Writing Competition: The Spokane Prize for Short Fiction from Willow Springs Books

The Spokane Prize for Short Fiction is accepting submissions of short-story collections of at least three (3) pieces and a minimum of 100 pages. Collections may include no more than one novella when included with at least three short-story length pieces.

All authors, regardless of publication history, are eligible.

Current Eastern Washington University Creative Writing MFA students and alumni who have graduated within the past five years from Eastern Washington University's Creative Writing MFA are not allowed to submit.

The prize for the winning manuscript is $1,500 and publication by Willow Springs Books. The press will retain reprint, film, electronic, anthology, translation, foreign publication, and sight and sound rights.

Deadline: Nov. 1, 2026 

Entry Fee: $30.00 

Guidelines:

• Submissions must be original, book-length fiction manuscripts written in English. There is no maximum page count. Translations are not accepted.

• One manuscript per submission.

• Submissions will only be accepted electronically, via Submittable.

• Simultaneous submissions are allowed. If you have submitted your manuscript elsewhere, we request that you notify us immediately if you have an offer for publication.

• Manuscripts MUST CONTAIN page numbers and a table of contents.

• Please format your manuscript in 1.5 or double-spaced line spacing. Any standard font (Arial, Times New Roman, etc.) is acceptable. Please keep the font size between 12 and 14.

• Individual stories may have been previously published in journals, chapbooks, anthologies, or limited-edition volumes, but please note which pieces and where they have been published on an acknowledgments page. The collection as a whole must be previously unpublished.

• Authors do not need to be Spokane residents to submit. :)

Note: While we're open to submissions across many genres, the manuscripts that stand out to us are polished and exhibit the author's literary skill. We like stories with exciting and thought-provoking ideas, characters that feel real, and a confident authorial voice. We don't shy away from pieces that break boundaries, and we encourage authors to submit even if their work defies traditional literary conventions.

Willow Springs Books reserves the right to reject any manuscript.

Submit your entry here. 

Call for Submissions from Writers in the Southwest: Horizon Review

Our Submission Philosophy

Horizon Review is a fine arts magazine that accepts submissions of literature (fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction), visual art, and open media. We accept submissions from both established and emerging artists. We believe art is revolutionary. We love stories that speak deeply about the spectral complexity of being human. We want to hear about the mundane as much as the fantastical and look for pieces we can chew on. We want pieces with more questions than answers. Make us think, make us feel, break our hearts, or bring us hope. We love pieces that show us a horizon: a meeting place, a fusion, a future, a light, or something looming.

We encourage submissions from all creatives, including those underrepresented in publishing, for example, Indigenous artists, artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, and artists with disabilities.

Current Submission Period (Spring 2027 issue)

Submissions for the Spring 2027 Issue are currently open! Submissions will close on November 2, at 11:59 p.m. (PST). 

General Submission Guidelines

Horizon Review accepts previously unpublished work in fiction (up to 5,000 words), nonfiction (up to 5,000 words), poetry, visual art, and open media (read open media guidelines for more information on what we accept). Horizon Review is dedicated to encapsulating the stories of our local community. Therefore, we only accept submissions from current residents of the Southwest (New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah), with preference given to submissions from New Mexico. Note: The subject matter does not need to relate to the Southwest.

We only accept unpublished work (we will not accept work that has been published online, such as your website, blog, Substack, social media, or in an anthology, etc.).

We only accept submissions through our official Jotform submission page.

Submission fee: Submissions are free. We want submissions to our magazine to be accessible. However, Horizon Review is a non-profit organization, and donations help us with operating costs. There will be an opportunity to donate with your submission. You may also pay an optional fee of $15 for an expedited response and/or $20 for a feedback response.

Simultaneous submissions: We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if a piece is accepted elsewhere.

Multiple submissions: You may submit to up to two genres, but please only submit one submission per genre.

Compensation: Horizon Review believes in paying artists. We are a startup program in our first year, and at this time we are able to offer contributors a flat rate of $25 per piece accepted for publication in our magazine. All contributors also receive one free copy of the magazine upon launch in Spring 2027.

Rights: Horizon Review acquires First Serial Rights and non-exclusive electronic rights to archive your piece on our website. Rights revert back to the author upon publication.

Response time: We review submissions regularly and strive for a response time of 3 months for submission acceptances and rejections. However, our workload may exceed our manpower, so we ask that you wait 6 months before sending us an email on the status of your submission. If you have not heard from us in 6 months, you can contact us here.

Formatting: Written submissions should be attached as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or a PDF for specific formatting purposes. Submissions should use standard formatting (12pt font, double-spaced for prose and single-spaced for poetry), and the pages should be numbered. Visual art and open media should be submitted as a .jpeg, .png, .pdf, .mp3, or .mp4 and images should be no less than 300dpi. Please include any relevant content warnings at the top of your submission document. As submissions are reviewed blindly, please do not include any identifying information in your submission document or file name.

AI Policy: Horizon review does not accept any works created with generative AI (ChaptGPT, Gemini, etc.). Any pieces using AI will be rejected.

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions from LGBTQ+ Writers: Foglifter Journal

Foglifter Journal is biannual compendium of the most dynamic, urgent queer and trans writing today. It’s a space where LGBTQ+ writers celebrate, mourn, rage, and embrace.

Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work. We want the pieces that challenged you as a writer, what you poured yourself into and risked the most to make. But we also want your tenderest, gentlest work, what you hold closest to your heart. Whatever you're working on now that's keeping you alive and writing, Foglifter wants to read it.

Submission periods for our print issues are:

February 1 to April 1 (Fall Edition)

August 1 to October 1 (Spring Edition)

Submission Guidelines:

Title your submission with the title of the work(s) you are submitting (separated by commas).

Include a 50-word or less bio (with pronouns after your name, please!) in your cover letter. (If accepted, we will request an author photo; JPG or PNG files are best.)

We accept the following unpublished unsolicited submissions:

3 to 5 poems, one poem per page (max 5 pages)

up to 7500 words of fiction or nonfiction (up to three flash fiction pieces)

up to 20 pages of cross-genre work, text-image hybrids, or drama

All submissions must be uploaded as one DOC or DOCX file using the following titling convention: First_Last_Foglifter (i.e., Audre_Lorde_Foglifter)

We accept simultaneous submissions; however, please withdraw your piece immediately if it is accepted elsewhere (or, if you only need to withdraw part of a submission, send us a message in Submittable).

Only one submission per genre is permitted each reading period.

Please do not withdraw a piece and resubmit it with minor edits, changes to your cover letter, or adjustments to your file name. When you withdraw a piece, it does not withdraw from the submission cap and it takes space from other submitters. If your piece is selected, you will have the chance to make minor revisions later on.

We do not accept previously published material.

We welcome translated work in all genres, provided rights have been secured before submission. (Both author and translator will receive an honorarium.)

If we've recently accepted your work, please wait two reading periods (1 year) to submit again.

Contributors receive two copies of the issue in which they appear and a $100 honorarium (via PayPal)

Because of the high volume of submissions we receive in the following genres, we have submission caps:

POETRY is capped at 500 submissions.

FICTION is capped at 250 submissions.

Submit your work here. 

Call for Submissions: Cherry Tree

 

Founded in 2014, with its debut issue released on February 15, 2015, Cherry Tree: A National Literary Journal @ Washington College is an annual literary magazine featuring poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and literary shade by emerging and established writers from across the United States and all over the world. Issue 12 will release in 2026.

The name and ethos of Cherry Tree rest on the story of George Washington and his ax: the founding myth of the American national character. That self-serving story is artful in its way, and because it is so transparently apocryphal, it is uniquely open to critiques that might lead to useful truths.

Cherry Tree appears under the imprint of the Literary House Press, the publishing arm of the Rose O'Neill Literary House, a cultural center that has promoted the arts for nearly fifty years. Washington College undergraduates participate in all facets of the production of this print journal, though professional writers serve as genre editors and fill most senior reader positions. Although the journal is still growing, Cherry Tree has already received national recognition. Poems from three of its seven issues have been selected for inclusion in The Best American Poetry (2016, 2017, and 2020), and many poems have been chosen for reprinting by Poetry Daily Verse Daily, and the Orison Anthology. Prose has been listed as “notable” in Best American Essays, and pieces have also appeared in Best Microfictions (2020).

Check out our masthead & readers. Issue 12 closed for submission on October 1. All submissions will receive a response by November 15.

Cherry Tree welcomes submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and literary shade. We are open to submissions for Issue 11 from August 1 to October 1. Cherry Tree only considers original, unpublished work. For accepted work, we purchase First North American serial rights.

Payment is $20 per contributor and two contributor's copies.

The $3 reading fee allows us to pay contributors and to partially defray publication costs.

Submissions are only accepted via Submittable (except for currently incarcerated writers). Please familiarize yourself with our mission statement and guidelines before submitting.

Please send no more than 5 poems, 5 flash prose pieces, or 20 total pages of prose uploaded as a single file.

Simultaneous submissions are fine. If any of the submission is accepted elsewhere, please notify us by adding a note to your submission in Submittable. We will happily consider the remaining work in your original submission.

We welcome work in translation that has not yet been published in English. It is the translator’s responsibility to secure all necessary permissions before submitting.

Submissions that make use of an AI tool must also meet the standard of significant imaginative or intellectual transformation as laid out in fair use laws. We require that submissions which use AI be accompanied by a description of the process, include links to source material, delineate clearly human and AI contributions, and be as explicit as possible about the origins of the AI in question. Work entirely generated by AI will not be accepted. We generally will reject on the grounds of plagiarism a work which borrows too heavily from other published authors.

More information and submission link here.

Call for Submissions on the Theme of "Golden Hour": Altar Literary Magazine

 

Altar--A Literary Magazine for Your Offerings 

We’re not a typical literary magazine, we’re your guide for the season. Yes you’ll find poems and beautiful stories but there’s also reviews, recipes, and rituals. We want to provide a space for creatives and help you navigate the energy of the season whether it’s through prose or some kitchen magic, we’re here.

What We Are Looking For

We want your offerings. A flower, a candle, a memory. Altar is a space for your mythic and elemental stories. We want poetry that isn’t afraid of the darkness and revels in the light. That understands tension and feels like an ancient whisper from the forest floor. Stories and essays that transport us to other realms. Art that could live in a grimoire. Reviews that introduce us to new perspectives. Recipes and spells that nourish and conjure.

All things spiritual, nature-based, and visceral can find a home at our altar.

Issue Two: Golden Hour

LINK TO SUBMIT HERE

Submissions Open: August 2nd

Submissions Close: August 31st

Publication: October 2026

The leaves stop producing chlorophyll and reveal their true colors. It’s a return to a stripped back version of oneself. The rest of nature dials down with them. The temperature cools, the growth slows. We harvest our apples and blackberries, leaving behind bare branches.

It’s a swan song, a sunset on the wheel of the year. There is a profound display of warm yellow and oranges. From the goldenrods and marigolds to the squash and persimmons. Spiced with the warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg. Nostalgic memories resurface as we return to ourselves again. It’s bittersweet. Soft breezes begin to sting with a cold reminder of the winter to come. The night launches its’ crusade, taking more of the sun each day. Candles supplement the waning light.

The reminder that things are coming to an end gives us a new appreciation of them.

It’s golden, for a moment.

No charge for submissions. You may either submit via Duosuma (pending launch) or email us directly! All those selected for publication will receive a $5 payment, we hope to increase this in the future but for now we are just happy we are able to acknowledge your work through some form of payment.

Poetry:

Please submit up to three poems in one document, with a new poem starting on every page. 12pt font

Flash Fiction:

Send up to 10 pages of your short stories that align with the theme. One story per submission. 12pt font. Double Space.

Creative Nonfiction:

Send us your essays or reflections. Up to three pieces, 10 pages total. 12pt font. Double Space.

Art:

We accept digital, drawing, photography, pretty much any medium. Make sure your pieces align with the issue’s theme. Send up to three pieces.

Reviews:

We want reviews of movies, albums, etc, that align with the theme. Send up to three pages, 12pt font. Double Space.

Recipes:

Send us your Fall recipes, taking into account seasonal ingredients, maybe even foraged items. Send up to three recipes. 12pt font. Double Space.

Spells/Rituals:

Do you have a spell or ritual you’ve created that aligns with the energy of this issue? If so we want to share them with our readers so we can all tap into the energy of the season. Send up to three spells/rituals. 12pt font. Double Space.

Surprise Us:

Out of the box pieces that don’t fit into any of our other categories. Up to three pieces.

Tips:

Never expected, always appreciated! Helps fund our operating costs! And let’s us pay our writers/artists/magical friends.

Call for Submissions: Haven Speculative Magazine

 

Haven Spec Magazine features stories and poems for a 21st century audience. We love stories with a sense of adventure, stories that teach us, that touch us, that leave us wanting more. We will publish twelve issues in 2026, two of which (the DRY Issue and the WET Issue) are focused exclusively on the climate crisis and themes of displacement (very broadly defined).

The crisis facing our planet is immediate and all-encompassing, and it will affect people of color, people living in poverty, and the working classes most of all. The popular metaphor is going over a cliff, but we prefer the tempest, the torrent, the flood. The waters are rising, but we can save ourselves.

It's not too late.

Deadline: August 31, 2026 

Fiction Guidelines

We like stories that are subtle in their telling and stick with us long after we've finished, and we're more likely to buy stories that balance a sense of wonder with a bold plot and emotional depth. For our two issues focused on the climate crisis, we're particularly interested in publishing stories from people displaced by or threatened by the climate emergency (see our themes below). For our other four issues, we're open to a wide variety of stories across the SFF and weird spectra (e.g., science fiction, fantasy, speculative horror, and beyond).

• Pay: 8¢ per word for original fiction

• Word limit: 5000 words

• Language: English

• File type: .doc, .docx, .rtf

• Rights: We buy first serial print and electronic rights for publication of the story in the English language and throughout the world. We also buy non-exclusive archival rights for our website and non-exclusive anthology rights.

We welcome writers from around the world who are writing in the English language, and we're open to translations as long as the piece hasn't appeared in English before. While we've accepted a few reprints in the past, we are currently only looking for original, previously unpublished fiction. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please no multiple submissions. We also ask that you use the Shunn manuscript format and either .rtf, .doc, or .docx file types.

We try to respond to all submissions within ten weeks, so feel free to query by replying to your confirmation email if it has been longer than that. We also fully admit that sometimes it takes much longer, so we apologize in advance. If we hold a piece, please wait until you get our final decision to submit again. And if we publish your piece, we ask that you wait six months from the date of publication before you submit again. Finally, while we do publish both flash fiction and stories close to our word limit, our sweet spot is between 1000 and 4000 words.

Poetry Guidelines

We like poems that use complex fixed verse forms (think sestina, awdl gywydd, masnavi, etc) as well as free verse. Most important to us is vivid imagery, clever lyricism, and a strong emotional core. For our two issues focused on the climate crisis, we're particularly interested in publishing poems from people displaced by or threatened by the climate emergency (see our themes below). For our other four issues, we're open to a wide variety of poems across the SFF and weird spectra (e.g., science fiction, fantasy, speculative horror, and beyond).

• Pay: $20 per original poem

• Limit: Five poems, submitted in a single submission

• Language: English

• File type: .doc, .docx, .rtf

• Rights: We buy first serial print and electronic rights for publication of the story in the English language and throughout the world. We also buy non-exclusive archival rights for our website and non-exclusive anthology rights.

We welcome writers from around the world who are writing in the English language, and we're open to translations as long as the piece hasn't appeared in English before. While we've accepted a few reprints in the past, we are currently only looking for original, previously unpublished poetry. Both simultaneous and multiple submissions are fine, but please no more than five poems at a time, all included in a single file. We also ask that you use the Shunn manuscript format and either .rtf, .doc, or .docx file types.

We try to respond to all submissions within ten weeks, so feel free to query by replying to your confirmation email if it has been longer than that. We also fully admit that sometimes it takes much longer, so we apologize in advance. If we hold a piece, please wait until you get our final decision to submit again. And if we publish your piece, we ask that you wait six months from the date of publication before you submit again. Finally, while we do publish very short poems, our sweet spot is something longer than just three or four lines.

Non-Fiction Guidelines

Non-fiction submissions are currently closed. 

Submit your work here. 

Call for Submissions: Cabbage Patch Magazine

Cabbage Patch Magazine 

What we're looking for

Poetry, essays, fiction, fragments, strange hybrid things, photos, images — no word count (although no War and Peace manuscripts please), reprints welcome.

What makes us say yes

we don't mind if it's not perfect, we love it if it's from first time writers, we love it if it's "not the right format" for grown up lit mags. We probably mind if it's politically charged, excessively sexual or violent, we are petrified of life as it is.

Bottom line: it should not feel like gutted fish.

The practical stuff

✦Submission is free, always.

✦We accept submissions from writers aged 20 and over only.

✦We are volunteer-run and unfortunately cannot pay contributors at this time.

✦Reprints are welcome — just let us know where the work appeared before. We only accept reprints where authors preserve full rights over their piece.

✦No simultaneous submission limits. We trust you.

✦Please see our manuscript format guidelines before submitting.

Submit your work

Send your submission directly to our inbox. We read everything.

 

Email:

 

cabbage-patch.editors@proton.me 

 

Subject line

Your title + genre — e.g. "The Last Afternoon / Poetry"

Attachments

 

✦ Your text as a file (Word, PDF, or plain text)

✦ A short bio in the body of the email
✦ A photo of yourself (optional but welcome)