Writing Competition: The 2027 International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition: Vine Leaves Press

The 2027 International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition is now open for submissions.

Submission Guidelines:

1. Eligibility:

The competition is open to writers worldwide.

Submissions must be in English and unpublished (that includes self-published). Submissions written by AI will be disqualified.

VLP authors and staff are not eligible to enter.

We welcome submissions from marginalized voices including, but not limited to:

Age
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
Body positivity
Chronic illness
LatinX
LGBTQ+
Neurodivergent
People living with disabilities (intellectual and physical)
People living with HIV
People with a history of incarceration
Sex workers
Undocumented people
Unhoused people
Women 

2. Next Submission Period:Submissions open on February 1, 2026.
Submissions close on July 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM (UTC+2).

3. Submission Process:Submit your creative nonfiction manuscript via Submittable.
Each submission requires a $28 entry fee, payable through Submittable.

4. Formatting Guidelines:

If the manuscript is narrative in nature (i.e. a memoir) then the length should be between 50,000 – 80,000 words, give or take within reason.

If the manuscript is experimental in nature (i.e. not straight prose, could be vignettes, poetry, or a mix), it should be at least 100 pages long.

Submissions must be in a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman) and size (12pt), double-spaced.
Include the title of your manuscript at the beginning.

5. Anonymity:
Please ensure that your submission does not contain any biographical information on the front. PLEASE NOTE: There is no need to be anonymous in your actual manuscript (it's nonfiction!). We just don't want it to be obvious for the initial selection process so we can be certain that our readers aren't swayed by the demographics of the author before they start reading.

6. Multiple Entries:
You may submit multiple entries to the competition, each requiring a separate entry fee.

7. Judging Process:Judges will assess entries based on originality, creativity, writing quality, and adherence to the genre.

The judging process is blind (as it can possibly be, since it's nonfiction), ensuring impartiality and fairness.

​8. Notification Timeline:

Longlist: October 2026
Shortlist: December 2026
Winner: January 2027

9. Prizes:

The winner will receive a cash prize of $1000.
Publication of the winning manuscript will occur in 2028 by Vine Leaves Press.
Runners up will also be considered for publication.

10. Rights:
By submitting your work, you grant Vine Leaves Press the right to publish your manuscript in print and digital formats.

11. Questions:
For any inquiries regarding the competition or submission process, please contact us at:

info@vineleavespress.com

12. Legal Notice:
Vine Leaves Press reserves the right to amend any guidelines or dates related to the competition if necessary.

Writing Competition: Terrain.org

 

Terrain.org

More than $5,000 in prizes! $1,000 grand prize in each genre and $200 to finalists.

Deadline: September 7, 2026

We accept contest submissions from May 1 to U.S. Labor Day. The deadline for our 16th Annual Contest is September 7, 2026, for publication in February and March 2027.

How to Submit

We do not accept submissions created by or with the assistance of artificial intelligence.

You are not eligible to enter this contest if you are a current student of the contest judges or if you have been a winner in the contest in the last five years. Finalists are welcome to submit again.

Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but previously published material in any format, including blogs or social media, will not be considered. Submissions can be withdrawn through the submission system, though in that case contest entry fees will not be refunded. Individual components of submissions (i.e., a single poem in a poem set) may be withdrawn by sending a message through Submittable.

Cost

The cost to submit is $20 per story, essay or article, or set of 1-5 poems.

What to Submit

You may submit up to three entries (at $20/entry) in any or all genres:

Poetry
Submit 1-5 poems per entry. Combine all poems into a single document. For poetry, we are seeking the single best poem or set of poems. The entire submission must not exceed 7 pages. Poems must contain only the poem title(s) and poem(s) without the author name or contact information (including in the document header/footer).

Fiction
Submit one story, up to 5,000 words total, or up to 2 flash fictions, up to 1,000 words each, per entry. Stories must contain only the story title and story itself without the author name or contact information (including in the document header/footer).

Nonfiction
Submit one essay or article, up to 5,000 words total, or up to 2 flash essays, up to 1,000 words each, per entry. Essays must contain only the essay title and essay itself without the author name or contact information (including in the document header/footer). We will consider all nonfiction, but are most interested in creative nonfiction, including personal essays, lyric essays, memoir, literary journalism, and other literary forms.

The Submission Process

Submissions and payment for the 15th Annual Contest are conducted on our Submittable site.

Submit from May 1 – September 7!

Call for Submissions: The Maine Review

 

The Maine Review seeks outstanding contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including works in translation and hybrid forms. We are pleased to publish new, emerging, and established writers, and are committed to supporting representation, innovation, and literary artistry.

We encourage submitters to read what we’ve published, and whatever you send our way, please carefully read our guidelines. Submissions that do not adhere to them may be unread.

We will not publish work that normalizes hatred of any marginalized group or individual, though submitted work may thoughtfully consider subjects of discrimination.

We do not publish academic papers or news writing.

We do not publish AI-generated work. Such work will be automatically declined.

General Guidelines:

• We accept submissions only through Submittable. Submissions must be previously unpublished in print and online.

• We encourage simultaneous submissions, but please withdraw your submission immediately if it is accepted elsewhere. If only part of a submission must be withdrawn, please notify us using Submittable's "message" function.

• We encourage submissions from writers of all backgrounds, including but not limited to LGBTQIA+ writers, BIPOC writers, female-identifying writers, unpublished writers, writers with disabilities, and economically marginalized writers.

• Please address cover letters to the appropriate genre editor. In prose submissions, please include your word count in your cover letter.

• We ask that contributors whose work we've published wait at least one year before submitting again.

• Please send only one submission at a time. We do not accept and cannot refund multiple submissions.

• Please allow us six months before querying.

Fiction and Nonfiction Formatting:

• 12-point Times New Roman font

• Double-spaced

• 1” margins

• Pages numbered

• Please include the word count in your cover letter

• One piece of 3,000 words or fewer (though we will consider longer works of exceptional merit) or three flash pieces no more than 1,000 words each

Poetry Formatting:

• 12-point Times New Roman font

• Single-spaced (or as you would like the poem to appear online)

• Pages numbered

• Maximum three poems, no more than five pages total

Submission Schedule:
We are open for nonfiction, fiction, and poetry submissions from May 1–May 21. We frequently open week-long free submission periods, during which general submission periods are paused. 

We publish issues biannually in the spring and fall, and nominate for Best American Short Stories, the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and other awards.

Submission Fees:

We are a nonprofit organization and ask writers to pay a $3 fee per submission, of which we receive $1.86. This fee directly supports our authors, editors, and programs, and helps cover Submittable costs. If this submission fee is a barrier, please email info@mainereview.com for a link to a fee-waived submission. No explanation is needed. *Please do not email us your submission.*

All donations are tax-deductible and direct donations of any amount are also welcome at mainereview.com/donate. No matter what you give, we are grateful for your contribution and support of our publication!

Writer Payment:

Fiction and Nonfiction writers receive a $25 honorarium per published flash (1,000 words or fewer) and a $50 honorarium for work 1,001 words or more.

Poets receive a $25 honorarium per published poem.

Submit your work here. 

Call for Submissions: Four Way Review

 

Four Way Review accepts poetry and fiction from both established and emerging authors. We look for work that demonstrates fine attention to craft while retaining a powerful and compelling voice. We want writing that showcases the imagination’s unique ability to refine the raw materials of human experience.

We encourage submissions from diverse voices.

Unsolicited submissions are considered year-round. Before submitting, please see our latest issue and ensure your work is a good fit. Please wait to hear back from us before submitting again.

We accept .pdf (preferred), .doc, and .docx. You may also include a cover letter with your contact information and a brief bio in the “comments” box. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please note this in your cover letter and let us know immediately if a piece is accepted somewhere else. Due to a high volume of submissions, we cannot respond individually to withdrawal requests.

In order to offer our writers a small honorarium, we now charge a small submission fee of $3 for part of the year. In January, April, August and November, all submissions are fee-free. During these months, we might close submissions for one or more genres, should the submission maximum be reached. This is done to ensure that our readers are able to read and respond to each submission in a timely manner.

Poetry

— We are interested in all styles and forms of poetry.

— We ask that writers submit poetry no more than three times per year, with three to five poems in a single submission.

— Please email us to withdraw individual poems.

Fiction

— We’re looking for finished stories that are both whole and surprising.

— Keep longer submissions below 6,000 words. Submit only one piece at a time and no more than three pieces a year.

— Short shorts should be under 1,000 words. You may submit up to three flash pieces in one submission.

Translation

— We are interested in all styles and forms of writing in translation.

— We ask that writers submit work no more than three times a year, adhering to our guidelines for poetry, fiction and nonfiction (i.e., no more than three to five poems in a single submission and keeping prose below 6,000 words).
— If possible, please include the original piece with your translated submission.

— Please confirm that you have obtained permission, either from author or rights holder, to publish the translation.

Creative Nonfiction

— We’re looking for pieces that surprise us, pieces that push at the corners of the form.

— Keep longer submissions below 6,000 words. Submit only one piece at a time and no more than three pieces a year.

— We do accept flash nonfiction. These should be under 1,000 words. You may submit up to three flash pieces in one submission.

All submissions must be previously unpublished. We request first North America serial rights for any work that we accept. All rights revert to the author upon publication, though we ask that you acknowledge Four Way Review if the work is published elsewhere.

You can withdraw your work using our submissions manager. To withdraw part of a submission, email us at:

fourwayreview (at) gmail [dot] com (Change (at) to @ and [dot] to .)

We try to respond within 90 days. Please note that our submissions manager is separate from the manager for Four Way Books. We will not respond to manuscript submissions.

We accept submissions through our online submissions manager. Unsolicited email submissions will be discarded unread.

Call for Submissions: The Celestial Glossary Literary Magazine

Submissions Open May 1st!

The first 100 submissions are free, after we have reached our limit there will be a $3 dollar fee to submit. This fee will be used to help us pay our authors.

Estrella House Publishing accepts work from new and established authors. Our interests are in poetry that questions and maintains a sense of beauty, narrative or not. We want fiction with an intriguing narrative or characters. Nonfiction should leave us seduced and thoughtful.

Whatever you write, bewitch us! Allow us to be absorbed in your world.

We do not, and will not, accept any works that promote any form of hatred, bigotry, or violence.

Likewise, AI-generated works will not be considered nor accepted. Please do not send it in

Format
Length Fiction and creative nonfiction: 1 piece up to 7,000 words
Comic strips: up to 15 pages
Visual art submissions: up to 4 per submission
Poetry: up to 5 poems per submission

Please only submit once per open call.

Genre

While we do not limit around genre, certain genres will have a lower chance of success. Those genres are:

Sci-Fi
Erotica
Mystery
Thriller
Technical Specifications

Please submit your manuscripts in any legible 12-point font with double-spaced paragraphs, page numbers in the footer, and 1-inch margins.

Please ensure that all written submissions are in one document.

On page 1 please include the author’s name, submission title, genre, and 75 character bio.

If you are writing in genre fiction, please make a note of that genre as well.

How to Submit

We consider submissions online via submission portal only. Snail or e-mail submissions will not be considered.

We do not consider unsolicited submissions via email.

Simultaneous Submissions

We are happy to consider manuscripts that have also been submitted elsewhere. Though, please notify us immediately if your work is accepted by another journal.

Rights

Estrella House Publishing reserves First North American Rights to any work that is published on our platform.

We do not accept any work that has been previously published in a literary or arts journal, forum/archival site, or an online blog.

Payments

We are excited to pay our authors. Estrella House utilizes a revenue share system where authors get a portion of ad revenue generated from views to their work and a portion of submission fees. Because we are a new publication, we cannot yet guarantee any flat rates.

Fees

We are submission fee free for the first 100 writers. After that, we will have a small $3.00 fee to help pay our writers.

We offer a fee waiver for people who identify as a historically marginalized group. To apply: email us with the subject line: Fee Waiver – Your Name.

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions: Epiphany

 

We hope that when you read Epiphany, you'll get a sense of the great variety of stories, poems, essays, and genre-bending work that we like, and the themes to which we keep returning. We hope that you'll enjoy and connect with the work of your fellow writers, and that you'll feel you're a valued part of our community, rather than another writer sending beloved work into the unsympathetic void. We hope you'll see what makes us different.

***

Submissions for our Fall/Winter print issue are open May 1–June 15.

Submissions for our Spring/Summer print issue are open Nov 1–Dec 15.

Applications for our Fresh Voices Fellowship are open Sep 15–Nov 1.

Submissions to our Breakout Prize are open March 1–April 15.

In print, we pay $75 per poem and $175 per essay or story. Online, we pay $50 per poem and $150 per essay or story. Art payments are made on a sliding scale. Those facing financial hardship may request a fee waver via the contact form on our website. (In order to keep the contest sustainable for our editors, readers, and organization, there is a limit of 50 fee waivers available for the Breakout Prize.)

In order to keep the contest sustainable for our organization and our community, we are capping paid submissions at 300 per genre, and are offering 50 fee waiver applications to writers facing financial hardship. Our fee waiver cap of 50 has been reached. Please refrain from submitting fee waiver requests for this opportunity.

You can stay up to date on submission windows, as well as events, news, and opportunities by signing up for our newsletter by or following us on Instagram, Facebook, X, Bluesky, or Threads.

Before submitting to Epiphany, familiarize yourself with recent work we have published by checking out our website, buying a digital subscription, which provides full access to our current issues and 20+ year archives, or by subscribing to our print magazine.

Submit your work here. 

Call for Submissions on Theme of "Lifeline": Caesura 2026

Welcome to Cæsura 2026, this year’s theme is: LIFELINE.

What helps you feel grounded? How do you remember what you know? We live life with a constant sense of urgency and it is hard to filter through the chaos. What or who is your filter to calm, inspiration, and or radical joy?

Is your lifeline a pet or a nostalgic hideaway? Do you start your day humming a melody that you consider your own personal theme song? Maybe your lifeline is found in the pages of a favorite author. Maybe it is the joy you get from watching a bird visit a bird feeder.

It can be a turn of phrase from a loved one or an internal vow to avoid personal pitfalls. Maybe it’s the irony of a well crafted punchline that reminds you that hope exists because it makes you laugh. Maybe it is simply knowing that your child made it home safely at the end of a long day.

So, What is your Lifeline?

We accept submissions from March 15th–June 1st 2026 for the general public, June 15th 2026 for Poetry Center San Jose Members.

We have a print and online edition. During the submission process, you will be asked if you want to be considered for print, online or both. Submissions may be published on one format or the other. We rarely print pieces in both editions.

We accept unpublished work only. No reprints.

No AI submissions: We currently do not accept work from artificial intelligence (“AI”) generators or similar.

Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please email:

caesura@pcsj.org 

to withdraw the whole or part of your submission.

Submissions sent to our email address will be disqualified.

Only one submission per genre per reading period.

Please do not mix genres together when submitting. Submit again for different genres.

All work must be submitted blind (no identifying information in the file). If identifying information is in the file, the submission is disqualified.

All written submissions should be in 12-point font. Garamond, Times New Roman, Georgia, Arial fonts okay.

Accepted file formats:

Writing: .doc, .docx, or .pdf

Visual Art: .pdf

Genres & Requirements

Poetry

• Submit up to 3 poems.

• Each poem may be up to 32 lines.

• All poems should be in one document.

Prose (Fiction, Nonfiction)

• Submit up to 3 pieces.

• Each piece may be up to 2,500 words.

• All prose pieces should be in one document.

Visual Art

• Submit up to 3 pieces

• All visual art disciplines are welcome, including:

Ceramics

Crafts

Drawings

Paintings

Mixed media

Digital art

All art should be in one document.

For the print edition, artwork may be reproduced at 6×9 inches or 12×9 inches depending on layout needs.

Response Time: We strive to set out responses 8 to 12 weeks after the end of the submission period. For inquires, please email:

caesura@pcsj.org

Submit your work here.