Call for Submissions: SAND Journal

 

Submissions for SAND 30 will open from 1-20 July, 2026 (or until we hit our submissions caps — more info below).

Founded in 2009, SAND looks for submissions that push the boundaries of form, message, and voice in fresh and unpredictable ways. Take risks, experiment, and subvert expectations. Send us the sensitive and the rough, the enigmatic and the joyful, the unruly and the disorienting.

SAND’s international team in Berlin has long sought out and amplified fresh and underrepresented voices. We encourage submissions from a range of perspectives, especially from writers and artists who are: LGBTQIA+, women, nonbinary, Black, Indigenous, and/or people of Color, Muslim, Jewish, disabled, neurodivergent, working class, migrants and those who have been forced to migrate, undocumented or stateless, and/or otherwise marginalized in mainstream European publishing.

We welcome submissions from both emerging and established creatives, and we’ve worked hard to make SAND a paying market for the writers and artists we publish. We currently pay semi-professional rates, which vary based on our funding situation (typically 20 to 40 EUR per piece).

We have a free submission option available for those who need it, and revenue from our €3 poetry/prose submission fee goes directly to paying the writers and artists we publish. Our all-volunteer staff work long hours out of passion for our project, and SAND is currently funded solely through these small fees, donations, and issue sales.

The best way to get to know if your work is a fit for us is to read issues of SAND, read select pieces from the archives at SAND ONLINE, and explore other resources on our Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ALL GENRES 

• We accept previously unpublished poems, fiction, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, translations, and visual art.

• Submit fiction, flash, creative nonfiction and poetry as early as possible. There is a submissions cap on these genres to manage our all-volunteer editorial team’s time, so these genres may close early.

• We only accept work that is the creative effort of humans. SAND has long been dedicated to publishing work by diverse, international creatives whose voices need to be heard. The lived experience of being human is critical to that mission. Therefore, we are not open to work that has been fully or mostly written or generated by AI (artificial intelligence). We are open to prose and poetry that has experimented with and incorporated technology in creative ways, and we are open to digital and conceptual art that uses AI, as long as the role of AI is clearly explained in the artist statement or the text itself, as applicable. All submitters will be required to fully disclose the role that AI and other non-standard technologies have played in the creation of their submitted work. Stand-alone excerpts are acceptable (e.g. work forthcoming in a book, etc.) as long as the excerpt appears in SAND before the book’s publication date. We ask for worldwide First Serial Rights. (Rights revert to you after publication.)

• Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please inform us as soon as possible if the work has been accepted elsewhere.

• You may only submit once per genre, though you may submit in multiple genres.

• Please allow six months for a response before sending an inquiry.

• We pay contributors semi-professional rates which vary depending on our current funding.

• We ask past contributors to wait at least two issues before submitting again in order to ensure enough space for new voices.

Genre-specific guidelines can be found on Submittable during our submission periods. 

Call for Submissions: Mulberry Literary

 

Mulberry Literary

We are accepting submissions for online and print publication in ISSUE 13 (Fall 2026) and ISSUE 14 (Spring 2027).

Early Bird FREE Submissions open July 1st and close midnight on July 14th.

Last Minute PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN Submissions open July 15th and close midnight July 30th.

What We Happily Accept

We want to read your best work, regardless of theme or genre. Send us your fiction, your nonfiction, your poetry, your experimental work, your genre work, your plays, your screenplays, your films, your ballet, your artwork—we want to see your passion and personal style! Mulberry Literary considers work from all writers and artists who wish to submit. We particularly encourage work from LGBTQIA+, women, international, and BIPOC writers.

What We DO NOT Accept

• Copyright-infringing material, including fanart.

• AI-generated, AI-prompted, or AI-assisted writing and art.

• Previously published material, including work posted to public social media and blog platforms.

• Manuscripts, novels, or chapbooks.

General Submission Guidelines

Choose one category to submit to through the online form. We no longer review submissions sent to our email; submissions sent to our email without a form or prior approval will be automatically rejected.

Early Bird Submissions require NO donation, so we can keep the barrier of publishing with us accessible for creators of all walks of life. If you would like to receive an expedited THREE-WEEK response, please consider making a donation in any amount to our PayPal. We greatly appreciate your support!

Last Minute Submissions DO require a donation, so Mulberry can remain self-sustaining and free to access! To read more about how your pay-what-you-can donation is used, check out our donation page.

Simultaneous submissions will be considered, but please inform us immediately if your piece has been accepted elsewhere.

Response time varies on the volume of submissions we review and can last up to three months. If you do not hear back from us within 90 days, please reach out to confirm we received your submission.

After a piece has been accepted (or rejected), do not send us another entry during the same submission period.

Editors cannot provide personal responses to any applicants. Due to the high volume of submissions we receive, critique and feedback will not be provided with rejections. Please understand that we cherish the chance to read and view your work, but rely on volunteer efforts to read hundreds of submissions each year.

Mulberry Literary’s Fresh Voices Award—all applicants are considered for this award. Check out our award page for more info!

If Your Work is Accepted. . .

You’re published!

Publication dates for Issue 13 (Fall 2026) and Issue 14 (Spring 2027) are TBA.

You’re paid!

Contributors featured in our issues will receive a flat rate of $25 USD for each piece accepted. At this time, payments to our contributors can and will only be distributed through PayPal. 

You receive a copy of the issue you’re featured in.

Physical copies will be available to creators in North America at no charge. Once the tariff situation is figured out in the USA, we hope to ship physical copies internationally as well.

Digital eBooks will be available to all other creators at no charge.

 Physical and eBook copies of Mulberry Literary will be available for purchase in our online shop.

Mulberry Literary receives first North American serial publication rights (FNASR). After the issue is published, feel free to re-publish your piece elsewhere afterward so along as you state Mulberry Literary as its first appearance.

Writing accepted by Mulberry Literary is subject to edits. Proofs will be sent to all contributors before the release of an issue. We encourage you to read them. If there are any changes you do not agree with or changes you would like to make in addition, do not hesitate to let us know.

Got a question we didn’t cover? Email us at:

mulberryliterary@gmail.com 

and one of our editors will get back to you as soon as possible. We look forward to reading and sharing your stories!

Call for Submissions: Litmosphere

 

For the Fall 2026 issue, submissions will be accepted from anyone currently residing in the United States regardless of citizenship, and U.S. citizens residing anywhere. Eighteen years or older, please. If your work was published in the most recent issue, please sit the next one out before submitting again.

How, When, What to Submit

All work must be submitted through Charlotte Lit’s Submittable page during the month of January (for our Spring issue) or July (for our Fall issue). Note that we close at 300 submissions, and usually reach that well before the end of the month.

Poetry
Submit up to three poems, ideally topically, thematically, or stylistically related, as we prefer to showcase multiple pieces as a set from each selected contributor. Each poem should start on a new page inside a single .doc, .docx, or .rtf file (up to ten pages total), using Times New Roman or another readable font. Important: Do not include your name/contact information in the document so we can read without bias. Payment: $25 per accepted poem.

Flash: Fiction and Nonfiction
Submit up to three pieces (up to 500 words each), preferably stories or essays that speak to each other in some way as we prefer to showcase multiple pieces as a set from each selected contributor. Start each piece on a new page inside a single .doc, .docx, or .rtf file, using Times New Roman or another readable font. Important: Do not include your name/contact information in the document so we can read without bias. Payment: $25 per accepted piece. 

Short Fiction and Literary Nonfiction
Submit a single piece (1500-5000 words) as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file, using Times New Roman or another readable font. Important: Do not include your name/contact information in the document so we can read without bias. Payment: $50 per accepted story.

Art

We are not accepting submissions of visual art for this issue. Please try us again in the next submission period.

Submission Guidelines

Poetry, Flash, Short Fiction & Nonfiction:

We welcome unpublished original poetry, flash, short fiction and literary nonfiction in English from established and emerging writers 18 years and older. For the Fall 2025 issue submissions will be accepted from anyone currently residing in the United States regardless of citizenship, and U.S. citizens residing anywhere. Reading periods are January 1-31 for the Spring issue and July 1-31 for the Fall issue, or until we have reached 300 submissions in a period.

For All Submissions: 

• Start each piece on a new page inside a single .doc, .docx, or .rtf file, using Times New Roman or another readable font.

Category-specific Guidelines: 

Poetry:

• Submit up to three poems, ideally topically, thematically, or stylistically related, as we prefer to showcase multiple pieces as a set from each selected contributor.

Flash (Fiction and Nonfiction):

• Submit up to three pieces (up to 500 words each), preferably stories or essays that speak to each other in some way as we prefer to showcase multiple pieces as a set from each selected contributor.

Fiction and Literary Nonfiction:

• Submit a single piece (1500-5000 words).

• Do not include name or other contact information in your uploaded file so we can read without bias. Your name and contact information will be obtained through Submittable.

• Submissions must be previously unpublished, including in blogs or social media, and must be entrant’s original work. AI-generated/assisted work is prohibited.

• One submission per writer per period across all categories.

• Simultaneous submissions acceptable. If any of your pieces are accepted elsewhere please contact us immediately through Submittable’s “Message” (not “Notes”) function to withdraw or partially withdraw your submission.

• We’ll let you know as soon as humanly possible, but no longer than 30 days, if we’d like to publish your work.

Submission fee is $3. We pay $25 for each accepted poem or flash piece and $50 for each accepted short fiction and nonfiction piece for first electronic rights and non-exclusive archival rights. Copyright remains with the author. 

Submit your work here. 

Call for Submissions: The Bokeh Review

The Bokeh Review 

WE ARE CURRENTLY OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS TO ISSUE 2.

We aim to respond to all submissions within 72 hours. You may query your submission after 5 days.

Each issue, one piece will be selected to receive a $20 monetary award, regardless of genre.

Simultaneous submissions and previously published pieces are welcome. If your piece was previously published, please let us know where so we can credit the original publication.

Submit only once per category per quarterly submissions cycle. You may submit in more than one category.

Submissions will close on September 15.

❋ Poetry (including prose poems)—

Up to 3 poems on a single document, with titles in bold. The document should be no more than 6 pages long.

Preferably submitted as a Google Document, but a PDF is allowed if necessary to preserve the form of a piece.

12-pt Times New Roman 1.5 spacing is our standard, preferred font, but we understand that variations may be used to best reflect the author’s intent.

❋ Prose—

Up to 2 prose pieces (short story, micro fiction, creative nonfiction, plays, essay, excerpt, etc) on a single Google Document. 12-pt Times New Roman 1.5 or 2.0 spacing is required.

There is a word-count limit of 3,000 words per piece, but we do prefer shorter, punchier pieces!

❋ Visual Art—

Up to 5 pictures, attached separately. Submit a PNG, PDF, or JPEG.

Paintings, drawings, digital art, collages, photography, and other static, uploadable images.

❋Animation—

One short animated film under two minutes.

Upload the video to Google Drive and submit the link to us through the Google Form. Please ensure sharing permissions are set to “anyone with the link can view.”

❋ Performance—

One video under three minutes of spoken word, storytelling, choreographed dance, comedy, theater, monologue, or any other type of performing arts.

Upload the video to Google Drive and submit the link through the Google Form provided. Please ensure sharing permissions are set to “anyone with the link can view.”

(If the piece is hybrid, any option may be chosen depending on which best reflects the author’s intent.) 

Submission form and more information here. 

Call for Submissions: Splinter Journal

 

Submissions for issue six are open and will close on July 30, 2026.

Splinter is published by Writers SA with support from Adelaide University, Flinders University, and Creative Australia.

We are really enthusiastic about publishing diverse and intersectional voices and welcome submissions from writers based anywhere in the world.

We accept submissions in English (or in other languages with an accompanying English translation, but please do not submit AI translations).

Submissions must be new, original work by the author that has not been published elsewhere.

What we are looking for

Splinter is always looking for writing that considers how reality is made and how it can be broken. We are particularly keen on writing that acknowledges that existence is silly and absurd and also, somehow, really serious. Beyond this, we don’t ask for submissions to be on a specific theme.

While we don't want writers to feel limited by the below list, these are some topics and voices we are particularly interested in for issue six: 

• First Nations writers based in regional and remote areas

• Writers based in Tasmania, WA, SA, Queensland, the NT, and the ACT (sorry Vic and NSW - you're still welcome, we're just keen to encourage people from other regions)

• Writing about resistance (please keep in mind the Splinter tone - we aren't looking for didactic or directive)

• Literary criticism that uses new-ish work/s to explore a bigger idea or trend

If considering the themes listed here, please remember that you don’t need to address them directly or literally in your writing. We are looking for work that brushes up against these prompts in interesting and unexpected ways.

For style and tone, the best way to understand what we're after is to read our back issues. But in short, please don't give us the directive, the didactic, or the overly earnest – give us the feeling of things breaking and the weight of the destructive forces. Make us feel strange. Every now and again, maybe some pieces should give us reason to resuscitate our hope. We like big, complex ideas and the intimate and funny things in between – pieces with a sense of humour that still respect our readers.

We do not put a word count limit on our submissions, but please don't send us your whole book (we won't read it). As a guide, the longest piece we have ever published was 8,000 words.

Formats and pay rates
Please pitch ideas for these formats:

Profiles - $900/piece

Writing that examines our communal and one-sided relationship with complex public figures.

Essays - $900/piece

Creative non-fiction and reportage that explores ideas about the world beyond the self (although the ideas might intersect with the self). We are particularly interested in pieces that bend form in interesting ways, and also those that are simultaneously informative and emotionally-affecting.

Writing about writing - $500/piece

Essays on writing as the weird and idiosyncratic pursuit that it is.

Each edition, we will also publish one column from a writer analysing the worst piece of writing they’ve ever published. Send us an idea for an (funny) essay analysing your lowest writing moment.

Criticism - $700/piece

That deconstructs a relatively new-ish literary work (or works) within a bigger context - whether that be of your own life, within history, or within a larger conversation. We only publish twice a year, so our criticism needs to feel new because of a strong writers' voice and an original lens turned upon the work it is critiquing.

Please submit completed work for these formats:

Poetry - $250/poem or $450/collection of up to four poems

The absolute best medium for exploring the cracks in reality we all fall into.

Fiction - $900/piece

Don’t worry about length or genre (although we’re not going to publish a book). Long or short, we want hugely compelling pieces of fiction that make us feel and think about the stuff pointed at in the meandering paragraphs above.

Memoir - $600/piece

Let us peer into your life so we can understand something more about ourselves.

Nuts and bolts

For profiles, reportage, writing about writing, and criticism, we are looking for pitches of ideas (not full-length works).

For memoir, poetry, and fiction we are looking for submission of completed works.

We only accept a total of one submission per writer, with the exception of poetry. We will accept three poems per writer, or one poetry collection of up to four poems.

Unfortunately, because of the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to accept re-submission of works we have previously declined.

We are looking for work that has not been previously published.

Due to demands on our time, we aren’t able to provide feedback on every submission. But you will be notified of the outcome of your submission via Submittable by mid October, 2026.

For successful submissions, copyright of each work will remain with the author, although we may negotiate a period of exclusivity (of three months maximum) where appropriate. Each writer will be sent a contributor’s agreement outlining all terms and conditions prior to commissioning.

We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please contact us on:

hello@splinterjournal.com

to withdraw your work if it is picked up elsewhere.

Submissions close at 11:59pm (Australian Central Daylight Time) on July 30, 2026.

Submit your work here. 

Writing Competitions: The Los Angeles Review Awards

Submissions for the 2025 Los Angeles Review Awards are OPEN April 1, 2026 through July 31, 2026.

Submissions are open to all and are not limited to residents of Los Angeles

Submission Methods: We only accept unsolicited submissions online via Submittable. Online award submissions are subject to a $20.00 reading fee.

The Los Angeles Review Poetry Award is a prize of $1,000 and publication in LAR given annually for an exceptional work of poetry.

Please submit poems of no more than 50 lines each (not including line spaces or numbering). Authors may submit up to three poems with each entry. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us immediately at:

editor@losangelesreview.org

if your poems are accepted elsewhere.

Only previously unpublished poems are considered for the Los Angeles Review Poetry Award. Entries are not considered for general inclusion in the Los Angeles Review.

Entry fee is $20.     

The Los Angeles Review Short Fiction Award is a prize of $1,000 and publication in LAR given annually for an exceptional work of fiction.

Please submit a story no longer than 2,500 words. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us immediately at:

editor@losangelesreview.org

if your story is accepted elsewhere.

Only previously unpublished works are considered for the Los Angeles Review Short Fiction Award. Entries are not considered for general inclusion in the Los Angeles Review.

Entry fee is $20.

The Los Angeles Review Flash Fiction Award is a prize of $1,000 and publication in LAR given annually for an exceptional work of flash fiction.

Please submit a piece of 1,000 words or less. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us immediately at:

editor@losangelesreview.org

if your story is accepted elsewhere.

Only previously unpublished works are considered for the Los Angeles Review Flash Fiction Award. Entries are not considered for general inclusion in the Los Angeles Review.

Entry fee is $20.

The Los Angeles Review Creative Nonfiction Award is a prize of $1,000 and publication in LAR given annually for an exceptional work of nonfiction.

Please submit a piece no longer than 2,500 words. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us immediately at:

editor@losangelesreview.org

if your piece is accepted elsewhere.

Only previously unpublished works are considered for the Los Angeles Review Creative Nonfiction Award. Entries are not considered for general inclusion in the Los Angeles Review.

Entry fee is $20. 

More information and submissions portal here.

Deadline for all contest submissions: July 31, 2026

Writing Residency for Women: Storyknife

Women’s stories are vital and important. Currently, those stories whether expressed in poems, plays, screenplays, novels, essays, or memoirs are not published, reviewed, or promoted as often as the work of men. Storyknife provides female-identified writers with the time and space to explore their craft without distraction. Every aspect of a residency at Storyknife is steeped in a profound generosity of spirit so that each writer knows she and her work are valuable. Storyknife residents carry away both this affirmation and a living community of women writers to assist their valuable work wherever they go.

Residencies at Storyknife in Homer, Alaska, are either for two or four weeks based on preference of the applicant. Resident’s food and lodging is covered during the period of their residency, but travel to and from Homer, Alaska, is the responsibility of the resident. There are some travel scholarships available. Residents stay in individual cabins & dine at the main house. An on-staff chef is responsible for food preparation.

Four week residencies are available April through October. Two week residencies are available in April, June, and August (either 1-14 or 15-28).

The application period will be July 1 to August 31, 2027. Please make sure that you subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or Bluesky

 Eligibility

• Applicants must:Be woman-identified

• Be 21 years of age or older

• Apply as an individual artist, not a collaborative group or team

You will provide a work sample and answer four questions (each answer 300 words or fewer).

• How have you sought to educate yourself as a writer? (Formal education not a prerequisite, but evidence of curiosity and learning in your applicable genre is.)

• What is your experience with publishing your work? (Publishing is not a prerequisite but is considered a goal for writers who attend Storyknife.)

• What project will you pursue while in residency? (Please note that you will be free to work on whatever writing you wish during residency. We simply are interested in what you think you’ll be pursuing.)

• Why would a writing residency benefit you at this time especially?

Work Sample Requirements:

• Work samples should reflect work completed within the last two years. All work samples must be uploaded through Submittable.

• Applicants can submit published or unpublished work samples.

• All work samples must be combined into one PDF file.

• A writing sample not to exceed 10 pages (prose: double-spaced 12 point font, poetry: single-spaced 12 point font acceptable). Prose includes screenplays and stage plays which also must conform to the 10 page limit.

• Any writing samples with identifying material will be disqualified. This is an anonymous process. Identifying material is your full name, last name, address, or publication credits. Do no include your last name, address, or publication credits in either the writing sample, the file name, or in headers/footers. This only refers to the writing sample, not the answers to the questions.

Diversity

Storyknife is committed to diversity and elevating the voices of historically excluded communities. We value all aspects of diversity and seek to make each resident’s time at Storyknife as productive and pleasant as possible.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

It is prohibited to use any AI tools in any fashion to create/check/modify the answers to your application questions or your writing sample.

Accommodations

Please contact executive director Erin Hollowell, at:

ehollowell@storyknife.org

to ask about accommodation or to speak further about your needs. Storyknife is welcoming to all and will work with you to meet your needs.

Questions?

Please check Storyknife's Frequently Asked Questions Page before you write to ask your question. You're question may be answered there.

If you still have questions regarding your eligibility or preparing your application, contact executive director Erin Hollowell, at:

ehollowell@storyknife.org

Deadline: Aug. 31, 2026

Application Fee: $45.00

Submit your application here.