Contests With Deadlines in April

April 7 (contest runs on Australian time, so deadline may be considerably earlier than midnight depending on your timezone)

Up to 500 words based on prompt (released April 5). Prize: 500AUD

https://www.writerscentre.com.au/furious-fiction/

April 10: Up to 2,500 words on topic "Identity." Prizes: £10,000, £3,000, £2,000.

https://alpinefellowship.com/apply

April 15: SF/Fantasy/Horror on theme "Noir." Up to 3,500 words. Prizes: $200, $100, $50.

Up to two entries allowed.

http://parsecink.com/contest/

April 21: 53-word story based on prompt. Prize: publication and free book.

https://www.press53.com/53word-story-contest

April 30: Up to 3,000 words, open theme. Prize: $50.

https://thewritingdistrict.com/writing-contest/

April 30: Up to 1,000 words. Prize: $50.

"Taking a night train, he accidentally got off at the wrong stop in the dark. The town surrounding the station turned out to be the strangest place he'd ever been."

Write the story of how it happened, featuring four (or more) of the following elements:

  • A parrot
  • A clothes-hanger
  • A pie
  • A storm
  • A crossword puzzle
  • A souvenir from an exotic country

https://refiction.com/writing-contests/rules

Most Wednesdays:

Up to 150 words using the weekly prompt word. Prize: free entry into Bath Flash Fiction Award (usually £9)

https://adhocfiction.com/submit/

Submission Calls With April Deadlines (Paying)

April 1: Stories for children (age 9-14) that explores themes of identity, citizenship, global cultures, scientific and technological exploration, and the creative spirit. Current themes: "Indigenous Stories," "Home for the Holidays," and "Open for Business."

Ideally 1,200-1,800, but longer and shorter stories sometimes accepted.

Up to $0.25/word.

https://cricketmag.submittable.com/submit/17789/cricket-magazine-for-ages-9-14

April 1: "The border is a powerful place where countries collide. It's a weird space of dreams, struggles, promises, lies, fear, and redemption. It's a multicultural and bilingual space where people know that hustling to protect your loved ones or offer them a better life is a drive strong enough to blur ethical codes." Pitches of 100 words for 5,000-7,000 stories. $75.

http://www.polisbooks.com/blog/now-accepting-submissions-for-both-sides-an-anthology-of-border-noir-edited-by-gabino-iglesias/

April 1: Fiction and creative non-fiction of up to 3,500 words. Canthius strongly encourages submissions from women of colour. $50.

http://www.canthius.com/submissions/

April 7: General fiction. 1,500-10,000 words. $300.

https://electricliterature.submittable.com/submit

April 12: Short story up to 3,500 words or up to 3 flash pieces (up to 1,000 words). $10.

https://www.thirdpointpress.com/submission-guidelines/

April 12: Up to 6,000 words. "We are interested in stories that excite us with innovation in form, structure, and language, but above all, we're looking for stories that connect us, touch us, and revolutionize our worlds." $15

http://mikrokosmosjournal.com/submit-2/

April 14: Flash fiction up to 1,500 words. $100.

https://tinhouseonline.submittable.com/submit

April 15: "High-energy pieces that reflect the rush of life." Up to 2,000 words. Undisclosed payment.

https://therushmag.submittable.com/submit

April 15: Fiction and creative non-fiction. Up to 30 double-spaced pages. $0.05/word up to $100.

https://westbranchsubmissions.bucknell.edu/

April 15: Theme: Space Force. "What to do we want? Camp? Satire? Bug Eyed Monsters? All good. We'll do serious stories, too. Mostly we want good stories. And if I am to confess, we want campy stories. We want the golden age of pulp to live again."

500-5,000 words. $0.02/word plus royalties.

http://www.bcubedpress.com/tales-from-the-space-force/

April 15: Theme: Alternative Apocalypses. "Stories of endings, beginnings, and change. As always, a political bent doesn't hurt but not required. The apocalypse can be big or small, personal or world shattering. Humor is always good. Satire is excellent."

500-5,000 words. $0.02/word plus royalties.

http://www.bcubedpress.com/alt-apocal-open-call/

April 15: Theme: Alternative Bedtime Reading for Progressive Parents. "We're looking for nursery rhymes, poetry, and stories that can be read and enjoyed by children of all ages. The work can be completely original or derived from fairy tales, bible stories, folklore, myths, or similar so long as acknowledgement is made, but absolutely no fan fiction of work that is not in the public domain."

500-3,000 words. $0.02/word plus royalties.

http://www.bcubedpress.com/alternative-bedtime-reading-for-progressive-parents/

April 15: Up to 15 pages of fiction. $30.

https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/mfa-in-creative-writing/mary-journal

April 21: Literary fiction and creative non-fiction on theme "identity."

2,000-7,500. £25.

https://shooterlitmag.com/submissions/

April 30: True stories about positive thinking. Up to 1,200 words. $200.

https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics

April 30: "A Murder of Crows—cozy to cozy-noir crime stories, set in any time, from dinosaurs to the present, using the collective names of groups of animals which includes mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, and insects. If your imagination goes beyond the scope of known collective names, you may create your own. Earth animals/birds only, none from outer space or invented animals. You can put your animals in jeopardy but animal cruelty or killing an animal is an automatic rejection. Choosing an animal/bird that is a little different may give you an edge on being chosen. We don't want multiple stories using the same species! Your animals should be an integral part of the crime, not just a mention as part of the story."

2,500-6,000 words. Royalties.

http://darkhousebooks.com/a-murder-of-crows-submissions/

April 30: Speculative fiction by and about Black people of the African Diaspora.

2,000-7,000 words. $150.

http://www.fiyahlitmag.com/submissions/

Submission Calls with Deadlines in April (Non-Paying)

April 7: Undergraduate and graduate students only.

"We're looking for short stories with fascinating characters, a strong sense of place, and conflicts that keep us thinking."

Up to 1,000 words.

https://roadrunnerreview.submittable.com/submit/134002/fiction-1000-words-max

April 15: "We want quality fiction that deploys sharp detail, unique and complex characters, beautiful language, and a memorable voice. We want stories of literary quality and encourage fantastic, speculative, and weird literature. Most importantly, though, we want submissions that tell an interesting, engrossing story that lingers with the reader long after it ends." Short stories up to 4,000 words and flash up to 1,000.

https://landlockedmagazine.com/submission-guidelines/

April 15: Women writers aged 15-29. Up to 5,000 words. Contributor copy.

https://capuletmag.com/submit/

April 15: Up to 4,000 words.

"The Hunger publishes visceral writing. The theme of "hunger" is not confined only to food, but hungers and thirsts of all kinds: the craving for connection, the human need to be filled or emptied, the devastating desires that define our most alive moments. Hungers can be sexual, romantic, familial, individualistic, spiritual, creative, sorrowful, conflicted, humanistic, and/or existential."

https://www.thehungerjournal.com/submit

April 15: Exactly 50 words. Non-paying / $10 if your story is chosen as "story of the month."

http://fiftywordstories.com/submissions/

Submission Calls With No Deadlines (Paying)

SmokeLong Quarterly: https://smokelong.submittable.com/submit/128/smokelong-general-submissions

Up to 1,000 words. $25.

Syntax & Salt: https://syntaxandsalt.com/submit/

Literary speculative fiction, scifi, fantasy. Up to 3,500 words. $10.

Asymmetry: https://www.asymmetryfiction.com/submission-guidelines/

Speculative fiction. Up to 3,000 words. $5.

Apex: https://www.apex-magazine.com/submission-guidelines/

SF, Fantasy, Horror. Up to 7,500 words. $0.06/word.

Buckshot Magazine: https://buckshotmagazine.com/submit/

Up to 2,000 words. $20.

Everyday Fiction: https://everydayfiction.com/submit-story/

Up to 1,000 words. $3.

Flash Fiction Online: https://ffo.submittable.com/submit

500-1,000 words. $60. Accepts reprints at $0.02/word.

Masters Review: https://themastersreview.submittable.com/submit/26106/new-voices-free

Up to $7,000 words. $0.10/word up to $200. Only for writers who have not published a novel-length work.

Winter Tangerine: http://www.wintertangerine.com/submit

200-3,000 words. $50.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies: http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/submissions/

Literary adventure fantasy. Up to 15,000 words. $0.06/word.

Jitter Press: https://jitterpress.com/submit/terms.php

Horror. Up to 4,000 words. Token payment and free subscription.

Writers Resist: http://www.writersresist.com/submissions/

Creative expressions of resistance. Up to 2,500 words. $10.

Filling Station: http://www.fillingstation.ca/submit

Innovative stories, flash, experimental. Up to 10 pages. $25.

Plenitude Magazine: https://plenitudemagazine.submittable.com/submit

For LBGTQI writers living in Canada or from Canada. Literary fiction. Up to 5,000 words. $80.

The Future Fire: http://futurefire.net/guidelines/fiction.html

"The Future Fire welcomes submissions of speculative fiction with progressive, inclusive and socially aware disposition. We are particularly interested in feminist, queer, postcolonial and ecological themes, and writing by under-represented voices."

Up to 17,500 words. $20 / $10 for short stories / flash.

Strange Fictions SF&F Zine: https://vagabondagepress.submittable.com/submit/75137/strange-fictions-sff-zine-short-stories-essays-poetry-artwork

Scifi, fantasy, speculative, magical realism. Up to 6,000 words. Up to $10.

Gothic.net: http://www.gothic.net/submissions/

High-quality horror. 2,000-10,000 words. Payment negotiable.

The Sun: https://thesunmagazine.org/submit

"We tend to favor personal writing, but we're also looking for provocative pieces on political and cultural issues."

Up to 7,000 words. $300-2,000.

Folded Word: https://folded.wordpress.com/submissions/

Focus: "To explore the world one voice at a time; To become a sustainable archive of short-form literature that explores the intersection between humans and the landscape — including any/all of its inhabitants — inspiring readers, writers, editors, and researchers to engage with and speak for their local ecosystems." Up to 500 words. $5.

Fictional Pairings: https://fictionalpairings.com/submissions/

Scifi, mystery, fantasy. 200-1,000 words. Up to $1.25.

The Sunlight Press: http://www.thesunlightpress.com/submissions/

Flash up to 1,000 and stories up to 2,000 words. Pays but doesn't say how much.

CRAFT: https://www.craftliterary.com/submit/

Flash up to 1,000 and stories up to 6,000. $100 / $200 for flash / short fiction.

Daily Science Fiction: http://dailysciencefiction.com/submit/story/guidelines

Speculative fiction. 100-1,500 words. $0.08/word.

Clarkesworld Magazine: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/submissions/

Scifi and fantasy. 1,000-22,000 words. $0.10/word up to 7,000 words, $0.08 thereafter.

Asimov's: https://www.asimovs.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/

Character-oriented scifi. 1,000-20,000. $0.08/word.

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine: https://www.elleryqueenmysterymagazine.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/

Mystery stories. Ideally 2,500-8,000 words. $0.05-0.08/word.

Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine: https://www.alfredhitchcockmysterymagazine.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/

Mystery stories. Up to 12,000 but preferably shorter. $0.05-0.08/word.

Nanoism: http://nanoism.net/submit/

Literary fiction up to 140 characters. $1.50.

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Ends on April 30, 2019

$20.00 USD

Submit stories and essays on any theme, up to 6,000 words each. The winning story and essay will each receive $2,000. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $100 each. The top 12 entries will be published online. Judge: Dennis Norris II, assisted by Lauren Singer Ledoux. This contest is proudly co-sponsored by Duotrope, which will award one-year gift certificates to the top two winners, a $50 value.

https://winningwriters.submittable.com/submit/49862/tom-howard-john-h-reid-fiction-essay-contest