82 Calls for Submissions in December 2025 - Paying markets

This December there are more than six 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: Easy-Peasy.AI]

__________________

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Fractured Mirror Publishing. Genre: Full-length speculative fiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

McGovern Center Writing Awards in Fiction. Restrictions: Open to anyone in the U.S., 18 years or older. Genre: Fiction, 5000 words max. Work must be medical or healthcare related in theme or focus. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

The Cincinnati Review. Genre: Literary nonfiction (up to 20 pages), fiction (up to 40 pages), poetry, poetry translations, drama, and art. Payment: $25/page for prose in the journal, $30/page for poetry, $25 for miCRo posts or special features. Deadline: December 1, 2025. Note: Opens on the first day of the month and closes once they hit the submissions cap.

Breath and Shadow  Genre: Writing on any topic for poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama; these pieces do not have to be "about" disability. However nonfiction, academic, and similar articles (profiles, interviews, opinion pieces) do have to relate to disability in some way. Payment: $25 for poetry, $40 for fiction, and $40 for nonfiction. In addition to publication and payment, Breath & Shadow will post links to contributors' work on other sites and to their Web site or e-mail address. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Weird Christmas Flash Anthology. Genre: Weird flash fiction, 350 words max, that’s both about Christmas (or any other winter holiday) and simultaneously weird. Payment: $35. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Bold Strokes Books: Gender Ever After – Gender-Affirming Sapphic Romance Stories. Genre: Sapphic Romance. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Extremities: Choose Your Own Death. Genre: Queer adult horror novellas. Novella length: 30K–40K words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

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

IHRAM Publishes. Genre: Poetry, fiction, esssays, art. Theme: Echoes from the Street: Homelessness and the Unhoused. Payment: $50 for writing, $25 for art. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

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

Lycan Valley. Genre: Modern day reimagining of the Medusa story. "We want to see a strong bipoc woman* deeply rooted in culture. And, regardless of how she gets there, Medusa should be victorious and win in the end." Novella length (between 17,000 and 30,000 words) is preferred, but will consider both novellas and full-length novels for this project. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2025. Read guidelines HERE.

Eldritch Cat Press: The Lantern Keepers. Genre: Speculative short stories “We’re looking for tales that include characters who serve as guides, guardians, or messengers between the threshold of the living and the dead, lost or otherworldly. We want stories with haunting, dreadful, eerie, creeping or even sorrowful vibes." Payment: $10. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Rooted Literary Magazine: Home. Genre: Poems, fiction (including flash), nonfiction (including reviews), visual art, audio, and video on theme: Home. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: December 2, 2025. Opens December 1. This is a monthly call.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 3, 2025. Note: This is a monthly call.

Variant Lit. Genre: Poetry, fiction, flash fiction, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 4, 2025.

Adventitious. Genre: Speculative, surreal, and literary fiction. Length: Flash Fiction (including Micro): Up to 1,000 words; Fiction: 1,000 – 6,000 words. Novelette: 6,000 – 17,000 words. Payment: $0.08 USD per word. Deadline: December 5, 2025.

Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF, translations. comics, photography. Payment: $75 CAD. Deadline: December 7, 2025.

Sine Theta Magazine. Restrictions: Open to people of Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, or Macau heritage, who live anywhere away from the original 'homeland' of that heritage. Genre: All genres of visual and literary work as long as they relate to the current theme. (See theme) Payment: $10. Deadline: December 7, 2025.

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

Gather Lit Mag. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $35CAD. Deadline: December 10, 2025.

Island. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only. Genre: Fiction and Nonfiction. Payment: 40 cents per word for print fiction and nonfiction, with a minimum of $600 and a maximum of $1500. Fees for print are less the cost of a 4-issue subscription if you are not a current subscriber. Deadline: December 12, 2025.

Unidentified Funny Objects. Genre: Speculative humor. Payment: $0.12 per word. Deadline: December 12, 2025.

Dream Theory. Genre: Speculative and literary flash fiction. Payment: $30. Deadline: December 12, 2025.

Quarter Press: Quarter(ly). Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 14, 2025.

Buckman Journal. Restrictions: Open to Portland and Pacific Northwest creatives. Genre: Fiction and creative non-fiction. See theme. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 14, 2025.

Electric Literature. Genre: Personal Narrative. Payment: $100. Deadline: December 14, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

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

State of Matter. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and translations “which may broadly inform South Asian experiences.” See theme. Payment: CAD150. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Fourteen Poems: Home on the Range – Poems of the Queer Pastoral. Genre: Poems that, broadly speaking, fit with or interrogate the theme of queer pastoral. Payment: £30/poem. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Brazenhead Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $200. Deadline: December 15, 2025. Note: Closes when cap is reached.

Propagule. Genre: Short stories that are intrepid with regard to experimentation and oddity; the strange, the surreal, the atypical, the unexpected. Payment: Up to $30. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Big Score Lit. Genre: Poetry. Payment:  $100 per accepted poem. Deadline: December 15, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

ellipsis… literature & art. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction. Payment: $3 per page for prose. $10 for poetry. Deadline: December 15, 2025. (Only pays American writers.)

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, "and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way.” Payment: $50. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Whytaker Lyon Press: Virginia Fantastic Anthology. Genre: Speculative fiction that reimagines the Commonwealth of Virginia as a land of mystery, magic, and the unexpected. Payment: $5 for stories of 700-1,000 words. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

In a Flash. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Fantabulosa! Restrictions: Open to trans and BIPOC Queer writers. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art. Payment: $0.08/word for prose, and $50 for poetry. Deadline: December 15, 2025. [Extended deadline for trans and BIPOC writers]

Words Without Borders. Genre: Original translations into English of contemporary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and interviews, and related multimedia. They also publish critical essays, book reviews, and interviews written in English. Payment: $50 - $150. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Timberline Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, CNF, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Thousand Flowers Press. Genre: Poetry on theme Nighttime. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 15, 2025. 

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

Home on the Range: Poems of the Queer Pastoral. Genre: Poetry. "The anthology will celebrate and complicate a poetics of queer nature, from redefining the boundaries between the urban, the rural, and the wilderness, to rendering the ways in which queer people make their homes in the pastoral traditions which have so often excluded them." Payment: £30. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Book XI. Genre: Personal essays, memoir, fiction, science fiction, humor, and poetry with philosophical themes. See theme. Payment: $200 for prose; $50 for poetry. Deadline: December 15, 2025. Closes when cap is reached so submit early.

B Cubed Press: More Alternative Liberties. Genre: Stories, poems, and esssays about the potential consequences of the 2024 Presidential election told in current, near future or even similar situations where such a leader is in power. Payment: $0.10/word + royalties. Deadline: December 20, 2025.

The Aesthete. Genre: Short stories, flash fiction, poetry. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 21, 2025.

Speck Magazine. Restrictions: Open to residents of North America. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $5/page, $50 max. Deadline: December 21, 2025.

The Ex-Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: December 25, 2025.

Deadset Press: Rebels and Rainbows. Restrictions: Open to all Australian and New Zealand authors who identify as LGBTIQA+, from any gender identity, and ally authors. Genre: Stories that feature LGBTIQA+ characters of any gender identity across the wide universes of speculative fiction. Swashbuckling pirates, mischievous necromancers, charming elder gods, dashing bounty hunters, anything goes! Payment: $25. Deadline: December 30, 2025.

foofaraw zine. Genre: Speculative and literary fiction. Payment: Fiction: $0.01 per word. Poetry: $5.00. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Meadowlark Reader. Genre: Personal essays, interviews, journalistic pieces. “True stories about Kansas written by Kansans." Payment: $10 plus one contributor copy. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Burial Books. Genre: Westerns of at least 60,000 words. No fantasy or weird westerns. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Burial Books. Genre: Crime fiction of at least 60,000 words. No fantasy. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Best American. Genre: Published short stories, essays, food writing, mystery and suspense, nature writing, science fiction and fantasy. Payment: ? Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Dracula Beyond Stoker. Genre: Fiction based on Stoker’s characters. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Ninth Letter. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Payment: $25 per poem and $100 for prose. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

Mayday. Genre: Translations, art, poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $10 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2025. No submission fee during the month of December.

Arc Poetry Magazine. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 per page. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Free submissions for Canadians only.

DreamForge. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy short fiction and poetry. Payment: $0.08/word. Payment for reprints is $0.04/word. Poems are paid at the rate of $25 to $100. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Accepts reprints.

Workers Write!. Genre: "We're looking for fiction and poetry about the people who work in airports and for airlines, such as passenger service agents, ramp agents, TSA agents, airport engineers, baggage handlers, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, pilots, and so on." Payment: $10 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Wild Hyacinth. Genre: Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and visual art. Payment: $25 CAD. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Lit Fox Poetry Series. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $150. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Thirty West. Genre: Chapbook. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Oddity Prodigy Productions: Tales of Steel and Sorcery. Genre: Epic fantasy. Payment: $10 minimum. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Fun in the Dark Anthology. Genre: Any genre short story. Story length: 2000-5000 words. See theme. Payment: £20. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Iron Faerie Publishing: Hawthorn & Ash Anthology. Genre: Fantasy, speculative fiction, and horror stories. Length: 100 - 500 words. Payment: $0.01/word. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Flash Frog. Genre: Flash fiction stories. 1,000 words max. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction. Genre: Queer speculative fiction. Submissions are open for all speculative work published in 2025 under 17,500 words that deals either implicitly or explicitly with queerness. Payment: $0.01/word. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Black Hare Press. Genre: Dark stories, in any genre. Length: 5,000 - 50,000 words. Payment: $20 - $50, depending on length. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Allegory. Genre: Speculative Fiction and nonfiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Howdy Dude. Genre: Western and crime novels. Payment: Royalities. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Freeze Frame Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction. "Any genre, no content restrictions. We want your science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, drama, literary works, satire, bizarre fiction, or anything else you can come up with or mix together. The more original, the better. The weirder, the better.” Payment: $10. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Dragon Soul Press: Fallen in Love. Genre: All romantic stories involving angels, nephilim, etc. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Dragon Soul Press: Curse of the Sword. Genre: All fairytale retellings. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Black Beacon Book of Horror 2. Genre: Horror. Preferred word count between 3,000 and 9,000 words. Payment: $30 USD for original stories and $10 for reprints regardless of length, plus one print copy. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Tenebrous Press. Genre: New Weird Horror novels and novellas. Length: 20,000 - 120,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Midnight and Indigo. Genre: Short Stories, Speculative Fiction, and Personal Essays written by Black women writers. See theme. Payment:  $0.07 per word for Short Stories and $150 for personal essays. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

The New York Times: Modern Love. Genre: Essay on modern love. Payment: Not Specified. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Dark Moments. Genre: Messages from the edge—snapshots of terror, longing, and the uncanny. Postcards sent from places that shouldn’t exist. Payment: 0.04 USD per word via PayPal. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ stories, 12,000 words minimum. See themes. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.

AND A FEW MORE...

Litmosphere. Genre: Art, flash (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, and short prose (fiction and literary nonfiction). Payment: $50 per accepted poem, flash fiction and nonfiction; $100 per short fiction and literary nonfiction; $250 for non-exclusive online use of 15-30 images. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2026.

Cafe Irreal. Genre: Magical realism. Length: Up to 2,000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

50 Writing Contests in December 2025 - No entry fees

This December there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $130,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

[Image: Pickpik]

__________________

The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry. Restrictions: Open to African poets who have not yet published a collection of poetry. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Medieval Fantasy Contest. Genre: Medieval Fantasy, full-length. Prize: $5000. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets. Restrictions: Open to Caribbean writers who have not published a book-length poetry collection. Genre: Poetry collection. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

After the End Poetry Competition. Genre: Poetry. “This poetry competition invites creative responses from poets that critically engage with ideas of time and temporality and the question of who gets to say that something has ended. Work from poets at every stage of their writing careers is welcome." Prize: First prize is £200, second and third place winners will be offered £100 each. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

The Pushcart Prize honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in small presses and literary magazines. Magazine and small press editors may nominate up to six works. Pushcart Press publishes yearly anthologies of the winning submissions. Prize: Publication and enormous prestige. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

The Schneider Family Book Award is sponsored by the American Library Association. The award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Prize: Three annual awards each consisting of $5000 and a framed plaque, will be given annually in each of the following categories: birth through grade school (age 0-10), middle school (age 11-13) and teens (age 13-18). (Age groupings are approximations). Genre: May be fiction, biography, or other form of nonfiction. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing. Restrictions: Open to published writers who are writing from the region. Genres: All. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2025. 

Ezra Jack Keats Children's Book Award. Genre: Published or self-published picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

McGovern Center Writing Awards in Fiction. Restrictions: Open to anyone in the 50 U.S. states and affiliated territories. Genre: Unpublished fiction that is medical or healthcare-related in theme or focus. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Tony Quagliano Poetry Fund, International Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to poets who have a published body of work over a period of years. Poems must be in English. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 1, 2025. (Biennial award) 

One Teen Story. Restrictions: Open to writers age 13 -19. Genre: Short story between 2,000 to 4,500 words. Prize: $500 upon publication and 25 copies of the magazine. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Poetry Center at Smith College Prize. Restrictions: Open to sophomore or junior high school girls in New England. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Charlotte and Wilbur Award For Compassion for Animals. Genre: Picture book, chapter book, middle-grade book (or graphic novel), or young adult book traditionally or self- published in 2025. Books in translation are welcome. The Charlotte and Wilbur Award for Compassion for Animals will award one winning book and one honor book for their dedication to promoting compassion and respect for animals in their readers. Prize: The winning book will receive a prize of $2,500 and the honor book will receive $1,000. If the winning or honor book is a picture book, the prize will be split between the author and illustrator. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Jane Martin Poetry Prize (UK). Restrictions: Open to UK residents between 18 and 30 years of age. Genre: Poetry. Prize: First prize £1000, second prize, £500. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

The Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award. Genre: All works of fiction with significant Jewish thematic content written in English–novels, short story and flash fiction collections–by a single author published and available for purchase in the United States during 2022 are eligible for the award. Jewish thematic content means an extended grappling with Jewish themes throughout the book, including Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Jewish identity, etc. Prize: The award will include a $1,000 cash prize as well as support to attend the AJL conference to receive the award. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Candidates must be: A Canadian citizen or permanent resident; Under the age of 35; Unpublished in book form and without a book contract. Genre: Poetry and fiction. Prizes: Up to C$10,000. Deadline: December 2, 2025.

J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award. Genre: Nonfiction book. Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a U.S.-based publisher to write a nonfiction book. Award: $25,000. Deadline: December 4, 2025.

RSL Christopher Bland Prize. Restrictions: Writers must be a citizen of, or resident in, the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. Books must have been published for the first time in the UK or RoI within the 2023 calendar year. Books must be entered by trade publishers or agents based in the UK or RoI; each publisher, imprint of a publisher, or agent may enter two books only. Genre: Debut novel or non-fiction book first published by a writer aged 50 or over. Prize: £10,000. Deadline: December 5, 2025. 

The Republic of Letters. Genre: Tell us the story of a wrong turning, a mistake you can’t undo, a decision you can’t have back that led to whatever searing regret you have at this moment in time. Prize: $25 - $75. Deadline: December 6, 2025. 

Kim Wall Memorial Fund. Restrictions: Open to "journalists whose work embodies the spirit of Kim’s reporting. The grant will fund women or non-binary reporters covering subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call “the undercurrents of rebellion.” Kim wanted more women to be out in the world, brushing up against life, and the Kim Wall Memorial Fund honors this legacy.” Genre: Journalism. Prize: $5,000 grants. Deadline: December 7, 2025.

Intrepid Times Travel Writing Contest. Genre: Factual, first-person travel story. Theme: A Human Moment. Prize: $300. Deadline: December 10, 2025.

Friends of American Writers. Restrictions: The author must be a resident (or previously have been a resident for approximately five years) of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin; or the locale of the book must be in a region identified above. The author must not have published more than three books under his/her own pen name. Genres: Books can be fiction or creative non-fiction and published in 2025. Self-published and e-Books are not eligible. Prize: $500 - $2000. Deadline: December 13, 2025.

Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition. Restrictions: The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Genre: Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: December 14, 2025.

THE GEORGE ELIOT FELLOWSHIP ESSAY PRIZE. Genre: Paper on George Eliot's life or work. Prize: £500. Deadline: December 15, 2025. (Deadline is "middle of December")

Goldsmith Book Prize. Genre: Trade or academic book published in the United States in the last 24 months that best fulfills the objective of improving democratic governance through an examination of the intersection between the media, politics and public policy. Prize: $5000. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Sine Qua Non. Genre: Poetry and Creative Prose (fiction, creative nonfiction, flash fiction). See theme. Prize: $500 prizes in poetry and creative prose, with two runner-up awards of $250 in both categories. All works selected for publication will receive a $30 honorarium and a free physical copy of the journal. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Unleash WIP Prize. Genre: Book-length work in progress of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

RP Writing Prize. Genre: Essay on any aspect of contemporary portrait painting. Prize: £500 First Prize; £250 Two Special Mentions. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

King's English. Genre: Poetry. See theme. Prize: £𝟓𝟎-£𝟏𝟎𝟎. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Folk Tales/Faux Tales/Fox Tales. Genre: Three faux-tales: one science fiction, one fantasy, one horror. These folk-tails might emerge from any culture, any history, any landscape, but they should inform South Asian experiences. Prize: CAD150 each. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Leave Your Mark: Teen Contest. Restrictions: open to writers ages 13-18 years old. Genre: Write about a scar. Physical or invisible. This could be a scar you have, or one for a character you make up. You can do this in any form you like: story, song, script, or poem, as long as it's 250 words or fewer. Prize: 400 Gotham credit, a $50 gift certificate to Bookshop, and publication. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Smokelong Fellowship for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: All writers previously unpublished in SmokeLong Quarterly and who do not have a published chapbook or book-length work in any genre (or are not under contract for such) are eligible to apply. Genre: Flash fiction (1000 words max). Prize: $500. Deadline: December 15, 2025. 

Massachusetts Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Massachusetts residents. Genre: (1) fiction, (2) nonfiction, (3) poetry, (4) children’s picture books/early readers, (5) middle-grade/young adult literature, (6) translated literature, and (7) graphic novel/memoir published in 2025. Additionally, the Notable Contribution to Publishing award recognizes the exceptional output of the Massachusetts publishing community. Prize: Prestige. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

The Four Quartets Prize. Genre: Unified and complete sequence of poems published in America in a print or online journal, chapbook. Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were brought together and they form a complete sequence. Prize: Three finalists will receive $1,000 each. The winner will receive an additional $20,000. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Eggtooth Editions Chapbook Contest. Restrictions: Open to writers who have not previously published a full-length book. Genre: Chapbook in any genre. Prize: $250 and 20 copies of the chapbook. Deadline: December 15, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

Griffin Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry. To be eligible for the prize, a book of poetry must be a published first-edition collection (i.e. not previously published in any country), written in English, or translated into English, by a poet/translator from any part of the world, including Canada. Entries must come from publishers only. Inquiries about entries must also come from publishers only. Prize: The winner will receive C$130,000 and the other shortlisted poets will each receive C$10,000. Deadline: December 19, 2025, for books published between July 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.

VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Genre: First novel published in 2025. No self-published books. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 30, 2025.

Black Caucus of the American Library Association. BCALA presents four awards to an African American writer published in the United States during the previous year: one for adult fiction, one for nonfiction, one for a first novelist and one for poetry. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora. Prize: Four $1,000 awards. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Ludington Writers: Making Waves. Genre: "We invite poets, fiction, and non-fiction authors, and visual artists to submit works uplifting voices and experiences from the LGBTQ+ community and about it." Prize: Four (4) $50 awards. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is held four times a year. Restrictions: The Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least six cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits. Genre: Short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500, Annual Grand Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

HILARY MANTEL PRIZE FOR FICTION. Restrictions: Open to residents in Britain (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) and Ireland (Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland). Genre: Adult longform fiction. Prize: £7,500 and an offer of representation from AM Heath. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Lilith Magazine Fiction Competition. Genre: Fiction. Short story of interest to Jewish women. Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Prize: $500 and publication in Meridians Journal: feminism, race, transnationalism. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to students enrolled in M.D. and D.O. programs in the US, Puerto Rico, or Canada, and a physician category, open to any rank of physician (M.D. or D.O.) at any career stage, from residency to retirement, in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or Canada. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

The Lyric College Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to undergraduates enrolled full time in an American or Canadian college or university. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Hooks Institute National Book Award. Genre: Nonfiction book that best furthers understanding of the American Civil Rights Movement and its legacy. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

The W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction. Genre: Military fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Maureen Seaton Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to persons who reside, either full or part-time, in South Florida. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

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 regulating climate change and the environment support economic development?Prize: $500 scholarship. Deadline: December 31, 2025. (Registration deadline October 31)

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: December 31, 2025. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

6 Distinctive Writing Conferences in December 2025

Because of the holidays, writing conferences are sparse in December. That doesn't mean there are none worth attending.

The Write to Pitch Conference is well worth attending if you are ready to publish a book. This conference draws editors from all the major publishing houses, as well as agents who want to hear your pitch. If you write commercial fiction or nonfiction, this conference is a career starter. Please note: This conference is held every December, but it is limited to 65 participants, so you have to apply early. 

For a month-by-month list of conferences throughout the year see: Writing Conferences. (You will also find links to resources that can help you find conferences in your area on that page.)

[Image: Pexels]

____________________

Pitch Perfect: Finding Your Novel’s Theme and Crafting the Pitch. December 2 @ 7:00 pm - December 4 @ 7:00 pm, 2025: Online. Struggling to capture the heart of your novel? Join award-winning authors Jennifer Gennari and Lisa Moore Ramée and explore ways to uncover your story’s theme—and turn it into a clear, compelling pitch that guides your draft, fuels your revisions, and grabs the attention of agents and editors.

How to Build a Seed: Designing Your Own Writing Prompts. December 5, 2025: Online. In this workshop, writers will plan ahead for the days when we need to grow new work but all our creative soil feels bone-dry and chock full of rocks. Bring 3-4 favorite poems (by other poets) that you find especially effective to use as nourishment. We’ll use the materials we always have on hand to consider what a new literary creation needs in order to break open and throw roots. Plan to leave with a small collection of prompts to use in any upcoming winters of the mind.

Online Writing Workshop of Chicago. December 5 - 6, 2025: Online. "This is a special two-day “How to Get Published” online writing workshop. In other words it’s two days full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We’ll discuss your publishing opportunities today, how to write queries & pitches, how to market yourself and your books, what makes an agent/editor stop reading your manuscript, and more. No matter what you’re writing — fiction or nonfiction — the day’s classes will help point you in the right direction. Writers of all genres are welcome." 

The Mesa Book Festival. December 6, 2025: Mesa, Arizona. The festival features presentations, readings, visits with authors, and a poetry open mic. "Everyone! Authors, Publishers, and Book Sellers are invited to  register for space to showcase, promote, and sell their books. Readers are invited to come and buy their books direct. We're encouraging a wide variety of literary arts purveyors to share their work to create a bigger audience for everyone." All events are free and open to the public.

Word/Play: A Generative Poetry Workshop. December 10th, 2025, 6:00-7:30PM EST: Online. Wordplay is time traveling: it is an opportunity to explore the history of words and languages while also crafting new futures and directions for words and language. Wordplay can bring fun and pleasure back into the craft of writing. Words can also enact dramatic plays, exploring the nuances of language using sound and employing multiple meanings at once.

WTP 2025. December 11 - 14, 2025: NY. NY. "The goal of this conference, and all its companion editorial and development programs, is to set you on a realistic path not only to publication, but to becoming a career author. The Write to Pitch utilizes a time-tested methodology that works to get writers published. Pitching TV/Film pros, literary agents, and publishing house acquisition editors is a vital component (see the Schedule), of course, but when asked what specific elements make the event unique and better than other writer conferences, our response lists a number of game-changing factors, both major and minor."

7 New Literary Agencies Actively Building Their Client Lists

New literary agencies are started by established agents with considerable experience in the publishing industry. They have reliable contacts in publishing houses and a roster of successes getting writers published. New agencies are looking to expand, and are eager to take on prospective clients.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. 

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 

_____________________

Solas Literary Agency

Solas Literary Agency was founded by Camille Burns in 2025. Camille’s career in publishing has spanned more than 10 years and many places across the UK, thus far. She started as an office assistant at the Scottish schools publishing division of Hodder Education, based in Paisley, and spent more than three years as Editorial Assistant on the Language Learning list at Routledge (Didcot). She was Rights Executive and Digital Content Editor at the audio publisher, Bolinda (Newbury) before being selected for the Felicity Bryan Agency internship in 2019 (Oxford). She worked at one of the leading London literary agencies, David Higham Associates, as Agent’s Assistant to Jane Gregory and within the Children’s Translation Rights team for more than three years. In 2023, Camille joined Diamond Kahn and Woods Literary Agency as Junior Agent.  

Camille has an MSc in Publishing from Edinburgh Napier University and an MA in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh. She was Secretary of the Association of Authors’ Agents, as well as co-founder and Co-Chair for the AAA’s Bridge Committee for early career agents and assistants, from late 2021 to early 2024. 

What she is seeking: My taste is broad across middle grade, YA, adult, and select non-fiction, but the common thread is always atmosphere, emotional intensity, and unforgettable relationships. I’m especially drawn to stories with strong voices, heartfelt drama, and a sense of place or magic that lingers after reading. If you’d like more detail on my taste, you can find it on my website and MSWL.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

________________________

Neighborhood Literary 

Founded in 2025, Neighborhood Literary is a boutique agency based in Philadelphia. Dedicated to working with a diverse roster of authors and championing unique, out-of-the-box books, Neighborhood Literary brings over fifteen years of publishing experience into everything we do.

There are four agents on the Neighborhood Literary team: 

Eric Smith is currently looking for Middle Grade and Young Adult projects (fiction and non-fiction), adult genre-blending upmarket and literary fiction, accessible sci-fi and fantasy, high concept rom-coms, and memoir, essays, and wellness titles in the non-fiction space. 

Rebecca Podos is looking for Young adult and Adult genre fiction, with select non-fiction projects considered. Of particular interest in fiction right now: Character-driven fantasy rooted in folklore and culture; horror as a vehicle exploring otherness, identity, and trauma; fresh genre crossovers (cozy sci-fi, horror romance, etc.); queer contemporary and historical fiction; Romance and romcom with a strong commercial hook and upmarket prose. Of interest in non-fiction: Deep dives into nerdy topics (TTRPG's, cosplay, fandoms, etc.); a strong narrative voice paired with expertise, as in Why Fish Don't Exist; kid lit centering queer history.

Donovan Levine is looking for genre fiction, such as Mystery/Thriller, Historical, YA contemporary, and New Adult, as well as Narrative Nonfiction and Memoir, with a particular interest in underrepresented voices, untold multicultural stories, and any high concept or genre-bending works.

Aashna Avachat is currently building a list focused on authors of color and is looking for kidlit, commercial adult fiction, select non-fiction, and illustrators. 

How to submit: See submission guidelines HERE.

________________________

Children’s Books North Agency (UK)

Children’s Books North Agency (CBNA) was established in 2024 by Emma Layfield. 

Based in Manchester, CBNA is a children’s literary agency representing authors and illustrators of picture books, fiction and non-fiction. Our tagline is ‘reaching and representing’ and we’re so excited to work with amazing talent across the North and Scotland.

We only represent a small number of clients so that we can offer hands on development work and the best author/illustrator care. We aim to hold all of our author/illustrator meetings in person so that we build strong relationships with our clients. We might be small, but we are mighty!

Emma has 25 years of children’s publishing experience. She worked at Hachette Children’s Group as Group Picture Book Publisher where she commissioned the bestselling Oi Frog! series by Kes Gray and Jim Field, launched Steve Antony’s career with the international hit Please Mr Panda and published Alex T. Smith’s Claude. 

Emma is Co-founder of Children’s Books North Network, which connects published authors, illustrators and publishers in the North. She is also a board trustee at Seven Stories in Newcastle and mentors with the AOI and SYP North.

Emma works with authors and illustrators from all backgrounds and listens, supports, encourages and includes to ensure everyone she represents stands out in the children’s book market. 

Children’s Books North Agency works with all major publishing houses and attends industry events, including Bologna and London book fairs. 

What they are seeking: CBNA represents authors, illustrators and author-illustrators, and specialises in picture books, pre-school, illustrated non-fiction, young fiction and graphic novels.

How to submit: Children’s Books North Agency (CBNA) opens its doors widely to submissions from debut and established authors and illustrators. We are focused on working with creatives who are based in the north of England (North West, North East and Yorkshire) and Scotland.

We welcome submissions from authors and illustrators from all backgrounds that are inclusive and representative of the diverse identities of young readers across the UK.

Please send all submissions to: submissions@childrensbooksnorthagency.co.uk

_________________________

The Caldwell Agency 

Queer and Black woman-owned, The Caldwell Agency specializes in literary representation and management with a personal touch. We combine passion with strategy and transparency with partnership to build careers that honor our clients’ whole selves.

Patrice Caldwell is the Founder & CEO of The Caldwell Agency, which she launched in 2025. A former children’s book editor turned literary agent and author, Patrice was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. She has been named one of Forbes’s “30 Under 30” as well as a Publishers Weekly Star Watch honoree. Her list is focused on adult (fiction & nonfiction), YA, and select children’s.

Frannie Dove is looking for historical fiction, narrative history, historical fantasy, comedic mystery, book club fiction, genre bended and blended fiction (especially with some history), science for the non-scientist, essays with wisdom to share, and memoir with a strong narrative arc.

Victoria Harris is primarily seeking literary fiction, upmarket fiction, and queer romance. She is also open to literary-leaning sci-fi (grounded, set in the near future) and historical fiction (set in the recent past). When it comes to nonfiction, she is interested in memoirs.

Darryl Oliver specializes in adult science fiction and fantasy, historical fiction, speculative fiction, and select literary fiction. In the nonfiction space, he’s also interested in narrative history and narrative nonfiction.

Nour Sallam represents adult fiction and nonfiction.

How to submit: See individual agents.

_________________________

Apple Tree Literary (UK)

Apple Tree Literary represents a diverse range of authors writing non-fiction and fiction. The agency is run by Max Edwards, a hands-on, creative and energetic agent with a decade of experience in agenting. Having worked at agencies including RCW, United Agents, and David Higham Associates, Max was a founding agent at Aevitas Creative Management UK, working as agent there for five years prior to founding Apple Tree Literary.

What they are seeking: We represent a range of brilliant fiction and non-fiction, across multiple genres. In fiction, we are particularly interested in literary and speculative fiction of all types — particularly where the two overlap. We are, however, interested in all adult and YA fiction — you never know, we may just fall in love with it. Please note we do not represent children’s fiction below Young Adult.

Apple Tree Literary has an outstanding list of non-fiction authors across academics, journalists, memoirists, experts and high-profile names. We are particularly keen to hear from those telling untold or unknown stories, and experts writing about fascinating new ways of understanding our world.

How to submit: For fiction, send a covering email outlining your book, why it has a place on the bookshelf and why you are qualified to write it. If you have a proposal or a sample chapter, or the whole work, if it is completed, please include these alongside the query as an attachment. For nonfiction send a covering email outlining your book, why it has a place on the bookshelf and why you are qualified to write it. If you have a proposal or a sample chapter, or the whole work, if it is completed, please include these alongside the query as an attachment.

_________________________

 Alicia Brooks Literary Agency

Alicia Brooks began her publishing career over twenty-five years ago as an editorial assistant at Penguin USA (Dutton/Plume). She advanced to an assistant editor position at Nan A. Talese/Doubleday where she worked with groundbreaking authors, including Margaret Atwood, Pat Conroy, and Ian McEwan. She then became an editor at Picador/St. Martin’s Press where she edited over 40 hardcover titles and several trade paper original titles, including Good Morning America Book Club Pick Noelle Howey’s Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods–My Mother’s, My Father’s, and Mine, Nega Mezlekia’s award-winning Notes from the Hyena’s Belly, and Jaclyn Moriarty’s FEELING SORRY FOR CELIA, an ALA Best Book of the Year and YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

She became a literary agent at The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency in 2019. Her client list included categories such as Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction from writers with diverse backgrounds, Self-Help, Pop Culture, Literary Fiction, Book Club Fiction, YA Fiction, Horror, and Historical Fiction.

What she is seeking: 

• Narrative Nonfiction from writers with diverse voices
• Memoir with big concepts
• Self-Help
• Pop Culture
• Social Justice
• Literary Fiction
• Book Club Fiction
• Thrillers
• Historical Fiction
• Horror
• Jewish Issues
• YA Fiction and Nonfiction

How to submit: Use her form HERE.

_________________________

Katie Reed Literary

Katie Reed began her career in publishing with Andrea Hurst Literary Management while pursuing her B.A. in English at Sacramento State University and has worked in the publishing field for over a decade. Katie, a senior literary agent and skilled developmental editor, is actively building her client list, working with authors to shape and strengthen their stories for publication. She lives in Lewiston, Idaho with her husband, three children, a Bichon Frise, a Golden Retriever, and two obstinate cats. In the summer you can find her on the beach upriver in Hells Canyon, preferably with a good book.

What she is seeking: Across all generes, I am looking for what all readers want in a good story: characters that leap off the page, conflict and tension that grips me in the story, and string prose that can compete with similar titles in that space. Bring me stories with a marketable hook and fresh perspectives, especially those that elevate underrepresented voices. 

How to submit: Please  use her form HERE.