58 Calls for Submissions in February 2026 - Paying markets

This February there are more than four 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.

[Image: Pickpik]

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Slush. Genre: Previously unpublished short stories of up to 5000 words in length. This includes micro and flash fiction as well as comics, prose poetry and other forms. Payment: $100 AU. Deadline: February 1, 2026. 

Electric Lit: The Commuter. Genre: Poetry, flash, graphic, and experimental narratives. Payment: $100. Deadline: February 1, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

The Paris Review. Genres: Prose. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: Opens February 1, 2026, and closes when they reach capacity.

Yellow Arrow Journal. Genre: Creative nonfiction, poetry, cover art by authors who identify as women. Payment: $10. Deadline: Opens February 1, 2026.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $40. Deadline: Opens February 1, 2026.

Nightlight (Podcast). Restrictions: At least one of your birth parents must be Black. Genre: Horror. Flash fiction (750-1,500 words), Short stories (up to 3,000). Payment: 5 cents/word for flash, $200 for short stories, $50 for reprnts.. Deadline: Opens February 1, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Okay Donkey. Genre: One flash fiction OR one poem per author, per submission period. See website for details. Payment: $20. Deadline: Opens Fenbruary 1, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Prose. They prefer stories under 3,000 words. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens February 1, 2026. Free submissions open on the 1st of each month and close when cap is reached. 

Fantastic Voyages. Genre: Fantasy. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: February 1, 2026. 

The First Line Journal. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry using the line provided. (See theme) Payment: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $10 for poetry. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

Curated by Costiuc. Genre: Mysteries and crime stories. Length: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: February 1, 2026. 

June Road Press. Genre: Poetry. "This anthology will be loosely organized as a cross-country road trip: a tour of new voices from different regions of the United States. In keeping with the spirit and orientation of our full-length collections, we’re particularly interested in work that engages in meaningful ways with nature or place—the more specifically place-based or regionally inflected, the better suited to this project." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

Breath and Shadow  Restrictions: Open to disabled writers. 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: February 1, 2026.

Nightmare. Genre: Dark fiction, CNF, poetry. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $40 for CNF and poetry. Deadline: February 1, 2026. 

Wyldblood Press (UK) Genre: Short speculative fiction. Length: 5000 words max. Payment: £0.01 cent/word. Deadline: Opens February 1, 2026.

White Stag is looking for full length poetry manuscripts in the scope of their thematic elements, which can include themes of alchemy & the occult, mysticism & spirituality, folklore & mythos, the speculative or supranatural, or intersections of witchcraft & activism. These themes are not limited to any specific belief, culture, race, or region. Read guidelines here. Payment: $50 honorarium, 40% royalties based on total profit of each copy sold. Deadline: February 1, 2026. Note: US authors only.

Ecotone. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Payment: $100 minimum. Deadline: Opens February 2, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

Acquired Tastes Anthology. Genre: short fiction or essays celebrating unlikeable characters, from young adults, ages 15-21. Length: Up to 5,000 words. Payment: $1,000. Deadline: February 2, 2026.

Stone’s Throw. Genre: "We're looking for dark fiction, crime and noir, length between 1,000 and 2,000 words." Payment: $25. Deadline: February 4, 2026. Open to submissions the first three days of every month.

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: February 5, 2026.

Abyss and Apex. Genre: Speculative fiction. No horror. Payment: USD $.08/word (eight cents a word) up to 1,000 words, and a flat payment of $80.00 for longer stories. Deadline: February 7, 2026.

Cursed Morsels Press Zine. Genre: Horror. 500 words max. See prompts. Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: February 7, 2026.

The Suburban Review. Genre: Prose, art, poetry. See theme. Payment: AUD300-450 for prose; AUD300-550 for poetry; comics and art AUD200-300. Deadline: February 8, 2026.

Sparks. Restrictions: Open to residents on the island of Ireland. Genre: Prose and poetry. Payment: €20 for a Short Story, €15 for Flash Fiction and €10 for a Poem. Deadline: February 9, 2026.

 

Sci Phi Journal. Genre: Hard science fiction, fictional nonfiction, and speculative philosophy. Translations accepted. Payment: €0.03/word; €0.01/word for translations. Deadline: February 12, 2026.

Ecotone. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that engages with the climate crisis. Payment: $100 minimum. Deadline: Opens February 13, 2026. Open for one day only.

The Phantom Pulse. Genre: Traditional horror, sci-fi horror, dark fantasy, and the weird. We have diverse reading tastes and are open to experimental forms and stories. Payment: $0.03 per word for unpublished fiction and $0.01 per word for reprints. Deadline: February 14, 2026. Accepts reprints.

In a Flash. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

The Lorelei Signal. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, and poetry with strong female characters. Payment: $15 for short stories, $5 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces, $5 for reprints. Deadline: February 15, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Luna Station Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to women writers only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $10. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Griffith Review. Poetry. Nonfiction and fiction. See theme. Payment: $200. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Smokelong. Genre: Flash narrative up to 1000 words. They are looking for prose that is troubling, that explores our darkest fears. Payment: $100/$150 with audio, upon publication. Deadline: February 15, 2026. Free submissions end when cap is reached.

100-Foot Crow. Genre: Speculative fiction drabbles. See theme. Payment: $8. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Slab Press: Obsidian. Genre: Space Horror. Payment: 1p a word to a maximum of £100. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Fission is the British Science Fiction Association's annual anthology of SFF fiction. You don’t need to be a BSFA member to submit. Genre: Science fiction. Length: Up to 5,000 words. Payment: 2 pence per word. Deadline: February 27, 2026.

Raconteur Press: Auntie Heroes. Genre: Short stories. Insane cat lady fights bad guys and solves crime! Golden Girls vs Cthulhu! Betty White saves the day! Stories of aunties in dynamic, exciting adventures. Little old grannies living in cozy urban fantasy worlds, with buckshot. These heroes aren’t your run-of-the-mill saviors—they’re Auntie Heroes. 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 27, 2026.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: February 28, 2026. In celebration of Black History Month, there are no submission fees for Black writers for the month of February.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, New Year's. Genre: True stories and poems. "Please submit your true stories and poems about the entire December holiday season, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year’s festivities too." Payment: $200. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

In Another Time. Genre: Speculative fiction and nonfiction. Payment: $0.01/word for fiction, $5 for poetry up to 500 words. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Clare Songbirds. Genre: Full-length poetry collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Nyctalocos: A Collection of Night Terrors. Genre: Horror. See theme. Payment: $10 per 1K words, and one contributor copy. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Indie Bites. Genre: Fantasy. See theme. Payment: £5. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Year's Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction Series. Restrictions: Authors must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or ex-pats. Genre: Fantasy and science fiction published in the previous year. Payment: 1 cent (0.01 CAD) per word for non-exclusive world English language reprint rights for fiction. Poetry will receive a $10 CAD reprint fee. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

The Ranger's Almanac. Genre: Stories, poems, artwork, photography, and music from rangers and nature enthusiasts nationwide. Payment: $10 for stories of 1,000+ words, artwork, and music. $5 for stories under 1,000 words, poems, and photographs. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ stories, 12,000 words minimum. See themes. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Silver Sun Books: Ruins and Rituals Anthology. Genre: Fantasy fiction on the theme, Ruins and Rituals. Payment: £5. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Southword. Genre: Fiction. Payment: €400 per short story. Deadline: February 28, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

Who am I? Sapphic spec fic of identity and purpose. Restrictions: Open to writers who are sapphic, queer, lesbian, bisexual, or wlw, and whose gender identity is female, trans-female, or non-binary. Genre: Sapphic  speculative fiction. Payment: $0.10 (AUD) per word, with a maximum payment of $400 (AUD) per story. Reprints are capped at $100 (AUD) per story. Deadline: February 28, 2026. Reprints accepted.

Nonbinary Review. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose; up to 3 pages for poetry. See theme. Payment: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry. $25 flat fee for visual art, or $50 for pieces chosen as cover art. Deadline: February 28, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Zooscape. Genre: Short stories. All stories must be furry. "An anthropomorphic animal figure should be significantly featured in your story — it could be anthropomorphic in body or only intelligence. We’ll consider any type of furry fiction from secret life of animals to fox in Starbucks. We love science-fiction with animal-like aliens and fantasy with talking dragons, unicorns, or witch familiars." Payment: 8 cents/word for original fiction. $20 for reprints. Length: Original stories up to 5,000 words. Reprints up to 10,000 words. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Dragon Soul Press: Splash. Genre: All mermaids (and their kin), kraken (sea monsters), underwater civilizations, etc. stories are welcome. All genres are accepted. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Dragon Soul Press: The Wild Frontier. Genre: All stories featuring the Wild West, cowboys, outlaws, etc. Cross genres are accepted (ex. Cowboys vs Aliens, etc). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Screams and Wails. Genre: Horror short stories with music at their still-beating heart. Think cursed instruments; songs that drive the listener mad; zombie fans; haunted studios. Payment: 1p a word to a maximum of £50. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Bridge House. Genre: Stories between 1000 and 5000 words on the subject of  'Room at the Inn?' Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

New Myths. Genre: Speculative fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: 3 cents/word with a minimum payment of $50 for all submissions, fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction and poetry; $50 for book reviews; $80 for art. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Memezine. Genre: "Send any traditional or hybrid pieces that directly or indirectly engage with memes, political/current events, viral content, trends, social media, pop/internet culture, technology, and any other work that blurs the lines between art, literature, and content." Payment: $10. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Inkd Publishing: Heightened Anxiety. Genre: Thrills and suspense. Payment: Minimum $10. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

AND A FEW MORE...

Toronto Journal. Genre: Short stories from anywhere in the world. No word limit. "We will also consider non-fiction pieces that are either set locally or explore some local history (Toronto, GTA, and surrounding)." Payment: $50 CAD per piece. All published writers will also receive two printed copies of the issue in which they appear. Deadline: March 1, 2026.

Teach. Write. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction, poetry, CNF. "I prefer writing that is either written by composition teachers and writing students OR about teaching and learning." Payment: $15. Deadline: March 1, 2026.

Singapore Unbound: Suspect. Restrictions: Open to authors who identify as Asian. Genre: Fiction and essays (maximum 6,500 words) or poetry (maximum 10 pages). See theme. Payment: $100. Deadline: March 1, 2026.

Altar. Genre: Poetry, prose, CNF, reviews, recipes, rituals. Payment: $5. Deadline: March 1, 2026.

Transcendent Fiction Publishing: Verify You’re Not Human Anthology. Genre: Speculative fiction. "The main character of the story must be therian (or similar forms of identity, such as otherkin) – this can be a “coming out” story as the character recognises themselves as therian, or can be an established identity." Payment: AUD 1c/word. Deadline: March 1, 2026.

Sundog. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art. Payment: $50. Deadline: Opens March 1, 2026, and closes when they reach capacity.

Thema. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: While the Snowstorm Was Raging. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: March 1, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Cat Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for first-person true stories and poems up to 1200 words that highlight the unique personalities that cats have. Celebrate your cat, or a cat you know, with a wonderful story about what he or she does. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both." Payment: $200. Deadline: March 1, 2026.

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: March 1, 2026. Closes when cap is reached so submit early.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dog Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for first-person true stories and poems up to 1200 words that highlight the unique personalities that cats have. Celebrate your cat, or a cat you know, with a wonderful story about what he or she does. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both." Payment: $200. Deadline: March 1, 2026.