April Deadlines: 14 Contests And Journals With Deadlines This Month

March 27, 2019

Spring is finally here! Defrost from a long winter by putting the finishing touches on your manuscripts. We’re here to help with this list of 14 journals and contests that are closing in the next month. Settle in and find a home for your writing from the list below.

FEATURED The Masters Review Anthology Prize

Technically we’re cheating with this one, since our Anthology contest has a March deadline, but it’s our post, so we make the rules. The Anthology Prize closes this Sunday, March 31st. Our guest judge for Volume VIII is Kate Bernheimer! Submissions can be fiction or narrative nonfiction, but they need to be less than 7000 words. The 10 winners, selected by Kate Bernheimer, will be published in the eighth volume of The Masters Review Anthology and each selected writer will receive $500. Check it out!

Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: March 31st

FEATURED Palette Poetry Prize

The Palette Poetry Prize is open to all poets. $4000 will be awarded to the winning poet, while $300 and $200 will go to the second and third place finalists, respectively. The Palette Poetry team will select a shortlist of 15 poems, and guest judge Edward Hirsch will select the top 3. Submit up to 3 poems today! Full details can be found here.

Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: April 15th

FEATURED CRAFT Short Fiction Prize

CRAFT is running a Short Fiction prize, judged by Elizabeth McCracken! Submissions close on April 30th. Get your fiction of up to 5,000 words in tip-top shape and then send it on over! Winners will receive $2,000 and a subscription to the Journal of the Month. 2nd and 3rd place will receive $500 and $300 respectively. All finalists will be published in CRAFT with an introduction from Elizabeth McCracken. Details here!

Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: April 30th

The Psychopomp Magazine Short Fiction Award

Psychopomp Magazine is looking for “outstanding pieces of fiction that push the boundaries of genre and/or form.” Winners will receive $500, a copy of the publication issue, and an interview with the journal. Submit fiction under 6,000 words: either a short story or a self-contained excerpt from a novel or novella. The editors want to be surprised. Full details here.

Entry Fee: $10 Deadline: April 1st

Ninth Letter: Origins

Ninth Letter has a call open for their Web Edition on the theme of Origins. Submit your best prose or poetry exploring the places you came from, where you identify your home. Ninth Letter asks, “How do our origins transmogrify our explorations of the world?” All submissions must include a note in the letter explaining how the submission links to the theme. 3,500 word limit for a single prose submission, or up to 3 poems for poetry. Selected pieces will be awarded $25 per poem or $75 per prose piece and a 2-year subscription to Ninth Letter. Explore the call here.

Entry Fee: Free! Deadline: April 8th

Southern Indiana Review

Southern Indiana Review‘s open call for submission is closing mid-month. The journal is seeking submissions of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama, and Art & Photography. Submit either 1 piece of drama (10-minute play or long one-act play), fiction or nonfiction, or up to 5 poems or flash fiction. Although there is a $3 submission fee, this is waived for subscribers to the journal, or writers currently enrolled in graduate programs. Selected authors will receive $75 for five or fewer pages, $150 for more than five pages, and featured visual artists will receive a $250 stipend. Submit today.

Entry Fee: $3, waived for subscribers and graduate students Deadline: April 15th

The Florida Review Editor’s Award

The Florida Review‘s annual Editor’s Award is closing on April 15th. Winners receive $1000 and publication in The Florida Review. Although there is an entry fee, it includes a subscription to the journal. They are accepting submissions of Fiction and Creative Nonfiction (up to 25 pages, or 6,500 words) or Poetry (up to 5 poems). Find more info on the award here.

Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: April 15th

The Penn Review

One of the fastest-responding markets, The Penn Review aims to reply to all submissions within a week, often making a decision within 1-2 days. Their Spring reading period closes on April 20th, so get your submissions in to get a response before the end of the month. The Penn Review is looking for submissions of up to 5 poems, 3 works of prose, or 10 works of visual art. Submit here!

Entry Fee: Free! Deadline: April 20th

Ninth Letter‘s 2019 Literary Awards

Ninth Letter has two calls closing this month. This one is later than their themed deadline and is open to submissions in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction and Poetry. Winners will be selected by judges from their respective categories and will be awarded $1,000 and publication in the Fall/Winter edition of Ninth Letter. The judges for this year’s awards are Kristen Arnett (Fiction), R.A. Villanueva (Poetry) and Anna Leahy (Creative Nonfiction). Find out more here.

Glimmer Train Short Story Award

Glimmer Train is sadly closing after almost 30 years. This is their final Short Story Award – Do you have what it takes? Glimmer Train is seeking fiction up to 12,000 words from writers whose fiction has not appeared (or scheduled to appear) in print with a circulation greater than 5,000. First place wins $2,500 and 10 copies of the publication. 2nd and 3rd place finishers can win up to $700 (if their story is published) or $500 and $300 respectively, in addition to 10 copies of the publication. Submit today!

Entry Fee: $18 Deadline: April 30th

Glimmer Train Family Matters Contest

Another duplicate month for Glimmer Train, but they’ve earned it. Submit up to 12,000 words on the theme of Family. They say they “looking for stories about families of all configurations.” First place wins $2,500 and 10 copies of the publication. 2nd and 3rd place finishers can win up to $700 (if their story is published) or $500 and $300 respectively, in addition to 10 copies of the publication. Give Glimmer Train your best work and say goodbye to one of the staples of Oregon’s literary scene. Full details can be found here.

Entry Fee: $18 Deadline: April 30th

Lunch Ticket

Lunch Ticket, the journal produced by Antioch University’s MFA program, is seeking underrepresented or marginalized voices for their general call for submission, which closes on April 30th. They are looking for work which “engages with issues of social, economic, and environmental justice.” For this reading period, they are considering Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry and YA (13+). Check it out!

Sequestrum Editor’s Reprint Award

This one is a little different. Sequestrum is looking for previously published works of prose and poetry for their annual Sequestrum Editor’s Reprint Award. The winners in each genre will receive $200 and publication in Sequestrum. Previously published work only! Winners will be announced in August. Full details here.

Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: April 30th

Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose

The Adroit Jounal‘s Prizes for Poetry and Prose are open annually to high school and undergraduate writers, including international writers and writers who have graduated a semester early (December 2018, in this instance). Winners are awarded $200 and publication. Submit up to 6 poems, or 3 works of prose (up to 3,500 combined words) for consideration for this year’s prize. Works that have been published in campus-wide publications are eligible. This year’s judges are Jamal Brinkley (Prose) and Franny Choi (Poetry). Submit today!

Entry Fee: $12 Deadline: April 30th

By Cole Meyer

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At The Masters Review, our mission is to support emerging writers. We only accept submissions from writers who can benefit from a larger platform: typically, writers without published novels or story collections or with low circulation. We publish fiction and nonfiction online year-round and put out an annual anthology of the ten best emerging writers in the country, judged by an expert in the field. We publish craft essays, interviews and book reviews and hold workshops that connect emerging and established writers.



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