prefers up to 2,000 words)
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $50/poem, $100 for non-fiction
Details here (click on each genre’s tab for detailed guidelines) and here.
Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons will open a short submission window for general speculative fiction (from all writers) in January. Their announcement says, “Strange Horizons will open to general fiction submissions on January 19th, 2026, at 3 p.m. UTC! This window will remain open for 48 hours, closing at 3 p.m. UTC on January 21st, 2026. There will be no submissions cap as there has been in previous years. All authors can submit to this window.” Other genres (like non-fiction, poetry) are open on an ongoing basis.
Reading period for general speculative fiction submissions: 19th to 21st January 2026 (see guidelines)
Length: Up to 10,000 words (up to 5,000 words preferred)
Pay: $0.10/word
Details here, here, and here.
Mud Season Review
They publish fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. For fiction, “We are looking for fully realized stories that remind us of what it means to be human, that take risks, that show us something new, and that stand up over multiple reads, deepening with each encounter.” Please note, they have both fee-free and fee-based submissions. They may close submissions early if volume demands.
Deadline: 31 January 2026, or until filled
Length: Up to 6,000 words for prose, 3-5 poems
Pay: $50; and $15 for poets and artists whose work appears in The Take: Mud Season Review
Details here and here.
Short Story, Long
Short Story, Long is a Substack-based magazine. You can read about them here. They are open for fiction submissions. Each story will be paired with original artwork.
Deadline: 31 January 2026
Length: 2,000-8,000 words (3,000-5,500 words preferred)
Pay: $150
Details here.
The Phantom Pulse
This is a new speculative fiction magazine “of the grey corners of humanity, dread that permeates the skin, and the bizarre. Our pages are haunted by twisted longing, inevitable darkness, and quiet obsession.
We publish traditional horror, sci-fi horror, dark fantasy, and the weird. We have diverse reading tastes and are open to experimental forms and stories.” They also accept reprints; please note, they do not accept reprint submissions for stories that were published within the last 12 months.
Deadline: 14 February 2026
Length: Up to 3,000 words for originals, up to 5,000 words for reprints
Pay: $0.03/word for originals, $0.01/word for reprints
Details here.
The Bombay Literary Magazine
This India-based literary magazine accepts fiction, graphic fiction, translated fiction, poetry, translated poetry, and essays (see guidelines). They opened on 1st January, and have a submission cap for each category, so submissions will close when they hit those caps. Their submission form will be active during the reading period.
Deadline: Open now
Length: 2,000-5,000 words for prose, up to 5 poems
Pay: INR5,000
Details here.
Night Shades
This is a speculative fiction magazine. They publish four stories a month.
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 500 words
Pay: $65
Details here.
Permanent Flux
This is a new science fiction magazine, and they accept short stories as well as novellas. “Permanent Flux is in pursuit of thought-provoking and visionary science fiction narratives that defy conventional perceptions and immerse readers in unfamiliar realms.” They want “Speculative fiction in all flavors of sci-fi: space opera, near-future tech, alternate realities, time travel, cosmic mysteries, and more”. And, the themes they love are: Thought-provoking concepts; Unconventional worlds; and Complex characters navigating extraordinary situations. Please also see the list of things they do not publish, which include poetry and romance-focused stories.
Deadline: Open now
Length: 3,000-5,000 words for short stories, up to 10,000 words for novellas
Pay: $0.06/word
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.