It’s our favorite month, and with it are some awesome opportunities to submit your fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. We’ve culled the lists, we’ve pulled the links, and we’ve summarized our favorites below. Check out these twelve great contests and lit mags to submit to this month.
The Masters Review Fall Fiction Contest – Our own Fall Fiction Contest closes on October 31st, and our judges are literary power couple Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. The winner will receive letters from the judges about why their stories were chosen, $2000, and publication. Fifteen finalists will be recognized and second and third place stories will also receive feedback, $200 and $100 respectively, and publication. Full contest details can be found here. Submit now! Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: October 31
Granta – Here’s some news. The venerable Granta just opened up unsolicited submissions starting October 1. Get those stories in! Submit here. Entry Fee: None.
University of Louisville Calvino Prize – A prize of $1,500 and publication in Salt Hill Journal is given annually for a work of fiction written in the fabulist experimental style of Italo Calvino. The winner will also receive airfare and lodging to read at the annual Louisville Conference on Literature in February 2016. Martin McLaughlin will judge. Details here. Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: Oct 14
A Public Space Emerging Writers Fellowship – Three six-month fellowships of $1,000 each, publication in A Public Space, mentorship from an established author who has contributed to A Public Space, and optional workspace in the journal’s Brooklyn, New York, office from March to September 2016 will be given annually to emerging fiction writers and nonfiction writers. Submit here. Entry Fee: None Deadline: Oct 15
Missouri Review Editors’ Prize EXTENDED DEADLINE – The popular and exciting ($5000 to the winners in each category!) Editors’ Prize has extended their deadline to October 15th. Fiction, Poetry, and Essay submissions are welcome. But hurry, this deadline closes soon. Details here. Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: Oct 15
Cutthroat: These judges! Three prizes of $1,250 each and publication in Cutthroat are awarded for a group of poems, a short story, and essay. Natalie Diaz (poetry), Stuart Dybek and Rick DeMarinis (fiction), and Nick Flynn (nonfiction) will judge. Submit three poems of up to 100 lines each or a short story or essay of up to 5,000 words. Submit your work here. Entry Fee: $18 Deadline: Oct 20
Fall 2015 Hallie Ford Literary Series: An Uncanny Evening with Marjorie Sandor and Friends – No, not a deadline, but a great event to attend if you’re in the Portland area. Just in time for Halloween, a performance of stories from The Uncanny Reader, edited by Marjorie Sandor. With appearances by Sigmund Freud and others. Details: Wednesday, October 28, 7:30 p.m. Location: Hatfield Room, Hatfield Library Willamette University, Salem, OR (Read Marjorie’s essay on the uncanny here!)
Indiana Review – The Indiana Review is open to submissions for their Fiction Prize, judged by Laura van den Berg as well as general submissions for their “Ghost” issue. Both submission windows close at the end of the month. More details here. Entry Fee: $20 for the contest, FREE for “Ghost” issue. Deadline: Oct 31.
Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Award – Why do we include Glimmer Train every month? Because landing a story in their publication would be so great. Here’s an opportunity to showcase your shorter work. Send stories up to 3000 words by the end of the month for a chance at a cash prize and publication from one of the best journals around. Details here. Entry Fee: $18 Deadline: Oct 31
North American Review Hearst Poetry Prize – Poets, this one’s for you! Jane Hirshfield judges this year’s contest, which awards $1000 to the winner and $100 and $50 to second and third runners up. Poets may enter up to five poems per entry fee, which includes a year’s subscription. Details and guidelines here. Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: October 31
Essay Press Digital Chapbook Contest – Each of twelve judges will select one digital chapbook for 2016 publication. Essay particularly welcomes manuscripts that extend or challenge the formal possibilities of prose: lyric essays and prose poems or poetics; experimental biography and autobiography; innovative approaches to journalism, experimental historiography, criticism, scholarship and philosophy. Details on how to submit can be found, here. Entry Fee: $8 Deadline: Nov 1
Wesleyan University’s Best American Experimental Writing – The Best American Experimental Writing anthology (“BAX” for short) 2016 is the third volume of the annual literary anthology compiling the best experimental writing in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Guest editors Charles Bernstein and Tracie Morris will work alongside series editors. Submission details can be found here. Entry Fee: $9 for 9 pages of writing. Deadline: Nov 1
by Kim Winternheimer