32 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for June 2024 (2024)

These are themed calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the call themes are: red; monstrous; classic fairy tales; deadly Yellowstone; a brood of vampires; funny stories; and false memories.

THEMED CALLS

Mslexia: Red

Space & Time: Solution Revolution
They accept speculative fiction (up to 5,000 words preferred), poetry, and art. For fiction, they want “Broken boundaries, blown minds and new horizons. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, magical realism—we look for work with a speculative element. Creative hybrids welcome. If you can combine horror, science fiction and fantasy into one compelling plot, you’ve caught our attention.” They want submissions on the ‘Solution Revolution’ theme for their next submission period, which is 15-30 June 2024. On the theme, they say, “There’s a lot going wrong in the world right now. In this issue we want to see answers. Work does not have to be solarpunk or hopepunk as sometimes solutions aren’t happy for everyone. Example: dogs evolve with opposable thumbs, take over the world and bring about world peace by putting people on leashes. This would be a story our publisher appreciates.” Submissions accepted in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French or Italian.
Reading period: 15-30 June 2024
Length: Up to 5,000 words preferred for fiction (can accept up to 10,000 words), up to 3 poems
Pay: $0.01/word for fiction, $5 for poetry
Details here and here.

Neon Hemlock Press: Baffling Magazine – Monstrous
The tagline of Baffling Magazine is, ‘Speculative flash fiction with a queer bent’. “We’ll be open next in June, from the 1st to the 15th, reading on the theme of “monstrous” as well as unthemed submissions.” Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 15 June 2024
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here and here.
(Neon Hemlock is also open for a reprint anthology, We’re Here: The Best of Queer Speculative Fiction. They want speculative stories published in 2023 under 17,500 words that implicitly or explicitly explore queerness and/or transness. Pay is $0.01/word, and the deadline is 31 December 2024. Details here.)

carte blanche: Play
This Canadian magazine accepts fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, translations (French to English only), photography, and comics. They’re reading submissions for Issue 49, and they want work on the ‘Play’ theme. “We are interested in your narrative and poetic experiments, odd stories, humorous pieces, weird fiction, and the quirky. We ultimately leave “Play” up for your interpretation. They specially welcome submissions from underrepresented writers. They may prioritize Quebec-based creators (see guidelines). Please note, there is a cap on poetry submissions – those may close earlier than the deadline if their quota is met.
Deadline: 15 June 2024
Length: Up to 3,500 words for prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: $75
Details here and here.

Eye to the Telescope: Strange Mixology
This is a speculative poetry magazine. For the Strange Mixology theme, they say, “As your fearless bartender, I’m looking for cosmic concoctions, time-twisted tinctures and charmed potions. Give me something with a kicker, the green fairy’s secret spells, the sweet sap of the old woods and the moonshine of mermaids, alien aperitifs and speakeasies in space. All spirits welcome, even the ones that don’t come in glass bottles. Feel free to interpret the theme broadly but make sure there’s a spec element. Give me your old-fashioned verse and cosmopolitan compositions, pink squirrels, bee’s knees, gimlets and juleps, juniper berries, elderflowers, the marriage vows of Old Tom Collins and Bloody Mary. Garnish with kaleidoscopic umbrellas and a twisty straw. In Poetry Veritas.” They also accept translations.Deadline: 15 June 2024
Length: Up to 3 poems
Pay: $0.04/word (up to $25)
Details here.

The Fairy Tale Magazine: Classic Fairy Tales
This magazine was formerly called Enchanted Conversations. “The theme for 2024 is Classic Fairy Tales. You can take a lot of license with the work, but there must be a clear connection to a specific old fairy tale in the work. We are also very open to the stories and poems focusing on seasonal holidays, like solstice celebrations, Halloween, Hanukkah, etc. Stories must be PG in terms of content. A lot of young kids find our site, even though it’s not a kids publication. …Remember, stories and poems must have the theme in them, even though it needn’t be a huge part of the story. Do bear in mind that all fairy tale related fiction and poetry needs an element of the supernatural—as well as transformation. The essence of classic fairy tales should be maintained when you write these stories and poems. (The editor) tends to prefer things to end happily, but it’s not absolutely essential.” They have detailed guidelines, please read them carefully. They will read for the fall/winter issue in June. Please send your work only during the reading period.
Reading period: 17 to 24 June 2024
Length: 1,000-2,000 words for fiction, up to 500 words for poetry
Pay: $25
Details here.

Channel Magazine
This Ireland-based magazine publishes fiction and poetry, for which they have submission periods; non-fiction (which is considered for both online and print) is considered on an ongoing basis. They have detailed guidelines, including, “We love work that speaks directly of a writer’s bond with and fear for our planet, and work that takes a local landscape, or a local flower, as its subject; equally, though, we love work that draws on an aspect of nature as setting, image or metaphor. We believe that all writing relies to some extent on historical engagement with nature, in that all human language has been shaped by our embeddedness in our shared environments.” For fiction and poetry, the deadline is 20 June 2024. They accept submissions in English and Irish.
Deadline: 20 June 2024 for fiction and poetry, ongoing for nonfiction
Length: Varies
Pay: €35 per printed page, up to €250 per piece and with a minimum fee of €50 for single-page works; €35 per 400 words, up to a maximum of €250 per piece and with a minimum fee of €50 for work published online
Details here.

Flame Tree Publishing: Two anthologies
Flame Tree is open for two anthologies in their Myths, Gods, and Immortals series; Anansi, and Circe. The please see the links for details on each theme. A note on their website says, “All previous submissions for Anansi are still under consideration and authors will be contacted in due course, within 4 months of the new deadline.” They also accept reprints for both anthologies, which will be published in hardcover.
Deadline for both anthologies: 23 June 2024
Length: 3,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word for originals
Details here (Anansi) and here (Circe).

Dragon’s Roost Press: Arkham Institutions Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. “Arkham Institutions (tentative title) will feature 10 – 15 short stories focusing on the various aspects of government and business and their relationship with the oddness that creeps up in and around that most (in)famous New England Town. … We want to see Cosmic Horror stories set in and around Arkham, Innsmouth, and other mythos related areas that take place in or are associated with Lovecraftian tales AND which feature a public or private institution of some sort. What does Arkham Elementary teach? What weird cases does law enforcement have to deal with? What kind of people are seen in the Emergency Room? The psych ward? The local library? The institutions in question can appear in previous Mythos stories or be of your own creation. In fact, we would love to see some new places — let’s fill out that city map! Feel free to set your story in the timeframe that fits best. We are still looking for character driven stories, but make sure that these places are characters in their own rights. … We are not looking for stories set at Miskatonic University nor the Orne Library.” Please note, they will close submissions earlier than the deadline if they fill the anthology.
Deadline: 30 June 2024, or until filled
Length: 3,000-5,000 words
Pay: $0.06/word
Details here.

Thalia Press: Deadly Yellowstone – A Collection of Mystery Shorts They want stories set in the Yellowstone National Park. “Explore the treacherous and awe-inspiring landscape of America’s first national park in this new anthology, “Deadly Yellowstone.” With scalding geysers, stampeding buffalo, and ravenous grizzlies, danger lurks at every turn.
As a global tourist magnet, Yellowstone National Park attracts not only nature enthusiasts but also those with sinister intentions. Unravel the mysteries within the park’s boundaries as ten gripping short stories delve into baffling events amidst the beauty and danger of Yellowstone.” Stories can be serious or humorous, but must be in the crime fiction/mystery genre. Please see their note on contributor copies.
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Length: Up to 10,000 words (see guidelines)
Pay: $25
Details here.

West Avenue Publishing: A Brood of Vampires
West Avenue Publishing is a fantasy publisher, and they also release themed anthologies. The theme for their next anthology is ‘A Brood of Vampires’. They want fiction and poetry on the theme.
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, poetry of any length
Pay: $10
Details here.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Two themes
They’re reading nonfiction prose and non-fiction poetry (no fiction) for various themed anthologies, and two of the deadlines are in June: for their ‘Funny Stories’ anthology, as well as the ‘Grandmothers’ themed anthology. They have detailed guidelines about the kind of stories they want; see their ‘Possible Book Topics’ tab for details on the themes. They have other themes listed too, with later deadlines. Also see their FAQ. Please note, their submission deadlines change sometimes, so please double-check before submitting.
Deadline: 30 June 2024 for the above themes
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $250
Details here and here.

Blue Planet Press: Far Futures 3 – An Anthology of Deep Space
This is a fiction anthology. “Space exploration. From the outer planets of our solar system to the edge of the Orion Spur and the even more distant Andromeda Galaxy. How will we get there? Generation ships? Faster than light engines? Dimensional warping? Wormholes? Submissions will involve space travel in some form to deep space. Stories may start or end planet-side, but the bulk of the tale must be in space. Military sci-fi is welcome.”
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Length: 6,000-10,000 words
Pay: Half a cent per word, up to $50
Details here.

The Deadlands
They want death-related fiction from BIPOC writers only for the June submission window. They have extensive guidelines, including, “The Deadlands exists in liminal spaces between life, death, and elsewhere. We are looking for fiction that concerns itself with death—but also everything death may involve. A ghost in a shadowed wood. An afterlife discovered through a rusted door. An abandoned house in the middle of a haunted field. A skeletal figure moving with intent toward something unseen. Death personified. Burials in troubled lands. … We are not simply a “horror market.” Sure, we want your horror, but we also want your litfic, your slipstream, your fantasy, your sf, your chicklit, your hist-fic, your everything fic. Death touches everything and so should our fiction.” Their guidelines have details about the kind of work they like, and also the hard sells. They also accept reprints. While they want fiction from BIPOC writers only for this submission window, they have all their submission periods for the year listed on the website.
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.10/word
Details here.

Zoetic Press: Non-Binary Review – False Memories
They want poetry, fiction, essays, translations, and art. They’re reading on the False Memories theme. Please remember, they accept submissions until a cap is reached, or the deadline, whichever comes first. All submissions must have a clear relationship to the theme. Apart from the theme, they are also accepting submissions for Dear Horace Greely and Heartbeats: Visual Verse sections; they also offer feedback to 4 POC poets every month. On the False Memories theme, they say, “False memories first came to public consciousness in the 1980s when a group of pre-schoolers at a California preschool were coached by well-meaning social workers and police investigators into “remembering” Satanic abuse that never happened. The fallout from that episode wasn’t just the persecution of an innocent family, but a nationwide mass delusion now known as “the Satanic Panic,” where authorities were warning the public about supposed widespread satanic cults committing heinous acts of abuse. Not a single one of these warnings were founded in fact, and it is now known that a large number of them were propaganda. But false memories aren’t always bad. There is a common phenomenon wherein people hear stories of their early childhoods so often that those stories turn into “memories.” It is common in dreams to have “memories” of things that happened to the dream self, but not to the real self. Or a person might believe that they took their regular medication, brought in the garbage bins, or picked up the mail when they haven’t. We’re looking for weird and wonderful stories of not just the memories themselves, but of their production, their repercussions, their wider meanings. We’re looking for false memories that might have changed history, that led to remarkable discoveries, that impacted lives.” They do not want works on recovered memory. They would also like to avoid stories centering abuse, trauma, and violence.
Deadline: 31 July 2024, or until filled
Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose; up to 3 pages for poetry
Pay: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry
Details here and here.

(They’re also accepting submissions for other sections:
– “Dear Horace Greeley is our advice column for authors.” Details on the kind of questions you can ask, and publication of the letters, are here and here.
— “Heartbeats: Visual Verse isn’t just poetry. It’s poetry that can only work in a visual medium. We want layers of meaning and emotion; we want evocative images and surprising combinations of words, music, and visuals.” Details here and here.
They also offer feedback to 4 POC poets every month – please see their Submittable page for details.)

Nonprofit Quarterly Magazine: Fall 2024 Climate Justice Issue
NPQ is a general-interest magazine which welcomes submissions that seek to advance the work of nonprofits, philanthropists, and social movements in the US. For the current call, they want climate justice writing by “movement leaders and practitioners in the field of all ages—including, and especially, youth (ages 18–35)—for a special edition centered on the young people bringing new leadership, energy, and hope to the climate justice movement.
Youth are moving beyond talk and into action, including legislation proposals brought to policy tables in the United States and globally. We want to know what the youth climate justice movement needs to support their goals, and what’s next for the youngest generations fighting climate change. We’re seeking articles that describe the current state of youth climate justice work, concerns of youth, and new visions for the planet.
What we are looking for…
Articles by climate writers and leaders of all ages that describe work being done in the field, visions for the future, personal experiences with the climate movement, and how climate intersects with issues of health, gender, disability, neurodivergence, racial justice, and economic justice. (Word count: 800–3,000)
Creative writing by youth—from personal narrative to fiction to poetry—that describes living through the current climate crisis. How is your community being shaped and re-shaped by climate? (Word count: no more than 1,000 words.)”
Submission deadline: 30 June 2024
Length: See above
Pay: $200-500 for writing, $50-100 for art
Details here (theme details) and here (general pitch guide)

New York Times: Modern Love
Modern Love is NYT’s nonfiction column, and their reading period has just opened. They want “honest personal essays about contemporary relationships. We seek true stories on finding love, losing love and trying to keep love alive. We welcome essays that explore subjects such as adoption, polyamory, technology, race and friendship — anything that could reasonably fit under the heading “Modern Love.” Ideally, essays should spring from some central dilemma you have faced. It is helpful, but not essential, for the situation to reflect what is happening in the world now.” Also, “Love may be universal, but individual experiences can differ immensely and be informed by factors including race, socio-economic status, gender, disability status, nationality, sexuality, age, religion and culture.” Send essays of 1,500-1,700 words. Modern Love has two submission periods, September through December, and March through June. Writers are paid. Send submissions to modernlove (at) nytimes.com. They especially welcome work from historically underrepresented writers, and from those outside the US.
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Length: 1,500-1,700 words
Pay: Unspecified
Details here.
(Also see NYT’s Tiny Love Stories column; these are also personal essays similar in theme to Modern Love, but much shorter, of 100 words.)

Thema: A New Routine
They publish three themed issues a year. They accept short stories, essays, poetry, and art. Their upcoming theme is ‘A New Routine’, and the deadline is 1 July 2024; they have other themes too, with other deadlines. They also accept reprints. Only writers outside of the US can submit by email, US-based writers have to post their submissions.
Deadline: 1 July 2024 (see guidelines)
Length: Up to 20 pages for fiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: $10-25
Details here.

Spooky
This cozy horror magazine is reading on the Halloween theme, as well as unthemed horror submissions. They have detailed guidelines about the kind of stories they want, including, “Cozy horror. Fun horror. Classy horror. Dare we say, wholesome horror? … perhaps the easiest way to understand what we mean is to read stories by some of the old masters we love: Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, Roald Dahl. Watch classic episodes of Thriller, The Twilight Zone, and Night Gallery. Read old horror comics. Listen to radio dramas like Suspense, Quiet, Please, and Inner Sanctum Mysteries. … In short, we’re looking to provide a space for a type of storytelling that has largely gone out of style – dark and scary, but playful and approachable with an emphasis on plot.” They also want horror haiku.
Deadline: 13 July 2024
Length: Up to 5,000 words (prefer 2,500-3,000 words) for fiction
Pay: $0.01/word
Details here and here.

Black Cat Publishing: Black Cat Tales
This is a fiction and poetry anthology. “A black cat approaches, do you eagerly cross its path, or run in the opposite direction? From the superstitious to the unlucky, from a witch’s familiar to a soul stealing grave robber, black cats have captured our imagination and remain solidly in the realm of the dark. Dazzle us with your best black cat story or poem. A black cat or a clowder of black cats must be featured predominantly in your story and not simply set decoration.” Regarding genre, they say, “horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi, erotica, weird westerns, cyberpunk, steampunk…we’re open to all but prefer dark fiction.”
Deadline: 15 July 2024
Length: 500 – 3,500 words for story, max 25 lines for poetry
Pay: $50 for fiction, $25 for poetry
Details here.

THEMED CONTESTS

Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors
This is a climate fiction contest from Fix, Grit’s solutions lab. They want stories of 2,500-5,000 words. “Imagine 2200 is an invitation to writers from all over the globe to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world.” They have detailed guidelines on the kind of stories they want, please read them carefully. Additionally, “We are also partnering with Oregon State University’s Spring Creek Project, which will offer the winning writer (or a runner-up, in the case the winner cannot accept) the opportunity to participate in its Environmental Writing Fellowship and Residency, including a writing residency at the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek for the winner to spend up to four weeks in residence to continue their climate writing project. The Fellow will receive a $3,000 honorarium from Spring Creek Project.”
Value: $3,000, residency; $2,000, $1,000; and $300 each for nine winners
Deadline: 24 June 2024
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.

2024 Love Books Competition
This is a contest for UK writers, and part of the Malborough Lit Fest. “We want you to tell us why you love your favourite book, poem or play. Your response should be in the form of a piece of text of up to 750 words. Entrants should explain what they love about their chosen read, highlighting key areas of interest, and why they think others should try it.
We are looking for creative, passionate, and engaging responses which celebrate your love of reading.” You could write about a novel, a graphic novel, a poem, a collection of poetry, or a play. The contest is for three age groups, 13-15 years, 16-19 years, 20+ years. Entry is via a form. Value: £300, £100 for winners in each age group
Deadline: 28 June 2024
Open for: UK residents with a UK bank account
Details here.

Hubert Butler Essay Prize
This is a themed essay contest, of up to 3,000 words, for writers who are UK or European Union citizens. “The Hubert Butler Essay Prize is intended to encourage the art of essay-writing with a European dimension and to expand interest in Butler’s work. … The subject for the 2024 essay prize is: ‘With narratives of conflict currently distorted by misinformation and the substitution of memory for history, what are the chances of reconciliation?’“
Value: €1,500; two second prizes of €500
Deadline: 28 June 2024
Open for: UK, European Union citizens
Details here (download the entry form).

The Fountain Essay ContestThey want an essay on the topic, ‘Where is Home’. See guidelines for details on the theme. Ideal length is 1,500-2,500 words. Also, “There is no age limit or a condition to fulfill for entry.” Please read the terms carefully, any of the entries may be published in any medium, whether or not they win the prize
Value: $1,000, $500, $300, two prizes of $150 each
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Detailshere and here.

Last Stanza Poetry Journal
This is a call for a themed poetry issue, on ‘A Table in the Wilderness’. A single $100 award will be given for an outstanding poem. An interview with the Editor’s Choice Award winner will be published in the same issue (optional). Poems can be any style, but preferably non-rhyming. Submit up to three poems, each no longer than 64 lines.
Value: $100
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Preservation Foundation Contest: General Non-Fiction
This is an international contest for unpublished writers (see guidelines). Their upcoming deadline is for the general non-fictioncategory: “Any appropriate nonfiction topic is eligible. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. So-called “creative nonfiction” will not be considered.” Entries should be 1,000-5,000 words. Please note, they want all entries, regardless of whether or not they win, to be on their website for as long as the foundation exists (see guidelines). Also see contests in other genres, which have deadlines later in the year.
Value: $200, $100
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Open for: Unpublished writers
Details here.

The Writers College: My Writing Journey Competition
This is an international contest, open to all writers. They want a 600-word essay on the theme, The best writing tip I’ve ever received.
Value: NZ$200 (R2000 or £100)
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Open for: All writers
Details here.
(They also have a short story contest with a later deadline, for writers who are unpublished or have been published fewer than four times; see here for theme and other guidelines.)

Richard J. Margolis Award
The award is for non-fiction writers of social justice journalism. It is for a promising new journalist or essayist whose work combines warmth, humour, wisdom and concern with social justice. Applications should include 2-3 non-fiction writing samples, up to 30 pages. At least one sample should be non-memoir material.
Value: $5,000, residency at Blue Mountain Centre artists’ colony; $1,000 for runners-up
Deadline: 1 July 2024
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.

The Forum Essay Prize
This is an essay prize from Oxford Academic / Oxford University Press and is open to all researchers, whether early-career or established, on the Art(s) of Delight theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “We are looking for bold, visionary and persuasive essays that use academic research to pursue innovative questions. … The topic may be addressed from the perspective of any of the literatures (including literary linguistics, translation and comparative literature approaches) normally covered by the journal: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. submissions in comparative literature and literary translation studies are also welcomed, as are those dealing with visual art, film and the performing arts. Forum for Modern Language Studies aims to reflect the essential pluralism of research in modern languages and to provide a forum for worldwide scholarly discussion.
We are seeking submissions that focus on literature, film, art, or other cultural outputs that manifest delight in their content or form and/or which provoke us to find joy in how we read, write, research and teach in our discipline(s).” The winning essay will also get published in an issue of Forum for Modern Language Studies.
Value: £500
Deadline: 1 July 2024
Open for: All researchers
Details here.

A couple of contests with later deadlines are:

— The H G Wells Short Story Competition: This is an international short story contest; they want short fiction of 1,500-5,000 words on this year’s theme, The Fool. There is no fee for The Margaret and Reg Turnill Competition for young writers, i.e. for those under 21 years, and the prize for that is £1,000. The deadline is 8 July 2024. Also see their FAQ. Details here and here.

— The Mustapha Matura and Alfred fa*gon Awards: The Mustapha Matura Award is an opportunity for UK-based playwrights of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK, who are 25 years or younger, for a play. The play must be a minimum of 40 pages, and does not need to have been produced. However, if it has, only plays produced since August 2023 will be considered. The prize is £3,000 and mentoring from a top Black British playwright. The deadline is 31 July 2024. Details here.
And submissions are also open for Alfred fa*gon Awards for UK-based playwrights of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK, for a play. The award is £6,000, and the deadline is 31 July 2024. Details here.
Please note, writers cannot enter both the Mustapha Matura Award and Alfred fa*gon Award. Also see their Roland Rees Bursary.

— Amazon: Kindle Storyteller Award: This is an international award for those who publish their work through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing in English in any genre. Entrants must make the book available for sale in both digital and print versions through KDP between 1^st May 2024 and 31^st August 2024. The book must be at least 24 pages long, and can have a maximum of 2 co-authors. Please note, the books must be published through their KDP Select program (be only available on Amazon), and readers play a significant role in winner selection (see Terms & Conditions – which also lists ineligible countries/nationalities – and FAQ). The book can have up to two co-authors. The prize is £20,000, and the deadline is 31 August 2024. Details here.