10 New Agents seeking Kidlit, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Memoir, Nonfiction and more

Here are ten 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.

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Haley Warrington of The Booker Albert Literary Agency

Haley is newly embarking on an agenting role at the Booker Albert Literary Agency. On top of having two romance novels slated for publication by Lake Country Press, she has completed an internship at Booker Albert.

What she is seeking: She is a fan of all things romance—bring the heat or leave it at the door, she’s interested in representing Adult or New Adult fiction. Some of her favorite novels include The Match by Sarah Adams, Wildfire by Hannah Grace, and anything Emily Henry. She would love a story that could comp shows like Gossip Girl, Reign, or You.

Across the genres Haley would like to represent, she is overall looking for great storytelling. Any piece that brings emotion to the front and center and evokes reactions. Make her laugh, make her cry, make her think about it for weeks after the initial read (emphasis on the crying aspect…she likes sad stories).

How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE.

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Ashlee MacCallum of Howland Literary

Ashlee MacCallum joined Howland Literary after interning at Triada US. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies and a master’s in Education.

Ashlee lives in Nevada with her husband and two children. By day, she’s a high school English teacher who assigns cool books, reads powerful essays, and makes her students dramatically reenact Macbeth. Outside the classroom, Ashlee writes picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels. She is represented by Amanda Carbonell at Belcastro Agency.

When she’s not lost in a book or spinning one of her own, Ashlee is probably mapping out her next Disney adventure, binging a true crime podcast, or humming show tunes in the kitchen. She’s fueled by caffeine, charmed by ghost stories, and fluent in banned books.

What she is seeking: Ashlee represents picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult fiction.

How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE.

Marina Green of P. S. Literary Agency (CANADA)

Marina Green is an associate agent at PSLA representing fiction and non-fiction. After completing a BA and post-grad in publishing and spending half a decade as a bookseller, Marina began her career as an editor at a small indie publisher in Montréal before moving to Harlequin’s Trade division as an acquiring editor. Marina has always had an eclectic taste in books and is always looking for atmospheric, diverse, and inclusive stories rooted in cultural identity and belonging—and magic when she can get it. When Marina isn’t immersing herself in books and words and magical worlds, you can find her with a cup of tea in hand, trying a new yoga asana—never at the same time—or practicing Armenian, the language of her ancestors.

What she is seeking: Marina is actively acquiring fiction (adult and YA) and non-fiction (adult). In fiction, she is particularly drawn to speculative, atmospheric, and voice-driven narratives for both adult and young adult audiences. She has a soft spot for hybrid genres, such as horror-romance or speculative thrillers, and books with big hooks. In literary fiction, she is looking for stories that push the boundaries of genre and form. She’d love horror in the vein of an A24 film. When it comes to mysteries and thrillers, she looks for atmospheric stories with unreliable narrators that skew psychological or slowly get under your skin. For romance, she seeks stories with heart and something big to say, or unconventional takes on the genre. In fantasy, she is looking for unique magic systems, strong characters, and stories inspired by myth or folklore, particularly outside the Western canon. While she’s open to romantasy, these submissions need to stand out against the saturated market. On the non-fiction side, she is interested in self-help, spiritual (Marina loves the woo woo!), and the occult. She’s also very keen to find poignant nature memoirs and other nature-based non-fiction. As a child of diaspora herself, across all categories, she is looking for diverse and inclusive stories rooted in the diasporic experience, cultural identity, and belonging. 

How to submit: If you would like to send a query to Marina, please review the agency's submission guidelines HERE. Please use this format in the subject field of your email: “Marina / BOOK TITLE / CREATOR NAME / GENRE”.

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Kaylyn Aldridge of Metamorphosis Literary Agency

Kaylyn Aldridge has been a ferocious reader ever since she learned how to read. Growing up, Kaylyn spent almost all of her free time devouring the stacks of books she would get from the library. When she wasn't deep in a story, she would write her own. Creating worlds and characters was one of the major ways Kaylyn expressed herself.

In her free time, Kaylyn loves to research underground internet subcultures. She believes that diverse perspectives are key to understanding cultures, communities, and nuances of the human experience. When she is not working or reading, she likes to feed the local magpies.

What she is seeking: Romance (ESPECIALLY supernatural, paranormal, contemporary, romcom), Coming of Age, Young Adult, LGBT+

A plus if any of genres listed above feature Black protagonists, and I love characters that feel ALIVE.

How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE.  (Open to queries December, June, and July)

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Anna Ange of Liza Dawson Associates

Anna graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2022 with B.A. in English and French Literature. She then went on to participate in the Writers House Internship Program. Anna spends her free time scavenging for and tumbling rocks, playing Fire Emblem, organizing independently published zine projects, and, of course, reading. 

What she is seeking:

• Adult literary/genre crossover. Literary forward novels that play with horror, speculative, or “weird” elements.  Interesting prose, mind boggling premises. Satire also welcome.
• Fiction that is not technically horror, but evokes a sense of horror nonetheless.
• True genre horror. No holds barred. 
• Queer historical fiction & historical fantasy, especially set before the year 1900.
• Narrative non-fiction or essays that center on niche and surprising topics. 
• Adult Graphic novels (fiction): Small-scale, intimate but existential stories set against fantastical backgrounds, historical fantasy, horror/gothic/noir with romantic subplots. Unique and inventive art styles.
• Adult Graphic novels (non-fiction): history and memoir.
• Autumnal, spooky/horror-adjacent, middle grade prose or graphic novels that take on complicated, relevant issues.

How to submit: If you are interested in querying Anna, for prose: please send a query in the body of the email, and first three chapters or 25 pages in a word document to queryanna@lizadawson.com. 

For graphic novels, please send a query to queryanna@lizadawson.com, which should include a full story synopsis, rendered character art, and at least five completed spreads, but no more than ten completed spreads. You may also send a general portfolio. Your graphic novel SHOULD NOT be complete at the time of querying.

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Kieron Fairweather of Peters Fraser & Dunlop (UK)

Kieron Fairweather joined PFD in 2021 as Assistant to Caroline Michel, CEO and is now an Associate Agent. After completing a BA and MA in English Literature at Northumbria University, Kieron went on to get his PhD from the same university in 2020, with a thesis focusing on themes of psychogeography, mapping, and the city in the works of Jean Rhys and Djuna Barnes.

What he is seeking: Having worked alongside Caroline and her roster of clients for the past few years, I am now actively looking to build a list across both fiction and non-fiction.

In non-fiction, my taste is for the narrative. I’m interested in writing that blends personal stories with broader cultural, historical, or expert insights, and I’m always fascinated by books that unearth hidden meaning or shed new light on familiar events. Books like Rory Carroll’s Killing Thatcher, Hallie Rubenhold’s The Five, Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing, Ciaran Thapar’s Cut Short, and Poverty Safari by Darren McGarvey are good examples of this. I would also love to read submissions that delve into music history from the mid-century onwards (Meet Me In The Bathroom, Our Band Could Be Your Life), provide storied accounts from the world of sport (Barbarian Days, The Takedown podcast), and I would also love to see practical narratives in arts and craft.

I also love writing that examines the emotional and psychological impact of environments, cities, and landscapes, and I’m always looking for works that challenge the quotidian and mapped nature of the city (Lauren Elkin’s Flaneuse, Rebecca Solnit’s Wanderlust, Robert Macfarlane’s Underland).

In fiction, I am looking for literary and upmarket-commercial crossover. My tastes tend toward the darker side of the spectrum, and I am fascinated by stories that explore unsettling worlds—whether dystopian, speculative, or rooted in gritty realism. Whether this comes in the form of the sharp, atmospheric, weird sci-fi of Jeff Vandermeer or through the emotional intensity and alienation of books like Eileen or Nightcrawling, I always appreciate a novel which challenges me to enter a jarring context or confront unique perspectives.

That said, give me an unconventional, quirky narrator, a healthy dose of horror (or the horrible!), or some gritty urban realism and you’ll have me hooked. Books like Convenience Store Woman, Bear, I Who Have Never Known Men, The Doloriad, Hagstone, Young Mungo, Weird Fucks, Snow Crash, The City & The City, Never Let Me Go, Lapvona, Hummingbird Salamander, and Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow have all scratched this itch in some form or another.

I am always looking for stories about and by the working-class and would love to lend volume to regional voices across fiction and non-fiction.

How to submit: Please send the first three chapters (or around fifty pages) of your novel, as well as a full synopsis and a covering letter, with a brief CV of your writing career, if appropriate. For non-fiction projects, please send a detailed proposal, alongside the covering letter and CV.  Send your materials to: Kieron Fairweather kfairweather@pfd.co.uk

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Mr. Carter Hasegawa of Tugeau 2, Inc.

Carter Hasegawa has been in the children’s book world for nearly 20 years—as a book seller for various indies across the US, as an editor at Candlewick Press, and now, as a literary agent. Why kids’ books? It began in the late-90s with Andrew Clement’s Frindle, became a solid go-to genre with Jerry Spinelli’s Maniac Magee, and finally, it became a wished-for career with Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. “The thing I’ve always loved about children’s literature,” he says, “is that beyond the sheer range of incredible stories, it’s always served as a sort of testing ground for me: of new ideas, of new experiences, of new viewpoints, of emotional extremes.”

Carter is incredibly proud of the work he did while at Candlewick, but he’s especially looking forward to finding and developing new talent – authors, author-illustrators, illustrators – and having a hand in crafting some of the best books out there.

When asked what he’s looking for in a book, he compares it to a particular scene from the movie version of The NeverEnding Story: “The main character, Bastian, is so drawn to a book he finds at a used bookstore that he steals away with it and hides out in his school’s attic and begins to read. In that moment, all that matters is the book. To hold it, turn its pages, fall into its story . . . it’s magic.”

In addition to the already-mentioned titles, some of his favorite books include Watercress, My Papi Has a Motorcycle, Big, Tar Beach, Wednesday Wars, Ender’s Game, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Notorious Benedict Arnold, and SO MANY others. Carter is also an active mentor/speaker for SCBWI, The Writing Barn, Inked Voices, and more.

Originally from Seattle, he now lives in Boston with his librarian wife and their two young sons.

What he is seeking: Carter is open to Author, Illustrator and Author-Illustrator submissions: Picture Books, MG, YA (fiction and nonfiction).

How to submit: Use his form HERE.

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Kathy Palokoff of Savvy Literary Services

Kathy Palokoff is an associate literary agent at Savvy Literary where she apprenticed under Leticia Gomez, the founder of the firm and one of the top ranking literary agents in the United States. Kathy has a long career as a storyteller and promoter of storytellers. Her specialty is working with changemakers who want to inspire others and find a broader platform. She is particularly interested in helping authors whose books represent diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Writer, editor, content developer, brand builder, and marketer, her greatest joy is working directly with authors and watching a book come to life. Her clients describe her as highly empathic while being direct and focused on their success.

She is the co-author of Firestarters: How Innovators, Instigators, and Initiators Can Inspire Your Own Life and Dismissed: Tackling the Biases That Undermine Our Health Care, a March 2023 release by Kensington Publishing. Kathy has written numerous book proposals that have received publisher offers such as: Brilliance Beyond Borders, More Alike Than Different, and Transforming Your Life Through Self Care.

She has acted as the ghostwriter or editor for multiple authors in memoirs, self-help, business books and novels such as Black Sheep: A Blue-Eyed Negro Speaks of Abandonment, Belonging, Racism and Redemption; Overcoming the Darkness: Shining Light on Mental Illness, Trauma and Suicide in Law Enforcement; People Economics: Defining and Measuring the True Value of Human Capital; You’re Already a Wealth Heiress; It’s Always Your Move: Purposeful Progress for Corporate Career Women; The Amazing Adventures of Anything Boy; and Amazing Grace: How My Father Taught Me to Rejoice in the Word of Our Father.

An active writer and editor for decades, Kathy holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Virginia University, a master’s in public administration from SUNY at Brockport, and has completed all doctorate courses from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in technical writing and rhetoric.

What she is seeking: General Fiction, including: Historical. Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror,Mystery/Crime, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense/Thriller.

How to submit: Use the agency form HERE.

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Najla of Savvy Literary Services

Najla is an avid reader and loves great first chapters, immersive world building, deep character profiles, and well-rounded dialogue. She teaches workshops at several writing conferences, including Common Mistakes In First Chapters, Writing Rules That Can Be Broken, Self-Editing Before the Query, Getting The History And Voice Right, and many other topics. She is co-chair of American Association of Literary Agents’ Professional Development committee and member of the People of Publishing planning committee for the AALA’s annual meeting of literary agents, editors, and publishing professionals.

What she is seeeking: In nonfiction, Najla gravitates towards narrative nonfiction, true crime, memoir, biography, business/economics, leadership, and stories inspired by lesser known people, professions and crafts (builders, designers, architects), musicians/artists/creators, daredevils, athletes, etc.

In fiction, Najla is drawn to voice-driven, emotionally immersive historical fiction, cinematic thriller/suspense (with series potential), horror with surprise endings and twists (especially psychological), speculative (such as alternative history), and magical realism (light fantasy or romantasy). She would like to add more new adult to her list as well as older protagonists. She would also like to see a cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth in her inbox. She does not represent children’s books and only occasionally takes on young adult novels.

Tropes she’d like to see more of:

• Complex societal themes and questions, including privilege and wealth, or lack of.
• Themes of rediscovering identity.
• Complex parent/guardian and child relationships, where both are good but deceptive, cruel, etc. in different ways.
• Misunderstandings or misperceptions of marriage, pregnancy, parenting, death, and/or grief.

In all genres, she hopes to see more immigrant, expat, and/or BIPOC/ underrepresented stories. Last, because real life is messy, stories need strong secondary characters, multiple layers, and complications.

She considers full manuscripts between 65,000 and 85,000 words.

How to submit: Use the agency form HERE.

Lee Melillo of Dunham Literary

Lee Melillo (they/she) joined Dunham Literary, Inc. in May 2024 as Jennie Dunham’s assistant, following an internship with Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret LLC. She was made an Associate Literary Agent in June 2025. Lee additionally manages the agency’s social media and website, is a second-reader for queries, handles royalty statements and permissions, and assists on preparing submissions.

Lee graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University in 2022, with departmental honors in English and Theatre Directing. Through her majors, Lee discovered her passion for advocating for writers. She believes literature is one of the most effective ways to gain empathy for and understanding of life experiences outside our own.

Originally from New Haven, Lee now resides in Queens with her cats/office assistants, Meatloaf and Muffin Man. Lee maintains her love of theatre as the Executive Artistic Director of Personal Pizza Party, an indie production company, and by performing full renditions of musical theatre classics on the glorious stage of her shower.

What she is seeking: Lee represents YA, New Adult, and Adult Fiction written by, for, and about marginalized communities in both commercial and literary markets. She looks for high-concept plots, atmospheric prose, and well-drawn universes with commercial hooks that can reel in a wide range of readers and subsequently deliver well-executed, memorable reading experiences on the sentence level. She appreciates elements of mystery or suspense, especially in historical settings; big-hearted, accessible reads that center platonic and/or romantic relationships; and sharp, weird senses of humor that appeals to a generation of readers raised online.

In Adult Fiction, Lee is searching for book club and upmarket fiction from BIPOC women, neurodiverse, and queer authors. She’d like contemporary fiction exploring complex issues that have both personal and societal implications; eclectic rom-coms with strong plots and unique hooks; ensemble-casts, ideally of women and/or queer folk; or cozy slice-of-life centered around a community space. She is also open to contemporary or historical fiction centered around myth, either through retellings of classics or the invention of new mythologies for the modern age; dark magical realism; bubblegum thrillers; and socially-conscious horror. 

In Young and New Adult Fiction, Lee looks for YA that has crossover potential and NA stories set in college or directly post-grad. Her taste in these categories is broad, but she’s mostly looking for stories her 15-year-old self would’ve dedicated a tumblr blog to. Diversity is a must, as are well-developed, loveable (or love-to-hateable) characters. She enjoys meticulously-researched, atmospheric historical fiction with an element of mystery/suspense or other propulsive plot engines. She also loves dystopian fiction, but it must be grounded in real life issues and critique our present-day socio-political systems. For contemporary fiction, she’s open to stories centering queer characters, characters with mental illness and particularly OCD, or rom-com heroines with autism in interesting, off-beat settings.

How to submit: Follow the agency guidelines HERE.

107 Calls for Submissions in June 2025 - Paying markets

This June there are more than eight 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!

Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check back frequently for new submission calls.

(Image: PxHere)

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The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2025.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Prose. They prefer stories under 3,000 words but will consider up to 5,000 words. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2025. Free submissions open on the 1st of each month and close when cap is reached.

The Paris Review. Genres: Prose. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2025, and closes when they reach capacity.

Okay Donkey. Genre: One flash fiction OR one poem per author, per submission period. See website for details. Payment: $20. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2025 and closes when cap is reached.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: June 1, 2025. See themes.

The Offing. Genre: CNF: Insight. Payment: $25 - $100. Deadline: June 1, 2025.

Behind the Revolving Door: An Anthology of Choices. Genre: All genres. "This anthology will be a collection of stories that take the reader on a journey with the author’s protagonist as they go through a trial and are forced to take an action, to make a choice." Payment: 1 cent per word for original stories or a flat $10 for reprints. Deadline: June 1, 2025. Accepts reprints.

Breath and Shadow. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama; these pieces do not have to be "about" disability. However nonfiction, academic, and similar articles (profiles, interviews, opinion pieces) do have to relate to disability in some way. Payment :The pay scale is $30 for poetry, $40 for fiction, and $40 for nonfiction. In addition to publication and payment, Breath & Shadow will post links to contributors' work on other sites. Deadline: June 1, 2025

It Takes a Village Anthology. Restrictions: Open to  Canadian writers/authors only, with some preference for writers from British Columbia. Genre: Poems, flash fiction, short stories, science fiction, fantasy, romance, literary, contemporary, and more. Theme: Community. Payment: $5 for poetry sets (up to 5 pages); $10 for flash fiction (up to 1000 words); $25 for fiction stories up to 5000 words +$2/1000 words for over 5000 for fictions stories up to 10,000 words. Deadline: June 1, 2025.

IHRAM Publishes. Genre: Poetry, fiction, esssays, art. Theme: Invisible Chains: Contemporary Slavery and Forced Migration. Payment: $50 for writing, $25 for art. Deadline: June 1, 2025.

Wallstrait. Genre: Flash fiction, longer stories, hybrid, and experimental stuff you can't quite define. Length: Up to 5,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 1, 2025. 

Eerie River. Restrictions: Open to underrepresented Canadian authors. Genre: Novels or novellas in the genres of dark fiction, dark romance, horror romance, or horror, Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2025.

Green Writers Press is an independent, Vermont-based publishing company 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. Genre: Adult/juvenile fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2025.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. Theme: Music. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2025.

The Big Issue. Restrictions: Open to Australians. Genre: Fiction. Payment: $500. Deadline: June 2, 2025.

Affirm Press accepts all literary and genre fiction. For non-fiction, they are interested in most subjects that have an author or authors based in Australia, and only manuscripts that haven’t been previously published. They only accept submissions on the first Monday of each month and twice yearly on their children’s & teen list. Read their submission guidelines here. They only accept Australians. Deadline: June 2, 2025.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: June 2, 2025. Opens June 1.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 4, 2025. Note: This is a monthly call.

Strange Horizons. Genre: Speculative fiction novelettes. Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: Opens June 4, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

The Fabulist. Genre: Fantastical flash fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: June 4, 2025. Opens June 3.

University of Queensland Press has launched the careers of many celebrated Australian writers, such as David Malouf, Peter Carey, Kate Grenville, Doris Pilkington and Nick Earls. Originally founded as a traditional university press, UQP has since branched into publishing books for general readers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, Indigenous writing and youth literature. UQP publishes books across the following categories: non-fiction (history, politics, current affairs, biography and memoir, environmental issues), literary fiction, including short stories, children’s and young adult (YA) books (fiction and non-fiction), poetry. They do not publish books in the following categories: Genre fiction (including romance, science fiction, fantasy, and erotica), travel guides, cookbooks, self-help books, plays/scripts/music scores, textbooks, unrevised theses or conference proceedings. Read their submission guidelines here. Deadline: June 7, 2025. Open the first seven days of every month.

Black Inc. Restrictions: Open to Australians. Genre: Full-length general, literary and commercial non-fiction – including history, current affairs, memoir and biography. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 7, 2025.

Talk Vomit. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Theme: The uncanny. Payment: Fiction and nonfiction - $10-30; poetry - $5-15. Deadline: June 7, 2025.

Mslexia. Restrictions: Open to women. Genre: Fiction poetry, nonfiction. See theme. Payment: £30. Deadline: June 9, 2025.

Encounters With Cryptids Anthology. Genre: Horror stories about cryptids. Payment: 3 cents/word. Deadline: June 9, 2025.

Samjoko Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, play, screenplay. Payment: $20. Deadline: June 10, 2025.

Inkd Publishing: Beyond. Genre: Science Fiction. Word Limit: 2,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 10, 2025.

Vellum Mortis. Genre: Horror. Length: 1000 words max. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 10, 2025.

Thread Litmag: Numerical. Genre: Micro fiction and poetry. See theme. Payment: $85. Deadline: June 13, 2025.

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 14, 2025. Reprints accepted.

Poetry Magazine. Genre: Poetry. Payment: For text poems, $10/line with a minimum honorarium of $300 per poem. For visual poems, audio poems, and video poems, $300 per poem. If a piece is published in multiple formats, such as print and video, payment is made for each format. For prose, $150 per published page. Deadline: June 14, 2025.

Extra Teeth. Genre: Short fiction and nonfiction between 800 and 4,000 words. "We look for short stories that stick with you, lingering in the memory long after reading, and essays that explore specific interests or issues from a new perspective. We offer a space for writers to be strange, bold and experimental, and to express their unique style however they see fit." Payment: £100 - £140. Deadline: June 14, 2025.

Plott Hound. Genre: Speculative fiction starring animals. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories About Pets. Genre: "From backyard to barnyard; from couch to coop; from aquatic to aerial; from indoor to outdoor; from fins to fur to feathers - we want to hear about all your pets." Payment: $200. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

Baffling. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Length: Under 1200 words. See themes. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

Singapore Unbound: Suspect. Restrictions: Open to authors who identify as Asian. Genre: Fiction and essays (maximum 6,500 words) or poetry (maximum 10 pages). See theme. Payment: $100. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

Yellow Arrow Vignette. Restrictions: Open to people who identify as women and live or have lived in the Baltimore area. Genre: Creative nonfiction, poetry (including spoken-word poetry), and cover art. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

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, 2025.

Bull City Press. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction Chapbooks. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: June 15, 2025.

100-Foot Crow. Genre: Speculative fiction drabbles. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

The Necronomicon of Sherlock Holmes. Genre: Sherlock Holmes stories. Payment: $125. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

Kopi Break. Restrictions: Open to those affiliated with Singapore and the Singaporean diaspora. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

Quarter Press: Quarter(ly). Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 15, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

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, 2025.

The Savage Waves of Spring. Genre: Noir/neo-noir stories that take place in a beach locale (ocean, lake, river, etc). Payment: $50. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. See theme. Payment: $0.04/word, up to $25. Deadline: June 15, 2025. 

Grain Magazine. Genre: Fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry. Payment: CAD50/page up to CAD250 for writing, up to CAD500 for art. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

IHRAM Press: Today’s Pressured Youth: What Will They Say? Genre: "We invite submissions that amplify the voices of young people—firsthand accounts from youths, reflections on the author’s personal experiences, stories of resilience, and perspectives on isolation or societal pressures." Payment: $50. Deadline: June 20, 2025. (Deadline extended.)

R&R. Genre: Short stories and poems. Payment: $75 for short fiction and $50 for 2-5 poems. Deadline: June 20, 2025.

Memezine: Kakistocracy. Genre: "Bring us words SO FIRE they can melt 🧊 and burn a T€SLA. Be funny, be serious, but most of all, be urgent about it." (See theme) Payment: approx $20. Deadline: June 21, 2025.

Shooter. Genre: Fiction, poetry, CNF, art on theme of Sweet Hereafter. Payment: £25 per story and £5 per poem. Deadline: June 22, 2025.

Griffith Review. Genre: Nonfiction. See theme. Payment: Up to $500. Deadline: June 22, 2025.

Enter Here Anthology. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.01/word for stories of 2,000-4,000 words. Deadline: June 22, 2025.

Stygian Lepus Magazine. Genre: Dark speculative fiction. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 25, 2025.

The Ex-Puritan. Genre: Poetry, fiction, reviews, interviews, essays, and experimental work. "The Ex-Puritan now seeks to publish the best in all forms of writing." Payment: $100 - $200 (CAD). Deadline: June 25, 2025.

Markaz Review. Genre: Fiction. Payment: Small honorarium. Deadline: June 25, 2025. 

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Midnight Meadow Publishing: Trans Anthology. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy stories featuring main characters who fall under the trans umbrella (this includes nonbinary, genderfluid, and genderqueer characters). Payment: $15.00 per thousand words for first rights. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Consequence Magazine: The Culture of War. Restrictions: Open to writers age 15 - 24. Genre: Nonfiction focused on the culture of war. Payment: $40. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

fifth wheel press: Garland – the body and body and body. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Phantomicon. Genre: Horror, fantasy fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. See theme. Payment: 1/2 cent/word up to $30 for prose, up to $20 for poems, up to $30 for art. Deadline: June 30, 2025. May close early if cap is reached.

Good Printed Things: Food Memories. Genre: Poem, essay, or story that reflects on a food memory. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Dirty Magick Magazine. Genre: Short fantasy fiction, from 2,000 to 12,500 words. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

The Deadlands. Genre: Fiction. "The Deadlands exists in liminal spaces between life, death, and elsewhere. We are looking for fiction that concerns itself with death—but also everything death may involve." Payment: 10 cents/word for fiction. Deadline: June 30, 2025. Accepts reprints. 

Tales from the Crosstimbers. Restrictions: "We welcome submissions from under-represented groups who bring their lived experience to their fiction. We also welcome submissions from first-time, unpublished authors. We welcome submissions from any location. However, our mission includes providing a market for authors from the region of the Crosstimbers Forest–which includes Oklahoma and surrounding states–so we especially encourage authors from this region to submit." Genre: Speculative fiction, some nonfiction and poetry. Payment: The larger of $10 per story or 1 cent/word rounded to the nearest 100 words, up to a maximum of $50. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Harbor Editions: Hybrid Chapbook Reading Period. Genre: Hybrid chapbook. Chapbooks should be around 20-50 pages. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025. No submission fee for BIPOC writers.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: June 30, 2025. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.

The Hudson Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

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, 2025.

Codhill Press. Genre: Poetry manuscript. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Midnight & Indigo. Restrictions: Open to black women. Genre: Fiction, personal essays. Payment: 7 cents/word for fiction, $100 for essays. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Unicorn Press. Genre: Poetry collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Neon Hemlock. Restrictions: Open to trans women and writers of color. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Kozy Krampus. Genre: Cosmic horror. See theme. Payment: $0.01/word. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Something Old, Something New. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $10 - $20. Deadline: June 30, 2025. Accepts reprints.

Inanna Publications. Genre: Full-length fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and essays on ideas, society, politics, culture and the arts that speak to the diverse lives of women around the world. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Dracula Beyond Stoker. Genre: Fiction based on Stoker’s characters. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Infernal Museum: Galactic Mindsea Empire – Bioids. Genre: Speculative stories set in the Galactic Mindsea Empire. See website. Payment: 4 cents/word. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Inked in Gray: Stellar Parallax – Human Hope In Grimdark Worlds. Genre: Gritty sci-fi. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Hellbound Books. Genre: Pandemic horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Hellbound Books. Genre: Extreme horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Hellbound Books. Genre: Campfire stories. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Lucky Jefferson. Restrictions: Open to Latin/Latin-American Writers and Artists. Genre: Poetry, prose, art on theme: Estallido. Payment: $15 - $25. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Lucky Jefferson. Genre: Poetry, prose, art on theme: Fissure. Payment: $15 - $25. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Off Topic: Trans and Genderqueer Voices Anthology. Restrictions: The work must be written by a trans/genderqueer person or people. Genre: Poems, flash fiction, short stories, creative nonfiction, essays, and unclassified other writing of any style and theme. Payment: $20CAD. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Redacted. Genre: Personal essay related to your personal experience with divorce. Length: Up to 3000 words. Payment: $125. Deadline: June, 30, 2025. 

Hope in A Grimdark World. Genre: Science fiction. All stories should have a message of hope whilst surrounded by darkness. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Zombies Need Brains: SKULL X BONES. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, or urban fantasy stories where the story revolves around pirates. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Anvil Press. Restrictions: Open to writers living in Canada. Genres: Full-length books per year in the following genres:
• literary fiction (short story collections, novels, uncategorizable prose)
• creative nonfiction
• memoir
• essay collections
• poetry
• books about Vancouver history (preferably off-beat or little-known history)
Read submission guidelines here. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Dragon Soul Press: Spells and Fangs. Genre: All stories featuring witches and vampires are welcome. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Smokelong. Genre: Flash narrative up to 1000 words. They are looking for prose that is troubling, that explores our darkest fears. Payment: $100/$150 with audio, upon publication. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

The Rialto. Genre: Poetry. Payment: £20. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

BP Review: Genre: Writing on the theme of "Excess." Payment: $100. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Saturday Mourning Television. Genre: Short horror fiction inspired by early morning kids' TV. Payment: $35. Deadline: June 30, 2025. 

foofaraw zine. Genre: Speculative and literary fiction. Payment: Fiction: $0.01 per word. Poetry: $5.00. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

SpecPoVerse. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Allegory. Genre: Speculative Fiction and nonfiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Black Hare Press. Genre: Dark stories, in any genre. Payment: 5,000 to 10,000 words  – $20 USD, 10,000 to 17,000 words– $30 USD.. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Hub City Press. Genre: Books of literary fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, regional nonfiction, nature, and art. "We are seeking new and extraordinary voices from the American South." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025. 

Off Topic Publishing. Restrictions: The work must be written by a trans/genderqueer person. Collaborative work is okay. Genre: Poems, flash fiction, short stories, creative nonfiction, essays, and unclassified other writing of any style and theme. Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: June 30, 2025. 

Rebel Satori Press. Genre: Book-length nonfiction on the occult and esoterica. LGBTQIA+ fiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025. 

Inkd Publishing: Yay! all queer II. Genre: All genres. LGBTQ+ characters must have a central position within the story. Word Limit: 2,000 to 6,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

The Offing. Genre: Micro. Ten- to 560-character (including spaces) works in any genre. Payment: $25 - $100. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

The Fantastic Other. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, poetry, art on theme: Storm. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2025. 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.

AND A FEW MORE...

Thema. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: I Wish I'd Said That. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: July 1, 2025. Accepts reprints.

Okay Donkey. Genre: One flash fiction OR one poem per author, per submission period. See website for details. Payment: $20. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2025 and closes when cap is reached.

Headland. Genre: Short fiction and creative nonfiction. Payment: $50. Deadline: July 1, 2025

IHRAM Press: America's Slide Toward Authoritarianism Genre: Fiction, essays, poetry, art. "It is clear that the American political class has all the tensile strength of tissue paper in a summer storm, and that our court system is porous, offering a weak and possibly irrelevant backstop to what was once the strongest democracy in the world. So, as in all authoritarian states, it is left to the artists and creators to hold the line, to stand up for what is right and just, and to safeguard the republic. Only the creators have the courage to resist." Payment: $50. Deadline: July 1, 2025.

It Came from the Trailer Park. Genre: Horror/Comedy. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2025.

63 Writing Contests in June 2025 - No entry fees

This June there are more than five dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes 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! 

(Image: Goodfon)

__________________

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, 2025. 

PEN/Bare Life Review Grants. Restrictions: Open to immigrant and refugee writers in the US and abroad. Genre: Unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2026. The project must be a work of a literary nature: fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. Prize: $5000. Deadline: June 1, 2025.

The PEN/Heim Translation Fund. Genre: Book-length works of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama in translation. Prize: $2000 - $4000. Deadline: June 1, 2025.

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, 2025. 

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, 2025.

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, 2025.

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, 2025.

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, 2025.

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, 2025.

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 1, 2025.

Republic of Letters: Republic Book Club. Genre: Nonfiction. Review of David Szalay’s Flesh. Prize: $50. Deadline: June 1, 2025.

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: June 2, 2025.

The International Audio Drama Competition is sponsored by the BBC World Service and British Council in partnership with Commonwealth Writers. Restrictions: Open to non-UK residents. Genre: A script for a 53 minute radio play with up to six central characters. Prize: £2500 sterling and a trip to London. Deadline: June 4, 2025.

Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest. Restrictions: Canadian high school, college, and graduate students. Genre: Short essay on "What would our Essential Scholars say about Canadian economic prosperity today?" Prize: CAD$1,500 in each age category. Deadline: June 5, 2025.

Anne Brown Essay Prize. Restrictions: Entrants must be aged over 16 and resident in Scotland, born in Scotland or have a longstanding association with Scotland. Genre: Literary essay, published or unpublished. Prize: £1,500. Deadline: June 6, 2025. 

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, 2025.

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 9, 2025.

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 9, 2025.

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, 2025.

The Pomegranate Tent Review. Genre: All genres, as well as audio, art, visual, recipes, spells. See theme. Prize: $25. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

Page One Media 2026 Grant. Genre: A book being published by a US based publisher and published in the US sometime between January and December 2026. Adult books only. Prize: The 2026 grant will provide one full book publicity campaign spanning eight months for a book publishing in 2026. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

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, 2025.

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 2025 for coursework submitted during the academic year. Deadline: June 15, 2025.

53-Word Story Contest. Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words based on monthly theme. Prize: Publication and a free book. Deadline: June 15, 2025. (Note: This is a monthly contest)

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 16, 2025.

Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing. Genre: Editorial writing. The Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship was established to enable a mid-career editorial writer or columnist to have time away from daily responsibilities for study and research. Freelancers may also apply. Fellowship: Up to $100,000.  Deadline: June 19, 2025.

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, 2025, and June 30, 2025 must be received on or before June 20, 2025.

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 20, 2025, for works published between January 1 and June 30, 2025.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for one story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: June 20, 2025.

Guppy Books. Restrictions: Open to unpublished and unagented authors. Genre: Novel for middle grade readers. Prize: Publication. Deadline: June 20, 2025.

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, 2025.

International EJCA Spring Haiku Contest. Genre: Haiku. Prize: $20 - $30. Deadline: June 21, 2025.

Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to female high school and college students in Nigeria. Genre: Unpublished poems, 40 lines maximum. See theme. Prize: $200.  Deadline: June 22, 2025.

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: June 22, 2025.

Write the World Competitions. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Essay: Making meaning. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: June 23, 2025. (Note: This is a monthly contest.)

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  April 30, 2025 and September 30, 2025. Deadline: June 25, 2025.

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 October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025. 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, 2025.

Writers' Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Open to Canadian LGBTQ+ writers. Genre: Debut book published between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025. Prize: $12,000. Deadline: June 25, 2025.

Wingate Literary Prize. Genre: Published book that explores Jewish themes. Book must be published between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025, 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: June 27, 2025.

Dave Greber Freelance Writers Book and Magazine Awards for Social Justice Writing. Restrictions: Open to “continuing residents of Canada” who at the date of application have “lived in Canada for the last twelve months” and who are “working a minimum of seventy per cent of their work time as a self-employed freelance writer.” Genre: Nonfiction books and articles. Prize: $5000 for books, $2000 for articles. Deadline: June 27, 2025.

Apex Flash Fiction Contest. Genre: Speculative fiction, 1000 words max. Prize: 8 cents/word or $10, which ever is greater. Deadline: June 30, 2025. Note: Apex Magazine’s Flash Fiction Contest is open from the 7th until the final day of each month. The contest is themed.

My Writing Journey. Genre: Essay on the theme: The worst writing mistake I’ve ever made. Length: 600 words. Prize: $200 (R2 000 or £100). Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Raleigh Review Flash Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Open to US residents. Genre: Flash fiction. Prize: $300. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Science Me A Story. Genre: Scientific stories or poems for children (ages 6-12) of up to four pages by authors over age 18. Stories can be in English or Spanish. Prize: £150, £100 or £50. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for a young science journalist. Restrictions: Open to  applicants whose 31st birthday is July 1, 2025 or later. Genre: Science journalism. Prize: $1,000 and expenses to attend ScienceWriters2025 in the fall. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

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: June 30, 2025.

Lee & Low Books New Voices Award is sponsored by Lee &Low Publishers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a children’s picture book published. Genre: Children's picture books - fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Prize: $5,000 and publication. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Chapter House Indigenous Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Open to Indigenous writers. Genre: Fiction. Prize: $250. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Harbor Editions: Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers and previous finalists. Genre: Hybrid chapbooks. Prize: Publising contract. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Writers College Short Story Competition. Restrictions: Open to any writer who is unpublished, or has been published fewer than four times. Genre: Short story. See theme. Prize: First prize NZ $1000 and publication; second prize NZ $500 and publication. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

The Drabble Harvest Contest. Genre: Drabble on theme of The Witch's Broom. 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: June 30, 2025.

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: $2000; Second Prize: $1000; Third Prize: $500. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Sargeson Prize. Restrictions: Open to New Zealanders. Genre: Short stories. Length: 5,000 words max. Prize: First Prize: $15,000; Second Prize: $1000; Third Prize: $500. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

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, 2025.

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, 2025.

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, 2025.

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, 2025.

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, 2025.

Eden Mills Teen Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to Canadian teens. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Two $50 prizes, two $25 prizes. Deadline: June 30, 2025.

Washington State Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers. Genre: Published book, fiction, nonfiction, poetry: adults or children. Prize: Recognition (?) Deadline: June 30, 2025 (for books published Jan. 1-May 31, 2025).

Last Stanza Poetry Journal. Genre: Poetry. Prize: A single $100 award will be given for an outstanding poem. Deadline: June 30, 2025. See theme.

#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, 2025. This is a monthly contest. 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: June 30, 2025. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.