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Submission Opportunities February 2026

Joyland Magazine |Deadline: Rolling

All submissions must be in English. Works in translation are welcome, and simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please submit one story at a time.

Fee: $5 | Pay: $200

Type: Fiction (short stories and stand-alone novel excerpts) up to 12,000 words

Note: Average response time is 12-16 weeks.

Passages North |Deadline: February 15

The Passages North team has diverse interests— weird, experimental, speculative, genre-bending, brave, and risk-taking work.

Fee: None | Pay: None

Type: Fiction (short stories between1000 – 5000 words)

Note: This window may close due to number of submissions.

Sequestrum |Deadline: February 16

Current themes include Nature and Mystery. They also print material that doesn’t fit the aforementioned topics.

Fee: $7.15 | Pay: None

Type: Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry

Note: Simultaneous submissions accepted. Include a brief bio in your cover letter to be used as a contributor bio in the event of publication. Your name should not appear anywhere on your manuscript. No previously published material.

Okay Donkey |Deadline: March 1st

Okay Donkey is a literary magazine that likes to read the odd, the off-kilter, and the just plain weird. They appreciate the funny, the sad, and what’s both funny and sad. They mostly like the experimental, the surreal, and the genre-bending.

Fee: $2.50 tip jar | Pay: $20

Type: Flash fiction and Poetry

Note: If they pass on an author’s flash fiction or poem, please wait at least 2-3 months before submitting again. If they accept a flash fiction or poem, please wait at least one year before submitting again.

Uncharted Magazine Cinematic Short Story Contest |Deadline: March 9

This award is for genres: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller/Mystery (Horror), Young Adult, Historical Fiction, and Humor stories.

Fee: $20 | Pay: First place winner of this contest $2,000 and publication, while the second- and third-place winners will receive publication and $300 and $200, respectively.

Type: Fiction 1,001–5,000 words per entry.

Note: Multiple submissions are encouraged —each story should be submitted separately, accompanied by a reading fee. Guest Judge Ananda Lima.

The London Magazine Poetry Prize |Deadline: March 13

Established to encourage emerging literary talent, the award provides an opportunity for publication and recognition. While there are no criteria for theme, form, or style, judges are looking for resonant and accomplished work. 

Fee: £12 per poem, £6 for subsequent entries| Pay: First Prize: £1000  Second Prize: £600  Third Prize: £400

Type: Poetry

Note: Judged by: Isabelle Baafi, Luke Kennard and Dean Browne.

The Missouri Review Perkoff Prize |Deadline: March 15

Awards $1,000 each and publication and promotion to writers of the best story, set of poems, and essay that engage in evocative ways with health, wellness, and medicine as judged by the editors.

Fee: Early-Bird entry fee: $15, $24 normal| Pay: First Prize: $1,000 per genre

Type: Fiction, Poetry, Non-fiction

Note: All entries will be considered for publication (whether in print or online, as part of our Poem fo the Week or BLAST features).

Phoebe Magazine |Deadline: March 20

phoebe is a journal of literature and art which publishes twice each year: one print issue each winter, and a contest issue each spring, made up of the winners, runners up, and honorable mentions from their annual contest submissions.

Fee: $3 | Pay: $30

Type: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry

Note: Welcome both experimental and conventional prose and poetry.

Penn Review 2026 Prize |Deadline: March 25

Please submit up to 5 poems, 3 short stories or nonfiction pieces, or 10 works of visual art at one time.  As a general rule, fiction and nonfiction pieces should not exceed 2500 words in length.

Fee: $10 | Pay: $500

Type: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Art

Note: Usually respond to all general submissions within two weeks, and usually reply within 1-2 days.

Ploughshares Emerging Writers Contest |Deadline: March 31

In the spirit of the journal’s founding mission, the Ploughshares Emerging Writers’ Contest recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Authors are considered “emerging” if they haven’t published or self-published a book in any of the contest genres.

Fee: If you are a current subscriber, your contest entry is free of charge. If not, a $30 fee. | Pay: One winner in each genre per year will receive $2,000 and publication in Ploughshares. 

Type: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry

Note: The winners will also receive a conversation with our partnering literary agency, Aevitas Creative Management, regarding their work and writing careers. 

Gordon Square Review |Deadline: March 31

A publication of Literary Cleveland, Gordon Square Review holds two open reading periods each year, the first one is currently available.

Fee: None | Pay: $25

Type: Fiction, Brief Non-Fiction and Poetry

Note: Accepts works of translation; simultaneous submissions; and writing from writers from diverse backgrounds, voices, and experiences.

Elisa Maiz
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Written by

Elisa Maiz

Elisa Maiz is a Mexican author, teacher, and mom who had the privilege of meeting fellow Harvard graduates from the Creative Writing and Literature program in the summer of 2023. She worked as a journalist for Grupo Reforma in her hometown of Monterrey, Mexico and taught high school Spanish and Journalism. Empowering a new generation of writers is her life purpose, as well as publishing her YA novel Synchronicity, which she originally wrote as a play when she was 17. She also finished a two-POV, two-author dystopian YA and other projects. Her work has been published in Lucky Jefferson magazine.

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