127 Calls for Submissions in October 2023 - Paying markets

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

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

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

Happy submitting!

(Image: Autumn Beauty: Flickr)

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Reservoir Road Literary Review. Genre: Literary short stories, lyrical creative non-fiction, photography. Payment: $5. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2023. Note: Submission window closes when their cap is reached.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, micro-fiction. Length: Under 3,000 words preferred. Payment: $75. Deadline: They open to fee-free submissions on the first of each month and close when they reach their quota.

Cutleaf. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction prose, poetry. Payment: $100 to $400 for published nonfiction prose; $50 to $200 for published poetry; $100 to $400 for published fiction. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2023. Note: Submission window closes when their cap is reached.

Polar Borealis. Restrictions: Open to Canadians only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 1 cent per word. $10 for one thousand words or less. $20 for two thousand words or less (but reasonably above one thousand). $30 for three thousand words or less (but reasonably above two thousand). Deadline: Opens October 1, 2023.

Nimrod. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. Payment: $10 per page, with a $200 maximum. Deadline: October 1, 2023. Fee to submit online; no fee for postal submissions.

The Iowa Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Payment: $1.50 per line for poetry ($100 minimum) and $0.08 per word for prose ($100 minimum). Deadline: October 1, 2023. No fee for snail mail submissions. $4 fee for online submissions.

Cybearpunk. Genre: Science fiction stories that feature and empower large gay/bi/queer men. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

The Last Line. Genre: Fiction that ends with the last line provided. Payment: $20-$40. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

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, 2023.

little somethings. Genre: Flash fiction, flash memoir, poetry, art. Payment: "Small honorarium." Deadline: October 1, 2023.

Unsettling Reads. Genre: Short story. Theme: Horror vs Thriller. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

Negative Creep. Genre: Horror inspired by Nirvana songs. Payment: $50. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

Coffee House Press is an independent book publisher and arts nonprofit based in Minneapolis, MN. Genre: Full-length fiction and nonfiction manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2023. Closes when cap is reached.

Sundog. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: Opens October1, 2023, and closes when they reach capacity. 

Toronto Journal. Genre: Short stories from anywhere in the world. "We will also consider non-fiction pieces about local history (Toronto, GTA, and surrounding)." No word limit. Payment: $50 CAD per piece. All published writers will also receive two printed copies of the issue in which they appear. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

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, 2023. Accepts reprints.

Affirm Press. Restrictions: Accepts submissions from Australians or authors based in Australia only. Genre: Literary and genre fiction, entertaining nonfiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 2, 2023. Accepts submissions the first Monday of the month.

Love Letters to Poe. Genre: Gothic short stories and poems inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. Payment: Subject to fundraiser. Deadline: October 3, 2023.

Invisible City. Genre: All genres. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 5, 2023.

Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Dark, eerie speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: $10 for fiction. Deadline: October 6, 2023.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: October 6, 2023.

Short Fiction. Restrictions: Accepts submissions from writers in every country except the USA. Genre: Short fiction. Payment: 2p (£0.02) per word, to the nearest 100 words, with a minimum of £30 and maximum £100. Deadline: October 6, 2023.

Black Ink Books. Restrictions: Open to Australian writers. Genre: Full-length general, literary and commercial non-fiction – including history, current affairs, memoir and biography. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 7, 2023. Note: Open to submissions the first week of every month.

Cursed Morsels. Genre: Single-author horror collections with an emphasis on the Weird, queer, splattery, anti-capitalist, and/or anti-fascist. Payment: Advance: $300 + royalties. Deadline: October 7, 2023.

Hauntings and Hoarfrost. Genre: Gothic fiction. See theme, Payment: $50 CDN flat fee and a paperback copy of the anthology for stories. $20 CDN flat fee and a paperback copy of the anthology for poems. Deadline: October 7, 2023. 

Only Poems. Genre: Poetry. "We love prose poems, traditional forms (ghazals, villanelles, sestinas), love poems, sex poems, and experimental questionnaires, but we are not married to a style or genre. We are welcoming of anything you think is your most exciting work. Ultimately, we want poems that move us or make us go: “God, I wish I had written this!” Payment: $55. Deadline: October 7, 2023. 

Stone’s Throw. Genre: "We're looking for dark fiction, crime and noir, length between 1,000 and 2,000 words." Payment: $25. Deadline: October 7, 2023. Open to submissions the first week of every month.

Little Bastards: Too-Short Horror Stories Nobody Wants. Genre: Horror. Length: Anywhere between 1000 and 2000 words. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: October 7, 2023. Extended deadline for  LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and marginalized writers.

Luna Press. Genre: Speculative fiction novels and collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 8, 2023.

Luna Press: The Utopia of Us. Genre: Speculative fiction, 2000-6000 words. Payment: £75 for the story. Given Russia’s current war with Ukraine, royalties from the book will be donated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Deadline: October 8, 2023.

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length. Deadline: October 8, 2023.

QT: Queer Toronto Literary Magazine Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, book reviews, personal essays, reflections, memoirs, as well as artwork, drawings, comics, photographs, collages, and other visual media. "Here, queer literature is not limited to explicitly queer content, but rather works created by LGBTQ2SIA+ people. Individuals from underrepresented communities, especially women, trans people, and BIPOC artists and writers are encouraged to self-identify in their submission email. Creators based in, or content featuring Toronto will be given extra consideration, but QT welcomes all pieces and artists with a connection to Canada." Payment: Featured artists and authors will receive an honorarium of $15. Issue designers will receive an honorarium of $100. Deadline: October 9, 2023.

The Crow's Quill. Genre: Historical Horror. Payment: $20 per story. Deadline: October 10, 2023.

Cossmass Infinities. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy short stories. Payment: $0.08/word for original fiction. Deadline: October 14, 2023. Note: Open during the first week of February and October for BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors then opening to general submission for the second week.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: October 14, 2023. See themes.

DreamForge. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy short fiction up to 7000 words. Payment: $0.08/word. Deadline: October 14, 2023. 

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 15, 2023.

Aôthen Magazine. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction related to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 29, 2023.

Voiceworks. Restrictions: Open to Australians under the age of 25. Genre: Nonfiction pitches. Payment: $100 for written work and art, $150 for multi-page comics or suites of art. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Topograph. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, flash fiction, place reviews on theme of Place. "Show us the where. We want work in which the setting is a character. We want work that examines a place's meaning. We want work that reveals the boundaries between places. We prefer work about places we don't hear too much about." Payment: $10. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

The Spectacle. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $50. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Myriad: Necropolis. Genre: Speculative fiction." We’re looking for stories of the monsters that lurk in the skeletons of brutalist structures. The strange rituals of those who found ways of surviving. Labyrinths of crumbling stone. Spirits inhabiting a dilapidated ballroom. Plants flourishing in abandoned train stations. Chimaeras stalking the ruins of a long forgotten urban landscape." Length: Up to 1000 words. Payment: $5 for accepted poetry and cartoons, 0.01$ per word for all short stories up to 7,500 words, $40/page for comics and $150 for cover art pieces. (Payment in CAD). Deadline: October 15, 2023.

evOke. Genre: All things Pagan, polytheist, and witchy. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: October 15, 2023. Open from the 1 - 15 of every month.

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: October 15, 2023. Opens October 9, 2023.

A Public Space. Genre: Fiction, essays, poetry, as well as graphic and hybrid work. Payment: Honorarium. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

The Pig’s Back. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. Payment: €300. Length: 2,000-5,000 words. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Typehouse. Restrictions: In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, no-fee submissions are open for all Hispanic/Latino/a/e/x creators, not limited to those in the US. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations. comics, photography. Payment: "Modest" Deadline: October 15, 2023.

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. Payment: Varies. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Consequence Magazine: The Culture of War. Genre: Short fiction, poetry, nonfiction, interviews, reviews, and visual art mainly focused on the culture of war. Payment: $20 - $60 for prose and poetry, $150 for art. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Tule Publishing. Genre: Romance and mystery ebooks. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Conium Press. Genre: Magical realist, surrealist, and experimental fiction: Chapbooks. Payment: 

Ten copies and a small honorarium. Deadline: October 15, 2023. 

Feisty Felines. Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, humor, and romance, appropriate for up to a PG-13 audience. Felines and or familiars (of other types) must be central to the work. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Beyond the Bounds of Infinity. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to marginalized peoples. Genre: Horror. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Jane Nightshade's Serial Encounters Anthology. Genre: Short stories about casual encounters of fictional people with serial killers, that turned creepy or deadly. Stories can be straight crime/thriller stories or ones with a supernatural bent. Payment: $5. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Griffith Review: Counterfeit Culture. Genre: Non-fiction, fiction on theme: Past Perfect. "No matter the relentless pace of technological innovation and the digitisation of everything from money to media – our appetites for retro design and aesthetics, for cultural products that reimagine technicolour-dream versions of decades gone by, or for fantasies of a past golden political age are ever on the rise." Payment: Negotiated. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Embodied Exegesis: Transfeminine Speculative Futures. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to people who are transfem: trans women, transfems, nonbinary trans women, etc. Genre: Cyberpunk stories written by transfem authors. Payment: $0.08/word for originals, $0.01/word for reprints. Deadline: October 15, 2023. Accepts reprints. 

Hansen House. Genre: Hansen House is looking for anything with queer protagonists or by queer authors so long as the story does not fall into the “bury your gays” trope. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

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, 2023.

Seaside Gothic. Genre: Seaside gothic fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or a collection of photographs or illustrations. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Rattle: Tribute to Collaboration. Genre: Poetry. The poems may be any subject, style, or length, but must have been written by two or more co-authors. Payment: $200. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Translunar Travelers Lounge. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.03 per word with a minimum of $20. Deadline: October 15, 2023. (Note: September 15-21 is reserved for writers of color)

Dose of Dread. Genre: Horror flash fiction. Length: 500 – 1,000 words. Payment: 2c/word. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, there are no submission fees for Latinx writers from September 15th to October 15th.

Electric Spec. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20 per piece. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Amplitudes Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity Anthology. Genre: Short fiction. "During a time of rising threat against queer and trans people's flourishing, this anthology project aims to imagine other, better worlds as an act of literary resistance. Inspired by the words of José Esteban Muñoz, “the future is queerness’s domain," these stories explore what might happen if the oppressive status quo of the here and now is rejected—instead asking, but what if things were different?" Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: October 15, 2023.

Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: October 16, 2023. See themes. Queries only.

Uncanny Magazine. Genre: Speculative short stories. Length: 750 to 10,000 words. Payment: $.10 per word. Deadline: October 16, 2023.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction. Payment: $80. Deadline: October 21, 2023. Opens October 1.

Astrolabe. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography & art. Payment: $50. Deadline: October 22, 2023.

adda. Genre: Spoken and written poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: October 22, 2023.

Voiceworks. Restrictions: Open to Australians under the age of 25. Genre: Completed Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry. Payment: $100 for written work and art, $150 for multi-page comics or suites of art. Deadline: October 22, 2023.

Painted Hearts Publishing: Holiday/Winter themed LGBTQ romance. Genre: LGBTQ romance, holiday/winter themes. Payment: $75. Deadline: October 25, 2023.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $40 CAD. Deadline: October 25, 2023. This is a monthly call. Submit by the 25th of each month.

Mudroom. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and essays in translation. Payment: $15. Deadline: October 25, 2023.

Riddlebird. Genre: Literary fiction, personal essays. Payment: $100. Deadline: October 26, 2023.

Black Ocean. Restrictions: BIPOC writers only. Genre: Full-length poetry manuscripts. Payment: Royalties? Deadline: October 27, 2023.

Every Day Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction on theme: November. Length: 1000 words max. Payment: $3. Deadline: October 27, 2023.

Delightfully Unhinged Press. Genre: Horror, thriller, splatterpunk, and more written by queer, transgender, bipoc, disabled, and women writers. See theme. Payment: $3 - $5. Deadline: October 28, 2023. Some reprints accepted. 

Embrace the Silence Anthology. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to Australian and New Zealand authors who identify as neurodivergent. Genre: Apocalyptic stories featuring neurodivergent characters. Payment: $20-$50. Deadline: October 30, 2023.

Neon Hemlock. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 30, 2023.

Agbowo. Restrictions: Open to African origin writers only. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, book reviews and art/photography. Payment: Single Poems - $25; Suites of poems (2-4) - $50; One act plays -$50; Essays/Nonfiction - $60; Fiction - $60; Visual Art - $35. Deadline: October 30, 2023.

Mythaxis. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 30, 2023.

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 31, 2023.

Inner Worlds Zine. Genre: Speculative fiction about our inner lives; our thoughts, our emotions, our perceptions, our dreams. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Fanatical. Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Payment: £20. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Timberghost Press: This Isn't the Place: A Collection of Utah Horror. Genre: Horror short fiction and poetry. "We are seeking well-crafted stories and poems that fit the theme of hauntings that take place in locations other than houses. For this anthology, all entries must have a Utah connection, either on the part of the author or the story itself." Payment: Poetry - $15 USD; Flash - $20 USD; Short Fiction - $40 USD. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Many Worlds. Restrictions: We welcome submissions by those who identify with and as any of the following descriptors: trans, two-spirit, disabled, neurodivergent, Mad, queer, crip, nonbinary, genderqueer, intersex. This is a space for the words, works, and worlds of and by those whose bodyminds defy social expectations and invite new ways of thinking and knowing. Genre: Everything. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Variant Lit. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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, 2023.

Engen Books: Cryptids from the Rock. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: "Short fiction under 7000 words that focus on cryptids, animals whose existence permeate urban myths but are not recognized within the scientific community. The From the Rock collections are intended to highlight the fantastic, varied writers Newfoundland and Labrador has fostered." Payment: $0.01 CAD per word to an upper limit of 7,000 words. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Diet Milk: ‘In The Bleak Midwinter.' Genre: Gothic micro/flash fiction. Payment: $3 for micro fiction, $5 for flash fiction. Deadline: October 31, 2023. (Runs from October 1 - 31)

bath magg. Genre: Poetry. Payment: £20. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Paris Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Unspecified. Deadline: October 31, 2023. Closes when they reach capacity. 

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, 2023.

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, 2023. Reprints accepted.

MetaStellar. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy or horror. 1000 words max. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Short Story, Long. Genre: Short stories, 2k-8k words long (3,000-5,500 range preferred). Payment: $100. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

How2Conquer. Genre: Nonfiction books. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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, 2023.

Dragon Soul Press: A Winter Promise. Genre: "All Christmas stories. As long as Christmas is involved, the story qualifies. All genres. Happily Ever After not required." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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, 2023.

Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy. Length: 1500-7500 words. Payment: $0.005/word up to 7500 words. Minimum of $15. Reprints paid at full rate. Deadline: October 31, 2023. Accepts reprints.

Kissing Dynamite. Genre: Poetry microchap manuscripts. Payment: $50. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

FIYAH. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to people of the African Diaspora. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry about African Diaspora. Length: Short fiction 2,000 – 7,000 words and novelettes up to 15,000 words. Payment: $150 per story. $50 per poem. $300 per novelette. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Crimson Quill Quarterly. Genre: Sword & sorcery, dark fantasy, and grimdark subgenres of fantasy fiction. Length: Up to 10,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Quarter Press: Quarter(ly). Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Manawaker Studio’s Flash Fiction Podcast. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $3 minimum. Deadline: October 31, 2023. Accepts reprints.

Infrarrealista Restrictions: They prioritize writers from Texas, especially those from the central Texas area. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, comics, reviews, and interviews. Payment: 15 cents/word up to 300 words and 5 cents/word after that. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Open Minds Quarterly. Genre: Writing and art from people with lived experience of what is variously called mental health challenges, mental illness, madness, and neurodiversity. Payment: $25 CAD. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Malahat Review. Genre: Fiction. Payment: CAD $70/page. Deadline: October 31, 2023. Submissions by Canadian writers are accepted for consideration all year.

Dragon Soul Press: Dragons & Heroes. Genre: "All dragon stories with a male main character. All genres accepted." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Hearth Stories. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We publish fiction and poetry that explore connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world. The stories often fall into a fantasy, science-fiction, or magical realism sort of “slice of life.” Payment: 1¢ per word for accepted stories (with a minimum of $20 regardless of length. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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, 2023.

Nonbinary Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and art on theme: Lies for Children. Payment: 1 cent per word for prose, and a flat fee of $10 for poetry. Deadline: October 31, 2023. Closes when cap is reached, so submit early.

Brick. Genre: Nonfiction. Payment: $55–685, 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, 2023.

From the Yonder. Genre: Horror. The stories must be 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. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

The Theatre Phantasmagoria. Genre: Horror flash fiction up to 2,000 words. Payment: £10. Deadline: October 31, 2023. This is a monthly call. See themes.

Nightlight (Podcast). Restrictions: At least one of your birth parents must be Black. Genre: Horror. Flash fiction (750-1,500 words) Payment: 5 cents per word. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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, 2023.

Nine Arches. Genre: Poetry collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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: October 31, 2023. Note: Submit nonfiction only.

Harbor Review. Genre: Poetry, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 1 cent/word for fiction and $5 - $10 for poetry. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

The Rumpus. Genre: Essays. "We strive to be a platform for marginalized voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere, and to lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers we love. We work to shine a light on stories that build bridges, tear down walls, and speak truth to power." Payment: $300 divided among all contributors. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Over/Exposed. Restrictions: "We prioritize the work of graduate students, so please indicate in your submission if you are a graduate student, including your university, and department." Open internationally. Genre: Flash, short fiction, and non-fiction personal essays/memoir, poetry, reviews, experimental, art. "We are focused on the publication of works that are vulnerable, experimental, a little bit weird and sexy." Payment: CAD $15, Deadline: October 31, 2023.

The Worcester Review. Genre: Fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 31, 2023. (No submission fee for BIPOC writers)

And a few more...

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, 2023.

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length. Deadline: November 1, 2023.

Kelp Journal. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Oceanic themes. Payment: $35. Deadline: November 1, 2023.

The Iowa Review. Genre: Nonfiction. Payment: $0.08 per word for prose ($100 minimum). Deadline: November 1, 2023. No fee for snail mail submissions. $4 fee for online submissions.

Adroit Journal. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $50. Deadline: November 1, 2023. Note: Open to high school students and up.

Cutleaf. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction prose, poetry. Payment: $100 to $400 for published nonfiction prose; $50 to $200 for published poetry; $100 to $400 for published fiction. Deadline: Opens November 1, 2023. Note: Submission window closes when their cap is reached.

Thema: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: November 1, 2023. Accepts reprints.

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, 2023.

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, 2023.

The Blue Route. Restrictions: Only the work of current undergraduate writers will be considered. Genres: Fiction, or creative nonfiction totaling no more than 3000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: November 1, 2023.

Iron Horse. Genre: "Send us your poems, stories, and essays that center around unlawful acts: misdemeanors to felonies, war crimes to white collar crimes, perpetrators in the home or at work.  We'll be especially happy to receive mss about breaking laws that shouldn't be laws in the first place." Payment: $100 per essay or story, and $50 per poem or flash piece. Deadline: November 1, 2023. Note: Open one day only for free submissions.

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, 2023.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, micro-fiction. Length: Under 3,000 words preferred. Payment: $75. Deadline: They open to fee-free submissions on the first of each month and close when they reach their quota.

Ninth Letter. Genre: Poems, nonfiction, and short fiction. Payment: $25 for poetry, $75 for prose. Deadline: November 1, 2023.

Heathens and Heroes. Genre: Sword and Sorcery / Heroic Fantasy. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2023.

The Suburban Review. Genre: Prose, art, poetry. See theme. Payment: AUD150-275 for prose; AUD125-275 for poetry; comics and art AUD100-300. Deadline: November 1, 2023.

61 Writing Contests in October 2023 - No entry fees

This October there are more than five dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $150,000 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 has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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2024 IHLR Long Story: Nonfiction and Fiction. Genre: Long fiction or CNF. Length: 20 to 40 pages. Prize: $1000. Deadline: October 1, 2023. Note: They will accept 25 free submissions on October 1, 2023.

2024 Iron Horse Long Story: NaPoMo Contest. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1000. Deadline: October 1, 2023. Note: They will accept 25 free submissions on October 1, 2023.

PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative. Restrictions: Applicants must be professional writers based in the United States, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency situation. Prize: Grant amount not specified. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

New-York Historical Society Children's History Book Prize. Genre: Nonfiction history or historical fiction for middle-grade readers that was published in the US in the current calendar year. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

Footnote x Counterpoints Writing Prize. Restrictions: Anyone from a refugee or migrant background is eligible to submit an entry for the prize if they are resident in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, whether they have previously been published or not. You do not need to have finished writing your book in order to enter. Genre: Narrative non-fiction centred around themes of displacement, identity and/or resistance. Prize: £15,000 award, which includes an advance of £5,000 and a publication agreement with Footnote Press. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

Quarterly West.  Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: $500. Deadline: No fee days: October 1 -2, 2023. (May or may not be running in 2023)

The Kenan Ince Memorial Prizes in Poetry & Prose. Restrictions: Open to LGBTQIA2S+ writers. Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: $250. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

The 50 & Up Writer Award. Restrictions: Open to writers aged 50 and up. Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF. Prize: $50.00 USD, and for any and each year of age past that mark, one additional dollar. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

T Paulo Urcanse Prize For Literary Excellence. Genre: Poetry and prose. " Whether you be a lonely writer looking for community and wanting to make your literary debut, or a similarly eggheaded and celebrated writer in the vein of the namesake of this prize, we welcome your submissions with open arms, without fees or prerequisites, without ever having known you or met you at a cocktail party where we discussed the terror of contemporary history and post-structuralist theory or the pitfalls of the first person perspective in a short story or weird childhood stories that involve stray cats and the throwing of tennis balls at moving vehicles from behind bushes at night in the summer on the Main Street of the provincial town where we were raised." Prize: $50 - $250. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

Mallorqueta Inaugural Short Story Contest. Genre: Short story. The narrative must have a connection to Mallorca, either in setting or relevance to Mallorcan culture. Submissions may be in English, Catalan or Spanish. If chosen, stories not in English will be published along with an English translation. Prize: EUR€300. Deadline: October 1, 2023.

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, 2023.

Natan Notable Books Award. Genre: Recen­t­­ly pub­­lished or soon to be pub­lished nonfic­­tion book on Jew­ish themes. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: October 2, 2023.

Writers & Artists Working-Class Writers' Prize. Restrictions: Open to unagented and uncontracted UK or Republic of Ireland residents age 18+ who self-identify as a writer from a working-class background. Genre: Unpublished work-in-progress. Prize: 200 pounds prize, mentoring sessions, networking event opportunities, a complimentary one-year membership to The Society of Authors, and various Bloomsbury books. Deadline: October 2, 2023.

Bad Day Joke Contest. Genre: Joke. "Jokes must be about bad days. They don’t have to say the actual words, bad days. But they should be about things that cause bad days, fix bad days, or were bad days. Jokes must not contain any of the Three C Words. No cussing, crass language, or crude references." Prize: $50 first prize. Deadline: October 2, 2023.

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, 2023. (For books published between April 1, 2023 and October 3, 2023)

Spectator Competition No. 3320: Pleasure principle. Genre: Poem extolling Epicureanism over Stoicism or the other way round. Email entries of up to 16 lines to lucy@spectator.co.uk   Prize: £30. Deadline: October 4, 2023.

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, 2023.

Embracing Our Differences Quotation Contest. Genre: An original quotation to accompany a piece of artwork. Length: 20 words max. Prize: $1000. Deadline: October 5, 2023.

The Furious Gazelle’s Halloween Writing Contest. Genre: Halloween-themed poetry, fiction, short plays and creative non-fiction. Prize: $50. Deadline: October 6, 2023.

Echo Lit. Restrictions: Open to teens. Genre: Scary short story on theme: Do Not Disturb. Prize: $200. Deadline: October 8, 2023.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. "On each competition weekend, we’ll reveal a set of story prompts and you’ll have 55 hours to submit your best story of 500-words (or fewer)." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: October 8, 2023.

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 11, 2023. Extended to October 18.

Spectator Competition No. 3321: Setting off. Genre: "You are invited to provide a love scene from a novel set in a location that might not be considered conducive to romance. Please email entries of up to 150 words to lucy AT spectator.co.uk  Prize: £30. Deadline: October 11, 2023. 

Defenestration Flash Suite Contest. Genre: Flash suite. "A series of at least three flash fiction works that correlate, and build to something greater. Recurring characters, extended motifs, harmonious subject matters, and/or sustained narrative are such correlations– but we encourage innovation and new ideas.” Prize: $75. Deadline: October 11, 2023.

Books Like Us. Genre: First novel. "Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is pleased to announce the launch of the third annual BOOKS LIKE US First Novel Contest. The aim of the contest is to facilitate access to the publishing process for writers from underrepresented groups, and to celebrate the diversity of readers across the United States. As the nation strives for progress, Atria Books and Simon & Schuster aim to help catalyze that change by amplifying voices that represent us, by publishing books like us. A two-week entry period will begin on Friday, September 29, 2023. At that time, writers are invited and encouraged to submit twenty-five pages of an original adult novel using the online form below. The publisher welcomes inclusive, entertaining, and groundbreaking reads with expert pacing, depth as well as heart, and irresistible characters who leap from the page. At the end of the submission period, the editorial, marketing, and publicity team at Atria Books, will review all submissions for originality, relevance to today’s publishing climate, and writing quality. In March 2024, the author of the selected novel will be awarded the opportunity to enter into a $50,000 book deal with Atria Books.." Prize: The author of the selected novel will be awarded the opportunity to enter into a $50,000 book deal with Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster." Deadline: October 12, 2023.

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 13, 2023.

Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. Restrictions: Books must be first edition English-language books written by a Canadian or American citizen or permanent resident of either country. Works written by women or non-binary authors are eligible for submission. The Prize welcomes and encourages submissions by transgender woman authors. Genre: Published novel, short story collection or graphic novel. Prize: $150,000 Canadian dollars. Deadline: Entries for books published between August 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023, must be received on or before October 13, 2023.

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, 2023.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction; under 1,000 words. See theme. Prize: $30. Deadline: October 14, 2023. Opens October 1.

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 15, 2023.

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, 2023.

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 16, 2023.

Jewish Renaissance’s Emerging Journalists Programme. Restrictions: Open to people aged 18+ (no upper age bracket) who are interested in journalism, but may have had zero experience so far. Or you may have written for student, local or community publications in print, online or broadcast, but have had fewer than two commissions for national and international outlets. Genre: Journalism. Prize: Masterclasses, expert panels, mentoring and publication opportunities, plus a writing competition with cash prizes.  This online programme is free of charge. It is open to emerging journalists around the world, but all events will be scheduled in UK time (GMT). Deadline: October 16, 2023.

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. Prize: €10,000 (approximately $11,400) Deadline: October 18, 2023.

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 20, 2023.

Jewish Children’s Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Jewish children’s book authors and illustrators living in Europe and the UK. Genre: Jewish children's book. Submissions are accepted in English, French, German, Italian, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish and Yiddish. Prize: £1,000 to the winners of the story and illustration categories. All entries will be considered for publication by Green Bean Books. Deadline: October 23, 2023. 

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 December 2022 and 31 March 2023. All subject matters and women of any age, from any nationality or country of residence are eligible. Prize: £30,000.00. Deadline: October 27, 2023.

Stowe Prize. Restrictions: US authors only. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction or body of work that "makes a tangible impact on a social justice issue critical to contemporary society." Prize: $10,000. Deadline: October 28, 2023.

Storyhouse: Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $500 in any single year. First prize winners of previous contests, while ineligible for prizes in regular contests, can compete in this one.  Genre: Travel Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Deadline: October 30, 2023.

The Light Bill Incubator Microgrant. Restrictions: Open to Black and/or Indigenous writers. Genre: Shapbook in progress. Prize: $500, a slot in Sundress’s reading series, a one-week residency at the Sundress Academy for the Arts in Knoxville, TN, and the potential for digital publication. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Queer Adventurers LGBTQIA Writing Contest. Restrictions; Open to any writer 18+ from anywhere in the world who identifies as LGBTQ+. Genre: 1,000 to 1,500 word personal essays on the theme of Firsts. Prize: $150. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Native Voices Award. Restrictions: Open to Indigenous storytellers, such as from Native American, First Nation Australian, and Polynesian communities. Genre: Original, unpublished work in English; short story, flash fiction, nonfiction essay, script, poetry, or visual art collection. Prize: Up to $500 USD. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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, 2023. 

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, 2023.

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, 2023.

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 effective have laws protecting the rights of children been to reduce poverty and support economic development?  How could they be improved? Prize: $500 scholarship. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

The Solstice Prize. Restrictions: Open to 7-17 year olds. Genre: Short stories, blog posts, and poems. Nature writing. Prize: Publication and cash prizes for winners in three age groups: 7-11, 12-14, and 15-17. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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, 2023.

McKitterick Prize. Restrictions: Open to authors over age 40. 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, 2023.

Manchester Cathedral Poetry Competition. Genre: Poetry. “Our theme this year is ‘A Truth’, inspired by a statement from the sadly deceased poet Lucie Brock-Broido: ‘Though I am wildly capable of certain linguistic fabrications, I am in it for the truth. OK: a truth.’ We are looking for poems which examine the notion of truth and subjectivity, that resist certainties. Our theme is deliberately broad to inspire poems on a variety of topics, while engaging with the notion of what truth means to you. Your poetry could use vivid imagery and use poetic forms in interesting ways to interrogate what you feel is a truth. Be guided by intuition.” Prize: First prize £200, with £50 for second place, and £25 for third place. There will also be 10 highly commended poems with no financial remuneration. Entrants can be of any or no faith. No previous experience of creative writing or poetry required. All are welcome." Deadline: October 31, 2023.

Bronx Council on the Arts Community Engagement Grants. Restrictions: Open to residents of Bronx County. Genre: All art forms, including writing. Grant: $1000 - $5000. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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, 2023.

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, 2023.

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, 2023.

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. Publishers must enter the work. Prize: The winner will receive £2,000 and the runner-up £750. Deadline: October 31, 2023.

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. 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, 2023.

USNI General Prize Essay Contest. Genre: Essay may be on any topic."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, 2023.

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, 2023. (Closes after 500 submissions)

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, 2023.

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, 2023. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

34 Outstanding Writing Conferences and Workshops in October 2023

This October there are more than two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but many will be in-person or hybrid as pandemic restrictions ease. Virtual events still 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. Quite a few offer scholarships, so apply early.  

I've included conferences that have early application dates on my list. So, if you have missed a conference that is ideal for you, put the application deadline on your calendar for next year. (Many conferences are annual events.)

(Image: Martha's Vineyard, Flickr)

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Bookgardan: A Year's Sustenance for Women Writers. October 2023 to October 2024. "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 due September 1, 2023. 

Middle Grade Writers: A Generative Retreat Experience. October 1 - 4, 2023: Boyds Mills, PA. OVERVIEW: In-person 4-Day/3-Night Workshop and Retreat To write for children, we need to reconnect with the clever, imaginative, and curious core of our childhood selves. Join celebrated middle-grade authors Erin Entrada Kelly and Laurel Snyder for a four-day retreat focused on generative writing inspired by the sleepaway camps of our youths. 

Crash Course in Children's Publishing. October 4 - December 6, 2023: Boyds Mills, PA. OVERVIEW: Join lead faculty Harold Underdown and special guests for a Crash Course in Children's Publishing. At the end of the course, you will understand how the children’s book publishing industry works, including submitting, publishing, marketing a book for children, teens, or young adults, and beginning ideas about craft and critique. Multi-Week Online Course 10 weeks.

Write on the Sound Writers' Conference and Pre-Conference. Oct 6- 8, 2023: 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. 

James River Writers Conference. October 6 - 8, 2023: Richmond, Virginia. James River Writers is excited to offer both in-person and online elements for our conference this year. Join us for Master Classes online and in-person, on Friday, October 6. Then, join us at the Greater Richmond Convention Center (in Richmond, Virginia) for a full slate of programs focusing on the craft and business of writing. Look forward to lively panel discussions, live critique sessions with literary agents, fun and engaging plenary sessions, and agent one-on-one meetings (standard with your ticket). In addition, we’ve included opportunities for networking and socializing, because community is at the heart of everything we do.

Picture Book Summit. Oct 7, 2023, 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 7 - 8, 2023: Fort Worth TX. Featuring pitch sessions with literary agents, advanced classes, engaging panels, interactive workshops.

Larksong's Bootcamp for Poets with Matt Mason. October 7, 14, 21, 28, 2023: Online. "Are you looking to “level up” on your writing? Maybe you’re looking for a workshop of like-minded writers who want to be the best they can be and you want to join them? Maybe you want just enough instruction and guidance on a particular piece of writing to prepare it for the submittal process. If any of that is true, a Larksong Bootcamp workshop is for you. This limited-enrollment workshop is open to a maximum of 10 writers who are committed to improving their own writing and are willing to read and respond to the work of the other writers in the workshop."

Viable Paradise Science Fiction Writers' Workshop. Oct 8 - 13, 2023: 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. Closed. Applications will re-open in January 2024.

Larksong's Bootcamp for Prose Writers. October 9, 16,  30, & November 6, 2023: Lincoln, NE. This Larksong Bootcamp for Prose Writers will be led by Lucy Adkins. It is a limited-enrollment workshop open to a maximum of 6 writers who are committed to improving their own writing and are willing to read and respond to the work of the other writers in the workshop.

Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference. October 12 - 14, 2023: Tempe, AZ. "The Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference creates a unique and intimate creative writing experience where writers of all backgrounds, genres, and skill levels gather together and connect through the celebration and study of literary craft, culture, and community. Featuring over 25 faculty members teaching more than 50 sessions, we seek to create a warm and welcoming environment that meets people wherever they are, where writers can learn from and support each other as they work toward their goals. Beyond regular programming, we also feature advanced pre-conference workshops, an exhibitor fair, scholarships, and fellowships. We also offer opportunities to advertise with or sponsor the conference as well."

Storymakers & Indie Author Hub Writing Conference. October 12 - 14, 2023: 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. October 12 - 14, 2023: Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Workshops by published authors, editors and agents; Publishers Row, independent publishers available to hear about your next project.

Women Writing the West 2023 Conference. October 12 – 14, 2023: Online. "This Virtual Conference will feature all the Awards, Workshops, Panels, Book Store, Silent Auction and camaraderie that WWW Members and Guests expect." Will be held virtually.

Georgia Romance Writers: Moonlight and Magnolias. October 12 – 14, 2023: Atlanta, Georgia. Includes keynote speakers, workshops, editor/agent appointments, autographing & bookfair, awards banquet.

New York Comicon. October 12 - 15, 2023. "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."

Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference. October 13 - 14, 2023: 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.

Central Coast Writers' Conference. October 14, 2023: San Luis Obispo, CA. "Unlike other Writers' conferences, this year's conference has been expanded to encompass the wider 'Content Creator Community.' Our goal is to amplify the connection of content creators on the Central Coast and beyond including bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, influencers, authors, narrators, journalists, artists, screenwriters, musicians, and of course - writers of all genres! As the medium for literary work has expanded beyond the book, content creators from all walks of life are encouraged to attend. There will be 16+ expert panels, featuring 50+ experts & thought leaders." 

Green River Writers Workshops: Memoir Writing Workshop. October 13 - 15, 2023: Santa Fe, New Mexico. Using memory as a starting point, Green River Writers Workshops focus on the craft of storytelling through memoir, fiction, historical writing, and poetry. Both experienced and beginning writers are welcome.

Annual Maryland Writer’s Conference. October 14 - 15, 2023: 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.

Orion: Creative Nonfiction Online Workshop With Elissa Altman. October 17 - December 5, 2023. The Role of Place in Memoir. "In this class, we will breathe life into Susan Sontag’s incantation: love words, agonize over sentences, and pay attention to the world as being foundational to the role of place in memoir and essay, and how our relationship with and to it directly touches the experiences and narratives we create as a reflection of the world around us everywhere from nature to the table. Writers will spend time generating narratives at the intersection of the external and the internal, and how they directly influence each other. We will read short pieces by writers including Kerri Ni Dochartaigh, Ross Gay, Margaret Renkl, Barry Lopez, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and others. The course will primarily be generative." Apply by September 15.

Writing By Writers Workshop Tomales Bay. October 18 - 22, 2023: Tomales Bay, California. Manuscript and poetry workshops are limited to 12 participants and generative workshops are limited to 15 to ensure an intimate setting. 

Colrain Classic. October 20 - 23, 2023: 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.

Craft of Writing Conference. October 21, 2023: 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; William Bernhardt. 

Annual Florida Writers Conference. October 20 - 22, 2023: Altamonte Springs, Florida. Over 75 workshops, major speakers, agent interviews, professional manuscript critiques, lively social events, and much more.

Youngstown Fall Literary Festival. October 20 - 21, 2023: Youngstown, Ohio. Nearly 150 presenters from throughout the U.S. will present on a wide array of literary topics of interest to readers, writers, translators, educators, editors and publishers.  Saturday, there will be a special track for K-12 language arts educators. The bookfair will include nearly two dozen small presses, booksellers and programs.

Making Magic: Writing and Refining Fantastical and Otherworldly Stories. October 23 - 26, 2023: Boyds Mills, PA. Deepen the magic in your middle grade or young adult novel with novelists Anna-Marie McLemore and Nova Ren Suma.  In this generative writing workshop, you’ll enjoy in-depth craft lectures from experienced faculty authors, small group workshopping, 1:1 faculty consultations, and ample private time to retreat so that you can write, wander, and connect with fellow magic makers.

Orion Nonfiction Workshop with Kerri Ní Dochartaigh. October 23 - November 27, 2023. The course: Writing Through Emergency. "How do we write of this earth? How do we write of this earth in these times? In this writing course you will seek to find ways to write of the natural world— our kith and our ki and our kin alike— in light of the various crises of our age. We will consider what it means to be a human animal living alongside other humans as well as other-than-humans; and how we might give voice to the in-between-ness of our relationships, one with the other. Together we will explore texts that unravel and challenge our views on how we might write the world around us— of which we are but one part. We will look at technique; examine old and new writings of the natural world; consider authorial voice and discuss themes of responsibility, diversity, and the importance of form when it comes to writing through emergency. We will consider the barriers faced by many in trying to share their essential stories. We will spend time with words crafted by displaced peoples; members of the disabled community; writers from a plethora of minoritized backgrounds and those from the LGBTQIA+ community. In giving voice to the experience of living with imposed otherness, these writers give voice to the aching need to move forward as a race from the myth of separation. We will give ourselves space to mold our own words through weekly writing exercises designed for those who feel drawn toward stewardship, kinship, and community, and we will work together on ways to write heartbrokenness and grief, joy and hope; as a means to bridge the gap between fear and action. We are less separate from the other beings of this earth than we have been led to believe.  This course makes room for a new and healing narrative of kinship." Apply by September 15.

Medical Writing and Communication Conference. October 25 - 28, 2023: Baltimore, MD. Workshops in medical writing, designing materials for patients, analysis, clinical reports, and more.

REVISION BOOTCAMP: All-Genre Intensive with Elmaz Abinader and Faith Adiele. October 27 - 28, 2023: Fish Creek, WI. Let’s put your writing through the workout it needs! Elmaz Abinader and Faith Adiele will coach you through editing and revising work of any genre. As multi-genre authors and master teachers, they will take your work through tried-and-true exercises to sculpt and refine your writing. They will help you understand what style of writer you are and which of the five stages of creative work your draft is in. Then they will show you revision strategies for every mode–developmental, stylistic, and structural. Plan to bring a draft manuscript that needs a workout (limited to 10 pages of poetry or 3,000 words of prose) and a laptop. The process will help you explore perspective and point of view, develop and deepen characters, and create contexts and build worlds. You will identify the work’s central questions and emotions, flush out scenes/forms, and harden the structure of your story or poems. You will pump up beginnings and endings and polish your language and metaphors to make your writing more powerful. The two days will be broken into team-taught craft lectures, writing exercises led by each teaching artist, lively Q&A, in-class writing, small group work and shares.

Ossabaw Weekend Writer’s Retreat. October 27 - 29, 2023: Ossabaw Island, GA. Workshops and seminars led by nationally recognized faculty, and evening readings (special emphasis on ghost stories) by faculty and participants. Application deadline: September 15.

The Rochester Writers Fall Conference. October 28, 2023: Rochester, MI. Lectures, Workshops, and Panel Discussions with a focus on nonfiction. Open to new writers, working journalists, and published authors. Professional development to move writers to the next level. 

Craft & Heart of Writing Poetry for Children. October 23 - 26, 2023: Boyds Mills, PA. OVERVIEW: In-person 5-Day/4-Night Workshop and Retreat If writing poetry for children is your passion, join celebrated poets Georgia Heard and Rebecca Kai Dotlich for this 5-day/4-night retreat to work on your own poetry through guided writing exercises, peer workshopping and sharing, lectures, and a private consultation.

Kentucky State Poetry Society. October 28 - 29, 2023: Online. 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 via Zoom.