Submission Opportunities April 2026

The Griffith Review Emerging Voices Competition | Deadline: April 13

Up to four winning entries will be selected by our judges Melanie Ostell (Melanie Ostell Literary)¸ Margot Lloyd (Pink Shorts Press) and Sharlene Allsopp (author) as well as Griffith Review’s editorial staff.

Fee: $25 (includes a 6-month digital subscription) | Pay: Winners share prize pool of $20,000 and publication in an issue

Type: Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction (3,500-5,000 words)

Note: Open to writers ranging from previously unpublished through to those with a maximum of one published book in any of the following genres: Novel, Short Story Collection, Essay, Collection, Memoir, other work of non-fiction.

Writers can have published more than one children’s book or poetry collection, or have multiple essays, reviews, or short fiction publications in magazines, literary journals, or other collections/anthologies.

The Bath Short Story Award|Deadline: April 27

Twelfth annual international short story award with guest judge Gordon Wise from Curtis Brown Literary Agency.

Fee: £9.00 | Pay: £1200 first prize

Type: Fiction (up to 2,200 words)

Note: £300 second prize, £100 third prize, £100 Acorn Award for an unpublished writer of fiction, and all shortlisted and winning authors receive a copy of the printed anthology they are published in and a 35% discount on additional copies.

Narrative Story of the Week Contest|Deadline: Rolling

A weekly competition from Narrative Magazine published 52x per year

Fee: $26.00 | Pay: $500

Type: Fiction (Short Stories up to 7000 words; Novelettes up to 10,000) and Non-fiction (up to 10,000)

Note: Winners are eligible for the annual $5000 Narrative Prize and reach a readership of 350,000 people

Defenestration: A Literary Magazine Dedicated to Humor|Deadline: 20 April to 5 August

Fee: No | Pay: No

Type: Fiction (Short Stories up to 4000 words) and Non-fiction (up to 2,000)

Note: Nonfiction includes “fake” nonfiction, anything from reviews of non-existent books, interviews with imaginary people, bogus letters to the editor, etc. Use your imagination. But no Trump submissions accepted, they’re tired of reading them.

The Disappointed Housewife|Deadline: Rolling

Seeking idiosyncratic and multimedia flash

Fee: No | Pay: No

Type: Fiction and Non-fiction up to 1000 words, poetry and visual arts

Note: Looking to push the form of the written word

Uncharted Magazine Novel Excerpt Prize|Deadline: May 31st

Submit the best 5,000 words of your novel in progress— opening chapters, climaxes, and anything in between.

Fee: $20 | Pay: $1,000 for three co-winners plus online publication, and a forty-five-minute consultation with Mark Gottlieb, an Executive Vice President and Literary Agent with The Trident Media Group.

Type: Fiction

Note: Judge Micaiah Johnson will choose three prize winners from a shortlist.

Fourth Genre|Deadline: April 15

Fourth Genre Steinberg Memorial Essay Prize. They rarely publish essays over 6,000 words.

Fee: $20 | Pay: $1000 and publication

Type: Non- Fiction

Note: A. Kendra Greene will judge.

Booth|Deadline: April 15

They publish about 48 pieces a year online. Twice a year, they design and release print issues, curated from material that appeared on the web.

Poetry: up to three poems. Flash, up to two works of 500 words or less. Fiction or Creative Nonfiction: up to 7,500 words

Fee: $3 | Pay: $50

Type: Non- Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Flash

Note:

The New England Review|Deadline: May 1

Open to submissions in every genre from March 1 to May 1.

Fiction: short stories, short shorts, novellas, novel excerpts (if they can stand alone), and translations. Poetry: no more than 6 at a time. Non-fiction: interpretive and personal essays, critical reassessments, cultural criticism (art, film, etc.), travel writing, environmental writing, and works in translation, best under 10,000 words.

Fee: $33 or free with subscription | Pay: $20 per page ($50 minimum), plus two copies of the issue in which the work appears and a one-year subscription to the print or e-book edition.

Type: Non- Fiction, Fiction, Poetry

Note: May close early if they receive significant submissions. It’s best to submit early.

WayWords|Deadline: May 20

Submissions open for Issue 23: Time.

Fee: N/A | Pay: Digital contributor copy

Type: Fiction (up to 5,000 words), Poetry (up to 2 poems of 15 lines each)

Note: See website for free writing competitions