OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITERS
LITMAGS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
You can find more listings on any number of websites, such as Poets and Writers, DuoTrope, The Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), Literary Cleveland and NewPages.com. Writers should always read a couple back issues of each magazine before sending in work to ensure that it’s a good fit for each specific publication. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it is a curated place of litmags that are great to work with, open to emerging writers, and who have deadlines coming up. A few are also open year-round. Most of these publications accept work in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction; some also accept artwork and hybrid forms.
After Happy Hour
https://afterhappyhourreview.submittable.com/submit
Allium
https://allium.submittable.com/submit
Birdy Magazine
https://www.birdymagazine.com/submissions/
Boulevard
https://boulevard.submittable.com/submit
Black Fox Literary Magazine
https://blackfoxlitmag.com/submit/
Club Plum
https://clubplumliteraryjournal.com/submit/
Chestnut Review
https://chestnutreview.com/submissions/
Eoagh
https://eoagh.com/submit/
The Ekphrastic Review
https://www.ekphrastic.net/submit.html
Foglifter
https://foglifterjournal.com/submit/
The Gravity of the Thing
https://thegravityofthething.com/submit/
Hanging Loose Press
https://www.hangingloosepress.com/submissions/
Harpur Palate
https://harpurpalate.binghamton.edu/submit/
Kitchen Table Quarterly
https://www.kitchentablequarterly.org/submit
The Lyric Magazine
https://thelyricmagazine.com/submitpoetry/
Marrow Magazine
https://marrowmagazine.com/submit/
Polyphony Lit
https://www.polyphonylit.org/submission-guidelines
Radar
https://www.radarpoetry.com/guidelines
Sheila-Na-Gig
https://sheilanagigblog.com/submissions/
Strange Horizons
http://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/submit/
Think Journal
https://www.thinkjournal.org/page5.html
TriQuarterly
https://www.triquarterly.org/submit
The/t3mz/Review
https://www.thetemzreview.com/submissions.html
805 Lit + Art
https://www.805lit.org/submissions
32 Poems
https://32poems.com/submission-guidelines/
Open All Year
These literary magazines are open for submissions at this time; however, always check the website to confirm before submitting. “Rolling deadline” can mean the litmag accepts submissions year round, that it caps submissions and closes once capacity is full; or that the deadline shifts.
Acentos Review
Website: https://acentosreview.squarespace.com/april-2025-home
Apex Book Company
https://www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-magazine/post/apex-magazine-submissions-guidelines
The Awakenings Project
Free submissions
Website: https://awakeningsproject.org/
Birdy Magazine
https://www.birdymagazine.com/submissions/
The Blue Mountain Review
Website: https://www.southerncollectiveexperience.com/the-blue-mountain-review/
Chestnut Review
Website: https://chestnutreview.com/
Conduit Poetry
Submission Fee: $3
Website: https://www.conduit.org/submit
Diagram
Website: https://thediagram.com/
Down River Road: a journal
Website: https://downriverroad.org/guidelines/
Eucalyptus Lit
Website: https://www.eucalyptuslit.com/
F(r)iction
Website: https://frictionlit.org/
Florida Review
Website: https://cah.ucf.edu/floridareview/
Guernica: A Journal of Art and Politics
Website: https://www.guernicamag.com/
Helix
Website: https://helixmagazine.org/submit
Identity Theory
https://www.identitytheory.com/about/submission-guidelines/
Isele Magazine
Website: https://iselemagazine.com/
Jokes Review
https://www.jokesliteraryreview.com/submit
Kestrel
Website: https://www.fairmontstate.edu/kestrel/default.aspx
Lake Effect
Website: https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-humanities-social-sciences/lake-effect
Mid-American Review
Website: https://casit.bgsu.edu/midamericanreview/
Narrative
Website: https://www.narrativemagazine.com/
New Letters
Website: https://www.newletters.org/
North American Review
Website: https://northamericanreview.org/
One More Chapter
https://www.onemorechapter.com/
Pacifica Literary Review
Website: https://www.pacificareview.com/
Palooka Press
Website: https://www.palookamag.com/submit.html
Plant Human Quarterly
https://otherwisecollective.com/phq-submissions
Rattle Poetry
Website: https://rattle.com/
Regal House Publishing
Entry Fee: $5
Website: regalhousepublishing.com
The Rumpus
Website: https://therumpus.net/
Sequestrum
Website: https://www.sequestrum.org/
SmokeLong Quarterly
Cash Prize: $100
Website: https://www.smokelong.com/
Story Magazine
Website: https://www.storymagazine.org/
The Westchester Review
Website: https://thewestchesterreview.submittable.com/submit
Tupelo Quarterly
Website: https://www.tupeloquarterly.com/
Vast Chasm
Cash Prize: $50
Website: https://vastliterarypress.org/
Waxwing
Website: https://waxwingmag.org/
Wingless Dreamer
https://www.winglessdreamer.com/contests
Additional Resources
You can find more opportunities for writers on the websites listed below. Remember, whenever a contest charges an entry fee, make sure that you vet them and confirm that they are legit. A great resource for researching writing contests is the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses: www.clmp.org.
Almond Press https://dystopianstories.com/list-creative-writing-journals-accepting-submissions/
Bookfox: Ranking of the Best 100 Literary Magazines https://thejohnfox.com/2021/08/ranking-of-the-100-best-literary-magazines/
Community of Literary Magazines and Presses www.clmp.org
Poets and Writers https://www.pw.org/
Published to Death https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/calls-for-submissions.html
NewPages https://www.newpages.com/
Submittable* https://discover.submittable.com/
*Please note that this website no longer focuses on literary submissions, contests, and publishing. Be very, very wary of any “opportunity” that charges an entry fee in excess of $25 and double-check the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses: www.clmp.org website to make sure high cost “opportunities” are legitimate contests.
The Practicing Writer https://erikadreifus.substack.com/
CONTESTS
Please bear in mind that contests often require a fee. It’s incumbent upon you to research these contests and ensure that they are a) a good fit for your writing and b) operating under standards of ethics as established by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP.org). In general, fee-free contests offer the writer less risk and are the way to go-- but there are also a number of longstanding contests that are legitimate and prestigious. Use your best judgement, and we wish you the best of luck. The Library prides itself on providing accurate information about fees, deadlines, etc. but occasionally errors occur -- or deadlines shift. If you see an error, notify us at [email protected] and we’ll correct it asap.
Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: December 15, 2025
Asheville Poetry Review William Matthews Poetry Prize
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: January 15, 2026
Boulevard Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: December 31, 2025
Center for Book Arts Poetry Chapbook Contest
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: December 15, 2025
2026 Chautauqua Janus Prize
Cash Prize: $5000 plus weeklong pass to Chautaqua Institute
Entry Fee: $25
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Colorado Prize for Poetry
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: January 14, 2026
Common Ground Review
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: January 1, 2026 - March 1, 2026
The Florida Review (Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction)
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: January 1, 2026 - April 15, 2026
Georgia Review Prose Prize
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: January 15, 2026
The Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest
Prize: Publication and free enrollment in The Kenyon Review Summer Writers Workshops (Tuition value: $2500)
Entry Fee: $24 includes digital subscription to The Kenyon Review.
Deadline: January 1-31, 2026
Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: December 31, 2025
Leon Levy Biography Fellowships
Cash Prize: $72,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: January 4, 2026
LitMag Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: December 31, 2025
Mississippi Review Prize
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: January 1, 2026
Next Generation Short Story Awards
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $25
Deadline: February 26, 2026
Nimrod International Journal
Cash Prize: Varies
Entry Fee: $25
Deadline: January 1-31, 2026
Gemini Magazine Poetry Open
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: January 2, 2026
Press 53 Award for Short Fiction
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: December 15, 2025
Red Hen Press Cai Emmons Fiction Award
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: January 15, 2026
Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: January 4, 2026
Story Foundation Prize
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: December 15, 2025
You can find more listings on any number of websites, such as Poets and Writers, DuoTrope, The Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), Literary Cleveland
and NewPages.com.
Workshop's
The Kenyon Review Summer Workshops
Rolling admissions, but early applications accepted. Workshops in Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Translation, and Spiritual Writing. https://kenyonreview.org/writers
You can find more listings on any number of websites, such as Poets and Writers, DuoTrope, The Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), Literary Cleveland and NewPages.com. Writers should always read a couple back issues of each magazine before sending in work to ensure that it’s a good fit for each specific publication. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it is a curated place of litmags that are great to work with, open to emerging writers, and who have deadlines coming up. A few are also open year-round. Most of these publications accept work in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction; some also accept artwork and hybrid forms.
After Happy Hour
https://afterhappyhourreview.submittable.com/submit
Allium
https://allium.submittable.com/submit
Birdy Magazine
https://www.birdymagazine.com/submissions/
Boulevard
https://boulevard.submittable.com/submit
Black Fox Literary Magazine
https://blackfoxlitmag.com/submit/
Club Plum
https://clubplumliteraryjournal.com/submit/
Chestnut Review
https://chestnutreview.com/submissions/
Eoagh
https://eoagh.com/submit/
The Ekphrastic Review
https://www.ekphrastic.net/submit.html
Foglifter
https://foglifterjournal.com/submit/
The Gravity of the Thing
https://thegravityofthething.com/submit/
Hanging Loose Press
https://www.hangingloosepress.com/submissions/
Harpur Palate
https://harpurpalate.binghamton.edu/submit/
Kitchen Table Quarterly
https://www.kitchentablequarterly.org/submit
The Lyric Magazine
https://thelyricmagazine.com/submitpoetry/
Marrow Magazine
https://marrowmagazine.com/submit/
Polyphony Lit
https://www.polyphonylit.org/submission-guidelines
Radar
https://www.radarpoetry.com/guidelines
Sheila-Na-Gig
https://sheilanagigblog.com/submissions/
Strange Horizons
http://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/submit/
Think Journal
https://www.thinkjournal.org/page5.html
TriQuarterly
https://www.triquarterly.org/submit
The/t3mz/Review
https://www.thetemzreview.com/submissions.html
805 Lit + Art
https://www.805lit.org/submissions
32 Poems
https://32poems.com/submission-guidelines/
Open All Year
These literary magazines are open for submissions at this time; however, always check the website to confirm before submitting. “Rolling deadline” can mean the litmag accepts submissions year round, that it caps submissions and closes once capacity is full; or that the deadline shifts.
Acentos Review
Website: https://acentosreview.squarespace.com/april-2025-home
Apex Book Company
https://www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-magazine/post/apex-magazine-submissions-guidelines
The Awakenings Project
Free submissions
Website: https://awakeningsproject.org/
Birdy Magazine
https://www.birdymagazine.com/submissions/
The Blue Mountain Review
Website: https://www.southerncollectiveexperience.com/the-blue-mountain-review/
Chestnut Review
Website: https://chestnutreview.com/
Conduit Poetry
Submission Fee: $3
Website: https://www.conduit.org/submit
Diagram
Website: https://thediagram.com/
Down River Road: a journal
Website: https://downriverroad.org/guidelines/
Eucalyptus Lit
Website: https://www.eucalyptuslit.com/
F(r)iction
Website: https://frictionlit.org/
Florida Review
Website: https://cah.ucf.edu/floridareview/
Guernica: A Journal of Art and Politics
Website: https://www.guernicamag.com/
Helix
Website: https://helixmagazine.org/submit
Identity Theory
https://www.identitytheory.com/about/submission-guidelines/
Isele Magazine
Website: https://iselemagazine.com/
Jokes Review
https://www.jokesliteraryreview.com/submit
Kestrel
Website: https://www.fairmontstate.edu/kestrel/default.aspx
Lake Effect
Website: https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-humanities-social-sciences/lake-effect
Mid-American Review
Website: https://casit.bgsu.edu/midamericanreview/
Narrative
Website: https://www.narrativemagazine.com/
New Letters
Website: https://www.newletters.org/
North American Review
Website: https://northamericanreview.org/
One More Chapter
https://www.onemorechapter.com/
Pacifica Literary Review
Website: https://www.pacificareview.com/
Palooka Press
Website: https://www.palookamag.com/submit.html
Plant Human Quarterly
https://otherwisecollective.com/phq-submissions
Rattle Poetry
Website: https://rattle.com/
Regal House Publishing
Entry Fee: $5
Website: regalhousepublishing.com
The Rumpus
Website: https://therumpus.net/
Sequestrum
Website: https://www.sequestrum.org/
SmokeLong Quarterly
Cash Prize: $100
Website: https://www.smokelong.com/
Story Magazine
Website: https://www.storymagazine.org/
The Westchester Review
Website: https://thewestchesterreview.submittable.com/submit
Tupelo Quarterly
Website: https://www.tupeloquarterly.com/
Vast Chasm
Cash Prize: $50
Website: https://vastliterarypress.org/
Waxwing
Website: https://waxwingmag.org/
Wingless Dreamer
https://www.winglessdreamer.com/contests
Additional Resources
You can find more opportunities for writers on the websites listed below. Remember, whenever a contest charges an entry fee, make sure that you vet them and confirm that they are legit. A great resource for researching writing contests is the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses: www.clmp.org.
Almond Press https://dystopianstories.com/list-creative-writing-journals-accepting-submissions/
Bookfox: Ranking of the Best 100 Literary Magazines https://thejohnfox.com/2021/08/ranking-of-the-100-best-literary-magazines/
Community of Literary Magazines and Presses www.clmp.org
Poets and Writers https://www.pw.org/
Published to Death https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/calls-for-submissions.html
NewPages https://www.newpages.com/
Submittable* https://discover.submittable.com/
*Please note that this website no longer focuses on literary submissions, contests, and publishing. Be very, very wary of any “opportunity” that charges an entry fee in excess of $25 and double-check the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses: www.clmp.org website to make sure high cost “opportunities” are legitimate contests.
The Practicing Writer https://erikadreifus.substack.com/
CONTESTS
Please bear in mind that contests often require a fee. It’s incumbent upon you to research these contests and ensure that they are a) a good fit for your writing and b) operating under standards of ethics as established by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP.org). In general, fee-free contests offer the writer less risk and are the way to go-- but there are also a number of longstanding contests that are legitimate and prestigious. Use your best judgement, and we wish you the best of luck. The Library prides itself on providing accurate information about fees, deadlines, etc. but occasionally errors occur -- or deadlines shift. If you see an error, notify us at [email protected] and we’ll correct it asap.
Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: December 15, 2025
Asheville Poetry Review William Matthews Poetry Prize
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: January 15, 2026
Boulevard Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: December 31, 2025
Center for Book Arts Poetry Chapbook Contest
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: December 15, 2025
2026 Chautauqua Janus Prize
Cash Prize: $5000 plus weeklong pass to Chautaqua Institute
Entry Fee: $25
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Colorado Prize for Poetry
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: January 14, 2026
Common Ground Review
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: January 1, 2026 - March 1, 2026
The Florida Review (Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction)
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: January 1, 2026 - April 15, 2026
Georgia Review Prose Prize
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: January 15, 2026
The Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest
Prize: Publication and free enrollment in The Kenyon Review Summer Writers Workshops (Tuition value: $2500)
Entry Fee: $24 includes digital subscription to The Kenyon Review.
Deadline: January 1-31, 2026
Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: December 31, 2025
Leon Levy Biography Fellowships
Cash Prize: $72,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: January 4, 2026
LitMag Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: December 31, 2025
Mississippi Review Prize
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: January 1, 2026
Next Generation Short Story Awards
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $25
Deadline: February 26, 2026
Nimrod International Journal
Cash Prize: Varies
Entry Fee: $25
Deadline: January 1-31, 2026
Gemini Magazine Poetry Open
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: January 2, 2026
Press 53 Award for Short Fiction
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: December 15, 2025
Red Hen Press Cai Emmons Fiction Award
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: January 15, 2026
Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: January 4, 2026
Story Foundation Prize
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: December 15, 2025
You can find more listings on any number of websites, such as Poets and Writers, DuoTrope, The Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), Literary Cleveland
and NewPages.com.
Workshop's
The Kenyon Review Summer Workshops
Rolling admissions, but early applications accepted. Workshops in Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Translation, and Spiritual Writing. https://kenyonreview.org/writers