135 Calls for Submissions in October 2022 - Paying markets

This October there are more than eleven 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 calls for submissions a few days prior to 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: Pixnio)

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Propertius Press. Genre: Full-length manuscripts, Cozy Mysteries. Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Cicada's Lament. Restrictions: They only publish work from marginalized creators, particularly Disabled and/or LGBTQIA+ folx. Genre: Southern Gothic/horror. Theme: your births, your baptisms, your beginnings. Payment: $5. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

The Iowa Review. Genre: Poetry and fiction. Payment: $1.50 per line for poetry ($40 minimum) and $0.08 per word for prose ($100 minimum). Deadline: October 1, 2022. No fee for snail mail submissions. $4 fee for online submissions.

Dorothy is a feminist press dedicated to works of fiction or near fiction, mostly by women. Genre: Full-length fiction. "Each fall, we publish two new books simultaneously. We work to pair books that draw upon different aesthetic traditions, because a large part of our interest in literature lies in its possibilities, its endless stylistic and formal variety." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

11:11 Press is a small indie publisher located in Minneapolis. Genre: Full length fiction, poetry, and hybrid manuscripts. Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: October 1, 2022. See submission details here.

Propertius Press. Genre: Full-length manuscripts, Black, BIPOC, POC, Minority, Indigenous, and/or Ethnic Fiction. "We are actively seeking submissions from Black, Minority, Indigenous, and other Persons of Color in all categories." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Rituals & Grimoires: Gothic Tales of Dark Magic & Wizardry. Genre: Short stories (5,000 - 8,000 words) of dark fiction that invoke the nefarious spirit of the dark wizard. Payment: US: $40 + author copy/non-US: $45 + ebook author copy). Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Riddlebird. Genre: Literary fiction, personal essays, genre fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Dead & Bloated. Genre: Horror. Payment: 3 cents/word. Deadline: October 1, 2022. Print publication.

The Last Line. Genre: Fiction that ends with the last line provided. Payment: $20-$40. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Keeping It Under Wraps. Genre: Personal essays. "We are looking for personal essays for an anthology about your experiences, views and ideas on bodies: your own or in general." Payment: 40GBP. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations. comics, photography. Payment: "Modest" Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Nihilist Poet Militia: West. Genre: Poems (less than 20 lines) or prose (less than 300 words). "General strategy: Poetry, anti-poetry, or sub-poetry. Very short stories; memories; surrealism." Payment: $5. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Gordon Square Review. Genre: Poetry, short stories, personal essays, and hybrid prose works.   Payment: $25 per prose piece and $10 per poem. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Substantially Unlimited. Restrictions: Open to writers who identify as part of the disability community. Genre: Prose, up to 15 pages. See themes. Payment: $15. Deadline: October 1, 2022. Reprints accepted. 

Mythulu Magazine. Genre: Submit co-authored stories in any genre. Also looking for non-fiction commentary and experiences with co-created projects. Payment: $0.06/word or $15/page. Non-fiction pays $0.08/word. Creative works earn $0.04/word, with short stories capped at $75. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction on Theme of SELFISHNESS / SACRIFICE. Payment: $10 via PayPal for each story published in an Anthology. Deadline: October 2, 2022.

Nimrod. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. Payment: $10 per page, with a $200 maximum. Deadline: October 1, 2022. Fee to submit online; no fee for postal submissions.

The Wild Hunt. Genre: Fiction. "The Wild Hunt is an online literary magazine that celebrates the weird, surreal, the other, and imaginary worlds. Its aim is to feature writing and artwork that includes strange occurrences, mysterious places, magic, creatures and monsters, the uncanny, fairies, folklore, horror, the ghostly and ghoulish, and any whirlwind adventures." Payment: £0.02/word. Deadline: October 2, 2022.

Electric Literature: Recommended Reading. Genre: Short fiction between 2,000 and 10,000 words. Payment: $300. Deadline: October 2, 2022.

Planet Scumm Genre: Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, speculative fiction, weird fiction, and slipstream.  Payment: $0.05/word. Deadline: October 2, 2022.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories, poetry, nonfiction. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. $1 a line for poetry. 2 - 8 cents/word for nonfiction. Deadline: October 2, 2022. Accepts reprints.

Strange Horizons Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 10¢/word USD. Deadline: Opens October 3 and closes when cap is reached.

Dilettante Army. Genre: Scholarly writing on weak aesthetics. Payment: $500. Deadline: October 3, 2022.

The Science Fiction Tarot. Genre: Science fiction concept for a tarot card, along with a story that exhibits that idea through character, plot or theme. "Please have a clear archetype, setting, or SF subgenre and center your submission around the concept: the focus of the tale should be the idea conveyed, not tarot cards themselves." Payment: 3 cents/word. Deadline: October 4, 2022.

adda. Restrictions: Open to Commonwealth citizens, aged 18 and over. Genre: Creative non-fiction, short fiction, short graphic fiction and poetry on the theme of healthy communities. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: October 4, 2022.

Bright Wall/Dark Room. Genre: Essay on theme: Recovery. "We’re looking for stories of people who faced immense challenges and found a way to come out the other side. This umbrella encompasses any number of addiction narratives.” Payment: $50. Deadline: October 6, 2022.

Cossmass Infinities. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy short stories. Payment: $0.08/word for original fiction. Deadline: October 7, 2022.

League of Canadian Poets: Adventitious Sounds. Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens and residents. Genre: Poetry. "The purpose of this call for submission is to rebuild to soundscape of medical practitioners." Payment: $25. Deadline: October 7, 2022.

Scum. Genre: Feminist-friendly work of any variety, but as a general rule your piece should be under 2000 words (50 lines for poetry, max. 3 poems) and able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review”. Payment: $60 AUD. Deadline: October 7, 2022. Opens to submissions on October 1.

Fantasy Magazine. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, poetry. Payment: 8 cents per word; $40 per poem. Deadline: October 7, 2022. Opens to submissions on October 1.

MERCILESS MERMAIDS: Tails from the Deep. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We're sounding the ship's bell for stories about malevolent and merciless merfolk of all kinds. Give us your mermaids who fought for the wrong reasons, made tough by their circumstances or by their own choices. Show us their schemes and villainous wiles, the fairytales that end in blood. Or laughter. Tempt us with their twisted workings across time and space, colors and creeds." Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: October 7, 2022.

Nightmare Magazine. Genre: Horror and dark fantasy, fiction, poetry, CNF. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: October 8, 2022.

Aothen Magazine. Genre: Ancient Greece/Roman/Egyptian related poetry, fiction (1000 words max), nonfiction (2500 words max), art, translations. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 10, 2022.

Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Dark, eerie, speculative stories on theme of Halloween. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 13, 2022.

HER-ish Project. Genre: Poetry and prose about the feminine experience. Payment: $25. Deadline: October 14, 2022.

The Waking. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction, image text/hybrid work. "The Waking is Ruminate Community's online literary magazine that houses high-quality literary writing about what it’s like to be human. We are interested in short-form and flash prose as well as image-text/hybrid work. This art can be beautiful, it can be strange, we just ask that it feels true." 1500 words max. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 15, 2022. Opens October 1.

DreamForge. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy short fiction and poetry. Payment: $0.06/word. Payment for reprints is $0.03/word. Poems are paid at the rate of $25 to $100. Deadline: October 15, 2022. Accepts reprints.

White Enso. Genre: Original, unpublished short fiction, essays, creative non-fiction and artwork that encapsulates the Japan experience. Payment: Between 1000 and 1500 yen (US$10-$15). Deadline: October 15, 2022. Accepts reprints.

Belanger Books: The Detective and the Clergyman: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown. Genre: Fiction. "In 1910, the first story of Father Brown, the East Anglican Roman Catholic priest and detective was published. Sometimes called the counter to Sherlock Holmes and the world’s second greatest detective, the plain mild-mannered Brown used intuition with his logic to solve cases. This anthology will feature stories where the two great detectives, the cold and calculating Holmes and the kind and meek Brown, team up to solve mysteries." Payment: $50 or $100. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

Tumbled Tales 1: Stories that Upend Genre Conventions. Genre: Fiction that blends genres. "We’re looking for genre authors who cross boundaries. Authors whose stories twist the tropes to showcase in a cross-genre anthology of stories that entertain, but read fresh and new. Send us the story that you can’t classify: a story that can’t be pigeon-holed into a single subgenre, or that pushes against your genre’s boundaries." Payment: $25.  Deadline: October 15, 2022. 

Sasee. Genre: First-person, non-fiction material that is for or about women. Essays, humor, satire, personal experience, and features on topics relating to women are their primary editorial focus. Theme: “In the Spirit!” 500 to 1000 words. Payment: Varies. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: October 15, 2022. See themes.

Orca. Genre: Literary fiction. Payment: $50 for short stories, $25 for flash fiction. Deadline: October 15, 2022. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fees.

Medusa Tales. Genre: Speculative stories (sci-fi, fantasy, and horror) of human transformation and immobilization. Payment: 1 cent/word, $10 for reprints. Deadline: October 15, 2022. Accepts reprints.

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. We aim to publish seasonally, with our inaugural issue expected to be released early 2022. Response times vary  between 1 day to 4 months. Apologies in advance for form rejections. Our goal is to publish 15 pieces per issue." Payment: $20. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

TriQuarterly. Genre: Fiction, CNF, Poetry. Payment: Honorarium. Deadline: October 15, 2022. (They charge a fee after October 15)

Translunar Travelers Lounge. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.03 per word with a minimum of $20. Deadline: October 15, 2022. (Note: Sept 15-21 is reserved for writers of color)

Electric Spec. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre. Length: 250 to 7000 words. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

Fat Coyote. Restrictions: Writers must be neurodivergent. Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF, Art, Photography, Comics. Payment: 3 cents/word for prose. $1 line for poetry. $30 - $40 for art. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

The Loch Ness Monster vs. Ghosts in Atlantis. Genre: Speculative fiction. " How did the Loch Ness Monster end up landlocked in Scotland, becoming one of the great paranormal mysteries of our time? Is she a myth, a hoax, a trick of the eye? Or perhaps she is simply lurking there until her enemies forget, waiting for the right time to return to her home in the waters around the fabled Atlantis, where she can be reunited with her family, and take her revenge?" Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

Out of the Darkness Anthology. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We are looking for stories about escaping the darkness. The darkness of depression, the darkness of being a victim – any and all types of darkness will be considered." Payment: $20. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

Dose of Dread. Genre: Horror flash fiction. Preference for dread-inducing stories. Length: 500 - 1,000 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

Consequence Forum. Genre: Flash nonfiction focused on the human consequences and realities of war and geopolitical violence. Length: 500-900 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

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. We aim to publish seasonally, with our inaugural issue expected to be released early 2022. Response times vary  between 1 day to 4 months. Apologies in advance for form rejections. Our goal is to publish 15 pieces per issue." Payment: $20. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

Typehouse. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: October 15, 2022. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, no-fee submissions are open for all Hispanic/Latine/x creators, not limited to those in the US.

Seaside Gothic. Genre: Seaside gothic fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or a collection of photographs or illustrations. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: October 16, 2022. 

Invisible City. Genre: Fiction and poetry. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 16, 2022. (The website says 2023, but their submission manager says 2022.)

Rattle: Tribute to Irish Poets. Genre: Poetry. Poems may be written on any subject, in any style or length, but the poet must identify as Irish and have lived in Ireland for a significant portion of their life. Our intention is to highlight and connect with the contemporary poetry scene in Ireland. Translations from the Irish language are welcome, but all submissions should be in English. Payment: $200. Deadline: October 16, 2022.

Maine Review. Genre: Short fiction, poetry. Payment: Fiction and Nonfiction writers receive a $25 honorarium per published flash (1,000 words or fewer) and a $50 honorarium for work 1,001 words or more. Poets receive a $25 honorarium per published poem. Deadline: Fee free from October 10 - October 16, 2022. 

Funemployment Quarterly. Genre: Science-fiction/fantasy on theme: Privacy, and the Panopticon. Payment:$20 CAD. Deadline: October 16, 2022. 

Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: October 17, 2022. See themes.

Nightmare Magazine. Restrictions: BIPOC writers only. Genre: Horror and dark fantasy, fiction, poetry, CNF. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: October 20, 2022.

Daikaijuzine. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $10.00 for each short story, and $5.00 for each poem and flash fiction piece. Deadline: October 21, 2022. 

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction. Payment: $80. Deadline: October 21, 2022. Opens October 1.

Fusion Fragment. Genre: Science fiction or SF-tinged literary fiction stories and novelettes ranging anywhere from 2,000 to 15,000 words. Payment: Both previously unpublished work and reprints pay 3.5 cents (CAD) per word, up to a maximum of $300 (CAD) per story. Deadline: October 23, 2022. Accepts reprints.

Neon Hemlock. Genre: Speculative novellas. Length: Up to 40,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 24, 2022.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $40 CAD. Deadline: October 25, 2022. This is a monthly call.

Mudroom. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and essays in translation. Payment: $15. Deadline: October 25, 2022.

The Suburban Review. Genre: Prose, art, poetry on theme: Leaven. Payment: AUD150-275 for prose; AUD125-275 for poetry. Deadline: October 27, 2022.

Every Day Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction on holiday themes. Length: 1000 words max. Payment: $3. Deadline: October 27, 2022.

Fantasy Magazine. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, poetry. Payment: 8 cents per word; $40 per poem. Deadline: October 27, 2022. 

Prairie Fire. Genre: Fiction, poetry, CNF on theme: The Peace We Make. Payment: Prose: $0.10 per word; Poetry: $40 per poem. Deadline: October 28, 2022.

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: October 29, 2022. 

Mythaxis. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 30, 2022.

Stormbird Press: Our Ocean’d Earth. Genre: Nonfiction or fiction writing that conveys one clear and unified message: that our oceans are worth fighting for. Payment: €200. Deadline: October 30, 2022.

Griffith Review: Counterfeit Culture. Genre: Poetry. "We welcome poems on all manner of fakes, frauds and forgeries as well as work that explores the appeal of stories, objects, bodies or experiences that offer the false promise of authenticity." Payment: Negotiated. Deadline: October 30, 2022.

Dragon Soul Press: Union. Genre: "Science fiction romance stories. Outer space and aliens are accepted. All heat levels are accepted." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Funny Stories. Genre: True stories. "Share your funny stories about something that happened to you in your life – in your relationship with a partner or spouse, a parent or child, a family member or friend, at work or at home – that made you and the people around you laugh out loud. Did you mean for it to be funny? Did the other person mean to make you laugh? Did a situation just get out of control? Did a misunderstanding turn into a comedy of errors?" Payment: $200. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Dark Recesses Press. Genre: Horror/dark fiction pieces 500-5000 words. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Red Cape Anthologies: Q is for Quantum. Genre: Horror. "We’re looking for sci-fi stories, parallel dimensions, time travel etc but firmly set in the horror genre." Payment: £10. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Isele. Genre:  "We want fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography, visual art, and hybrid works that explore sociological themes around food." Payment: Modest. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Red Bird Chapbooks. Genre: Poetry and prose (fiction, CNF) chapbooks. Manuscripts should be no longer than 26 pages. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

A Public Space. Genre: Fiction, essays, poetry, as well as graphic and hybrid work. Payment: Honorarium. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Black Lawrence Press: 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: October 31, 2022. 

Flare An Anthology of Chronic Illness Told in Flash Narratives. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and hybrid prose to 750 words about the experience of chronic illness. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

FIYAH. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to people of the African Diaspora. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry about African Diaspora. FIYAH is currently OPEN to portfolio submissions for consideration for 2023’s issue covers. Payment: Commissions pay $400.00 USD for original artwork. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Kissing Dynamite. Genre: Poetry microchap manuscripts. Payment: $50. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The Vampiricon: Imaginings & Images of the Vampire. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art, nonfiction on theme: The Vampire. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Orison Books. Genre: Novels, short story or flash fiction collections, novellas, personal or lyric essays and memoir. Payment: Small advance and royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Midnight and Indigo. Genre: Short Stories, Speculative Fiction, and Personal Essays written by Black women writers. Payment: $50 - $100. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Temz Review. Genre: Poetry and prose up to 10,000 words. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Underdog Press. Genre: Fiction of about 3,500 - 7,500 words. Theme: Underdogs. “This anthology will focus exclusively on BIPOC writers who live in or hail from locales in the United States and whose short stories feature BIPOC characters set in a science fiction or fantasy setting where the character is an underdog who uses their skills to overcome a challenge.” Payment: 3 cents/word. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Hub City Press publishes 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: October 31, 2022.

From the Yonder. Genre: Short stories and poems based upon a regional/cultural legend or tall-tale from any location or culture in the World. “Regional” can be a specific place (Loch Ness) or a larger region (Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest). Payment: $5 (USD) per poem and $10 (USD) per short story. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Alien Dimensions. Genre: Science Fiction. Payment: $10. Minimum 3500 words, maximum 4,500 words. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Nightlight. Restrictions: Open to Black writers. Genre: Horror. 10,000 words max. Audio format. Payment: $75 - $200 depending on length. $50 for reprints. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Brick. Genre: Nonfiction. Payment: $55–660, depending on the length of accepted work, plus two copies of the issue the work appears in and a one-year subscription to the magazine. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Zoetic Press: Family. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and art on theme: Family. Payment: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Nonbinary Review: In Motion Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and art around the theme of Family. "Who are your family? How do you relate to them? How has family shaped your life and your responses to the world? What is the gulf between the family you need and the family you have?" Payment: 1 cent per word for prose, and a flat fee of $10 for poetry. Deadline: October 31, 2022. Accepts reprints.

It's Too Late. Genre: Science Fiction short stories inspired by the music of David Bowie. No limits on subject matter. Payment: $25. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

There's No Place. Genre: Short fiction pieces on the theme of “home” (500-3500 words) by storytellers who have experienced—or are experiencing—homelessness. Payment: 0.08CAD per word. Deadline: October 31, 2022. (Extended deadline)

MacroMicroCosm. Genre: Speculative fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2022. See themes.

Step Into The Light. Genre: Horror. Theme: Daytime-themed horror. Payment: £0.005 per word. Deadline: October 31, 2022, or until filled.

MetaStellar. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy or horror. 1000 words max. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

JMS Books: Your Favorite Trope. Genre: LGBT romance. "A trope is a familiar plot device an author uses to bring two characters together. There are dozens of them -- friends to lovers, second chances, arranged marriages, forbidden love, celebrity falls for fan, love triangle, secret admirer ..." Length: 12,000 words or higher. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Otoroshi Journal. Genre: Horrorku, horror tanka, and horror haibun, art. Payment: Poetry, $1. Art, $10. Deadline: October 31st, 2022.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 1 cent/word for fiction and $5 - $10 for poetry. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Silver Blade. Genre: Science Fiction, Slipstream, Classic and Modern Fantasy; short fiction, flash fiction, novellas, and poetry. Payment: $15 for novellas, $3 for flash fiction, $8 for short stories, $8 for single poems and $15 for Featured Poets (by invitation only). Silver Pen will pay half of these rates for previously published works. Deadline: October 31, 2022. Reprints accepted.

Step Into the Light Anthology. Genre: Horror. "Think Midsommar, The Wicker Man,  Benchley's Jaws, IT, The Silence of the Lambs.  All great storylines, all packed with daytime fear proving you don't have to be in the dark to be afraid." Payment: £0.005 per word. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

A Darkness Visible. Genre: Postmodern horror. Payment: £80. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

How2Conquer. Genre: Nonfiction books. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Diet Milk: ‘In The Bleak Midwinter.' Genre: Gothic micro/flash fiction. Payment: $3 for micro fiction, $5 for flash fiction. Deadline: October 31, 2022. (Runs from October 1 - 31)

Awake. Restrictions: Black writers only. Genre: Poems, essays, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, and art. See prompt, Payment: $15, $25, or $50. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Harbor Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Raven Canticle Press. Genre: Speculative fiction in the following genres: Fantasy, Horror, Espionage/Thriller, Science Fiction. Up to 80,000 words, minimum of 15,000 words (novellas).  Payment: Advance and royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

The Big Book of Things That Go Bump in the Night: A Collection of Utah Horror.  Restrictions: All entries must have a Utah connection, either on the part of the author or the story itself. Genre: Stories and poems suitable for a middle-grade audience in the same vein as Neil Gaiman, Victoria Schwab, Patrick Ness, Holly Black, and R.L. Stine. Please ensure your story/poem is suitable for a younger audience. Prize: $10 - $35. Deadline: October 31, 2022. (Extended to November 30)

Corvid Queen Journal. Genre: Fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and pieces that are in-between up to 5,000 words. "Feminist tales, feminist retellings of traditional tales, and personal essays related to traditional tales." Payment: $5. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Manor of Frights. Genre: Horror. "Imagine a Victorian house where every room is cursed with a frightful existence. Are monsters in the halls? Ghosts left to fester in the library? Or are the rooms themselves enchanted with malevolent energy? What was summoned long ago and what doorways were left open? Manor of Fright will be a collection of tales all set in different rooms of the same house." Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

bath magg. Genre: Poetry. Payment: £20. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Mud Season Review. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, CNF, Art. Payment: $50. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

One Wild Ride. Genre: "Previously published flash fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid stories about finding joy, sadness & meaning as we flex roles as both child and caretaker. I’m looking for stories about anyone who raised you (anyone!). Writers of all identities are encouraged to submit. Positive and negative stories are welcome (not everyone adores our parents – and that’s okay)." Payment: $20. Deadline: October 31, 2022.  

Engen Books: Fairy Tales from the Rock. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: "We're looking for both fairy tales inspired by Newfoundland & Labrador culture, as well as new takes on popular fairy tales from the world over!" Payment: $0.01 CAD per word to an upper limit of 7,000 words. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

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: October 31, 2022.

Beechwood Review. Genre: Minimalist poetry, prose, and artwork. Payment: $5 per published poem. Prose at 1¢ per word. Visual art or cover art at $5 per artwork. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Subterranean Blue Poetry. Genre: Poetry on theme: The Rolling Stones for Christmas 2022. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Manawaker Studios: Flash Fiction Podcast. Genre: Flash fiction (audio format) Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: October 31, 2022. Accepts reprints.

MetaStellar. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, horror up to 1000 words. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The Second Black Beacon Book of Mystery. Genre: Mystery. "We want excellent writing, evocative settings, intriguing characters, and most importantly, a clever puzzle complete with clues, red herrings, foreshadowing, and twists." Payment: 20€ for original stories and 5€ for reprints regardless of length, plus one print copy. Preferred word count between 5,000 and 10,000 words. Deadline: October 31, 2022. Accepts reprints.

The Theatre Phantasmagoria. Genre: Horrror flash fiction up to 2,000 words. Payment: £10. Deadline: October 31, 2022. This is a monthly call. See themes.

New Writing Scotland. Restrictions: Open to writers resident in Scotland or Scots by birth, upbringing or inclination. Genre: All forms of writing. Payment: £25 per published page. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Solarpunk Creatures. Genre: Speculative fiction. "To imagine and build better futures, we’re championing a new wave of inclusive storytelling that centers nonhuman characters and positive multispecies interactions. Whether the setting is urban or rural or a space station, we’re looking for stories and artwork that put human-nonhuman or even nonhuman-nonhuman relations in the spotlight." Story Length: up to 7,000 words. Payment: Fiction: $0.03 per word (USD) + contributor copy. Art: $100 (USD) for previously unpublished art; $50 for reprint art + contributor copy. Deadline: October 31, 2022. Opens October 1.

Propertius Press. Genre: Short stories on The Natural World. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

try&partake. Genres: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, translations, art. Theme: Food. Payment: Each accepted poem piece receives $15.00 USD. (5 maximum sent per submission) Each accepted poem in translation receives $18.00 USD. (5 maximum sent per submission) Each accepted prose piece as fiction or creative nonfiction receives $30.00 USD. (1 maximum piece sent per submission) Each accepted piece of visual art receives $20.00 USD. (4 maximum pieces sent per submission) Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Deathcap and Hemlock. Genre: Dark recipes and photography. "Send us your darkest goulash, your most violent sachertorte, your transformative aperitif. Pass down your great-aunt’s potluck dish for a party that ended … poorly. We are a cookbook for a dreadful feast, in the style of a recipe blog." Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

The Worcester Review. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 31, 2022. (No submission fee for BIPOC writers)

WTAW Alcove Chapbook Series. Genre: Chapbook. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2022.  Fee waived for BIPOC writers.

AND A FEW MORE...

Propertius Press. Genre: Full-length manuscripts, Historical Fiction by BIPOC, POC, Minority, Indigenous, Writers. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Propertius Press. Genre: Biography or memoir, full length. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Ninth Letter. Genre: Poems, nonfiction, and short fiction. "The theme for this issue is Constellations. The nightsky stars themselves are not arranged in patterns and shapes and mythological beasts–it is the observer who sees the connections, draws the lines, and makes the picture. What is a constellation, then, but independences transformed into a larger vision when unseen connections are realized and imagined into being?" Payment: $25 for poetry, $75 for prose. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Short Story-2,500 words or less. $0.01 USD per word/$25 USD and copy of magazine; Flash Fiction-less than a 1,000 words $0.01 USD per word/$10 USD; Poems-less than 200 words $10 upon acceptance and a PDF of the magazine. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

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: November 1, 2022.

Penguin/Random House Australia. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to Australian and New Zealand residents. Genre: Children's and YA books. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

The Iowa Review. Genre: Nonfiction. Payment: $0.08 per word for prose ($100 minimum). Deadline: November 1, 2022. No fee for snail mail submissions. $4 fee for online submissions.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: November 1, 2022. See themes.

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: November 1, 2022.

Thema: So THAT'S Why. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: So THAT's Why. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: November 1, 2022. Accepts reprints.

The First Line. Genres: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Kelp Journal. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Oceanic themes. Payment: $35. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

ellipsis… literature & art. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction. Payment: $3 per page fpr prose. $10 for poetry. Deadline: November 2, 2022. (Only pays American writers.)

56 Writing Contests in October 2022 - No entry fees

This October there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $60,000 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. Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

(Image: PxHere)

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Ginosko Flash Fiction Contest. Genre: Flash fiction, 1000 words max. Theme: The Sacred. Prize: $500. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Natan Notable Books Award. Genre: Recen­t­­ly pub­­lished or soon to be pub­lished nonfic­­tion book on Jew­ish themes. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

The Furious Gazelle’s Halloween Writing Contest. Genre: Halloween-themed poetry, fiction, short plays and creative non-fiction. Prize: $50. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

The Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry, sponsored by the African Poetry Book Fund and in partnership with the literary journal, Prairie Schooner, is the only one of its kind in the world and was established to promote African poetry written in English or in translation and to recognize a significant book published each year by an African poet. A standard edition is 48 pages or more in length. Genre: Open to any book of original poetry, in English, published during 2015 in a standard edition by a full-length collection of poetry. Restrictions: African nationals, African residents, or poet of African parentage with roots from any country, living anywhere in the world. Prize: USD $5,000. Deadline: October 1, 2022.

Quarterly West.  Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: $500. Deadline: No fee days: October 1 -2, 2022.

Mavis Batey Essay Prize. Restrictions: Open to any student, worldwide, registered in a bona-fide university or institute of higher education, or who has recently graduated from such an institution. Genre: Nonfiction. Scholarly essay on gardening history. Prize: £250, free membership of the Gardens Trust for a year and consideration for publication. Deadline: October 2, 2022.

Perito Prize. Genre: Fiction about accessibility. Prize: £250 and the story will be uploaded to the Perito Prize section of the Perito Ltd website. Deadline: October 2, 2022.

#PassOrPages Query Contest. Participating agents give brief feedback on a handful of entries, explaining why they're passing ... or requesting pages! The queries and accompanying feedback are posted on our blog anonymously, which helps querying authors get a peek into agents' minds as they go through their slush piles. Genre: Genre reveal September 20. Deadline: October 3 - 7, 2022.

Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing. Genre: Book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and has the potential to shape or influence thinking on contemporary Canadian political life. Book must be published in Canada. Prize: CAN $25,000.  Deadline: October 4, 2022. (For books published between April 1, 2022 and October 3, 2022)

American Antiquarian Society Fellowships for Creative Writers is calling for applications for visiting fellowships for historical research by creative and performing artists, writers, film makers, journalists, and other persons whose goals are to produce imaginative, non-formulaic works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history. Successful applicants are those whose work is for the general public rather than for academic or educational audiences. The Society's goal in sponsoring this program is to multiply and improve the ways in which an understanding of history is communicated to the American people. Prize: A stipend of $1,150 to $1,350 and on-campus housing is provided; fellows residing off-campus receive $1,850. Deadline: October 5, 2022.

Embracing Our Differences Quotation Contest. Genre: An original quotation to accompany a piece of artwork. Length: 20 words max. Prize: $1000. Deadline: October 5, 2022.

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: October 8, 2022.

Arthur Flowers Flash Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color and not have published or been contracted to write a full-length book at the time of submission. Writers with chapbooks are eligible. Genre: story of no more than 1,000 words. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: October 9, 2022.

Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to fiction writers aged 21+ who have not yet published a book and have never been enrolled in an MFA program. Writer must not have a book under contract with an agent and/or publisher at time of application, and writer cannot have been published by One Story (or have a forthcoming publication with One Story). Genre: Short fiction that "speaks to issues and experiences related to inhabiting bodies of difference." Prize: Free tuition for all of One Story's online classes and programming, a travel stipend of $2,000 and tuition to attend week-long summer writers' conference in Brooklyn, and a full manuscript review/consultation of a story collection or novel in progress with an executive editor. Deadline: October 12, 2022. 

Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Short story on theme of Halloween based on movie quotes (See site); 2000 words max. Prize: $50. Deadline: October 13, 2022.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction; under 1,000 words. Prize: $30. Deadline: October 14, 2022. Opens October 1.

North Carolina State Fiction Contest. Restrictions: Open to residents of North Carolina with no published fiction books. Genre: Short stories. Prize: $500 for fiction (up to 5,000 words) and $250 for shorter fiction (up to 1,200 words). Deadline: October 14, 2022.

Neal Peirce Foundation Journalism Travel Grants. Genre: Journalism. "Grants are intended to support journalists in covering undertold stories about ways to make cities and their metro regions work better for all their people. Grants will cover travel expenses necessary for on-the-ground reporting. Full-time freelancers as well as journalists currently employed by a news organization are eligible to apply. The grants are for journalists to travel to cities within the U.S. to produce one or more stories for publication." Prize: Up to $1500. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship. Restrictions: Poet must be born in the United States.  Genre: Poetry. The sample must not exceed either (1) 40 typed pages or (2) one printed volume plus no more than 20 typed pages of your most recent work. There is no minimum page requirement.  Prize: $60,500 for a year of travel and study abroad. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

Mindfood. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand residents only. Genre: Short story 2000 words in length and previously unpublished. Prize: U$1000 for the Australian winner and one (1) prize money of NZ$1000 for the New Zealand winner. Deadline: October 15, 2022.

John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize. Genre: Published book of poems. Publishers may submit four copies of a debut full-length poetry collection (or bound galleys) published originally in the English language between October 1st 2020 and October 18th 2022. Prize: €10,000 (approximately $11,400) Deadline: October 18, 2022.

Women's Prize for Fiction. Genre: Published novel by a woman. Entrants must be writing in English and must be published in the UK between 1 October 2022 and 31 November 2022. All subject matters and women of any age, from any nationality or country of residence are eligible. Prize: £30,000.00. Deadline: October 21, 2022.

Endless Ink Publishing House Short Story Horror Comedy Contest. Genre: Horror comedy. Length: 5,000- 8,000 words. Prize: 1st place prize is $750.00 in prize money (USD). 2nd, 3rd and 4th place will receive $150.00 in prize money (USD) Deadline: October 21, 2022.

Solarpunk Microfiction Contest. Genre; Microfiction, 250 words max. Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website. Deadline: October 27, 2022. See theme. Opens October 21.

The Marfield Prize, also known as the National Award for Arts Writing, is given annually by the Arts Club of Washington to nonfiction books about the arts written for a broad audience. Genre: Non-fiction book. Self-published books not accepted. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: October 28, 2022.

Zocalo Book Prize. Genre: US-published nonfiction book that best enhances our understanding of community and the forces that strengthen or undermine human connectedness and social cohesion. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: October 28, 2022.

Storyhouse. Genre: Nonfiction. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. 1000 - 10,000 words in length. Stories must be suitable for children. See themes. Prize: $200. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Disabled Poets Prize. Restrictions: Open to deaf and disabled poets aged 18+ currently living full-time in the UK. Genre: Poetry. Deaf and disabled poets will be able to submit to three categories – best single poem, best unpublished pamphlet, and best poem performed in British Sign Language. Prize: In each category, there will be a first place prize (£500), second prize (£250), third place prize (£100), and three highly commended entries, (£50). Deadline: October 31, 2022.

ACDI Literary Prize. Restrictions: Open to authors with a disability and/or chronic illness. Authors must be a British national OR resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for three years prior to the date of submission for the award, and writing in English and submissions must have been published or self-published in the UK between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022. Genre: Novel which includes a disabled or chronically ill character or characters. Prize: Winner will receive £1,000 and two runners-up £500 each. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Olde Wolf Short Story Contest. Genre: Short story. Length: 3,000 words max. Prize: $100. Deadline: October 31, 2022. This is a monthly contest.

The John Byrne Award. Restrictions: Open to residents of Scotland over 16 years old. Genre: A piece of creative work on a chosen theme or value (written work must be no more than 15,000 words in length). Prize: £250. Deadline: October 31, 2022. This is a monthly contest.

USNI General Prize Essay Contest. Restrictions: Authors must be USNI members or those eligible for membership. Genre: Essay "We are living in an era of intense global competition. Renewed great power competition will require the Sea Services to rethink how to address national, strategic, and operational challenges and the way they will have to fight. Authors may address any topic." Prize: $6,000. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Somos En Escrito. Restrictions: Writings must be by Americans of indigenous/hispanic background (Native American, Chicano, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban and other Latin American origin) born in the USA or from Latin America residing in the USA. Genre: Speculative fiction. Prize: $100. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The Drabble Harvest Contest. Genre: Drabble on theme of "Out the Airlock." 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: October 31, 2022.

Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $750 in any single year. Genre: Travel Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The LoveReading Very Short Story Award. Genre: Short story in any genre of 600-1,000 words. Prize: £300; £200. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Volcano Prize Restrictions: Open to a UK or Irish writer, or a writer currently resident in those countries. Genre: A novel focusing on the experience of travel away from home. Inspired by Malcolm Lowry’s novel, Under the Volcano and in celebration of its author, the prize aims to inspire literary excellence and encourage writers to travel and to write from the resulting experience. For books published in UK or Ireland between 1 November 2020 and 31 October 2021. Publishers must enter the work. Prize: The winner will receive £2,000 and the runner-up £750. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The Barbellion Prize. Genre: Fiction, memoir, biography, poetry, or critical non-fiction. “The Barbellion Prize is dedicated to the furtherance of ill and disabled voices in writing. The prize is awarded annually to an author whose work has best spoken of the experience of chronic illness and/or disability." Prize: £600. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is the most prestigious literary award in the US. Restrictions: Authors must be living American citizens. Self-published works not accepted. Genres: Novels, novellas, and collections of short stories. Prize: $15,000. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The Eric Gregory Awards. Restrictions: Applicants must be under 30 and a British subject by birth and must ordinarily be resident in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland. Genre: Poetry collection. Previously published work accepted. Prize: £4,000.00. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The Young Walter Scott Prize. Restrictions: Open to UK authors aged 11-19. Genre: Historical fiction between 800 and 2000 words. Prizes: £500 travel and research grant to further explore historical places in the UK, and an invitation to the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland. Two runners-up in each category receive a £100 book token, and all four winning stories are published in a special YWSP anthology book. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Tom-Gallon Trust Award. Restrictions: Open to citizens of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland with at least one short story published or accepted for publication. Genre: Short story, maximum 5,000 words. May be unpublished. Prize: £1,000.00. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Lex:lead Essay Competition. Restrictions: Candidates must show citizenship in an eligible country and be enrolled in studies with at least one law class in an eligible country at the time of the award. Genre: Essay: How can laws promoting gender and disability rights support economic development? Prize: $500 scholarship. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize. Restrictions: Entrants must be aged 18-25 years and living in the UK. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. Each year a question or quote exploring Franklin’s relevance in our time is open for interpretation in 1000-1500 words. Prize: First prize of £750, second prize of £500. Winning entries will be posted on the website and also published online by The Telegraph. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

McKitterick Prize. Restrictions: Open to authors over age 40 on December 31, 2021. Genre: First novel. The work must have been first published in the UK in the year in which the deadline falls (and not first published abroad), or be unpublished. Prize: £4,000.00. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The Young Writers Initiative Manuscript / Chapbook Contest. Genre: Fiction in any genre, book length. Poetry. Prize: One winner in each category $225 each. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Bergman Prize. Genre: First or second collection of poetry. Prize: $10,000 and publication. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

The Solstice Prize. Restrictions: Open to 7-17 year olds. Genre: Short stories, blog posts, and poems. Nature writing. Theme: Fight for Flight. "We’d you to tell us about a particular bird that means something to you." Prize: Publication and cash prizes for winners in three age groups: 7-11, 12-14, and 15-17. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

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: October 31, 2022. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

The Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest is sponsored by Hollins University. Restrictions: Open to young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Up to $5,000 renewable annual Creative Talent Scholarship in creative writing if winner enrolls at Hollins. Free tuition and housing for the university’s Hollins summer creative writing program. $200 cash prize. Publication in Cargoes, Hollins’ award-winning student literary magazine. Ten copies of Cargoes. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Rune Bear Quarterly. Genre: Drabble of exactly 100 words on theme of  “War in Space.” Prize: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Tell Your Story. Genre: Creative nonfiction, 5,000 words max. No minimum. Prize: 1st place ($250), 2nd place ($150), and 3rd place ($100). Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Fearless. Restrictions: Contest open to residents of Canada and the United States, aged 13+. Genre: Short fiction (see themes) Story Length: 500-1500 words. Prize: Youth (13-15) $500 USD; Teen (16-18) $750 USD; Adult(19+) $1000 USD. (There are also prizes for honorable mentions.) Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Diann Blakely National Poetry Competition. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500 and 25 broadsides of their poem, which will also be archived on the University of Georgia English Department website. Deadline: October 31, 2022. 

Graybeal-Gowen Prize for Virginia Poets. Restrictions: Poets living in or born in Virginia, as well as those who have lived in Virginia for two or more years in the past, are eligible. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1000. Deadline: October 31, 2022.

Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poem inspired by artwork. (See site for image.) Prize: $100. Deadline: October 31, 2022. This is a monthly contest.

40 Outstanding Writing Conferences and Workshops in October 2022

This October there are more than three dozen writing conferences. Many conferences and workshops will be held online, but some 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: Martha's Vineyard, Flickr)

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Travel & Words: Northwest Travel Writers Conference. October 2 - 4, 2022: North Bend, OR. Workshops, panels, networking and Writer Matchmaking: Writers attending Travel & Words are looking for story ideas and possibly press trips. These “speed dating” sessions connect destination marketers with freelance writers and bloggers on the “Experienced” track. 

Writing on the Door: "The Poet's Toolkit," with Monica Yuon, October 3-7, 2022: Fish Creek, WI. "In this course, students will hone and sharpen their poetic craft through an intensive focus on the materials and techniques of their art form. Starting from the smallest increment of the poem – the individual word or sound, students will engage in a series of exercises that are designed to deepen their appreciation of structure, craft, and form. We will devote special attention to the ways in which poetry can participate in the characteristic techniques of other art forms and genres. Reading assignments will include the work of contemporary and canonical poets and other artists whose works serve as exemplars for certain formal strategies." Application deadline: June 1.

Bookgardan: A Year's Sustenance for Women Writers. Low Residency Program: October 2022 to October 2023. In-Person Residency Dates: October 3-10, 2022 & October 2-9, 2023. "Bring your book project and your literary practice to full fruition in Bookgardan, a year-long program of sustained, one-on-one mentorship and advanced craft curriculum created by an acclaimed writer, seasoned editor, and devoted & inspiring literary mentor, shared with an intimate cohort of like-minded literary artists. Hone your work-in-progress, develop your technical expertise, and refine your inimitable artistic process over twelve months bookended by two full retreat weeks as fall writers-in-residence at Craigardan, an interdisciplinary mountainside residency program for artists in the majestic Adirondacks of upstate New York. Now enrolling its fifth cohort, Bookgardan is unlike any other writing program, book incubator, or literary mentorship. Designed for women writers with book-length, literary fiction and creative nonfiction projects, created in partnership with a residential artists’ program that fosters collaboration and cross-fertilization among artists, and intentional in its goal of building a lasting, mutually supportive community of women writers, at Bookgardan’s heart is Kate Moses’ passionate dedication to helping other women writers realize their vision for their work, made manifest in the unstinting one-on-one mentorships she forges with each writer and their book." Applications will be accepted until the cohort is filled, or until September 25, 2022. 

New York Comicon. October 6 - 9, 2022: NY, NY. "New York Comic Con is your event. Where you can feel unafraid to geek out. Where you’re accepted and embraced for being yourself. Where you can experience the best in pop culture because no matter what fandom you’re passionate about, we have it waiting here for you. Be inspired by award-winning comic artists and Japanese anime creators. Get star struck over your favorite TV and film idols. Treat yourself to exclusive fandom gear and unique artwork. But most importantly, create all of those memories with the people you care about the most. Because this event is for you. To embrace your inner hero or root for the villain. To geek out as a family. To celebrate a weekend together you’ll never forget."

Minnesota Writers Workshop. October 7-8, 2022: St. Paul, MN. This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited online “seats” at the event (200 total). Will be held online.

Write on the Sound Writers' Conference and Pre-Conference. Oct 7 - 9, 2022: Edmonds, WA. Founded in 1985, Write on the Sound writers’ conference (WOTS) is a small, affordable conference focused on the craft of writing. A variety of sessions, workshops and panel discussions are available for all levels and interests, including valuable information regarding today’s writing and publishing industry. 

Gold Rush Writers Conference. October 7 - 9, 2022, Mokelumne Hill, CA. "Writing professionals will guide you to a publishing bonanza through a series of panels, specialty talks, workshops and celebrity lectures. Go one-on-one with successful poets, novelists, biographers, memoirists and short story writers." Writing workshops in Autobiography/Memoir, Children's, Fiction, Marketing, Non-fiction, Poetry, Publishing, Romance, Travel, Young Adult. Individual sessions available. 

James River Writers Conference. October 7 - 9, 2022: Richmond, Virginia. The 20th annual James River Writers Conference will be held online and in person from October 7 to October 9. The conference will start with online master classes on October 7, followed by in-person events on October 8 and 9 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Virginia, including pitch sessions with agents; personal consultations for query letters, synopses, first pages, and author website audits; the Agent Dating Game; and panel discussions. The keynote address will be given by nonfiction writer Beth Macy. Speakers and instructors include poets Zetta Elliott and Nick George the Poet; fiction writers TJ Klune and Kyle Lucia Wu; and literary agents Jessica Felleman (Jennifer Lyons Agency), Dawn Michelle Hardy (Literary Lobbyist), Saritza Hernandez (Andrea Brown Literary), Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts (HG Literary), and Will Roberts (Gernert Company). The cost of the in-person conference, which includes breakfast, lunch, and a one-on-one meeting with an agent, is $319 for James River Writers members and $389 for nonmembers. Single-day tickets are also available starting at $175 for members and $194 for nonmembers. The cost of a master class is $50 for members and $75 for nonmembers. The cost of a personal consultation is $25. The deadline for registration is October 3.

Picture Book Summit. Oct 8, 2022, Online. A one day live event for picture book writers including author keynotes, interviews, workshops and agent & editor panels. Recordings provided for attendees for four months post-conference.

DFW Writers Conference. October 8 - 9, 2022: Fort Worth TX. Featuring pitch sessions with literary agents, advanced classes, engaging panels, interactive workshops.

Kentucky State Poetry Society. October 8 - 9, 2022: Bowling Green, KY. Readings, workshops, panels, and keynote. "The Kentucky State Poetry Society seeks to inspire, encourage, and develop Kentucky’s poets through a wide variety of workshops, lectures, and publishing opportunities. The Kentucky State Poetry Society publishes the biannual literary journal Pegasus, offers a student and adult poetry contest, and hosts an annual poetry conference." Note: Membership not limited to Kentucky residents. Registration: $15. Will be conducted in person and via Zoom.

7th Annual Broadleaf Writers Conference. October 8 - 9, 2022: Dunwoody, Georgia. "With one of the strongest list of authors you will ever find at a conference, we’ve added even more agents, editors and publisher representatives than ever before! Combined with educational sessions and workshops, the 7th Annual Broadleaf Writers Conference will offer you all that you need to refine and improve your craft." Will be held online and in person.

Orion Poetry Workshop. October 12 - November 25, 2022. Six consecutive Wednesday evenings from 6-9pm EDT. Instructor: Diana Marie Delgado. The course: You, Who the Earth Was For. Jean Valentine, the great symbolist poet, left us an eternal reminder: “you / who the earth was for.” As a time-sensitive traveler of this earth, a journey that demands adaptation and acceptance of sometimes brutal truths, how do we connect the wisdom of our individual experience to the natural world around us? Our class will explore book-length approaches to writing the self in the natural world, including selections from the work of Harryette Mullen, Derek Jarman, and Luis Alberto Urrea. These readings will explore how your personal viewpoint or relationship to your immediate environment can enlarge a place, and through a speaker’s revelations, mirror the turbulence and peace of the natural world. This is a hybrid-text class; poetic forms such as haibun and tanka will be considered alongside the journal/diary as a literary gesture capable of intensity and velocity on the page. This class is also rooted in the belief that writing about place and nature can adopt numerous forms, from succinct to grandiose; and we will try as many as we can. The class will consist of discussions around assigned text and generative writing prompts. Participants will be asked to make observations in peer work, and exchange feedback in communal and supportive ways. Homework will consist of spending time in the natural world and documenting observations that connect to craft topics on our reading list. Application period: September 10-25.

Storymakers & Indie Author Hub Writing Conference. October 13 - 15, 2022: Blue Springs, MO. "The SMIAH Writers Conference is a writing event sponsored by both the Storymakers Author Guild and Indie Author Hub Guild. This conference is on it's tenth year of inspiring authors from across the country and around the world, giving them the tools they need to take their writing to the next level. The 2021 will continue to bring a unique spin to the traditional writers conference, offering both in-person and virtual attendance options. With a distinctly Indie flavor and all the traditional building blocks, this is the conference you need to step out of the ruts and see your writing and career clearly." 

Ozark Creative Writers Conference. Oct 13 - 15, 2022: Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Workshops by published authors, editors and agents; Publishers Row, independent publishers available to hear about your next project.

TLA Power of Words Conference: Hope Is a Discipline. October 13 - 16, 2022: Online. "Our 2022 conference Power of Words: Hope is a Discipline, will feature three keynote presentations, more than 30 workshops, panel discussions, performances, constituency groups, celebrations, and more. The conference brings together writers, poets, artists, storytellers, performers, songwriters, community leaders, activists, healers, therapists, educators, health professionals, facilitators, and more, as we turn our collective energies to cultivating the Power of Words in all people, with the goal of transforming our world for the better." Online.

Orion Online Poetry Workshop. October 13 - November 17, 2022. Online. "This class meets once a week over six consecutive Thursdays from 1-4 ET. "This course will serve as a deep investigation of a single natural landscape of significance to you. This can be the woods near your home where you walk each day, a long-ago lake or coastal place where you haven’t dipped a toe in the water since you were a child, or somewhere you’ve never been but are fascinated by because of its profound or precarious ecological position. By the end of our six weeks together, you will have composed a suite of poems meditating on this place and digging into why its colors, textures, and scents deserve our close observation and consideration. This is your opportunity to peel back the layers—of personal observation, embodied memory, and the acquired knowledge of wildly varied (and sometimes imperiled) flora and fauna—that make our hearts wild for wild places." The Instructor: Keetje Kuipers is the author of three books of poems.

Nimrod Conference for Readers and Writers. October 13 - December 1, 2022: University of Tulsa, Oklahoma. "For over 40 years, Nimrod has hosted an in-person, all-day writing conference in conjunction with the publication of our fall issue. While we will not be hosting this year’s in-person events due to the continuing effects of the pandemic, we’re thrilled to host an extended period of virtual creative writing programming this fall. This year’s programming will feature several months of craft talks, Q&As, readings, and more. We will add more offerings to this schedule as they become available, so keep checking back."

Writing On The Door: Children's Literature Conference. October 14 - 16, 2022: In Person, Sturgeon Bay, WI. "This conference is for adults who want to write for children. Tracks will be offered in writing picture books, middle grade books, and young adult literature. The conference will present a diverse line-up of writers and subject matters, including immigrant/refugee issues, self-esteem and bullying, social justice, and more. The conference will consist of several panel discussions, breakout sessions, and talks by professionals in the field of children’s literature." 

Gotham Writers Conference. October 14 - 16, 2022: NY, NY. A writing conference built by agents, for writers, with a faculty of some of the top agents in New York City. Receive focused attention within your genre from some of the best in the business. Will be held on Zoom.

Annual Rochester Writers’ Conference. October 15, 2022: Rochester, Michigan. Lectures, Workshops and Panel Discussions in fiction, non-fiction and business of writing presentations. Open to new, working and published writers of all genres. Attendees select four presentations from a dozen to tailor fit their needs.

Annual Maryland Writer’s Conference. October 15 - 16, 2022: Baltimore, MD. The Brain to Bookshelf Annual Conference offers over 20 workshops and agent panels. Agent pitches and critiques are available, but agent slots are limited, so register early. New York Times Best Selling Author and Educator Maria V. Snyder will begin with keynote craft workshops each day. Day 1: Emotion is NOT a Dirty Word and Day 2: Writing: The Basics and Not so Basics.

Viable Paradise Science Fiction Writers' Workshop. Oct 16 - 21, 2022: Martha’s Vineyard, MA. Viable Paradise is a unique one-week residential workshop in writing and selling commercial science fiction and fantasy. The workshop is intimate, intense, and features extensive time spent with best-selling and award-winning authors and professional editors currently working in the field. VP concentrates on the art of writing fiction people want to read, and this concentration is reflected in post-workshop professional sales by our alumni. Application Period: from February 2 - June 1, 2022.

Online Creative Nonfiction Workshop. October 17 - December 5, 2022. Online. Instructor: Michael Kleber-Diggs. Duration: This class meets over eight consecutive Mondays from 7-9 pm, ET. The course: The Self in Nature. "In this class, we’ll spend time examining different approaches to nature writing. We’ll look at how we see nature in ourselves and how we can see ourselves in nature. The class will be oriented toward creative nonfiction but will include consideration of poetry, and largely focus on generative work." Application period: September 10-25.

Orion Online Nonfiction/Fiction Workshop. October 18 - November 23, 2022. Online. Instructor: Amy Irvine. "The course: What If This Ends Well? Rewriting Stories of Dystopia and Apocalypse in Time to Change the Narrative. Cormac MacCarthy’s Road. Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale. Mad Max, The Walking Dead. Books, film, and television pump out end-of-the-world narratives and they top the charts, grab headlines, win prizes. The same story has been told a thousand times, a thousand ways. The plot we know like our own biographies, it’s that engrained: Civilization falls, and the natural world is ravaged beyond repair. We turn on one another, fighting feral in order for a few individuals to survive (barely, and only then with lots of guns) while everyone and everything else goes down in flames. Not that things aren’t brutal, and won’t get more brutal still. But what if this time we’re in is a yet unimagined beginning? In this six-week course, participants will examine texts and film and explore assumptions made in dystopian and apocalyptic narratives that have thwarted our capacity to imagine new ways out of the mess we are in. Writing exercises will focus on the creation of stories–fiction and nonfiction alike–from which possibilities for different outcomes emerge electric and in the nick of time."

All Write, Columbia – Creative Nonfiction Writers Conference. October 19 - 23, 2022: Spencertown NY. A five day intensive writing conference focused on both the craft and the business of writing essays, biography, memoir, and narrative nonfiction. The conference is open to all levels of nonfiction writers, from beginners who are just starting to write memoir or essay to more advanced writers with a manuscript or publications. Open to writers who are at least 18 years old. Just 20 writers will be accepted.

Women Writing the West 2022 Conference. October 20 – 22, 2022: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. "This will be Women Writing the West’s first-ever conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Oklahoma comes from two Choctaw words: okla, meaning people; humma, meaning red. The land of the red people. This year’s conference is entitled Red Earth Voices: We All Have a Story to Tell. We will focus on the connective power of storying. To uplift. To empower." To inspire. Will be held in person.

Youngstown Fall Literary Festival. October 20 - 22, 2022: Youngstown, Ohio. The in-person, 6th annual Fall Literary Festival will be centered around the theme “The Places That Make Us,” a conversation about writing, publishing, teaching, community outreach, and inclusion. The conference aims to sustain and enhance discussion on real and imagined literary places that shape our memory, experience and identity. This year's featured presenters are film scholar & screenwriter Laura Beadling, fiction writer Kelly Fordon, filmmaker Karla Murthy, children’s author Candace Fleming & poet Joy Priest.

Georgia Romance Writers: Moonlight and Magnolias. October 20 – 23, 2022: Atlanta, Georgia. Includes keynote speakers, workshops, editor/agent appointments, autographing & bookfair, awards banquet.

Writer's Digest Novel Writing Conference. October 20 - 23, 2022: Pasadena, CA. Experienced authors, editors, agents and publishing experts will be on hand, ready to help you develop your own craft and position yourself for success.

Six Bridges Book Festival. October 20 - 30, 2022: Little Rock, Arkansas. "Prestigious award-winners, screenwriters, comedians, an expert witness, artists, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet are among the diverse roster of presenters who will be providing sessions." Free. 

Craft of Writing Conference. October 22, 2022: Glenpool, Oklahoma. The Craft of Writing Conference is focused on learning the skills needed to be an excellent writer. This includes topics such as plot & story structure, character development, conflict & motivation, point of view, editing—facets of the craft. Keynote Speaker; Dacia Cunningham. The conference is free to the public, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Orion Online Nonfiction/Fiction Workshop. October 20 - December 15, 2022. Duration: This class meets from October 20 – December 15 over eight Thursday evenings from 6-8 pm ET. (Except November 24) Instructor: Robin MacArthur. The Course: Rewilding Prose. "The natural world has often been reduced in writing workshops and craft books to “setting”—a static stage backdrop behind which the human drama, or plot, or “real story” unfolds. In this workshop we will subvert that flat definition and talk about the ethos of foregrounding landscape, the possibility of “rewilding” our narratives, the inseparable interconnection between human and non-human worlds, and what biophilia might look like on the page. We will also examine how we might decenter the human in our work, write with a worldview of kinship, reciprocity, and interconnectedness, and explore new uses of animism, myth, and fairytale as ways of reintegrating the human and natural worlds in our prose. Each participant will submit 5-15 pages of either fiction or creative nonfiction that integrate these concepts in some way. We will also read fiction and nonfiction by others that incorporates rewilded prose in provocative and rich ways and explore a variety of short theoretical texts to help us generate a collective language around these ideas. If time allows, we will also craft new, short, ecologically rich pieces in class." CLOSED

Emerald City Writers' Conference. Oct 21 - 23, 2022, Bellevue, WA. Local Romance Writers of America conference, featuring film and television scouts, who will be taking pitches along with editors and agents, keynote speakers, workshops, and a master class. Will be held online.

State Writing Conference & Convention, sponsored by The Kansas Authors Club, Oct 21 - 23, 2022: Wichita, Kansas. Theme: The Write Way to the Future. Writing workshops, panels, and presentations by Julie Sellers, Renee La Viness and more. Registration deadline September 20, 2022.

Writing By Writers Workshop Tomales Bay. October 26 - 30, 2022: Tomales Bay, California. Manuscript and poetry workshops are limited to 12 participants and generative workshops are limited to 15 to ensure an intimate setting. 

Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference. October 28 - 29 2022: Dallas, Texas. The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference is a forum for journalists, writers, readers, students, educators and the general public to listen to, be inspired by and practice their craft at the highest possible level. Every year, the Mayborn Conference gathers some of the most talented storytellers in the country to share their stories, life-changing experiences and expertise with aspiring writers through three days of lectures, panels, one-on-one sessions, and student classes. In addition, the conference includes a variety of writing contests for anyone from high school students to Pulitzer prize winning professionals, who receive hand-made trophies, more than $26,000 in cash awards and have their work published in Mayborn's journal, Ten Spurs, or anthology, Best American Newspaper Narratives.

Other Words Literary Conference. Oct 28 -29, 2022: Lakeland, Florida. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as panels and readings. Their goal is "to bring together writers, editors, agents, publishers, book sellers, grant administrators, directors of writers' colonies and retreats, and other interested folk in one place. We'll be talking about the how to of the literary arts: how to write it, make it, sell it, fund it, and nurture it."

Annual Florida Writers Conference. October 28 - 30, 2022: Altamonte Springs, Florida. Over 75 workshops, major speakers, agent interviews, professional manuscript critiques, lively social events, and much more.

Colrain Classic. October 28 - 31, 2022: Arlington, Vermont. "The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3.5 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 and editor sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session." Will be conducted online.