Erica Verrillo's Blog, page 7

50 Writing Contests in July 2024 - No entry fees

Flickr This July there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $100,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 
​
Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check back frequently for new contests.

(Image: Flickr)
_______________________________

PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative. Restrictions: Applicants must be professional writers based in the United States, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency situation. Prize: Grant, amount not specified. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Sponsored by Claremont Graduate University. Restrictions: Poets must be citizens or legal resident aliens of the United States. Genre: Poetry. Book must be author's first full-length book of poetry, published between between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Self-published books are accepted. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Sponsored by Claremont Graduate University. Restrictions: Poets must be citizens or legal resident aliens of the United States. Genre: Poetry. The work submitted must be a first book of poetry published between between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Manuscripts, CDs, and chapbooks are not accepted. Prize: $100,000. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Langdon Review Writer-in-Residence Program. This is a two-week residency at Texas-based Tarleton State University, providing an opportunity to present at the Langdon Review Weekend festival, and publication in the school's Langdon Review journal. Prize: $500. Deadline: July 1, 204.

The AutoEthnographer Student Scholarships. Restrictions: Open to creatives anywhere in the world who identify as active students at any age or level. Works must be nominated by an instructor, professor, tutor, or other educator; the author/artist must have been an enrolled student in the 2022-2023 school year. Genre: Works of literary and artistic autoethnography. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

ALCS Award for Educational Writers. Genre: Nonfiction book (with or without illustrations) that stimulates and enhances learning for either 5-11 year olds (in odd-numbered years) or 11-18 year olds (in even-numbered years). For 2023, titles must be for ages 5-11. Books must have been first published in the UK within the previous two calendar years (2021 or 2022 of the current deadline year). Prize: £2,000.00. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Richard J. Margolis Award. Genre: Journalism. Prize is awarded annually to a promising new journalist or essayist whose work combines warmth, humor, wisdom and concern with social justice. Prize: $5,000 and one month of residency at Blue Mountain Center. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Local Word Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Entries are welcome from living poets anywhere in Australia 16 years or older. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $2,000 AUD top prize. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest (BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize and BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean). Restrictions: All entrants must be of Caribbean heritage/of Caribbean descent or writers who were born/raised and holding nationality in the Caribbean. Genre: Unpublished short fiction (3000 words max). Prize: US$1750 for each contest. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards. Genre: Poetry. "The awards contest is an annual series of awards to encourage poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit." Prize: $200. Deadline: July 1, 2024. Free entry for poets age 12 and under.

Forum Prize. Genre: Essay on the subject of: ‘The Art(s) of Delight’ "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." Prize: £500 and publication. Deadline: July 1, 2024. 

Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Open to writers who have lived in the state of Maine for at least one year. Genre: Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: July 3, 2024.

The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Open to unpublished Australian residents aged 18 years or older. Genre: Fiction and narrative non-fiction, the first three chapters plus synopsis (max 20,000 words). Prize: $10,000 and a year’s mentorship with one of Hachette Australia’s publishers. The Guardian Australia will publish an extract of the first chapter of the winning work on its website. Deadline: July 7, 2024.

Wingate Literary Prize. Genre: Published book that explores Jewish themes. Book must be published between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024, must be published, distributed or easily available in the UK and Ireland, and must be published in English, whether originally or in translation. Prize: £4,000. Deadline: July 7, 2024.

Conversation Piece. Genre: Stories, poems, dialogues, screenplays, etc made up of 100% dialogue/speech. No word limit. Prize: "Modest" Deadline: July 7, 2024.

HG Wells Short Story Competition. Genre: Short story on theme. See site. Length: 1,500 to 5,000 words. Prize: £1,000 and publication in the annual HG Wells Short Story Competition Anthology.  Deadline: July 8, 2024. No fee for writers under the age of 21. Those over 21 can enter for a fee.

Sine Theta Prize. Restrictions: Open to  members of the Sino diaspora. Genre: Fiction (prose) and poetry. See theme. Prize: All authors published in sinθ receive a $10 USD honorarium. For the two contest winners, there is an additional $200 USD prize, amounting to a total of $210 USD. Deadline: July 10, 2024.

Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Only undergraduates enrolled full time in United States and Canadian universities and colleges are eligible. Genre: Fiction of no more than 7,500 words. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: July 14, 2024.  

Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Prize: $30. Deadline: July 14, 2024.

Donn Goodwin and Joseph Gahagen Poetry Prizes: Milwaukee Irish Fest. Genre: Poetry. Entries should have a culture/literary relation to either Ireland, Irish-America, or to Irish poetry. Prize: $100. Deadline: July 14, 2024.

The Governor General’s Literary Awards. Restrictions: Books must have been written, translated or illustrated by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Genre: Best English-language and the best French-language book will be chosen in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Children’s Literature (text), Children’s Literature (illustrated books) and Translation (from French to English). Prize: $25,000. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Boardman Tasker Prize. Restrictions: The prize will be awarded for a work first published or distributed in the United Kingdom between July 15, 2023 and July 15, 2024. Genre: Books with a mountain, not necessarily mountaineering, theme whether fiction, non-fiction, drama or poetry, written in the English language. Prize: £3,000.00. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Swamp Pink Prize for Indigenous Writers. Restrictions: Open to indigenous writers in the United States. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction of up to 25 pages or a set of 1-3 poems. Prize: Winners in each genre will receive $500 and publication. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Iron Horse Photofinish. Genre: Brief ekphrastic work that pushes beyond an absolute literal read of a photo prompt. "We're looking for work that recognizes what's hidden in the world we see, responding to the physical details that the picture offers or what emotion it conveys or both. We provide the photo on our website and social media platforms every mid-May. Responses should be no longer than 500 words for prose or 15 lines for poetry. Prize:  Winner receives $250. The finalists receive: $50. Deadline: July 15, 2024. Free submissions on July 15 only.

Helen Schaible International Sonnet Contest. Genre: Poetry. Categories: #1 Traditional Sonnet – Shakespearean or Petrarchan; #2 Modern Sonnet. Prize: $50, 2nd Prize $30, 3rd Prize $20, three Honorable Mentions, three Special Recognitions. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

LSU Alexandria English & Humanities Department. Genre: Flash Fiction. Tell a short-story with a title. In a minimum of 6 words and a maximum of 1,500 words, tell a story about what happened, who it happened to, and why. Prizes: First, second, and third place finishers will be awarded $250, $150, and $100 respectively, and the stories will be published on the LSUA website. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Stone Canoe. Restrictions: Open to people who live or have lived in Upstate New York (not New York City). Genres: Drama, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: July 15, 2024 for fiction and poetry. (It is difficult to find this information on their website.) 

Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. Restrictions: Books must be first edition English-language books written by a Canadian or American citizen or permanent resident of either country. Works written by women or non-binary authors are eligible for submission. The Prize welcomes and encourages submissions by transgender woman authors. Genre: Published novel, short story collection or graphic novel. Prize: $150,000 Canadian dollars. Deadline: Entries for books published between January 1, 2024 – July 31, 2024, must be received on or before July 15, 2024.

The Burlington Contemporary Art Writing Prize. Restrictions: Entrants must have published no more than six pieces of writing in print or online prior to their submission. Genre: Review of a contemporary art exhibition. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: July 15, 2024. 

Ibby Rivers Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to Oregon and SW Washington residents only. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300. Deadline: July 15, 2024. 

Write the World: Journalism Competition. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: News article: Global correspondents. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: July 22, 2024.

Black Voices in Children's Literature Writing Contest. Restrictions: The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. Genre: Original children’s books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring authentic, realistic Black characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, identity, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development. Religious and fantasy themes will not be considered. Prize: First Place: $1000. Second Place: $500 cash prize. Third Place: $250 cash prize. Deadline: July 22, 2024.

Nakata Brophy Short Fiction and Poetry Prize for Young Indigenous Writers. Restrictions: The prize is open to Indigenous Australian writers who are 35 years or younger at the closing date of the competition. Genre: Poetry. Prize: First prize includes $5000, an optional writing residency at Trinity College, and publication of the successful piece in Overland. Deadline: July 27, 2024.

SLF Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds Grants. Restrictions: Open to writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups, such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, working-class writers, etc. -- those whose marginalized identities may present additional obstacles in the writing / publishing process. Genres: Book-length works (novels, collections of short stories) of speculative fiction. Prize: $500. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Eucalyptus Lit. Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: Winner will receive a prize of $75, and the runner-up will receive $25. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award. Restrictions: Open to young poets age 11 - 17. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Publication. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Landfall Essay Competition. Restrictions: Open to New Zealand writers. Genre: Essay about New Zealand. Prize: The winner will receive $3000 and a year’s subscription to Landfall. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Polar Expressions Publications Short Story and Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to Canadians only. Genre: Short story, poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers. Genre: An unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words. Prize: $2,000. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

The Stephen Spender Prize. Restrictions: Open to UK or Irish citizens, or pupils at a British School overseas. Genre: Translated poetry from Portuguese to English. Prize: £50-£100. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Briefly Write. Genre: Poetry up to 10 lines. Prize: Total prize fund - £75. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Mustapha Matura Award. Restrictions: The competition is open to any playwright of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK. Entrants must be 25 years or under at the time of submission. Genre: Stage play in English. Television, radio plays and film scripts will not be considered. Prize: £3,000 top prize. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

What’s Your Story? Restrictions: Open to Victorian residents. (Australia) Genre: Poetry, short stories, CNF. Prize: $500. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

James Berry Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to poets of colour, who are UK residents (permanently reside in the UK: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man) who have not yet published a book-length collection, with special consideration given to LGBTQ+/disabled poets and poets from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Genre: Poetry. Prize: 3 equal winners each receive £1,000 prize, expert mentoring & debut collection published with Bloodaxe Books. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Surging Tide. Genre: Poetry, prose. Prize: The winner of each category will be awarded $100 and each runner-up will also be awarded $25. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Arablit Story Prize. Genre: Flash fiction in Arabic. Prize: 1st prize: £300 2nd prize: £200 3rd prize: £100. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards. Restrictions: Scottish writers over 18 years of age. Genres: The awards are divided into three different categories.: Fiction and Narrative Non-fiction in English and Scots, Poetry in English and Scots, Children’s and Young Adult Fiction in English and Scots. Prize: £2,000 and personal development opportunities, which can include mentoring from writers and industry professionals. Training in PR, performance and presentation training, and the opportunity to showcase work to publishers and agents. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

The Washburn Chapbook Prize. Restrictions: Open to women or non-binary writers. Genre: Chapbook exactly 10 poems long. Prize: $200 and publication of their micro chapbook online at Harbor Review. Deadline: July 31, 2024. Fees are waived for BIPOC identifying writers only.

Biopage. Genre: "Inspiring, uplifting, and heartwarming stories." Prizes: Up to $300. Deadline: July 31, 2024. Registration required.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: July 31, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

Like this blog? Sign up for my newsletter HERE. (It's free!)

26 Glorious Writing Conferences and Workshops in July 2024

Wallowa Lake: Robert Shea: Flickr This July there are more than two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences.

If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year. 

______________________

Young Writers Workshop. July 7 - 27, 2024: Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Restrictions: For students completing grades 9, 10, 11. Three 90-minute workshop sessions daily, including imaginative writing activities and discussion of readings. Weekly individual meetings with workshop instructor. Focus is on using various forms of creative writing to develop language and thinking skills. 

Hurston/Wright Summer Writers Week. July 8 - July 12, 2024: Rutgers. For more than 20 years, the Hurston/Wright Summer Writers Workshop has offered a safe space for Black writers in intensive workshop sessions and master classes. Workshops are led by award-winning writers who are influencing today’s literature. The program features critiques, craft talks, writing time and public readings. Hurston/Wright workshops serve emerging and experienced writers who are starting projects, developing projects or seeking to polish projects. More than a thousand writers have participated in workshops since the first session in 1996. See website for individual workshops.

Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers. July 8 - 14, 2024: Wallowa Lake, Oregon. Take a weeklong writing workshop in your favorite genre: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, memoir, or short story. Each workshop is limited to no more than 13 participants, giving you the opportunity to build connections with a world-class instructor and your fellow writers. Throughout the week, we’ll bring the best of Summer Fishtrap to you through craft talks, discussions, open mics, readings, and a special 35th Anniversary Celebration.

Community of Writers Workshop in Fiction. July 8 - 15, 2024: Olympic Valley, California. These workshops assist serious writers by exploring the art and craft as well as the business of writing. The week offers daily morning workshops, craft lectures, panel discussions on editing and publishing, staff readings, as well as brief individual conferences. The morning workshops are led by staff writer-teachers, editors, or agents. There are separate morning workshops for Fiction and Narrative Nonfiction/ Memoir. In addition to their workshop manuscript, participants may have a second manuscript read by a staff member who meets with them in an individual conference. During the week, a portion of our workshops is devoted exclusively to nonfiction. Memoir, narrative nonfiction, and essays are invited. Literary criticism and scholarly work will not be considered. Nonfiction applicants can use the same general form for submission. Application deadline March 5. (Put this on your calendar for next year)

Summer Camp in Illustration: Intensive Artistic Inspiration. July 10 -13, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. At the Highlights Foundation, “summer camp” is different than s’mores by the fire and hiking in the woods. (Though we do that, too.) Get away for four days at our Summer Camp in Illustration for inspiration, guidance, support, community, fun, creativity, and growth. Waitlisted.

Southampton Writers Conference. July 10 - 14, 2024: Long Island, NY. The conference features workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and publishing, as well as readings, lectures, and a master class series. Creative writing workshops are the heart and soul of the summer experience, meeting four afternoons or mornings throughout the session. Enrollment is limited to 13 lucky writers who have applied with writing samples. Those accepted have the privilege of sharing their work in an intimate, rigorous and friendly setting. 

Midwest Writers Workshop. July 11 - 13, 2024: Muncie, Indiana. Craft and business sessions, agent pitches, manuscript evaluations. MWW includes quality instruction by a faculty of authors, agents, editors, and specialists. Will be held online and in person.

Cascade Three-day Critique Workshop. July 12 – 14, 2024: Bremerton, WA. "Our Three-Day Critique Workshop is an opportunity for you to submit the first 4000 words of your novel, short story, or whatever project you are working on, for critique in a group of up to 8 peers led by an industry professional. This is a great way to polish up those first pages and first chapter. Submissions are due six weeks before the event via our Discord Channel. Registrants will receive login information a few weeks before submissions are due. There will also be one-hour workshops and panel presentations on craft, querying, the publishing industry, and more. Optional casual gatherings provide opportunities to get to know other writers as well as authors, editors, and agents." Proof of vaccination required.

Summer Camp in Writing: Create and Dream! July 14 -18, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Our Summer Camp in Writing is a time to find the kind of encouragement for your stories that only a generous mentor can provide. To find inspiration and support. To be with a community that understands the long process of turning dreams into books for children. To work 1:1 and fine-tune your words and pitches while you have some fun. Waitlisted.

Port Townsend Writers’ Conference. July 14 - 20, 2024: Port Townsend, Washington. workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as craft lectures, readings, open mics, and time to write. "The Port Townsend Writers’ Conference has been since 1974 at the wild heart of the thriving Pacific Northwest literary scene. With a focus on community and rigorous attention to craft, the Conference offers morning workshops, afternoon workshops, residencies, guided freewrites, and a vibrant readings and lectures series presented by vital, contemporary writers." 

Sewanee Writers’ Conference. July 16 -  28, 2024: Sewanee, TN. Faculty will give readings and provide instruction and criticism through workshops and craft lectures, as well as meet individually with participants to discuss their manuscripts. The Conference will offer five fiction workshops, four poetry workshops, and a playwriting workshop supported by two professional actors. In addition, a substantial number of literary agents will attend.

Writercon Retreat. July 17 - 21, 2024: Wagoner, OK. Join us for a five-day, small-group writing retreat at the 300-acre Canebrake Resort in Wagoner, OK, on Ft. Gibson lake. Our retreat group will have the resort to ourselves with paths to hike, a pool to enjoy, bikes to ride and much more! 

Saskatchewan Festival of Words. July 18 - 21, 2024: Moose Jaw, Canada. Workshops for all ages, reading sessions, concerts, film, panel discussions, interviews, music, theatre, a slam poetry competition as well as workshops and author readings.

Writing Heights Writers Conference. July 19 - 20, 2024: Fort Collins, CO. Workshops, seminars, speakers, entertainment, agent roundtables, pitch sessions, networking with authors and industry professionals. Will be held online and in person.

Northwestern University Summer Writers’ Conference. July 19 - 20, 2024: Chicago, Illinois. The conference is hosted by the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies MA in Writing and MFA in Prose and Poetry programs. Will be held online.

Imaginarium. July 19 - 21, 2024: Louisville KY. A three day annual event held in Louisville, Kentucky centered entirely around creative writing, including the worlds of books, movies, gaming, music, and comics/graphic novels. Imaginarium Convention features extensive programming content, with panels and workshops presented by over 150 professional guests covering everything from the craft of writing to various genres, industry-specific topics, publishing, and social media/publicity. The convention features a film festival with a full array of awards, a masquerade/costume contest, live music, gaming, an expo open to the general public, an awards banquet, a series of literary awards called the Imadjinns, and many more activities, creating a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere that is content-rich and ideal for networking, promotion and personal development. 

Mystery Writers Conference.  July 19 - 21, 2023: Corte Madera, CA. In this conference, mystery writers learn the clues to a successful writing career. Editors, agents, and publishers tell participants what they need to know to get published. Authors offer classes on setting, dialogue, suspense, point of view, and openings. They tell how to write about private eyes, amateur sleuths, and police protagonists, and how to create thrillers and historical mysteries. Panels of detectives, forensic experts, police, and other crime-fighting professionals provide information that allows crime fiction writers to put realism in their work. 

The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop Summer Writing Retreat. July 19 - 27, 2024: Budapest & Prague. The retreat offers participating writers of all genres and levels to work alongside award-winning authors and editors. Participating writers will hone their craft and expand their writing skills, while working on new or existing projects. Tuition is $3,875, which includes lodging in central Paris, creative writing workshops and writing seminars with our supportive and award-winning faculty8of writers and editors, and daily breakfast. Register by June 1, 2024. (Put this on your calendar for next year)

Napa Valley Writers’ Conference. July 21 - 26, 2024: Napa, California. While conference lectures and readings are open to the public, the heart of the experience — the daily workshop, with the opportunity to give and receive feedback on work in progress — is available only to participants. It’s through this intense process that new and established writers interact most meaningfully and forge the bonds that give the conference community life beyond the annual conference week.

North Carolina Writers' Network Squire Summer Writing Workshops. July 25 - 23, 2024: Greenville, North Carolina. The 2024 Squire Summer Writing Workshops (SW24) are three intensive workshops with accomplished instructors, a chance to share your work with other dedicated writers, and a unique opportunity to bond with writers from across the state and beyond.

Taylor's Professional Writers Conference. July 26 - 27, 2024: Upland, Indiana. Sponsored by Taylor University's nationally recognized Professional Writing major, this conference stresses tools and tips for getting your writing into print. You'll learn from professional writers and network with agents and editors who can take you to the next level in your writing.

Confluence-SFF. July 26 - 28, 2024: Coraopolis, PA. Located at the birthplace of the Ohio River, Confluence is Pittsburgh’s longest-running literary conference with a strong focus on science fiction, fantasy and horror. Award-winning authors, editors, artists and song-writers gather for three full days.

The Creativity Workshop in New York. July 26 - 29, 2024: New York, New York. "The Creativity Workshops take away the fear of writing and open the way to new ideas. They are especially helpful for writers in fiction, poetry, memoir, theatre and film to get over writing blocks. In our Creativity Workshop Retreats you will generate both new work and ideas for the work you are in the midst of creating. We use many different techniques to help you find your way through the novel, essay, poem, memoir, or script you are writing or hope to write. In The Creativity Workshop you will be doing free writing, writing from guided visualizations, collaborative writing, journaling and memoir work and even some rudimentary drawing, collage and photography."

Willamette Writers Conference. July 31 - August 1, 2024: Portland, Oregon. Three full days of classes, workshops, keynotes, critiques, and events. There are also Master Classes with industry professionals in which you can learn from top instructors in a small group setting and many options for one on one critique, including On the Spot Critiques and Advance Manuscript Critique. As always, they will have a roster of agents, editors and film executives ready to hear about your project. Hybrid format.

Romance Writers of America. July 31 - August 3, 2024: Austin, TX. At the RWA Annual Conference, you’ll experience three days filled with education, career enhancement, and networking with your peers and industry professionals.

Whole Novel Workshop: An In-Person Retreat for Novelists (October). Apply by July 31. October 17 - 22, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. This intensive, transformative Whole Novel Workshop offers writers the rare opportunity to have the entire draft (up to 80,000 words) of a novel read by faculty, with detailed written feedback and two private consultations provided. Attention in an intimate setting makes this program one that guarantees significant progress in preparation for submission. 

9 New Agents Seeking Memoirs, Kidlit, Romance, SFF, Nonfiction and more

Gyamfia Osei ​Here are nine new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.
Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 
__________________________

Laurie-Maude Chenard of United Talent Agency

Born in China and raised in Québec and Massachusetts, Laurie-Maude studied Culture and Politics and Global Business at Georgetown University. After graduating, she worked briefly in advertising before joining UTA in 2021. She now lives in New York. In her free time, you can find her getting into street photography, roaming Prospect Park for the perfect sunny spot, and trying to turn any day into one spent by the ocean.

What she is seeking: Laurie-Maude Chenard represents clients in both fiction and nonfiction. She gravitates toward unique, voice-driven stories by writers from historically underrepresented communities, exploring themes of identity (and its fluidity), race, culture, gender, and sexuality. She’s drawn to contemporary literary and upmarket fiction with multifaceted characters navigating strong internal conflicts and complex relationships. She has a particular interest in coming-of-age stories, as well as psychological and speculative novels that blend wit and humor with emotional depth. Books she loves include AMERICANAH by Chimimanda Ngozie Adichie, TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin, MARTYR! by Kaveh Akbar, and THE IDIOT by Elif Batuman.

For nonfiction, Laurie-Maude is interested in deeply personal memoirs that grapple with larger issues such as CRYING IN H MART by Michelle Zauner, KNOW MY NAME by Chanel Miller, IN THE DREAM HOUSE by Carmen María Machado, and THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion. She’s also looking for narrative nonfiction and big idea books that get to the root of human behavior and help explain sociological trends and cultural phenomena in the realm of art, fashion, technology, health, work, and urbanism. One of her recent favorites is MONSTERS by Claire Dederer.

How to submit: Submissions should be emailed to laurie-maude.chenard@unitedtalent.com

Please include:

– The word “Query” in the subject line along with your the title of the book and your name

– A brief synopsis

– Your bio

– The first fifteen (15) pages from your novel or book proposal

__________________________

Francesca Riccardi of Kate Nash Literary Agency (UK)

Francesca has over fifteen years of experience in the publishing industry, starting at RNIB where she transcribed books into accessible formats for blind and partially sighted readers. She has since worked in sales and marketing roles at publishers Canelo, Atlantic Books, Constable & Robinson and HarperCollins.

What she is seeking: Francesca reads widely, especially across popular commercial genres, but is a particular fan of crime and thrillers, and loves a dogged detective or unusual sleuth. She also enjoys books about unusual family dynamics, toxic friendships and people keeping secrets.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.
__________________________

Priscilla Posada of Regal Hoffmann

Priscilla Posada joined Regal Hoffmann in 2024. She holds a BBA in Marketing from the Macaulay Honors College at the City University of New York and is pursuing an MFA in Writing and Literature from Bennington College. She brings fifteen years of interdisciplinary experience ranging from editing to publicity to her work as an agent. Priscilla enjoys reading literature from around the world and has translated two novels by the Argentine writer Pablo Katchadjian for Dalkey Archive Press. She spent 2013 and 2014 in Berlin studying under the writer Samanta Schweblin and happily reading books at the Ibero-American Institute. A native New Yorker, Priscilla enjoys the city’s arthouse theaters and, after working for the local distributor Icarus Films, remains devoted to documentaries where “nothing happens.”

What she is seeking: Priscilla is interested in literary fiction, lyrical nonfiction, anthropology, anything with an international bent, alternative medicine, and all things related to a spiritual practice. 

How to submit: To submit to Priscilla, please email priscilla@rhaliterary.com or submissions@rhaliterary.com.
__________________________



Bianca Gillam of Zeno Agency (UK)

I joined Zeno in 2024, driven by my passion for the expanding market for zeitgeist-y, compelling and addictive fiction — books and authors with an electric feel that cause ripples across social media and beyond. I formerly worked in Editorial, acquiring and publishing books across the spectrum of commercial fiction for Aria at Head of Zeus. I have also worked in sales at Simon and Schuster UK.

What she is seeking: Romantasy, Rom-coms with an edge, women’s fiction with a strong hook and deep emotional narrative (think Taylor Jenkins-Reid), atmospheric thrillers with a strong sense of place (think In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead). My primary focus is fiction, but I am open to a select number of narrative non-fiction projects, with a focus on stories that have particular relevance for young women (think I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy), or are so gripping they read like fiction (think Educated by Tara Westover).

How to submit: Read submission guidelines HERE. 

__________________________


Rory Clarke of Andrew Nurnberg Associates Ltd

Rory studied English Literature at Birmingham City University before going on to gain his Masters degree in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Warwick. He joined Andrew Nurnberg Associates in 2017 and assisted the Foreign Rights Agents for France, Germany, the Netherlands and Nordic territories. In 2021, Rory joined the UK department. Now an Agent, Rory is actively building his own list of fiction and non-fiction, which began with the sale of the debut book by Nadeem Perera and Ollie Olanipekun of Flock Together in a pre-empt to Gaia Books (Octopus).

What he is seeking: He is interested in a wide range of non-fiction from popular science, history, literary and cultural criticism, current affairs and nature writing. He is primarily looking for compelling, original stories from emerging experts with surprising and new takes on a subject. In fiction, he is drawn to voice-driven and story-led literary writing powered by strong ideas, evocative settings and a command of form.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.
__________________________


Ms. Gyamfia Osei of Andrew Nurnberg Associates Ltd

Gyamfia Osei joined ANA in 2023 as a Literary Agent in the UK department. She was previously an agent at The Good Literary Agency, where she began building her list of authors. Recent successes include a ‘significant’ 6-figure pre-empt for Busayo Matuluko’s YA debut ‘Til Death, a 5-way auction for Quiet Storm by Kimberly Whittam and the shortlisting of Ebinehita Iyere’s Girlhood, Unfiltered at the 2023 British Book Awards.

What she is seeking: At ANA, Gyamfia will focus on developing the agency’s list of children’s authors, including the representation of ANA’s international children’s authors into the English language, while also representing a bespoke list of commercial fiction and narrative non-fiction.

In the Children’s space, Gyamfia would love to find contemporary stories that are full of heart and joy-driven books that celebrate kids from underrepresented backgrounds (think Clare Weze, Kimberly Whittam and Elle McNicoll). Funny middle-grade and YA horror are currently at the top of her list and she is also keen to read more teen projects (think Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and Glow Up Lara Bloom) this year. She is very interested in finding a graphic novel or illustrated project for either MG or YA readers.

In the adult fiction space, Gyamfia enjoys well-plotted, fast-paced narratives with authentic characters who lodge themselves in her mind long after she’s finished reading (think Big Little Lies, Verity and Girl A). She’s open to a broad range of genres, but would be particularly keen to see cosy crime, contemporary romance and tightly plotted domestic noir. Please note that Gyamfia doesn’t consider literary fiction and, in the commercial space, she is not hugely interested in high fantasy, trauma-focused stories or particularly gruesome horror.

In the adult non-fiction space, she would be happy to consider commercial narrative non-fiction and cultural history projects (think Brit(ish), It’s Not That Radical and Everything I Know About Love). She is very open when it comes to Children’s non-fiction but would be particularly interested to consider unique cookbooks aimed at young chefs, books exploring mental health/wellness and projects that bring the experiences of marginalised children to the forefront.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

__________________________

Ms. Heather Osborn of Spencerhill Associates

Before joining Spencerhill Associates, Heather Osborn spent many years editing romance, science fiction, fantasy, cozy mystery, and women’s fiction for various publishers. The experience of working with both well-established, bestselling authors, as well as those just embarking on their careers has helped shape her skills working with authors at every stage in their publishing journey. One of Heather’s greatest joys in life is discovering an amazing new author, whether that be in a slush pile, or on a bookstore shelf, and she looks forward to building long-lasting relationships built on clear and open communication with her clients.

What she is seeking: Heather is interested in representing works of popular fiction, mainly concentrated on romance of all genres and sub-genres other than inspirational—with a particular interest in romantasy (and if there are dragons, all the better!), humorous contemporary romance, and paranormal romance—as well as fantasy (particularly cozy fantasy), urban fantasy, and science fiction with strong romantic elements.

How to submit: Please follow submission guidelines HERE.

__________________________

Ms. Gwen Beal of United Talent Agency

Gwen Beal began her career as a floating assistant in WME’s mailroom in 2016. She is now an agent in the UTA publishing group with a specialty in children’s literature, and represents a growing list of talent. She has omnivorous tastes and cherishes honest, collaborative working relationships with each of her clients. Gwen graduated from Trinity College in Hartford and lives in Manhattan.

What she is seeking: Gwen is actively signing authors and artists of books for young readers from preschool to young adult with an eye towards unforgettable voice and perspective.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

__________________________


Jamilah Ahmed of Barbara Levy Literary Agency (UK)

Jamilah Ahmed has worked in publishing for over fifteen years, as a Development Editor, Commissioning Editor, and most recently Literary Agent. Jamilah has had her own fiction and non-fiction published, as well as winning The Asian Writers Short Story Award in 2016, and the SI Leeds Readers Choice Award, 2016. She is also a Prize administrator for the Jhalak Prize 2019.

What she is seeking: Her remit at the Barbara Levy Literary Agency is to find new writers of fiction and non-fiction. 

How to submit: Submissions should be sent to submissions@barbaralevyagency.com

72 Calls for Submissions in June 2024 - Paying markets

Tony Alter: Flickr ​This June there are six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.











































I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.
Happy submitting!
(Image: Tony Alter: Flickr)
________________


The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2024.


Totally Entwined: Love at Second Sight. Genre: Novellas, 30,000 - 50,000 words. Theme: Second chance romance. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Green Writers Press. Genres: Poetry, fiction, short story collections, environmental essay collections, middle-grade and YA/teen fiction, artwork, and photography. Green Writers Press is an independent, Vermont-based publishing company, is dedicated to spreading environmental awareness and social justice by publishing authors who promulgate messages of hope and renewal through place-based writing and environmental activism. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.


The Wild Umbrella. Genre: Poetry, prose. Payment: €10 per poem and €25 per prose piece. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Ruth’s and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel. Genre: Stories about time travel. Word count must be between 500 and 4000 words. Payment: 1 cent per word for original stories or a flat $10 for reprints. Deadline: June 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. Theme: Gardens. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2024.


The Fires of Retribution. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with DRAGONS! Concept: We’re looking for a story that shows the struggle between man and beast. These aren’t Pete’s Dragon; these are vicious killers who would just as soon eat you as look at you. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Darkest Shadow, Brightest Light. Genre: Dark Fantasy. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Hellbound Books. Genre: Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Shivering Timbers! Genre: Pirate themed horror fiction. "Avast ye, scurvy seadogs! Within these pages there be swashbuckling zombies, petrifying privateers and bloodthirsty buccaneers hunting for cursed treasure in darkened coves. Come aboard and join our crew as we set sail on a chilling voyage across the kraken infested seven seas. Sharpen your cutlasses, raise the Jolly Roger and prepare to be terrified by tales of piratical peril. Arrr!" Payment: £20. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: $400. Deadline: June 1, 2024. See themes.
Air/Light. Genre: New and innovative works of literary arts across all mediums and genres including cross genre work. Length: Up to 4,000 words for prose, and up to 10 pages for poetry. Payment: Poetry: $50; Responses and department pieces: $100; Fiction and essays/nonfiction: $200; Visual art, music, and multimedia: $200. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Fires of Retribution Anthology. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with DRAGONS! Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Bannister Press. Genre: Fantasy. "We are seeking international short story submissions by writers who identify as women for an anthology with a focus on what it means to be on the outside looking in, or comfortably or uncomfortably out of step with the world(s) at large, and with a fantasy element (either subtle or writ large). The story can be visually focused, or character/narrative focused, as long as it leaves the reader thinking about the story long after closing the book." Payment: 8 cents/word CAD. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: June 2, 2024. Opens June 1.

Meanjin. Restrictions: Open to Australians. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $250 per poem. Deadline: June 3, 2024.

Utopia Science Fiction. Genre: Utopian science fiction. See theme. Payment: $0.04/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $25 for poetry. Deadline: June 4, 2024.

Profiles. Genre: Character-driven fiction and non-fiction — both original works and works in translation — under 5,000 words. Art. Payment: €200+ per piece. Deadline:  June 4, 2024.

Unleashed. Genre: Horror up to 10,000 words. Payment: $25 per piece. Deadline: June 5, 2024.

The Margins. Restrictions: Open to Asian American and diasporic poets. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 to $90 (USD) for original and translated poetry; the fee varies based on the number and length of poems. Deadline: June 6, 2024. Accepts reprints.


A Coup of Owls. Restrictions: Only submit if you are aged 18 or over and belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled people. Genre: Fiction, all genres. Payment: £5 - 15. Deadline: June 7, 2024. Closes when they reach their cap.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 7, 2024. 

805 Lit and Art. Genre: Short fiction, CNF, poetry, art. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 7, 2024. (?)
Mouthfeel Press. Genre: Poetry chapbooks, fiction novellas, and full-length nonfiction. Translations accepted. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 9, 2024. 

Samjoko Magazine is devoted to publishing "exemplary work from content creators around the world. Focusing mainly upon the written word, we hope to create an immersive digital and print platform that stands out for its honesty and desire to take risks for the sake of artistic expression. We have no set aesthetic, though different themes will be focused upon periodically." Payment: $20. Deadline: June 10, 2024.

New Words. Genre: Trans gender poetry. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 10, 2024. Reprints accepted.

Mslexia. Restrictions: Open to women. Genre: Fiction poetry, nonfiction. Payment: £25. Deadline: June 10, 2024. See themes.

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, "and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way.” Payment: $50. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Dracula Beyond Stoker. Genre: Fiction based on Stoker’s characters. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2024.


Propagule. Genre: Short stories that are intrepid with regard to experimentation and oddity; the strange, the surreal, the atypical, the unexpected. Payment: $30 (max). Deadline: June 15, 2024.


Bull City Press. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction Chapbooks. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: June 15, 2024
Underblong. Genre: Poetry, art. Payment: $20. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Baffling. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Length: Under 1200 words. See themes. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $0.04/word, up to $25. Deadline: June 15, 2024. See theme.
Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations. comics, photography. Payment: $75. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Nat. Brut. showcases the work of writers and artists who have been historically devalued or pigeonholed by art and literary institutions. "We publish work that has been buried, ignored, and disappeared from public consciousness. Equally, we seek work that comes from artists’ buried, ignored, and disappeared impulses and practices—the risky, the exploratory, and the potentially ugly." Genre: Short stories, poetry, CNF, comics. Payment: $30. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

The Offing: Insight. Genre: Creative nonfiction (usually personal essay) that centers one’s personal experience against the backdrop of art, literature, and culture. Insight essays generally fuse together two topics that don’t typically belong together, weaving—and investigating—what is perceived versus what is true. Ultimately, these essays explore the ways in which interacting with this aspect of culture or ideology changed you or made a lasting impression.. Payment: $25–$100. Deadline: June 16, 2024

Carcanet Press. Genre: Lives & Letters. Nonfiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 21, 2024. Proposals only.

Flame Tree Press: Myths, Gods & Immortals. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme: Circe. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 23, 2024.

Flame Tree Press: Myths, Gods & Immortals. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme: Anansi. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 23, 2024.

The Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy-tale inspired stories/poems. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 24, 2024.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $30 CAD.  Deadline: June 25, 2024. This is a monthly call.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: June 28, 2024.

Dragon Soul Press: Malice. Genre: "All crime (mystery, noir, suspense) stories are welcome. All genres are accepted." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

The Sprawl Mag. Genre: Speculative poetry, short fiction, and visual art. "Whether it is utopic, dystopic, magical, or sci-fi, we look forward to seeing your work." Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Silk and Sinew. Restrictions: Open to Asian and South Asian diaspora writers. Genre: Folk horror rooted in the experience of the Asian Diaspora. From lengths of muscle and vein, ground bones, endless ropes of sinew it is with our bodies folk horror is woven. Payment: 5 cents/ word. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

A Brood of Vampires. Genre: Short stories and poems with vampires as the main theme of the piece. Payment: £10. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Eerie River: The Earth Bleeds at Night. Genre: Horror. See theme. Payment: 5 cents per word. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Unicorn Press. Genre: Poetry collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.
Midnight & Indigo. Restrictions: Open to black women. Genre: Fiction, personal essays. Payment: 7 cents/word for fiction, $100 for essays. Deadline:  June 30, 2024.

Dragon’s Roost Press. Genre: 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. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: June 30, 2024. May close early is cap is reached.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Codhill Press. Genre: Poetry manuscript. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.


105 Meadowlark Reader. Restrictions: You must be a Kansas resident or have lived in Kansas at some point in your life. Genre: True stories about Kansas written by Kansans. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Poet Lore. Genre: Poetry translations. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Plenitude Magazine Restrictions: Open to Canadians. "Plenitude Magazine aims to promote the growth and development of LGBTTQI literature through an online publication of literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic narrative, book reviews and short film by both emerging and established LGBTTQI writers. We define queer literature and arts as works created by LGBTTQI people, rather than works which feature queer content alone." Genre: Fiction, CNF. Payment: $50 - $100. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Far Futures 3 – An Anthology of Deep Space. Genre: Speculative fiction. 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. Payment: ½ cent per word to a maximum of $50. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Worldsmyths: Dark Fantasy Short Stories. Genre: Dark Fantasy Short Stories. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Ofic. Genre: Short fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, art. "Send us your dead doves, your blorbos, your plinkos, your wretched meow meows yearning to be free; that thing you wrote that made you think, “I don’t know where this belongs”; the stuff you’d never show anyone you know IRL. Give us your shameless, self-indulgent smut; the manuscript to the video essay you dictated to your YouTube subscribers in your head; your thoughtful explorations of trauma and identity; your Pepe Silvia wall; your sci-fi, your fantasy, your romance, your realism. We want anything and everything. As long as you identify as a fan, we want to read your work." (Up to 12,000 words). Payment: Small honorarium. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Nothing Exists Alone. Genre: Full-length fiction manuscripts on climate change. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.


The Hudson Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews; criticism of literature, art, theatre, dance, film, and music; and articles on contemporary cultural developments. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: June 30, 2024. (Poetry only)

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Cat Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for first-person true stories and poems up to 1200 words that highlight the unique personalities that dogs have. Celebrate your dog, or a dog you know, with a wonderful story about what he or she does. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both." Payment: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dog Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for first-person true stories and poems up to 1200 words that highlight the unique personalities that cats have. Celebrate your cat, or a cat you know, with a wonderful story about what he or she does. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both." Payment: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2024. In celebration of Pride, there are no submission fees for LGBTQIA2+ writers in June. We are especially interested in trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming voices.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2024.


Fulcrum Publishing. Genre: Nonfiction works that explore conservation and stewardship, American culture, civics, and the American West. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Reprints accepted.
The Third Black Beacon Book of Mystery. Genre: Mystery short stories with an unforgettable protagonist and a clever puzzle to solve. Payment: $25 and $10 for reprints regardless of length, plus one print copy. Preferred word count between 3,000 and 9,000 words. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Reprints accepted.


Allegory. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Bamboo Ridge. Genre: All works by and about Hawaii's people. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Typehouse. Restrictions: In honor of Pride Month, no-fee submissions are open for all LGBTQIA2+/Queer writers, not limited to those from the US. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Variant Lit. Genre: Poetry, fiction, flash fiction, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Channel. Genre: Fiction, art, creative non-fiction, and poetry that engages with the natural world, and have a particular interest in work which encourages reflection on human interaction with plant and animal life, landscape and the self. Payment: €40/poem, and €50/page of prose up to €150. Deadline:  June 30, 2024.

AND A FEW MORE...

Thema: A New Routine. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: A New Routine. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: July 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: July 1, 2024. See themes.


Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2024.

Harbor Editions: Hybrid Chapbook Reading Period. Genre: Hybrid chapbook. Chapbooks should be around 20-50 pages. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2024. No submission fee for BIPOC writers.


It Came from the Trailer Park. Genre: Horror-comedy with the same feel as The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Shenandoah. Genre: Creative Nonfiction. Payment: $80 per 1000 words of prose up to $400. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity. 

64 Writing Contests in June 2024 - No entry fees

Pickpik This June there are more than five dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $50,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.
​
Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

______________________

The Questions Writing Prize. Restrictions: Open to young Australian writers (18 to 30 years). Genre: Fiction and nonfiction on any topic as long as the piece remains between 1,500 and 2,000 words. Prize: $3,000 AUD top prize. Deadline: June 1, 2024. 

The Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award. Genre: Works of fiction or nonfiction. Prize: $25,000. The award-winner will participate in a 2-3 day residency at Interlochen Center for the Arts in April 2025. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Dan Veach Prize for Younger Poets. Restrictions: Open to poets aged 18-23. Genre: Poetry. Prize:  $100 and publication in the Atlanta Review. Deadline: June 1, 2024.  

The PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature. Genre: Translation. Work-in-progress of a book-length translation of an Italian work of literary fiction or nonfiction into English. Prize: $5,000 grant. Deadline: June 1, 2024. 

The Africa Institute: Global Africa Translation Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to Translators in the Global South. Genre: Translations of works from the African continent and its diaspora, into English or Arabic. This is a non-residential fellowship. Projects may be retranslations of old, classic texts, previously untranslated works, poetry, prose, or critical theory collections. The project may be a work-in-progress, or a new project feasible for completion within the timeframe of the grant. Prize: $1,000-$5,000. Deadline: June 1, 2024. 

Cromwell Article Prize. Restrictions: Open to early career scholars. Genre: Articles published in the field of American legal history. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Novel Prize. Genre: Book-length work of literary fiction written in English. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: June 1, 2024. Biennial award.

The PEN/Heim Translation Fund. Genre: Book-length works of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama in translation. Prize: $2000 - $4000. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists. Restrictions: Candidates must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics, but have not generated sufficient income to support the author. Genre: Book-length children's or young-adult fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The PEN/Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History. Genre: Literary work of nonfiction that uses oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. Prize: $15,000 each. (Two prizes) Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Bard Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Open to a writer who is an American citizen aged 39 years or younger at the time of application. Genre: Published fiction book. Prize: $30,000 and a one-semester appointment as writer-in-residence at Bard College. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Peggy Willis Lyles Haiku Awards. Genre: Haiku. Prize: First Place - $200, and a miniature crystal turtle; Second Place - $100; Third Place - $50. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Defenestration. Genre: Short story including an incident of defenestration – the art or –ism of throwing people out of windows. It need not be literal. "This can be a sudden, immediate, even violent shift, change, or seismical event between the beginning and the end.” Prize: $75, two runner-up prizes of $30 each. Deadline: June 2, 2024.

Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards. Restrictions: Open to writers from Northern England who would like to work in television. Genre: TV writing. Prize: Mentoring support and a bursary worth £3000. Deadline: June 4, 2024.

Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest. Restrictions: Canadian high school, college, and graduate students. Genre: Short essay on "What would our Essential Scholars say about the world today?" Prize: CAD$1,500 in each age category. Deadline: June 5, 2024.

Spectator Comp No. 3353: Running on full. Genre: "You are invited to submit a poem about the dine-and-dash phenomenon (16 lines max). Please email entries to lucyATspectator.co.uk" Prize: £30. Deadline: June 5, 2024. 

Icelandic Festival of Manitoba Poetry & Short Stories Contest. Genre: Poetry and short stories. Length; 1200 words max. Prize: $50 - $125. "You do not need to be of Icelandic descent to submit an entry however material reflecting Icelandic culture and interests will be given preference." Deadline: June 7, 2024.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction based on their prompt. Length: 500 words max. Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: June 9, 2024. Opens June 7.

Ocean Awareness Youth Contest. Restrictions: Open to students in grades 6 - 12. Genre: Art, poetry, prose, film. "Use humor, positivity, irony, or other unconventional approaches that are not typically used in environmental communication to address the climate crisis. Think outside the tackle-box, beyond clichés, to create something that makes the topic of climate change and our oceans more approachable and accessible." Prizes: $100 - $1,500. Deadline: June 10, 2024.

Wyoming Creative Writing Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to Wyoming writers who are U.S. citizens or have legal resident status. Genre: Fiction, Poetry, CNF. Prize: $5,000 and an honorarium/travel stipend. One fellowship will be awarded in each category of Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Fiction, for a total of three fellowships. Applications are juried by noted authors, literary agents, or writing professionals from outside the state. Jurors may award honorable mentions. Recipients of the Creative Writing fellowships will share their work at one of Wyoming's literary conferences. Deadline: June 10, 2024.

Molly Keane Creative Writing Award. Restrictions: Open to Irish residents. Genre: Unpublished short story, maximum 2,000 words. Prize: €250 plus a course at the Molly Keane Writers Retreat. Deadline: June 14, 2024.

Baltimore Science Fiction Society Amateur Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to Maryland residents or students at a MD 2- or 4-year college, and not a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America or published in a professional science fiction/fantasy magazine Genre: Science fiction short stories. Prize: 1st place is $250; 2nd place is $100; 3rd place is $50. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award. Genre: High-quality picture books that resonate with readers of diverse backgrounds and experience. Diversity includes literal or metaphorical inclusion of characters of underrepresented ethnicity, religious background, gender identity, class, mental or physical disability, or any other nondominant populations. Prize: American Express® gift cards totaling $1,500, round trip travel to New York City, and the honor of a one-day mentorship with a Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’ professional children’s book design and editorial team. Submission will be reviewed for publication. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Norton Writer's Prize. Sponsored by W.W. Norton & Company. "The Norton Writer’s Prize will be awarded annually for an outstanding essay written by an undergraduate. Literacy narratives, literary and other textual analyses, reports, profiles, evaluations, arguments, memoirs, proposals, mixed-genre pieces, and more: any excellent writing done for an undergraduate writing class will be considered." Genres: Creative Nonfiction, Scholarly Essay. Prize: Three cash prizes of $1,000 apiece will be awarded in 2024 for coursework submitted during the academic year. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest for Young People. Restrictions: Open to people 25 years of age or less. Genre: Essay (max 700 words). Theme: “My Experience of Overcoming Conflict.” Prize: 1st US$840, 2nd US$420. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Towson University Prize for Literature. Restrictions: Open to Maryland writers. Genre: Book-length manuscript of fiction, poetry, drama or imaginative non-fiction. The work must have been published within the three years prior to the year of nomination or must be scheduled for publication within the year in which nominated. Self-published works will not be considered. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: June 15, 2024. See nomination form HERE.

International Wizard of Oz Club Annual Contests. Genre: Short Fiction, Art & Academic Nonfiction Research Papers. All work must be related to the world of Oz. Prize: $100 in each genre. 2nd Prize $50 in each genre. Deadline: June 15, 2024

Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Prize: $30. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

53-Word Story Contest. Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words based on monthly theme. Prize: Publication and a free book. Deadline: June 15, 2024. (Note: This is a monthly contest)

Penguin: Write Now. Restrictions: Open to UK/Ireland-based writers, for people from a background or community that is currently under-represented in UK and Irish publishing. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, and horror - all ages. Prize: A final group of applicants will be invited to join the year-long editorial program. Deadline: June 16, 2024.

Soho Theatre: The Verity Bargate Award. Restrictions: Open to UK and Ireland based playwrights. Genre: One-hour play written for stage. Prize: £8,000 and full production.  Deadline: June 17, 2024.

Solid Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to high school students. Genre: Essay (See site for topics.) Minimum number of words is 600 and maximum is 800. Prize: Scholarship of $1000. Deadline: June 19, 2024.

Young Scots Writer of the Year Award. Restrictions: You must be aged 11–18 to enter as an individual. Genre: Stories, poems, spoken word pieces, comics, videos or other pieces of writing. "We want to see it all, as long as it's in Scots and under 2500 words or up to ten minutes." Prize: £100 book token. Deadline: June 19, 2024. 

A Midsummer Tale Narrative Writing Contest. Genre: Non-genre fiction and creative nonfiction. Theme: Summer Olympics. Length: 1,000 words minimum; 5,000 words maximum. Prize: $35 - $50 Amazon gift card. Deadline: June 21, 2024.

Griffin Poetry Prize. Restrictions: One prize goes to a living Canadian poet or translator, the other to a living poet or translator from any country, which may include Canada. Genre: Poetry. Books must have been published in English during the calendar year preceding the year of the award. Prize: The winner receives C$130,000 and the other shortlisted poets each receive C$10,000. Deadline: June 21, 2024, for works published between January 1 and June 30, 2024.

Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: Books published between May 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024 must be received on or before June 21, 2024.

International EJCA Spring Haiku Contest. Genre: Haiku. Prize: $20 - $30. Deadline: June 22, 2024.

Write the World Competitions. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Essay: Open a Window. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: June 24, 2024. (Note: This is a monthly contest.)

Grist: Imagine 2200. Genre: Short stories. "What we’re seeking: short stories that envision the next 180 years of equitable climate progress. Our mission is to make the story of a better world so irresistible, you want it right now." Prize: First, second, and third-prize winners will be awarded $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 respectively, and nine additional finalists will each receive a $300 honorarium. Deadline: June 24, 2024.

Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. No self-published works. Genre: Novel or short story collection. Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to the novel or short story collection published between  May 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024. Deadline: June 25, 2024.

Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Restrictions: Books must be English-language, first-edition trade books published by a Canadian press, written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Titles must be published between May 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024. Genre: Literary nonfiction including, among other forms, works of personal or journalistic essays, memoirs, commentary, criticism both social and political, history, and biography. Prize: Winner: $60,000; Finalists: $5,000. Deadline: June 25, 2024.

Writers' Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Open to Canadian LGBTQ+ writers. Genre: Debut book published between May 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: June 25, 2024.

Emmy Awards - Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award. Restrictions: Non-US citizens under the age of 30 only. Prize: $2,500, a trip to New York City, and an invitation to the International Emmy® Awards Gala in November. Deadline: June 26, 2024.

Faber Children’s: Faber and Andlyn BAME (FAB) Prize. Restrictions: Open to undiscovered BAME writers and illustrators; entrants must be of black, Asian or minority ethnic background, and UK- or Ireland-based. Genre: Text or artwork for children. Prize: £1,500 and £500 each for a writer and an illustrator. Deadline: June 28, 2024.

Hubert Butler Essay Prize. Restrictions: Open to European Union citizens aged 18+. Genre: Essay on theme ‘With narratives of conflict currently distorted by misinformation and the substitution of memory for history, what are the chances of reconciliation?’ 3,000 words max. Prize: First prize of €1,500 and two second prizes of €500. Deadline: June 28, 2024.

Marlborough Lit Fest Love Books Competition. Restrictions: Open to UK residents. Genre: Individual Poems, Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction. "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." Prize: Up to 300 pounds in each of three categories (13-15 years, 16-19 years, 20+ years). Deadline: June 28, 2024.

Storyhouse: Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $250 in any single year. First prize winners of previous contests, while ineligible for prizes in regular contests, can compete in this one.  Genre: Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200; Runners-up will receive $100. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. See themes. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: June 30, 2024. This is a monthly contest.

My Writing Journey. Genre: Essay on the theme: The best writing tip I’ve ever received. Length: 600 words. Prize: $200 (R2 000 or £100). Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Sargeson Prize for Secondary Schools. Restrictions: Open to students enrolled at a New Zealand secondary school and aged between 16 and 18 years. Genre: Short story, Length: 5,000 words max. Prize: First Prize: $10000; Second Prize: $1000; Third Prize: $500. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Sargeson Prize. Restrictions: Open to New Zealanders. Genre: Short stories. Length: 5,000 words max. Prize: First Prize: $10000; Second Prize: $1000; Third Prize: $500. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Drue Heinz Literature Prize. Restrictions: The award is open to writers who have published a book-length collection of fiction or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals of national distribution. Online and self-publication does not count toward this requirement. Genre: A manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Prize: $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Fountain Magazine Essay Contest. Genre: Essay on theme: Home. “Home” holds a special place in our lives. A large, luxurious mansion or a small, decrepit place, our homes are hard to replace with anything. Our earliest memories form inside its walls; we utter our first words and take our first steps there. Does everyone feel the same about home? Is it where you were born or where you earn your bread? Is home a physical place? In a world that moves faster than ever and is confined to small screens, how do perceptions about "home" change? Where is home for people who are forced to leave their homes? Where is your home?" Prize: 1st Place - $1,000, 2nd Place - $500, 3rd Place - $300, Two Honorable Mentions - $150 each. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

2024 BCSA Writing Competition. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction. See theme. Entries must deal with either (1) the links between Britain and the Czech and/or Slovak Republics, at any time in their history, or (2) society in those Republics since 1989. Entries should be in English and not more than 2,000 words long. Prize: First prize £400, second prize £150. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize is awarded to the author of the best first novel published in the previous calendar year. Restrictions: Only American authors publishing in English are eligible. Non-eligible books include short story collections, flash fiction, memoirs, biographies and books published solely in electronic format. Prize: $3000. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Digital Privacy Scholarship. Restrictions: You must be a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior or a current or entering college or graduate school student of any level. Home schooled students are also eligible. There is no age limit. You must also be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. Genre: 500- to 1,000-word essay about digital privacy. Prize: $1000 scholarship. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

The Lindisfarne Crime Prize. Restrictions: Residents of the North East of England, or whose work celebrates the North East of England. Genre: Crime short story of up to 10,000 words. Prize: £2500.  Deadline: June 30, 2024.

L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest. Restrictions: Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment and at least 5,000 copies (or 5,000 hits for online publication). Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi or Horror. 17,000 words max. Prize: $1,000 1st Prize awarded each quarter; one of those winners also receives the $5,000 annual "Golden Pen Award" grand prize. 2nd Prize $750, 3rd Prize $500. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Utah Division of Arts and Museums Original Writing Competition. Restrictions: Open to Utah writers. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $1,000 top prizes for book-length manuscripts of novels, creative nonfiction & history, collection of poetry or short stories, and juvenile book; $300 top prizes for individual poems, short stories, and personal essays. 2nd Prize $500 for the book-length categories, $150 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Eden Mills Teen Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to Canadian teens. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Two $50 prizes, two $25 prizes. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to women (including trans and nonbinary women) age 18+.  Genre: Nonfiction essay, 1200 words max, on images. See website for details. Prize: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Last Stanza Poetry Journal. Genre: Poetry. Prize: A single $100 award will be given for an outstanding poem. Deadline: June 30, 2024. See theme.

Washington State Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers. Genre: Published book, fiction, nonfiction, poetry: adults or children. Prize: Recognition (?) Deadline: June 30, 2024 (for books published Jan. 1-May 31, 2024).

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

53 Great Writing Conferences and Workshops in June 2024

This June there are more than four dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year. 

(Image: Squam Lake, NH: Chuck Taylor, Flickr)
______________________

Sundress Academy: Summer Poetry Writing Retreat. June 1 - 2, 2024: Via Zoom. All SAFTA retreats focus on generative writing, and this year’s retreat will also include the following craft talk sessions: “Let’s Talk About Prose Poems” and “Third Space Grief: The (Written) Performance of Intersectional Mourning.” The event will be open to poets of all backgrounds and experience levels and provide an opportunity to work with many talented authors and poets from around the country, including workshop leaders Amorak Huey, Sarah A. Chavez, and keynote speaker Barbara Fant. The total cost of attendance is $75.

Yale Writers' Conference. June 1 - 8, 2024, on campus, June 9 - 15, virtual: New Haven, CT. The Yale Writers’ Workshop brings together the experience and expertise of leading teachers, authors, editors, agents and publishers in a series of panels and workshops, for the benefit of writers the world over. We are offering three sessions (one on campus and two remote) that will enhance the writing skills of any serious writer. Our faculty provides unique, tailored, and transformative experiences to all participants. Will be conducted online and in person. 

Lit Camp. June 2 - 7, 2024: Bell Valley Retreat Center and the Boonville Hotel in Mendocino County, California. The conference features workshops, panels, and craft talks for fiction writers and creative nonfiction writers. Part writing retreat, part MFA-style intensive, our spring conference focuses on the craft of writing. Over the course of the five days, you will have plenty of uninterrupted time to write...because one of the best ways to get better at writing is to sit down and write. There will also be prompted free writing sessions to motivate and inspire you, as well as daily afternoon master classes taught by some of the most accomplished writers and instructors in publishing. Registration is limited to 23 participants. Application Deadline: March 15, 2024.

Odyssey Writing Workshop. June 5 and August 14, 2024. (6 weeks and 12 weeks, respectively) Since its inception in 1996, Odyssey has become one of the most highly respected workshops for writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Will be held online. Deadline March 27.

Clarksville Writers Conference. June 5 - 7, 2024: Clarksville, TN. Two days of writing workshops and presentations, a keynote banquet with the authors, and manuscript consultations.

The Creativity Workshop in New York. June 6 - 9, 2024: New York, New York. "The Creativity Workshops take away the fear of writing and open the way to new ideas. They are especially helpful for writers in fiction, poetry, memoir, theatre and film to get over writing blocks. In our Creativity Workshop Retreats you will generate both new work and ideas for the work you are in the midst of creating. We use many different techniques to help you find your way through the novel, essay, poem, memoir, or script you are writing or hope to write. In The Creativity Workshop you will be doing free writing, writing from guided visualizations, collaborative writing, journaling and memoir work and even some rudimentary drawing, collage and photography."

Nebula Conference. June 6 - 9, 2024: Pasadena, CA. SFWA members and other individuals who are interested in the field of science fiction and fantasy are welcome to attend SFWA’s Nebula Conference. Attendees may participate in workshops, programming and special events throughout the weekend. You do not need to be a member of SFWA to attend. 

Squam Writes Retreat. June 6 - 9, 2024: Squam Lake, New Hampshire. The Squam Writes Retreat is a small group retreat for experienced fiction writers. We focus on craft with an eye toward publication. We offer opportunities for feedback and plenty of time to write, make new friends, and recharge creative batteries in a beautiful New Hampshire lakeside setting. Every participant receives a one-on-one critique with an agent or editor. 

The 2024 Writers' Police Academy. June 6 – 9, 2024: Green Bay, WI. "Killer Con offers a unique opportunity for attendees to participate in many of the same hands-on training classes---basic and advanced---taught to homicide and crime scene investigators. This special event takes attendees on a detective’s journey, from the discovery of a body and subsequent 911 call, collection and processing of evidence, and the various stages of the investigation, to the apprehension and arrest of a murderer. These incredibly exciting cutting-edge sessions have been typically reserved for investigators and forensics professionals ... until now."

Indiana University Writers’ Conference. June 6 - 9, 2024, Indiana University in Bloomington. Each summer, the conference invites gifted writers of fiction, poetry and nonfiction to teach workshops and craft classes over the course of four days. The workshops consist of three-hour sessions held each morning in which students exchange manuscripts and offer feedback on the work of their peers under the guidance of their instructor. At the end of each day’s workshop, students are invited to lunch talks where the faculty discuss their publishing experiences and answer questions from attendees. The afternoons are comprised of three, one-hour classes led by additional faculty on topics ranging from story structure and the ethics of writing nonfiction to crafting compelling images in poems. Each evening is capped off by a reading and from conference faculty.

Sundress Academy: Trans/Nonbinary Writing Retreat. June 7th- 8th, 2024: Via Zoom. All SAFTA retreats focus on generative writing, and this year’s retreat will also include the following craft talk sessions: “Elegies for Past Selves” and “Writing Together: On the Poetics of Citation.” The event will be open to trans and nonbinary writers of all backgrounds and experience levels and provide an opportunity to work with many talented authors and poets from around the country, including workshop leaders Evelyn Berry and Aerik Francis, and keynote speaker Ching-In Chen. Cost $75.
​
West Virginia Writers Conference. June 7 - 9, 2024: Cedar Lakes, West Virginia. Author readings, contests and sharing your love of writing with others.

Tinker Mountain Writers’ Workshop. June 9 - 13, 2024: Roanoke, Virginia. "In our manuscript workshops, capped at 10, you will distribute manuscripts in advance, prepare comments for your colleague’s submissions, and gather each morning to share insights and gain inspiration on the best path to advance your writing. You’ll receive critical feedback from peers and your faculty mentor and learn what other writers are working on as well. Our write-now workshops, capped at 12, allow you to immerse yourself in the craft of writing without the pressure of preparing or reading manuscripts. Through daily reading, writing exercises, and prompts, you’ll write both in class and during the afternoon to generate new work over the course of each day, dedicating as much time as possible to your own new writing. In our tutorial (a new offering this year!), you will submit work in advance to your faculty mentor, and then meet one-on-one three times during the week in 30-minute sessions. You will get an individualized reading list and extensive writing prompts to help you continue your work throughout the week."

Interlochen Writer’s Retreat. June 9 - 14, 2024: Interlochen, Michigan. Nestled deep in the woods between two lakes, Interlochen College of Creative Arts' five-day Writers Retreat is a true writer's dream. Spend your days writing new material, attending presentations by award-winning faculty, and enjoying lakeside lunches and evening readings while making friends and connections in the literary world. Select your concentration from four unique courses, each grounded in different craft concepts  with an emphasis on generating new work—appealing to both advanced and beginning writers alike.

The Santa Barbara Writers Conference. June 9 – 14, 2024: Santa Barbara, Calif. "Every summer, writers in many genres from around the world gather to participate in a magical week of intensive work focused on story, voice, craft, marketing, and networking with fellow writers and publishing professionals."  

Juniper Summer Writing Institute. June 9 - 15, 2024: Amherst, MA. Daily workshops in poetry, fiction, & nonfiction; interactive craft sessions that include discussions & writing exercises; evening readings by faculty & writers-in-residence. Workshops and craft sessions are led by MFA candidates from the renowned University of Massachusetts MFA Program for Poets and Writers who design curricula especially for the Institute setting. 

Idyllwild Arts Summer Program for Children & Teens. June 9  - 15, 2024: Idyllwild, California. The Summer Program will offer workshops for all ages and abilities on our picturesque mountain campus. The tradition of gathering an impassioned community of artists during the summer months in Idyllwild dates back over seven decades and has served generations of musicians, painters, writers and performers in a variety of disciplines including dance and theatre. Join us in discovering the magic of an Idyllwild Arts summer, and explore your creativity in an inspiring setting with an enthusiastic community of students, faculty and staff. Residential options exist for adults and students aged 10 and up.

Naropa Summer Writing Program. June 9 - 29, 2024: Boulder, CO. Summer Writing Program of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University. (See site for individual classes)

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers. June 10 - 14, 2024: Draper, Utah. A week-long conference filled with hands-on workshops where the faculty work WITH you on your manuscript. As a participant of a five-day workshop, you get free feedback from an agent or editor on your writing, opportunities to network with like-minded writers, and five days of afternoon breakout sessions filled with dozens of craft-specific topics designed especially for kidlit authors.

Bread Loaf Environmental Writers' Conference. June 11 - 17, 2024: Ripton, VT. The Bread Loaf Orion Environmental Writers' Conference is a week-long writers’ conference designed to hone the skills of people interested in producing literary writing about the environment and the natural world. The conference is co-sponsored by the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Orion magazine, and Middlebury College’s Environmental Studies Program. 

Bread Loaf Translators' Conference. June 11 - 17, 2024: Ripton, VT. The Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference includes workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as lectures, craft classes, meetings with editors and agents, and readings by faculty and guests. 

Sundress Academy for the Arts: From Selfie to Poetry: Writing the Self-Portrait Poem. June 12, 2024: Online. In this generative workshop, we will explore the self-portrait poem and what it means to explicitly make the self—as messy and resistant to definition as it is—the subject of our poems. We’ll take inspiration from visual arts as well as contemporary poetry to draft new work and expand our poetic selves.

Working Retreat: Spark Inspiration with Meditation and Creative Play. June 15 -18, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Join Kekla Magoon and Laurie Calkhoven for a retreat built to spark creativity through meditation and creative play, and then give you time to harness that spark in your own projects. 

Martha’s Vineyard Summer Writers’ Conference. June 16 - 21, 2024: Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. "The Martha’s Vineyard Summer Writers’ Conference brings together writers from around the world with the central belief that we can all learn from one another.  Our program offers week-long classes on the craft of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, evening readings, panel discussions, and individualized manuscript sessions. Attendees study with award-winning Visiting Authors & Poets and celebrate writing on the beautiful island of Martha's Vineyard. For those interested in individualized feedback, we offer Manuscript Sessions with our Visiting Authors and Poets. These one-on-one sessions allow attendees to get individualized feedback on their works-in-progress as well as advice on how to seek publication."  

Orion Environmental Writers’ Workshop. June 16 - 21, 2024: The Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. This program is for writers who want to learn how to write an Orion essay, short story, or poem; for writers who seek to become better advocates for the environment through their writing; for poets who are drawn to writing about nature and culture; for teachers and scholars who wish to write for a more general readership; and for environmental professionals who want to bring better writing skills to bear on their work. The program will feature small writing workshops dedicated to poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as faculty readings and lectures, student readings, and presentations on publishing.

Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshops. June 16 – 21, 2024: Gambier, Ohio. At Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshops, talented high school students from around the world join a dynamic and supportive literary community to stretch their talents, discover new strengths, and challenge themselves in the company of peers who are also passionate about writing. Application deadline: April 15. Online.

Chesapeake Writers' Conference at St. Mary's College of Maryland. June 16 - 22, 2024: St. Mary's City, Maryland. "Join us on Maryland’s Western Shore-for the 8th Annual Chesapeake Writers’ Conference for a week of craft talks, lectures, panel discussions, and readings, as well as daily workshops in fiction, poetry, screenwriting, translation, songwriting, or creative nonfiction.

Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp & Speculative Fiction Writing Retreat. June 16 - 22, 2024: Racine, Wisconsin. The Bookcamp offers morning instruction, an afternoon editing clinic, group critique sessions, discussions on the current publishing industry, one-on-one consultations with our staff, pitch sessions with literary agents and acquisition editors, and presentations on writing or publishing topics. Separate tracks for speculative fiction, and all genres.

Christopher McKitterick Speculative Fiction Writing Workshop. June 16 - 28, 2024: Lawrence, Kansas. Learn how to write SF that sells. Using the short-story form, we help you master the elements that create great stories. Since 1985. This annual two-week residential writing workshop helps established writers grow their skills while helping those who have just begun to publish or who need the final bit of insight or skill to master the elements that create great stories readers love and editors want to buy. Become part of a writing community: Award-winning author, SF scholar, long-time director of James Gunn's original SF research center, and Ad Astra SF Institute Director Christopher McKitterick has led this workshop since 2010, and served as guest author in James Gunn's SF Writers Workshop starting in 1995. 

Clarion West Summer Writers Workshop. June 16 - July 27, 2024: Seattle, Washington. "The six-week workshop can give you time away from everyday distractions and encourage you to experiment and take artistic risks. The critique sessions are the heart of the workshop: you learn not only by receiving critiques, but by reading others’ work and constructing your own critiques. Instructors work directly with attendees to present group critiques of newly written stories, participate in discussions about writing techniques or professional concerns, and hold individual or small-group conferences. Throughout the entire experience, the Clarion West Workshop staff is present to help guide participants and facilitate an inclusive environment." Closed.

Fine Arts Work Center Summer Workshops (poetry, fiction, visual art, and creative nonfiction). June 16 - August 16, 2024: Provincetown, Massachusetts. "This year, we have lined up 65 extraordinary workshops in visual arts and creative writing over the course of nine weeks. We’ve brought together an outstanding group of instructors that includes many esteemed faculty members, along with many faces who are new to FAWC. We are confident that this dynamic combination of new and familiar faces will help create an inspiring atmosphere at FAWC that will invite students to take creative leaps." Housing is available at nearby guesthouses and inns; limited campus housing is available on a first-come, first-served basis. See individual workshops for dates.

Community of Writers at Squaw Valley: Poetry Workshop. June 17 - June 23, 2024: Olympic Valley, California. "We work together to create an atmosphere in which everyone might feel free to try anything. In the mornings we meet in workshops to read to each other the work of the previous twenty-four hours; each participant also has an opportunity to work with each staff poet. In the late afternoons we gather for a conversation about some aspect of craft. On several afternoons staff poets hold brief individual conferences." Registration deadline: March 10.

Kwame Alexander Writers’ Lab & Conference. June 18 - 21, 2024: Chautauqua, New York. In addition to opportunities to take two Master Classes with well-renown faculty writers in a selected genre track, attendees can also experience an opening and closing keynote address, featured speaker events, mix and mingle events with publishers and agents, and panel conversations. All these features are included in the cost of Standard Registration. 

Western Writers of America Convention. June 19 - 22, 2024: Tulsa, OK. Children's, Fiction, Marketing, Non-fiction, Publishing, Young Adult. History presentations at the convention include Cats in the Old West, Border Wars/Law and Order, Mark Twain Literary Contributions, and more. Other sessions will take place related to the craft of writing, book marketing, and research sources and techniques.

Working Retreat: Writing for the Educational Market. June 20 -23, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Are you currently writing for the educational market, or would you like to learn how to produce content for educational publishers? Join us to discuss the opportunities welcoming writers into this kid-centered market.

Mountain Heritage Literary Festival. June 21 - 22, 2024: Cumberland Gap, TN. "Every year writers gather at the ancient and beloved Cumberland Gap to celebrate writing, music, and Appalachian heritage. Events include workshops, panels, readings, concerts, lectures, open mic, and more." 

Orion Online Poetry Workshop. June 21 - August 2, 2024. Online. "The Storytelling Animal: Nature, Language, and Self . This will be a gathering of people who want to build trust: in one another, in the process of writing, and in the greater-than-human world. Together we will read and discuss ecopoems/ecopoetry, write poems (with optional prompts), and dedicate attention to one another’s work through writing workshop. Our workshop will be attentive—oriented toward quality and depth of discussion—in order to build the kind of trust and community that make for honesty and risk-taking in poems. Each participant will have the opportunity to sit down with the instructor one-on-one in the second half of the course to discuss their poems and/or topics of the class. Throughout the course, we will frame and question the roles of language in relationship to the greater-than-human world, and will attempt to reach through the poems to that world. The duration: This course meets over six Fridays from 1-4 pm ET,  June 21-August 2 (skipping the week of July 12). Application period: April 1-20. 

New York Pitch Conference. June 20 - 23, 2024: NY, NY. The New York Pitch Conference and writers workshop is held four times a year and features publishing house editors from major houses such as Penguin, Random House, St. Martins, Harper Collins, Tor and Del Rey, Kensington Books and many more who are looking for new novels in a variety of genres, as well as narrative non-fiction. The event focuses on the art of the novel pitch as the best method not only for communicating your work, but for having you and your work taken seriously by industry professionals.

Bookstock Literary Festival. June 21 - 23, 2024: Woodstock, Vermont. Expect 50+ speakers, author signings, live music, workshops, exhibits, special events and a huge tent sale of 10,000-12,000 used & rare books. All events and workshops are free and open to the public.

Writers' League of Texas. June 21-23, 2024: Austin, Texas. "The WLT’s Agents & Editors Conference is one of the nation’s premier conferences for writers. Every year, we bring together nationally-known literary agents and book editors and other industry professionals with writers at all stages of the writing process for a weekend of conversation and community around the craft of writing and the practical steps toward publication. For writers with finished manuscripts, the conference’s one-on-one consultations with agents and editors offer a unique opportunity to pitch their work directly to publishing professionals. For writers working toward a completed manuscript, the conference’s genre meet-ups, panels, presentations, and general sessions offer an abundance of useful information and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere for informal chats with agents, published authors, and fellow writers from all genres and backgrounds."

The 2024 Writing Workshop of Chicago. June 22, 2024: Chicago, IL. This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at the Congress Plaza Hotel. In other words, it’s one day full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We’ll discuss your publishing opportunities today, how to write queries & pitches, how to market yourself and your books, what makes an agent/editor stop reading your manuscript, and more. No matter what you’re writing — fiction or nonfiction — the day’s classes will help point you in the right direction. Writers of all genres are welcome.

Hedgebrook: Virtual Radical Craft Retreat with Claire Dederer. June 22 - 26, 2024: Whidbey Island, WA. "Radical Craft Retreats combine Hedgebrook's retreat experience with the unique opportunity to  study with an experienced and celebrated instructor. Participation in each class is limited, to ensure individual attention, and create an intimate, supportive writing community."

Working Retreat: Poetry and Poetry Anthologies. June 23 - 26, 2024: Boyds Mills,PA. Join us for this Working Retreat if you are a poet looking for inspiration and time to work; have a poetry collection in progress and want to get it submission-ready; would like to place your work in poetry anthologies; or want to learn more about opportunities in writing poetry for children.


Aspen Summer Words. June 23 - 28, 2024: Snowmass Village, Colorado. Workshops, panels, and readings in fiction and creative nonfiction, as well as opportunities to meet with agents and editors. "Aspen Summer Words is the Rocky Mountain gateway to the literary world. Recognized as one of the country’s pre-eminent literary conferences, Summer Words welcomes visitors and locals alike to celebrate writing and writers in Aspen for a week each June. The exceptional faculty and awe-inspiring mountain scenery combine to make this a writing retreat like no other."

New York State Summer Writers Institute at Skidmore College. June 23 - July 20, 2024: Saratoga Springs, NY. Since 1987, the Institute has been offering students the opportunity to learn from an extraordinary faculty of distinguished writers led by director Robert Boyers. The program is an offshoot of the New York State Writers Institute created by Albany native and Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy. The curriculum is designed for college-aged students and adults, and the new virtual format will retain many of the Institute’s hallmark features:Creative writing workshops in poetry, fiction and non-fictionSmall classes that offer individualized attention and workshop student writingsPublic readings and afternoon Q & A sessions with world-renowned guest writersPrivate tutorial sessions for student fiction manuscripts, book-length poetry, or non-fiction (available for an additional fee)Option to enroll for one-week, two-week, or four-week sessionsOptional undergraduate credit for eligible students enrolled in one genre for four weeksMerit Scholarships for tuition​
Kenyon Review Writers Workshops. June 24 - 29, 2024: Gambier, Ohio. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction led by an accomplished faculty. Genre workshops (Fiction, Literary Nonfiction, and Poetry) are held for three hours each morning. Online. Applications close April 12, 2024.

Stonecoast Writers’ Conference. June 24 - 29, 2024, Portland, ME. "Your conference experience centers around the workshop. In these classes, your work (and the work of your peers) serves as the primary text. Faculty focus on providing constructive criticism that can help you unlock your writing. Class discussions provide opportunities to discuss theories and practical application of writing craft. Each instructor adapts their class to reflect the interest and abilities of the students. Generative writing exercises ensure that you’ll have threads of new work to follow after the conference ends. This summer we are offering two distinct workshop classes: Fiction and CNF/Memoir. Each workshop is limited to ten students.

Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference. June 24 - 29, 2024: Bemidji, Minnesota. The Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference is thrilled to announce our 2024 teaching writers: Kazim Ali (Hybrid Poetry & Prose), Nicky Beer (Poetry), Valerie Miner (Fiction), Lia Purpura (Creative Nonfiction), and Sun Yung Shin is offering a speculative nature writing workshop (Multi-genre). They will each offer an intensive four-day writing class beside the lake at Bemidji State. Danez Smith will be our Northwoods Visiting Writer.

Fordham University Retreat. June 26 - 30, 2024: New York City. "In order to help mentor the next generation of Asian American writers, Kundiman sponsors an annual Retreat in partnership with Fordham University. During the Retreat, nationally renowned Asian American poets and writers conduct Master Classes and manuscript consultations with fellows. Readings, writing circles and informal social gatherings are also scheduled. Through this Retreat, Kundiman hopes to provide a safe and instructive environment that identifies and addresses the unique challenges faced by emerging Asian American writers." 

David R Collins Conference Faculty & Workshops. June 27 - 29, 2024: Rock Island, IL. Daily workshops, critiques, pitches, evening events, keynote. 

In Your Write Mind Workshop. June 27 - 30, 2024: Greensburg, Pennsylvania. This is an annual, alumni-run writers workshop. It features writing-related classes, agent pitch sessions, a book signing, and other special events. Open to the public.

Chuckanut Writers Conference. June 28 - 29, 2024: Bellingham, Washington. Writers conference that includes speakers, panels, breakout sessions, authors' readings, reception with authors, pitch sessions with literary agents, book signings, open mic for attendees. Autobiography/Memoir, Children's, Fiction, Nature, Non-fiction, Poetry, Publishing. 

Colrain Classic. June 28 - July 1, 2024. "The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3-day conference designed for poets with manuscripts in progress. The Classic features in-depth pre-conference work and candid, realistic evaluation and feedback from nationally-known poets, editors and publishers. In preparation, participants work at home on pre-conference assignments and then, in the workshop, review, arrange, and winnow their work based on the pre-conference work. In addition to the manuscript preparation workshop, manuscript workshop and editorial sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session." On Zoom.

9 Established Agents Actively Seeking Kidlit, Historical Fiction, Genre Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir and more

Sabhbh Curran Here are nine established literary agents actively seeking clients. All of them work with respected literary agencies and have good track records. They are looking for all genres of fiction as well as nonfiction.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 
____________________________


Ms. Sabhbh Curran of Curtis Brown Group, Ltd. (UK)

Before joining Curtis Brown in 2018, I was the Literary Assistant at Sheil Land Associates. Prior to that I studied for a Masters in Renaissance literature at Cambridge. 

What she is seeking: In non-fiction, I’m particularly keen to hear from chefs, mixologists and food writers but I am also interested in narrative non-fiction, history, travel writing, current affairs, popular science, psychology, MBS, fashion and popular culture. I would like to hear from non-fiction writers, journalists and activists. I have a real soft spot for anything related to art or art history, whatever the genre.

In fiction, what I look for is well-crafted and stylish prose, complex characterisations and probably at least a hint of darkness: obsessive friendships and relationships; loneliness; trauma; dysfunctional families; the strangeness of urban life. I’m also drawn to beautifully written, researched and evoked historical fiction.

How to submit: Please email a short synopsis and a three-chapter excerpt for fiction, or a concise proposal for non-fiction to sabhbh.curran@curtisbrown.co.uk.
____________________________


Zoe Sandler of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

Prior to joining SJGA, Zoe spent over 11 years at ICM (now CAA), first as a royalties assistant, then after apprenticing with a literary agent, she began representing her own author clients. She started her career in publishing at an academic press in North Carolina after graduating from McGill University with a joint BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies. Born in England, raised in California, Zoe is delighted to call New York home, where she and her family split their time between Upper Manhattan and the Catskills.

What she is seeking: Zoe represents a mix of adult fiction that could be classified as commercial yet unconventional (she especially loves when a novel takes her by surprise), and narrative nonfiction largely by female journalists who specialize in fields such as science, the environment, medicine, and untold women's history. Within children's, Zoe specializes in voice-driven middle grade that leans more literary, and the occasional picture book, especially those that have a strong message.

How to submit: To submit your work: please email zsandler@sjga.com
____________________________


Ms. Monica MacSwan of Aitken Alexander Associates (UK)

I started my career in publishing at Felicity Bryan Associates and Profile Books, and then went on to work in translation rights at United Agents and Aitken Alexander. Since 2020, I’ve worked in the books department as Emma Paterson’s assistant, as well as previously with Chris Wellbelove too. In my role, I have worked alongside them editorially on their books, including Assembly by Natasha Brown and Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein.

What she is seeking: In fiction, I’m drawn to tightly-plotted literary novels that have a clear intent and a command of form, such as Anna Burns’ Milkman, Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, Blindness by José Saramago or any book by Tayari Jones, Emily St John Mandel, Brit Bennett or Yaa Gyasi. I also admire novels that are funny and use wit to make sense of their frustrations with the world like Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters, The Topeka School by Ben Lerner, Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados, Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra and Fuccboi by Sean Thor Conroe.

In non-fiction, I like to read books by academics, critics and journalists who want to shift public discourse by putting forward a new framework for their subject of expertise. Good examples are Putin’s People by Catherine Belton, The Spirit Level by Richard G. Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, Revolting Prostitutes by Molly Smith and Juno Mac, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk and The Windrush Betrayal by Amelia Gentleman. I also enjoy reading non-fiction that mines the uniquely personal to reflect on much larger structures of power, such as In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, Free by Lea Ypi and Afropean by Johny Pitts. 
​
How to submit: Please follow submission guidelines HERE.
____________________________

Ms. Gaia Banks of Sheil Land Associates Ltd

I’ve worked in publishing for over 20 years: in translation rights at John Murray, then joining Sheil Land as an agent in 2004. For 17 years I looked after the translation interests of Sheil Land Associates' extensive and varied list of authors, and also acted as a primary agent. I became a primary agent full-time at the start of 2022. I take on one or two new writers a year, and when doing so look for projects with wide international appeal. 

Clients include; Neil Chapman, MacKenzie Common, Catherine cooper, Rachel Elliott, Michelle Frances, Jane Fraser, Kate Goldbeck, Janice Hallett, Felicity Hayes-McCoy, Charlie Hodges, Ann Featherstone, Julia Lee, Cas Lester, Robert J Lloyd, Jane Lythell, The Brothers McLeod, Paterson Joseph, Robert Rigby, Catherine Robertson, Eva Schloss, Sarah Sigal, Julie Soto, Fenella Smith, Sarah Steele, Laura Summers and Sue Teddern.

What she is seeking: I represent writing across the spectrum of fiction and non-fiction: at the moment I'm particularity interested in fiction and memoir which will ignite reading group discussions, and I'll always have a soft spot for a good romance.

How to submit: All book submissions should be sent via email to submissions@sheilland.co.uk. See details HERE. 
____________________________


​Mr. Piers Blofeld of Sheil Land Associates Ltd (UK)

I am a literary agent based in London with a wide range of clients writing fiction and non-fiction, literary and commercial. I am also a columnist for Writing Magazine, for a better sense of who I am check out my youtube channel.
Clients include Nadine Dorries, Professor Sir Graham Thorneycroft, Mungi Ngomane, Pizza Express, Cate Quinn, Paul Magrs, Tanya Sarne, Ingrid Seward, Robert Verkaik, The Secret Accountant, Charlie Hertzog Young, Jamie Thomson, Peter Stanford, the Rev'd Rachel Mann, Macer Gifford, Francesco Dimitri, Geraint Anderson and many others.

What he is seeking: Fiction: In fiction my first love is story. I love really strong commercial genre fiction that understands the expectations of the genre and delivers that in spades. In particular I love a good noir-ish thriller, spy fiction, gritty crime but also saga, romance and romantic comedy. At the less genre, more reading group end of the market, I love stories that take me out of myself and feel like something I have never read before.

Non-fiction: In non-fiction I am looking for strong narrative voices in memoir and history that help connect and root us to the world we live in as well a big ideas and smart thinking to make us feel less confused about the extraordinary times we live in.

How to submit: All book submissions should be sent via email to submissions@sheilland.co.uk. See details HERE.  
____________________________


Alex Kane of William Morris Endeavor

Alex joined WME in 2017. He represents bestselling and award-winning nonfiction and fiction. His clients have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, New York Magazine, The Paris Review, Harper’s, n+1, and The Baffler among others. He is based in Los Angeles.

What he is seeking: Nonfiction and fiction, and he is especially drawn to stories that have a strong social or political conscience.

How to submit: To query Alex with fiction, please send your query letter (including a bio) and the first ten pages of your manuscript in the body of the email. For nonfiction, please send your query letter. See his bio for contact information.
____________________________

Mr. Charlie Brotherstone of Aevitas Creative Management 

Charlie founded BCM in 2017 after working closely with Ed Victor, where he ran the film/tv and speakers departments as well expanding the roster of authors he’d been building at A.M Heath. Charlie’s list includes many New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellers, from musicians and celebrities to political scientists and food writers. As well as being an NYT bestseller, Joanne Molinaro’s The Korean Vegan Cookbook also won a James Beard Award, with fellow agency author Hannah Che’s The Chinese Vegan Kitchen winning in the same category the following year. Other clients include Farah Karim-Cooper, author of The Great White Bard (Viking US; Oneworld UK), screenwriter and novelist Nathan Newman (Viking US; Little, Brown UK), Stephen Bayley, Dan Hicks, George the Poet and Jessie Ware.

What he is seeking: Charlie Brotherstone represents adult fiction and nonfiction.

How to submit: Use his querymanager HERE.

____________________________

Ms. Ariella Feiner of United Agents, LLP (UK)

I started working at PFD in 2006 before moving to United Agents, and I now represent many bestselling, critically acclaimed, and award-winning authors across fiction and non-fiction, including Sunday Times bestsellers, Richard and Judy book club picks, and New York Times bestselling authors. In 2017, The Bookseller named me as a Rising Star.

I am always open to submissions and have found many hugely exciting authors that way. I adore the rush of being the first to discover new voices and the strategy of working with authors to shape their careers in the long-term.

What she is seeking: In fiction, do send me books with an exciting or unusual hook, an unexpected voice, uplifting novels which will make readers feel good in these uncertain times, those with a speculative or magical element, multi-generational novels, book club titles which explore big issues or have memorable characters at their heart, or where secrets come to the fore, stand-out twisty thrillers and crime novels including cosy crime. I would also love an epic tale such as Great Circle, historical fiction which reflects something of the world we live in now and a love story or commercial romance with a memorable concept or stand-out writing. I am very much on the lookout for more diverse voices and books which open conversations around important topics.

Recent fiction I've adored includes The Maid, Wrong Place Wrong Time, Great Circle, The Vanishing Half, Notes on an Execution, The List of Suspicious Things, Happy Place, Girl A, Lessons in Chemistry, How to Kill Your Family, Weyward, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, the Ruth Galloway series and everything by Taylor Jenkins-Reid.

Please do not send me sci-fi, YA, erotica, conspiracy thrillers or spy / army novels.

On the non-fiction front, do be in touch with exciting proposals showcasing expert-led ideas (such as Ultra-Processed People or Entangled Life), narrative memoir, nature writing, mouth-watering cook books and books with ground-breaking or unusual historical insights. Non-fiction which has stayed with me includes English Pastoral, Wild, Educated, Somebody I Used to Know, Wilding, The Salt Path and I Am Not Your Baby Mother.

How to submit: For submissions please email a synopsis together with either the first three chapters of a novel or a proposal for a non-fiction book to afeiner@unitedagents.co.uk.
____________________________

Sophie Scard of United Agents, LLP (UK)

Sophie Scard worked in Rights at Penguin Books before joining United Agents in 2013. 

What she is seeking: She is actively building her client list, and is looking for excellent writing of all types, fiction or nonfiction. 
​
How to submit: For submissions please email a brief cover letter along with a biographical note and the first 10,000 words of your text to SScard@unitedagents.co.uk

6 New Agents Seeking Kidlit, YA, SFF, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Romance, LGBTQ and more

Rachel Goldblatt Here are six new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 
__________________________


Ms. Rachel Goldblatt of Curtis Brown Group, Ltd. (UK)

I joined Curtis Brown in 2022 and am now an Associate Agent. I assist Jonathan Lloyd and am also actively building my own list. I am open to submissions and eager to find new writers. Working editorially with authors is one of my very favourite parts of the job and I am keen to hear from debut novelists.

What she is seeking: In terms of fiction, I’m particularly drawn to character and voice driven narratives that make me feel deeply and think hard about the world around us. If the writing is compelling, agile, atmospheric and intelligent I can fall for any kind of story, but I especially enjoy those that have a strong sense of time and place, are clear and bold in their intent and style and that interrogate what it means to be human. I love books that explore complicated or outsider characters, complex family dynamics, the domestic space, modern life, relationships in all forms, identity and the female experience. 

I want to read absorbing narrative non-fiction that challenges and broadens our perspective and offers a fresh take on or new approach to big subjects. I am especially drawn to literary biography and criticism as well as books about nature, art, history and contemporary social issues, and I'm always interested in extraordinary stories about real people or events. 

How to submit: If you would like to submit your work to me, please email rachel.goldblatt@curtisbrown.co.uk with your covering letter and a sample of your work (a synopsis and the first 10,000 words/three chapters of a novel or your non-fiction proposal).
__________________________


Davinia Andrew-Lynch of Curtis Brown Group, Ltd. (UK)

Prior to CB, I founded and ran boutique agency Andlyn and was formerly a film/TV agent. I also co-founded, in conjunction with Faber Children's, the FAB Prize which aims to discover unpublished children's writers and illustrators from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds (www.fabprize.org) 

A complete 90s child with a love of film and TV, I’ve been shaped by the storytelling of the time - big, bold and pacy but with characters you can't help but love.  I’m looking for stories that smack you between the eyes, capture your heart, make you laugh (no matter the story or genre) and genuinely reflect the world in which we live. Above all, I want to give writers and illustrators the space to tell the stories that they want to tell.

What she is seeking: I represent children’s/YA writers and illustrators across the genres, and a growing list of commercial adult fiction. 

How to submit: dalsubmissions@curtisbrown.co.uk
__________________________


James Farrell of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

James Farrell received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and a master’s degree from Bath Spa University. 

What he is seeking: His reading interests include literary and upmarket adult fiction, non-fiction, and, on occasion, science fiction. He is open to submission as an associate agent, especially seeking voices from underrepresented backgrounds.

How to submit: Please direct queries to jtf@cbltd.com with the first fifty pages of your manuscript or a full proposal in the body of your email, and include the title, genre, and “jtf query” in the subject line.
__________________________

Francesca Ali of William Morris Endeavor

Francesca joined WME in 2019 and is based in the London office. She sells UK rights for WME’s incredible array of US-based authors and is actively searching for new clients for her own list. She is editorially focussed and has a passion for working alongside authors from the conception of their idea to the final manuscript. 

What she is seeking: In fiction, Francesca is primarily interested in science-fiction, fantasy, and speculative works but is also looking for graphic novels, Young Adult, and Middle Grade titles. She enjoys a project with an expansive world that prioritises character at heart and leans literary in tone. Romance is a plus but should not be the driving factor of the narrative. High on her list is science-fiction that plays with form and takes the genre in new directions (like This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone and The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao). Any fantasy that will need a map at the front of the book and a glossary at the back will be immediately captivating! 
For Childrens’, she is looking for adventures that explore themes of growing up, and the ‘greyness’ of morality and villains. There always has to be an element of magic, whether in a fantastical or contemporary setting, but the less classroom antics the better. 

In non-fiction, Francesca is drawn to queer and neurodivergent stories, works that reframe historical narratives, and illustrated memoir. She is looking for writing that weaves the wider exploration of a subject with a personal and intimate lense.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.
__________________________


Morgan Wilson of Belcastro Agency

Morgan’s love for writing and books and was fostered from an early age by a grandmother that wrote them bedtime stories and taught them how to write poetry. As they grew this love evolved into devouring books faster than their bookshelves could keep up and writing their own stories in magical kingdoms galaxies away. With over a decade of work in classrooms across the Midwest, Morgan wants to uplift the stories that their students needed so that everyone can see themselves on the page using magic, finding love and defeating the bad guy. They are dedicated to being an agent for change in the publishing industry and working with marginalized voices so that every child and adult can experience the joy of a book that speaks to them.

What they are seeking: I am dedicated to supporting marginalized voices and focused on increasing the representation of those voices in the publishing industry. I am only open to receiving work from authors who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, ND, and/or DIS. Please note that I will not ask you to disclose your marginalization unless you feel comfortable doing so.

 I am open to the following age groups and genres:

In Both Adult and YA I am Looking For:
Fantasy: I am more interested in stories that break conventional western methods, however I am open to western stories written by historically marginalized voices.

I love most subgenres but in Adult my preferences lean towards cozy fantasy like Travis Baldree or Delemhach, blends like sci fantasy, romantasy or fantasy with horror elements and contemporary/urban fantasy like Whitney Hill.
I would also love to see queernorm fantasy worlds and accessible fantasies!

For YA Fantasy I would love to see more retellings, cozy fantasy and blends like sci fantasy and romantasy, or stories with strong horror elements.

I am not the best fit for epic fantasy at this time in either age category.

Science Fiction: I am more interested in stories that contain hard science, or extrapolations on current science. I love stories set in space or involve space travel, cli-fi, are blended with horror or set after an apocalypse. I would love some science fiction horror in the vein of Mira Grant.

Horror: I am interested in almost all forms of horror, but am not the best fit for hauntings or ghosts. I love monsters and sentient forests/waters/natural settings and things that are more psychological than physical.

Romantasy: I am most interested in sapphic romantasy or ones that involve trans/nonbinary MCs or LIs. I would love a YA version of Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J Tuli!

MG:
Fantasy I love all things fantasy with middle grade but would love to see dragons and other magical creatures set in our world, witches and magical schools with diverse casts!

Horror: I love all things horror in middle grade, but would especially love haunted houses/schools, monster hunting and sentient natural settings!

Graphic Novels: I am also open to graphic novels especially if they are fantasy, science fiction or horror. Some of my recent favorites have been Lore Olympus and Mooncakes and I love manga-inspired art, but am not a good fit for noir art styles.

How to submit: Use their querymanager HERE. (Opens to submissions the first week of every month)
__________________________


Thais Afonso of Jennifer Azantian Literary Agency

​Thais is an Associate Agent with Azantian Literary Agency. Thais has eight years of experience in publishing between Brazil, China, and the United States. More recently, she interned at Writers House, where she honed her skills while supporting the desks of Amy Berkower and Johanna Castillo, and she was mentored by Jennifer Azantian before stepping up to the Associate Agent role at ALA. She intends to represent marginalized authors, and she's especially seeking to uplift BIPOC born and raised in the Global South. An Afro-Brazlian lesbian, Thais currently lives and works out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She helps care for her grandmother when she's not editing books and she's one of those terrible people who calls the gym her hobby (even though she currently doesn't go).

What she is seeking: In Adult Fiction, Thais is looking to represent Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Contemporary Romance, and Suspense/Thrillers. In YA, she's currently open to Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, and Supernatural Mysteries/Thrillers. She's predominantly interested in anything with a speculative bent. She's also especially keen on championing Queer voices in this space, especially BIPOC Queer voices. She does love Romantasy in YA and she welcomes all of it.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

85 Calls for Submissions in May 2024 - Paying markets

GoodFon This May there are more than seven dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

​I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.
Happy submitting!

________________


Cincinnati Review. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25/page for prose in journal. $30/page for poetry in journal. Deadline: Opens on May 1, closes when cap is reached.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Flash fiction, reprints only. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens May 1, 2024.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Flash fiction. Theme: Rural Fantasy. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens May 1, 2024.

Grumpy Old Gods Anthology: Grumpy Old Sherwood Genre: Speculative fiction stories. Theme: Robin Hood. "It’s open season on storytelling.  It means you can take whatever bits you like best of thousands of available tales, and twist and turn them however you like." Length: 3,000-4,000 words. Payment: A percentage of the profits. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

december magazine. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction (essays, memoirs, biography, literary journalism, social or cultural commentary or analysis) and visual art that can be reproduced in our print format. Payment: $10.00 per page with a minimum of $40.00 and a maximum of $200.00. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Bright Wall/Dark Room. Genre: Essay on theme: Spike Lee. "For our month of Lee, we’re seeking essays and voices tackling any and all of his films, his performances, his writings, his impact on cinema and culture.” Payment: $100. Deadline: May 1, 2024. 

Everyday Heroes. Genre: Contemporary Fiction. "In Honor of Mark Christopher Wagner the 2nd, we are looking for compelling and heartfelt stories centered around those who serve their communities. Stories of Firefighters, First responders, Law Enforcement, etc. Those Everyday Heroes who make a difference in the lives of their communities." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Vilas Avenue. Genre: Poetry on theme of “Impermanence." Payment: $25. Deadline: May 1, 2024.


LONG DIVISION: Stories of Social Decay, Societal Collapse, and Bad Manners. Genre: Stories of transgression, of the mechanisms behind what’s fraying the bonds that bind us. Payment: 10c/word for original short fiction (up to 5,000 words). Deadline: Opens on May 1, closes when cap is reached.

Cutleaf. Genre: Fiction. Length: Less than 6,000 words. Payment: $100 to $400. Deadline: May 1, 2024.
The Bombay Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, poetry, translated fiction/poetry and graphic fiction. Payment: Indian rupees 5,000 (approx. $61) per contribution. Deadline: Opens on May 1, 2024.

The First Line. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Seven Story Hotel. Genre: Interviews, essays, stories, poems, and artwork. 7SH explores the weird, esoteric, and outsider fringes of contemporary culture, art, and technology. Payment: $35. Deadline: May 1, 2024. or until filled. 

Caretaker Press: Back Into The Ground. Genre: Horror. “For the purposes of Back Into The Ground we seek spooky stories inspired by place, specifically, our home, the Pacific Northwest." Payment: $40. Open until filled. 

Whisper House Press: Costs of Living. Genre: Horror. Length: 500-4,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Open until filled.

Vault of Shadows. Genre: Short horror, weird, dark fiction between 3000 and 7500 words (not really a firm limit - the final product will be the comics script, not the short story), that can be adapted into a comic book script of 12 pages or less. Payment: $35 per page of the adapted script, up to 12 pages, paid via PayPal, and a print copy of the issue. Deadline: Extended submission window exclusively for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and other marginalized writers open April 16 - May 1, 2024.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 15 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Spellbinder: Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, art. Payment: £3. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Foglifter. Genre: Foglifter is a biannual compendium of  queer and trans writing. 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." Payment: $25. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: May 2, 2024. Opens May 1.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: May 3, 2024.

Pride Magazine: Infinite Horizons. Restrictions: Open to 2SLGBTQAI+ writers from across Canada. Genre: Short articles (300-600 words), and features (900-1,300 words). See theme. Payment: CAD 0.60/word. Deadline: May 4, 2024. Pitches only.

The Suburban Review. Genre: Prose, art, poetry on theme: Meet Cute. Payment: AUD150-275 for prose; AUD125-275 for poetry. Deadline: May 5, 2024.


Eggplant Emoji is an annual comedy publication. Genre: Eggplant Emoji Volume 3 will be a print and eBook collection of hilarious short stories that are character-driven and culturally striking. Stories selected for this anthology will define pop culture with unforgettable characters, outrageous situations, and riotous humor. Length: 1,000 – 7,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: May 6, 2024.
Unnerving Books. Genre: Horror. Length: 6,000-11,000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: May 6, 2024. 


Geist. Restrictions: Canadian connection required. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. Payment: $100 - $1000. Deadline: May 6, 2024. Geist offers no-fee general submissions for Black writers, Indigenous writers, and writers of color.

Hexagon. Genre: Speculative fiction short stories, flash fiction, poetry, graphic stories, and visual art, in English or French. Payment: $5 for accepted poetry and cartoons, 0.01$ per word for all short stories up to 7,500 words, $40/page for comics and $150 for cover art pieces. (Payment in CAD). Deadline: May 7, 2024. 

Abyss and Apex. Genre: Speculative fiction. No horror. Payment: USD $.08/word (eight cents a word) up to 1,000 words, and a flat payment of $80.00 for longer stories. Deadline: May 7, 2024.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: May 7, 2024. 

Island Magazine. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only. Genre: Fiction. Payment: 40 cents per word for print fiction, with a minimum of $700 and a maximum of $1500 and $200 per page, with a maximum of 6 pages for graphic narratives. Deadline: May 8, 2024.

Cursed Cooking: A Horror Community Cookbook and Food Horror Anthology. Restrictions: Extended submission window exclusively for writers of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other underrepresented groups: May 1 - May 10, 2024. Genre: Horror on theme: Food. Payment: 5 cents per word for original fiction works and 1 cent per word for reprints. Accepted recipe submissions will receive $5. Deadline: May 10, 2024. Reprints accepted.

Cordite. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Not specified. Payment is available for Australian contributors only. Deadline: May 12, 2024. 

Shooter. Genre: Fiction, poetry, CNF, art on theme of Nightlife. Payment: £25 per story and £5 per poem. Deadline: May 12, 2024.

Going Down Swinging. Restrictions: Open to writers in Oceania. Genre: Long short stories, mini-manifesto, chapbook collections, essays. Length: 6,000 - 10,000 words. Payment: $600. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

Island Magazine. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $175 per poem. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

Georgia Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, non-fiction. Payment: $50 per printed page for prose and $4 per line for poetry. Essay-reviews and standard reviews earn honoraria of $50/printed page. Deadline: May 14, 2024. Fee to submit online; no fee for postal submissions.

A Velvet Giant. Genre: "We are open to work that takes the shape of basically any format: words, recordings, visual art, hybrid forms, etc. We are open to translated original work." Payment: $20. Deadline: May 14, 2024. 

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review. Genre: Reviews of chapbooks coming soon or published in the past three years, essays on the crafts of poetry and chapbook making or publishing, and features about authors or publishers of chapbooks. Payment: $10. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Reader Beware. Genre: Horror. Payment: $0.01/word for fiction, $0.05/line for poetry, $5/page for comics. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

100-Foot Crow. Genre: Speculative fiction drabbles. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Talk Vomit. Genre: Non-fiction under 4,000 words, fiction under 2,000, and poetry just generally kept to a minimum. Payment: Fiction and nonfiction run in the $10-30 range; poetry in the $5-15 range. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Eat the Rich Anthology. Restrictions: Deadline extended for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, chronically-ill/disabled, and writers from other historically marginalized groups. Genre: Speculative fiction about billionaires being eaten. Payment: $.05 per word and a paperback. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Root Quarterly. Restrictions: RQ is a quarterly print-only journal of art and ideas from Philadelphia. Genre: Nonfiction, art. "We are publishing RQ in part because we’d like to promote regional arts and culture, makers, and entrepreneurs, be part of the national discourse on important issues, build a community of thoughtful people, and reclaim discourse from the highly-politicized, rage-stoking space of social media." See theme. Payment: $25 - $100 depending on the piece and its length. Deadline: May 15, 2024. Pitches only. 

The Lorelei Signal. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, and poetry with strong female characters. Payment: $15 for short stories, $5 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces, $5 for reprints. Deadline: May 15, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Honeyguide Magazine is a bi-annual magazine that features fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art, and blog posts about animals and their human neighbors. Payment: $25 for the story, $50 for art. Only pays for featured articles. Deadline: May 15, 2024. See themes.

Archive of the Odd. Genre: Speculative fiction, horror preferred. “Archive of the Odd is a zine of uncanny occurrences, told in even stranger ways.” They’d like a variety of time periods. Stories can be in any format, except traditional prose. Some of the suggested formats are: academic papers; technical writing; medication warning sheets; sales papers; newspaper articles; recipes; knitting/crochet/weaving/what-have-you guides; care guides (plant, animal, rock garden, etc); or any other unusual format. Submissions do not have to be entirely in text. Payment: $15-$25 for fiction of 500-5,000+ words. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Fourteen Poems Genre: Poems. "We want to represent all that's thrilling about the new wave of LGBT+ poets. If you’re a poet, even if you’ve never been published before, we want to read your work. Every issue we publish 14 of the best queer poems we’ve found, and we want to include you! We publish 4 times a year, but take submissions all year round. To be considered, email up to 5 poems, preferably in a pdf format, with a small paragraph about yourself to hello@14poems.com." Payment: £25 for each poem published. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Subterrain. Genre: Creative nonfiction, commentary, fiction and poetry. See theme. Payment: Poetry: $50 per poem; Prose: $.10 per word (to a maximum of $500). Deadline: May 15, 2024. No fee if submitted by mail. Journal is located in Canada.

Brilliant Flash Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction stories of 300 words or less on the subject of Tenacity. Payment: $20. Deadline: May 15, 2024. 

Diet Milk: Gothic. Genre: Gothic fiction, poetry, and art. See theme. Payment: $0.01/word for fiction (minimum $40); $15/poem; $50/art piece. Deadline: May 15, 2024. 
Luna Station Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to women writers only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $5. Deadline: May 15, 2024. Some reprints accepted.

khōréō. Restrictions: Open to writers who identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. "This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, transnational/transracial adoptees, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. We especially encourage BIPOC creators who identify as the above to submit their work." Genre: Stories, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. Payment: 0.08/word for fiction, $100 for nonfiction, and $40-300 for art. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

GreenPrints. Genre: Personal essays about gardening. “Calling all experienced gardening writers—we seek gardening stories that are true and personal, expressive and thoughtful, and humorous and witty. We focus on the human, not the how-to, side of gardening, so your story should be entertaining, moving, unexpected, touching, and funny—a heartfelt story you would tell a friend or family member.” Payment: Up to $100 (?). Deadline: May 17, 2024.

Solarpunk Micro Mini. Genre: Solarpunk micro fiction, 250 words max. Payment: $25. Deadline: May 21, 2024.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $30 CAD.  Deadline: May 25, 2024. This is a monthly call.

The Stinging Fly. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: Fiction and nonfiction: €30 per magazine page; Poetry: €50 per poem; Featured Poet: €250. Deadline: May 29, 2024.

A Killing at the Copa Anthology. Genre: Crime fiction. "Barry Manilow created a crime story of his own in his hit song Copacabana, and now we look to provide the same treatment to his many other hits." Payment: $25. Deadline: May 30, 2024.

Kweli Journal. "Kweli is the first online journal of its kind to celebrate community and cultural kinships. In this shared space, you will hear the lived experience of people of color. Our many stories. Our shared histories. Our creative play with language. Here our memories are wrapped inside the music of the Muscogee, the blues songs of the South, the clipped patois of the Caribbean." Genre: Self-contained novel excerpt, short story, or creative non-fiction piece, poetry. Length: No more than 7,000 words. Payment: "Upon publication." Deadline: May 30, 2024.


Dragon Soul Press: Apocalypse. Genre: "All apocalyptic stories are welcome. All genres are accepted." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Olit. Restrictions: Strong preference for Orlando based writers/submissions about Orlando and surrounding areas. Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Hybrid, Artwork, Photography. "Send us all kinds of stuff. We love the artfully weird." Payment: $10. Deadline: May 31, 2024.


Broken Sleep Books. (UK) Genre: Poetry pamphlets (up to 40 pages). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 31, 2024.


The Robots Were Right: Tales of Unstoppable Technology. Genre: Tales of technology gone right, wrong, and everything in between. Length: 500 – 5000 words. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series. Restrictions: Open to any individual living in the U.S. who identifies as an immigrant and who either (i) was born in another country, (ii) has at least one parent who was born in another country (iii) is a refugee, or (iv) lives in the United States under Asylum or a Protection Program, such as TPS or DACA. Genre: Books of poetry, prose (fiction or nonfiction), and hybrid texts of poetry and prose. Payment: In addition to publication, marketing, and a standard royalties contract from Black Lawrence Press, authors chosen for the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series will receive a travel stipend of $500, which can be used for book tours or in any manner chosen by the authors. Deadline: May 31, 2024

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

AGNI. Genre: Poetry and prose. Payment: $10 per printed (or printed-out) page for accepted prose, and $20 per page for accepted poetry, up to a maximum of $150. Deadline: May 31, 2024. Fee to submit online. No fee to submit by USPS.


Heartlines. Restrictions: 50% of content is from writers identifying as being from Canada/Turtle Island. Genre: Speculative fiction and about relationships. "We're looking for short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. We don't want the blaze of new love or the obsession of a new friend. We want pieces that show that comfort that develops when people know each other for years." Stories - 1,000 - 3,500 words. Payment: $0.08 CAD per word for short fiction (1,000-3,500 words) and $60 CAD flat per poem. Deadline: May 31, 2024.


filling station.  Genre: Stories, poems, CNF, nonfiction, and art on theme: Language. Payment: $50. Deadline: May 31, 2024. 

Skull and Laurel. Genre: Weird Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Science Fiction. Short Fiction, Narrative Poetry. "We also encourage trying us with things like comic strips, mixed media, found footage, puzzles, games, experiments, and other weird forms, as long as they tell a story." Word count: 100 to 7,499. Payment: 3 cents/word; $25 for reprints. Deadline: May 31, 2024. Accepts reprints.


Little Guts. Genre: Horror. They will be taking PITCHES, and if accepted, your story should be 2-5k words. Payment: 12 cents/word. Deadline: May 31, 2024. 

Strange Aeon. Genre: Speculative fiction. See theme. Payment: $20. Deadline: May 31, 2024, or until filled.

Poet Lore. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

The Cincinnati Review. Genre: Literary nonfiction (up to 20 pages), fiction (up to 40 pages), poetry, poetry translations, drama, and art. Payment: $25/page for prose in the journal, $30/page for poetry, $25 for miCRo posts or special features. Deadline: May 31, 2024. Opens on the first day of the month and closes once they hit the submissions cap.

Skin. Genre: Speculative stories (2-5k words) on the theme of skin. "We tend to prefer speculative, surreal, supernatural, dark fiction with creeping, poetic, dread-inducing prose, and endings we can't predict, but we're open to all subgenres of dark fiction." Payment: £0.005 per word. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Haven Speculative. Restrictions: Open to submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry on theme. See theme. Payment: $30. Deadline: May 31, 2024. Opens May 15. Submission periods are extended by a week for BIPOC creators only.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: May 31, 2024. In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, there are no submission fees for all API writers for the month of May, not limited to those living in/born in the US.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Malahat Review. Genre: Poetry, Fiction. Payment: CAD $70/page. Deadline: May 31, 2024. (Note: Submissions by Canadian writers are accepted for consideration all year.)

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $75 for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews web issues. Deadline: May 31, 2024. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early. 

Escape Pod. Genre: Science fiction (Audio and written format). Payment: USD $0.08 per word for original fiction. USD $100 per story for reprint fiction. Deadline: May 31, 2024. Reprints accepted.


Contemporary Verse 2. Genre: Poetry and critical writing about poetry, including interviews, articles, essays, and reviews. Payment: $30 - $150. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Abyss and Apex. Genre: Speculative poetry. No horror. Payment: $5.50 per poem. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Typehouse. Restrictions: In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Mental Health Awareness Month, no-fee submissions are open for all API creators and all Mental Health identified creators, not limited to those from the US. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

University Press of Kentucky. Genre: Books of poetry or fiction (novels, short story collections, etc.). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Baltimore Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, videos (including poetry), and cross-genre work. Payment: $40. Deadline: May 31, 2024.


AND A FEW MORE...

Totally Entwined: Love at Second Sight. Genre: Novellas, 30,000 - 50,000 words. Theme: Second chance romance. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. Theme: Gardens. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Fires of Retribution. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with DRAGONS! Concept: We’re looking for a story that shows the struggle between man and beast. These aren’t Pete’s Dragon; these are vicious killers who would just as soon eat you as look at you. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Darkest Shadow, Brightest Light. Genre: Dark Fantasy. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Hellbound Books. Genre: Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Shivering Timbers! Genre: Pirate themed horror fiction. "Avast ye, scurvy seadogs! Within these pages there be swashbuckling zombies, petrifying privateers and bloodthirsty buccaneers hunting for cursed treasure in darkened coves. Come aboard and join our crew as we set sail on a chilling voyage across the kraken infested seven seas. Sharpen your cutlasses, raise the Jolly Roger and prepare to be terrified by tales of piratical peril. Arrr!" Payment: £20. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: $400. Deadline: June 1, 2024. See themes.

Air/Light. Genre: New and innovative works of literary arts across all mediums and genres including cross genre work. Length: Up to 4,000 words for prose, and up to 10 pages for poetry. Payment: Poetry: $50; Responses and department pieces: $100; Fiction and essays/nonfiction: $200; Visual art, music, and multimedia: $200. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Fires of Retribution Anthology. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with DRAGONS! Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

72 Writing Contests in May 2024 - No entry fees

Freerange This May there are six dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $50,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

____________________


Descant. Each year, descant offers four awards:the $500 Frank O’Connor Award for fiction (for the best short story in a issue)the $250 Gary Wilson Award (for an outstanding story in an issue)the $500 Betsy Colquitt Award for poetry (for the best poem or series of poems by a single author in an issue)the $250 Baskerville Publishers Award (for an outstanding poem or poems by a single author in an issueThere is no application process or reading fee. All published submissions are eligible for prize consideration. Simply submit your work. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards. Genre: Play that addresses the question: “What does it mean to be a human in a computerized world?” Prize: $5000. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

The Waterston Desert Writing Prize. Genre: Literary nonfiction, desert theme. Prize: $3,000. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

CINTAS Creative Writing Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to any Cuban author (including those of direct Cuban lineage; need not reside in Cuba). Genre: Novel excerpts, short stories, plays, or poems of up to 25 pages. Prize: $20,000 fellowship. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

West Virginia Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Open to West Virginia residents or students. Genre: Short fiction, 5,000 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

The Future Bookshelf: Mo Siewcharran Prize. Restrictions: The contest is open to BAME writers in the UK. Genre: Picture book. Prize: £2,500, £1,500 and possible publication. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Rabbi Sacks Book Prize. Genre: Published nonfiction book that contributes significantly to the arena of modern Jewish thought. Prize: $50,000. Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Casa Africa: Essay Contest. Genre: Essay on theme: Intra-African immigration. Essays, of 15,000-20,000 words, can be in Spanish, English, French or Portuguese. Prize: €2,000. Deadline: May 2, 2024.

On The Premises Mini-Contest. "For this mini-contest, tell, show, or evoke a complete story between 25 and 50 words long in which a hat of some kind matters to the story. We’re going with the fairly traditional definition of “hat” for this one. Scarves, hijabs, earmuffs, wigs, hoods, and other head coverings do not qualify. I’m going to say that even helmets don’t qualify. Caps are okay; they’re an informal hat. The judges will not care if anyone wears the hat in the story, so that’s up to you." Prize: First place pays $35, second pays $25, and third pays $15, all in US dollars. Honorable mentions get published, but make no money. Deadline: May 3, 2024.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction. "On the first Friday of every month, a new set of story prompts will be revealed. You will have 55 hours to submit your best 500-word (or fewer) story." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: May 5, 2024. Opens on May 3.

Singapore Poetry Contest. Genre: Poetry. "We are looking for poems that use the word “interrogation” in imaginative ways." Prize: USD300, 200, and 100 will go to the top three winners. Deadline: May 6, 2024.

Create 4 Freedom. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers in the contiguous United States (48 states plus Washington, DC). Genre: Essays and poetry. This year’s contest focuses on One's Moral Compass. Prize: $750. Deadline: May 8, 2024.  Note: Winner gives up all rights.

RTÉ Radio Short Story Competition. Restrictions: Open to Irish writers and residents of Ireland. Genre: Short story. Prize: Up to 5,000 euros. Deadline: May 10, 2024.

Pulitzer Center's "Fighting Words—Poetry in Response to Current Events" Contest. Restrictions: Current K-12 students anywhere in the world may enter. Students may write in any language, and are welcome to submit multilingual poems. Judges will have reading fluency in English and Spanish. Genre: Poetry. Theme: How can poetry be an effective response to current events and underreported stories? How can journalism and poetry help us make connections between global issues and our local and personal contexts? Prize: $300 top prize. Deadline: May 12, 2024.

Quay Words Young Writers’ Flash Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Open writers aged 10 to 18-years. Genre: Flash fiction on theme ‘Trading Places.' Prize: £200 top prize. Deadline: May 12, 2024.

Brown's Mart Theatre Award 2024. Restrictions: Open to all writers from across the Northern Territory, Australia. Genre: Script. There is no word limit. Scripts must have a performance time of more than 30 minutes. Script treatments are ineligible. Prize: The winner of the Brown’s Mart Theatre Award will receive a $1,000 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to select shows in Brown's Mart’s performance program. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

Charles Darwin University Creative Non-Fiction Award 2024. Restrictions: Open to all writers from across the Northern Territory, Australia. Genre: A factually accurate work, written with attention to literary style and technique. Can take the form of a biography, autobiography, memoir, diary entry, travel writing, food writing, literary journalism, or criticism. Word limit: 3,000 words. Prize: The winner of the Charles Darwin University Creative Non-Fiction Award will receive a $500 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to Brown's Mart’s performance program. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

Charles Darwin University Essay Award 2024.  Restrictions: Open to all writers from across the Northern Territory, Australia. Genre: A referenced academic essay on a topic relating to the Northern Territory. Word limit: 3,000 words. Prize: The winner of the Charles Darwin University Essay Award will receive a $1,000 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to Brown's Mart’s performance program. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

Flash Fiction Award 2024. Restrictions: Open to all writers from across the Northern Territory, Australia. Genre: A blog post, fan fiction, short story, fictional diary entry or fictional letter. Word limit: 500 words. Entries limited to three entries per person. Prize: The winner of the Flash Fiction Award will receive a $600 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to Brown's Mart’s performance program. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

Kath Manzie Youth Award 2024. Restrictions: Open to all writers from across the Northern Territory, Australia. Genre: A piece of creative writing, either poetry or short story, by a person aged 12 to 18 years as of 1 January 2023. Limit of three poetry entries with a 300-line limit OR a short story with a 3,000-word limit per person. Prize: The winner of the Kath Manzie Youth Award will receive a $600 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to Brown's Mart’s performance program. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

NT Writers' Centre Poetry Award 2024. Restrictions: Open to all writers from across the Northern Territory, Australia. Genre: A single poem up to 300 lines. Entries limited to three separate poetry entries per person. Prize: The winner of the NT Writers’ Centre Poetry Award will receive a $1,000 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to Brown's Mart’s performance program. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

Cave Canem Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to Black writers of African descent who have not had a full-length book of poetry published by a professional press. Authors of chapbooks and self-published books with a maximum print run of 500 may apply. Genre: Unpublished, original collections of poems written in English. Prize: $10,000, publication by Graywolf Press in fall 2025, 15 copies of the book, and a feature reading. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

Zip Print Short Story Award 2024. Restrictions: Open to all writers from across the Northern Territory, Australia. Genre: An original work of short fiction. Word limit: up to 3,000 words. Prize: The winner of the Zip Print Short Story Award will receive a $1,000 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to Brown's Mart’s performance program. Deadline: May 13, 2024.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative flash fiction on themes related to food. (See site for specifics)  Length: 1000 words max. Prize: $30. Deadline: May 14, 2024.

Governor General's Literary Awards. Restrictions: Books must have been written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. They do not need to be residing in Canada. Genre: The Governor General’s Literary Awards are given annually to the best English-language and French-Language book in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Young People’s Literature (Text), Young People’s Literature (Illustrated Books). Prize: $25,000. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Dark Tales from the Tarot. Genre: Horror based on Tarot card. See website. Prize: $10. Deadline: May 15, 2024. Opens May 1. 

Prose Poetry Contest. Genre: Prose poem. Prize: First place: £50 plus publication; Second place: £25 plus publication; Third place: £15 plus publication; Honorable mention: £10 plus publication. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Leeway Foundation: Transformation Award. Restrictions: Women and transgender poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the Philadelphia area who have been creating art for social change for five or more years. Writers who have lived for at least two years in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties, who are at least 18 years of age, and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Award: $15,000. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction. Sponsored by the American Bar Association. Restrictions: Entrants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Genre: Original works of short fiction that illuminate the role of the law and/or lawyers in modern society. 5000 words max. Prize: $3,000 and publication in ABA Journal. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant. Genre: Articles, books, and short-form writing about contemporary art—the grants support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from short reviews for magazines and newspapers to in-depth scholarly studies. The program also supports art writing that engages criticism through interdisciplinary methods and experiments with literary styles. Grant: $15,000 to $50,000. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Contest. Restrictions: The competition is open to all citizens and residents of the Commonwealth aged 18 and under. Genre: Essay. The theme of the contest is "Community in the Commonwealth." Prize: Past prizes have included certificates, resources for winner's school, visits to Cambridge University, a trip to London and a week of activities, work experience at international organisations, and having your entry featured in worldwide media. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

The James Laughlin Award is sponsored by the Academy of American Poets. Genre: A second book of poetry forthcoming in the next calendar year. Must be under contract with US publisher. Restrictions: Open to US citizens and residents only. Prize: $5,000, an all-expenses-paid week long residency in Florida, and the Academy will purchase approximately 1,000 copies of the book for distribution to its members. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Brain Mill Press Chapbook Contest. Restrictions: Open to all Wisconsin poets, with a particular interest in voices under-represented in traditional publishing, such as writers of color, women, indigenous voices, disabled writers, queer writers. Genre: Poetry chapbook, 18-30 pages in length. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Boroondara Literary Awards. Restrictions: Open to Australians. Genre: Prose and poetry. Prize: More than $5,000 in prize money across various age groups in the Young Writers’ category; more than $3,500 in prize money in the Open Short Story category. Deadline: May 17, 2024.

Creative Future Writers’ Award. Restrictions: Open to underrepresented writers in the UK only, who are over 18 years old. Genre: Poetry, fiction. This year’s theme is ‘Reveal.’  Prize: Publication, unspecified monetary award (?)  Deadline: May 19, 2024.

RBC PEN Canada New Voices Award. "The RBC PEN Canada New Voices Award is an annual award that aims to encourage new writing and to provide a space where unpublished Canadian writers can submit short stories, creative nonfiction, journalism, and poetry. The shortlisted submissions are judged by a distinguished jury of Canadian writers." Prize: The winning entry will receive a $3,000 CAD cash prize and mentorship from a distinguished Canadian author. Deadline: May 19, 2024.

Roscommon New Writing Award. Restrictions: All entrants must have a connection with the county of Roscommon (born in, living in, currently working in, went to school in, etc). Genre: Short story. Prize: €600.00. Deadline: May 20, 2024.

How Does War Affect People’s Lives? Restrictions: Open to young people ages 9 - 18. Genre: Poetry, art, speech, song. Prize: Unspecified. Deadline: May 24, 2024.

Changing Light Prize for a Novel-in-Verse. Genre: Novel-in-Verse. Prize: $500 and publication for a novel-in-verse, 90-160 pages. Deadline: May 25, 2024.

Great Lakes Colleges (GLCA) New Writers Award. Restrictions: Open to Americans and Canadians.  Genre: Poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. In each category, the submitted work must be an author’s first published volume. Prize: $500. Deadline: May 25, 2024.

Write the World Competition: Poetry & Spoken Word Competition. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Poem. Theme: Seeds of Change. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: May 27, 2024.  (Note: This is a monthly contest.)

Dream Foundry Emerging Writers Contest. Restrictions: You have published a total of less than 4,000 words of paid or income-earning speculative fiction in English. You have earned a total of less than USD 320 from those words. You have never been nominated for any award listed here as a major award in speculative fiction. Genre: Short speculative fiction, up to 10,000 words. Prize: $200 - $1,000. Deadline: May 27, 2024.

Irene Adler Prize for Women Writers. Restrictions: Open to Canadian women. Genre: Creative nonfiction. Prize: $1,000 scholarship to a woman pursuing a degree in journalism, creative writing, or literature at a recognized post-secondary institution in the U.S. or Canada. Deadline: May 30, 2024.

The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans. This creative writing contest for U.S. military veterans and active duty personnel is hosted by The Iowa Review and made possible by a gift from the family of Jeff Sharlet (1942–69), a Vietnam veteran and antiwar writer and activist. The contest is open to veterans and active duty personnel writing in any genre and about any subject matter. Prizes: First place: $1,000 plus publication in The Iowa Review. Second place: $750. Three runners-up: $500 each. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

The Drabble Harvest Contest. Genre: Drabble on theme of Interstellar Archives. A "drabble" is defined as a short story containing exactly precisely no more and no fewer than 100 words. It has a title, which can be from 1 to 15 words-- but no more than 15. Prize: $5. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing. Restrictions: Open to first-generation residents of the United States. “First-generation” can refer either to people born in another country who relocated to the U.S., or to American-born residents whose parents were born elsewhere. Genre: Unpublished nonfiction books. Prize: $10,000 and publication. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Baltimore Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, videos (including poetry), and cross-genre work. Payment: $40. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

The Wolfe Pack Black Orchid Award. Genre: Mystery novellas in the style of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novellas. Manuscript length: 15K-20K words. Prize: $1,000, plus recognition and publication in a forthcoming issue of AAMM. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Harlequin: Romance Includes You Mentorship. Restrictions: Open to debut writers in Canada and the US. Genre: Romance novel. Prize: A contract advance plus grant with a value of $5,000 U.S. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

A Voice for Animals Teen Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to students between the ages of 14-18. Genre: Essays on an animal rights topic. In the 16-18 year olds category, essays must be 800-1,000 words long and be accompanied by a photograph; in the 14-15 year olds category, essays should be between 1,400-1,500 words. Prize: $200 - $500. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

bpNichol Poetry Chapbook Award. Restrictions: Canadian publishers only. Genre: Published poetry chapbook. Prize: The author receives $4,000 and the publisher receives $500. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Vancouver Writers Fest's Youth Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to students in British Columbia. Genre: Short stories and personal essays: 1,000 word limit (for elementary school student submissions) and 1,500 (for high-school student submissions). Prize: $100 top prize. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Furphy Literary Award: Junior and Youth Competition. Restrictions: Open to  juniors & youth age writers who live in the Goulburn Valley, Australia. Genre: Short stories and poetry. Prize: First prize of $300. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest. Genre: Unpublished fiction approximately 1,000 - 5,000 words. Story should pertain to music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Prize: $100 and publication in Jerry Jazz Musician. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Speculative Literature Foundation Older Writers Grant. Restrictions: Open to writers who are fifty years of age or older at the time of grant application. Genre: Speculative fiction. Prize: $500. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

Genesis Emerging Writers' Programme. Restrictions: Open to emerging writers over 18 years of age, of any background living in the UK. Genre: Fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Prize: Up to £1,500 and mentorship. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

The Center for Fiction / Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowships offer grants, editorial mentorship, and other opportunities to early-career New York City-based practitioners who are at a critical moment in their development as fiction writers. Genre: Fiction. Grant: $5,000. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Awards. Restrictions: Open to aboriginal youth, 18 years or younger, residing in Ontario, Canada. Genre: Creative writing. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: May 31, 2024.
A Very Short Story Award. Genre: Short story of ten words or fewer. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: May 31, 2024.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. See themes. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: May 31, 2024. This is a monthly contest.

Rattle's Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poetry based on art. (See website) Prize: $100. Deadline: May 31, 2024. Monthly contest.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: May 31, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.