Hello all,
I have COVID-19, and I’m afraid that I’m not going to be able to do Comps and Calls for July 2021. Here are some listings I already had for that month. I’m hopeful that I’ll be back in August. Lots of love to all of you,
Cathy
Here are some writing competitions and calls for submission, all with free, electronic entry.
As usual I’m passing these on in good faith but mistakes may be made, so do check all the submission guidelines carefully. Any info in quotes comes from the website itself and any dates at the start are deadlines. Also, I don’t know the sources personally, so do check them out for yourselves.
There are three headings (click/tap to jump straight to them):
If you aren’t a submitter (why not? Nothing to lose! Rejection is something we all share!) then the themes can make great writing prompts/exercises.
Although I mention only fiction or poetry, many publications accept non-fiction, art or other forms, so do check if interested. Good luck and do let me know of successes! The links are in the comments, and any dates at the start are deadlines.
Where possible, I have marked the relevant entries with ‘paying’, ‘contributor copy’ etc. However, you are best off checking the info for yourselves as I am not infallible and the info isn’t always available or clear. Please be aware that a contributor copy may be in print or digital format. Also, some publications offer several things, eg payment as well as a contributor copy. Where this is the case, I have assumed that payment is enough of an incentive, so I haven’t listed everything. It’s a rough guide and should be treated as such.
COMPETITIONS
30th Jul Black writers only: prose literature of 150 pages or more. PAYING https://redhen.org/ann-petry-award/
31st Jul Canada only: poetry and short story contests. PAYING http://polarexpressions.ca/SummerContests.html
SUBMISSIONS WITH DEADLINES
4th Jul Story 800-2000 words on the theme of Women & Girls. https://www.liarsleague.com/liars_league/writers.html
4th Jul US only: short story. PAYING https://buckmanpublishing.submittable.com/submit/192494/buckmxn-story-service
15th Jul ‘We all do it. Shop at The Dollar Store. But why? Is it the best value for money? Not really, but it is cheap. And convenient. Cheap and convenient is good but aren’t we really looking for treasure? Or are we avoiding the outside world?
Tell us your best unpublished stories of approximately 50 words about The Dollar Store, Pound Store, 100 Yen Store, etc. near you.’ http://www.blink-ink.org/current-submissions/
15th Jul Writing and more on the theme of War. https://www.opendoorpoetrymagazine.com/author-submissions
15th Jul Poetry and short prose on the theme of Second Thoughts. PAYING https://writershedpress.com/submissions/
15th Jul Poetry. PAYING https://thuyapoetryreview.com/submit/
15th Jul opens until filled: ‘HOUSE OF BOOKS – I’ll be searching the submission stacks for dream libraries, book borrowing & book lending, book club meetings, bookmarks, and dog-eared pages! Poetry, flash or CNF. https://www.dwellingliterary.com/submit
30th Jul Villanelles by LGBTQ+/non-binary poets and allies. https://www.limpwristmagazine.com/villanelles
30th Jul Theme: Subcultures. ‘For our print magazine, we accept short fiction, flash/micro fiction, nonfiction (memoir, literary journalism, travel narratives, etc), and original artwork (photographs, illustrations, paintings, etc) based on the designated monthly theme.’ https://www.litromagazine.com/litro-magazine-is-one-of-the-best-places-places-to-submit-writing/#print (Cathy’s note: you can also submit to the online or podcast versions of Litro.)
30th Jul ‘Eerie River is, and forever will be, inclusive in every way. We are looking for LGBTQIA+ characters to be featured within the story itself. Who can submit? This anthology is open to everyone. Bring us your foolish humans, your dark flesh-eating fae. Entice us with your magic and let us feast on the carnage you create. We are looking for unique character-driven stories with a strong fantasy storyline. Happy endings not required. Rated R stories welcome.’ https://www.eerieriverpublishing.com/open-submission
31st Jul Poetry, fiction and more on the theme of The Future. CONTRIBUTOR COPY/COPIES https://www.amsterdamquarterly.org/submissions/
31st Jul BIPOC women/nonbinary parents: ‘Raising Mothers is accepting submissions for our column, Radical Joy. We are not meant to endure motherhood. We are meant to savor it, to enjoy it. We want your essays about experiences and memories that brought laughter and healing. Tell us the moments of radical joy that rock your world and redefine perceptions of parenting and motherhood.’ https://www.raisingmothers.com/submissions/ (Cathy’s note: It’s free to submit poetry.)
31st Jul Spec flash and spec poetry on the theme of Summer Rain. https://www.planisphereq.com/p/guidelines.html
31st Jul Fiction 5000-15,000 words. ‘In a world where so many dark things go bump in the night, terror awaits around every corner as these authors take horror stories to the next level.’ ROYALTIES https://dragonsoulpress.com/anthologies/
1st Aug Poetry, fiction and nonfiction on the theme of Skeletons. https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/submissions/
1st Aug Fiction (and occasionally poetry) 300-5000 words starting with the line: ‘What should we do with the body?’ PAYING http://www.thefirstline.com/submission.htm
1st Aug ‘We invite marginalized unpublished writers to submit their poetry, prose, and hybrid works for this issue. We especially encourage unpublished writers living with disabilities, those who also identify as writers of color, and/or as part of the LGBTQ++ community.’ Theme: the body. POSSIBLE PAYMENT https://santafewritersproject.submittable.com/submit (Cathy’s note: From their website: ‘Once our Submittable fees are covered, we will divide any excess funds earned through the tip jar options equally amongst the published contributors.’)
1st Aug An edition focusing on black writers and artists. ‘Please note: we feature poems with some connection to Tokyo/Japan at the textual or authorial level. Not so in to poems about cherry blossoms, etc. Exceptions apply.’ https://www.topojo.com/submissions
SUBMISSIONS WITH NO KNOWN DEADLINES
(Publishers might not give out their pay rates on their submission pages, so make sure to find them out before signing a contract!)
Fiction. ‘Our platform is brand new; the first authors published on the site will be paid $0.02 for every unique story view, including views from free accounts. Once we are up and running, writers will receive a portion of the subscription of paying readers (similar to Medium).’ PAYING https://simily.co/how-it-works/
Thank you Cathy. May you heal quickly and fully.
Sorry you’re sick! All best wishes for a speedy recovery.