News

Winning Writers Celebrates 25th Anniversary Serving the Literary Community

2026-09-29T17:11:00+00:00

Winning Writers celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026

Winning Writers celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year. The literary contest and resource site was founded in New York City in 2001, in the week before 9/11, and moved to Western Massachusetts in 2003. From the beginning, Winning Writers has offered a welcoming place for diverse authors and stories, with a culture of listening to people of all genders, backgrounds, and abilities. Read the full press release.

RSL Christopher Bland Prize

2026-09-25T21:49:00+00:00

10,000 pounds prize, deadline change: received by November 6

Deadline November 6 (must be received by this date), formerly December 5. Recommended free contest from the Royal Society of Literature gives 10,000 pounds for a debut book of fiction or nonfiction by an author who was aged 50+ at time of publication. Books must be submitted by an agent or publisher. Open to residents of the UK or the Republic of Ireland.

Discoveries Prize

2026-09-25T20:21:00+00:00

5,000 pounds prize, deadline change: received by January 11

Deadline January 11 (must be received by this date), formerly January 12. Recommended free contest gives top prize of 5,000 pounds and representation from the Curtis Brown Literary Agency for the first 10,000 words of a novel-in-progress by a female UK or Ireland resident age 18+. All shortlisted authors will be offered personalized packages of mentorship from an agent tailored to their individual needs, as well as free or discounted Curtis Brown Creative writing courses and Audible subscriptions. Prize is intended to discover and promote "the most talented and original new female writing voices". Writers must be unagented, and submissions must be previously unpublished. Writers need not have completed their novel at the time of entry. Enter online by completing the submission form, including the introductory extract of your work-in-progress and a concise synopsis (up to 1,000 words allowed, but sponsor prefers 500 words). Co-sponsored by the Women's Prize Trust, Curtis Brown Literary Agency, Curtis Brown Creative Writing School, and Audible.

Santa Fe Literary Review: “Connection” Issue

2026-09-24T20:09:00+00:00

Call for submissions: received by November 1

Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date). Santa Fe Literary Review, an annual publication of Santa Fe Community College, seeks submissions of unpublished poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, and artwork for their 2027 issue, whose suggested theme is "Connection: Networks, Relationships, and Alienation". Length limits: 1-5 poems, one prose piece up to 2,000 words, or up to 10 double-spaced pages of dramatic writing (a complete short play or stand-alone scene). Artwork, including graphic novel excerpts, will be printed in black and white, so artists should consider whether their submissions reproduce well in that format.

Catalogue Zine: “People, Places, Things” Issue

2026-09-24T19:39:00+00:00

Call for submissions: received by November 30

Deadline November 30 (must be received by this date). Catalogue Zine, a climate advocacy magazine, is open to submissions of creative writing, art, interviews, and video and audio work for Issue #5, "People, Places, Things". The editors describe this issue as "a study into the nouns and identities that are defining modern sustainability and social justice...We want to hear about the things in life that bring you joy, and the things that we need to do away with." Written submissions should be 1-3 pieces, maximum 5 pages total. Previously published work is eligible.

Doubleback Books

2026-09-23T18:52:00+00:00

Call for submissions: received by October 15

Deadline October 15 (must be received by this date). Doubleback Books, an imprint of Sundress Publications, republishes out-of-print books of poetry and literary prose as free downloadable e-books. They are currently open to submissions. Authors of works that have gone out of print due to the closure of the original press may submit full-length or short books, including novels, novellas, chapbooks, short story collections, poetry collections, essay collections, and memoirs. Editors may also submit out-of-print manuscripts their presses published before closing. However, they do not accept translated or previously self-published books for this series.

Bag of Bones Press: “Stuck” Anthology

2026-09-21T21:14:00+00:00

Call for submissions: received by January 31

Deadline January 31 (must be received by this date). Bag of Bones Press, a UK-based horror fiction publisher, seeks submissions of unpublished speculative, horror, dark fantasy or dark sci-fi stories of 500-4,000 words on the theme "Stuck". Accepted authors receive 0.5 pence per word and an e-book of the anthology. As in past years, profits from the anthology will be donated to a charity. This year's recipient is the UK-based mental health charity MIND.

Crooked Spine: “What You Worship” Issue

2026-09-21T21:10:00+00:00

Call for submissions: received by October 23

Deadline October 23 (must be received by this date). Crooked Spine: A Horror Magazine is seeking submissions of unpublished short fiction and poetry for Issue #4, whose theme is "What You Worship". Stories should be 1,500-3,000 words; no length limit specified for poems. Authors receive a small payment. Editors say, "What You Worship is seeking horror about devotion and the price it demands...We are drawn to character-driven horror, a strong atmosphere, and creative theme interpretations."

Reckoning: Flash Fiction Issue

2026-09-17T23:10:00+00:00

Call for submissions: received by October 31

Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Reckoning is an online literary journal with a focus on environmental justice. They are currently seeking previously unpublished submissions for a special issue of flash fiction on this theme. Entries may be up to 1,200 words, but 500-1,000 words is preferred. Weird, dark, and horror fiction are favored, but with some hope mixed in. This is a paying market.

Dionysian Public Library: Jewish Horror Anthology

2026-09-17T23:04:00+00:00

Call for submissions: received by February 1

Deadline February 1 (must be received by this date). Dionysian Public Library is an arts collective that publishes short fiction anthologies and the journals The Vineyard and x/y: a junk drawer of trans voices. They are currently seeking unpublished short fiction up to 10,000 words for Curses, Confusions, & Rebukes: An Anthology of Jewish Horror, edited by Benjamin Hooper. This will be the first in a series of collections "highlighting marginalized faith and cultural backgrounds...with the intention of using storytelling as a platform to build interfaith solidarity." Contributors to this anthology should identify as Jewish in background or affiliation.