95 Calls for Submissions in March 2026 - Paying markets

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

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

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

[Image: Wikimedia]

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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.

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. Genre: Sword and sorcery fantasy. Payment: $25 - $100 for stories, depending on length, and $12.50 - $25 for poems, upon publication. Deadline: Opens in March.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Prose. They prefer stories under 3,000 words but will consider up to 5,000 words. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens March 1, 2026. Free submissions open on the 1st of each month and close when cap is reached.

Liars’ League. Genre: Short stories. Length: 800-2,000 words. See theme. Payment: £20, reading of your story by a professional actor, as well as podcast, video and online publication of your work. 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.

Orion's Belt. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Length: 1200 words max. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: Opens 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.

Affirm Press Restrictions: They only accept Australians. Genre: Affirm Press accepts all literary and genre fiction. For non-fiction, they are interested in most subjects that have an author or authors based in Australia, and only manuscripts that haven’t been previously published. They only accept submissions on the first Monday of each month and twice yearly on their children’s & teen list. Read their submission guidelines here. Deadline: March 1, 2026.

Mascara Literary Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction. Payment: $200. Poems $100. First Nations & CaLD critics $500. Only pays Canadians. Deadline: March 2, 2026.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: March 2, 2026. Opens March 1.

Island Magazine. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $600. Deadline: March 2, 2026.

Short Fiction. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to people who are not from the USA. Genre: Short fiction. Payment: 2p (£0.02) per word. Deadline: March 3, 2026 or until cap is reached.

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

MIDLVLMAG. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, CNF. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: March 7, 2026.

Cosmic Horror Monthly. Genre: Weird and cosmic fiction under 5,000 words. See theme. Payment: 3 cents (USD) per word. Deadline: March 7, 2026.

University of Queensland Press Genre: Adult non-fiction submissions that address environmental sustainability and the climate crisis. We are looking for potential new books that engage with current science, with themes of hope, resilience and innovation. Full or partial manuscripts (minimum 15,000 words) will be accepted. They do not publish books in the following categories: Genre fiction (including romance, science fiction, fantasy, and erotica), travel guides, cookbooks, self-help books, plays/scripts/music scores, textbooks, unrevised theses or conference proceedings. Read their submission guidelines here. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 7, 2026. Open the first seven days of every month.

Black Inc. Restrictions: Accepts proposals from Australian writers only. Genre: General non-fiction, including history, current affairs, biography and memoir, and for fiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 7, 2026.

Pill Bottle Press. Genre: Poetry, prose, art, and photography. Payment: $1. Deadline: March 7, 2026.

Bennington Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, film writing, and cross-genre work. Payment: $120 for prose of six pages and under, $250 for prose of over six pages, and $25 per poem, in addition to two copies of the issue the piece is published in. Deadline: March 9, 2026.

Mslexia. Genre: Fiction, poetry. See theme. Length: Stories up to 2,200 words.  Payment: £25. Deadline: March 9, 2026.

+Horror Library+ Volume 10. Genre: Horror. Payment: Two (2) cents per word. Deadline: March 9, 2026.

 

pride microchapbook series. Restrictions: Open to queer authors. Genre: Any genre, any style, any subject. The only restriction is a hard page count cap of 10 pages of content. Payment: "Tips" Deadline: March 10, 2026.

Samjoko Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, play, screenplay. Payment: $20. Deadline: March 10, 2026.

Raconteur Press: Crash Landings. Genre: Short stories."Crashed Landings" is an homage to that mysterious meteor strike in the small-town woods. Our teenage adventurers see the flash of light in the sky, immediately get on their walkie talkies to check if their friends have seen it, and decide to escape out of bedroom windows to investigate... Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 13, 2026.

The Feminist Press is an educational nonprofit organization founded to advance women's rights and amplify feminist perspectives. FP publishes classic and new writing from around the world, creates cutting-edge programs, and elevates silenced and marginalized voices in order to support personal transformation and social justice for all people. Genre: All printable media, including academic articles, memoir, manifesto, literary fiction or other prose, poetry, and visual art. See theme. Deadline: March 13, 2026.

Agita. Genre: Horror or dark science fiction flash stories. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: March 14, 2026.

Metatron Press. Genre: Digital literature, including e-chapbooks, long poems, and long-form auto/non/-fiction, mixed/anti-genre, translation, and other experimental works. Length: 10-40 pages of work. Payment: $150 CAD. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Profiles. Restrictions: Does not accept submissions of original writing from residents of the US or Canada (with the exception of Irish citizens). However, translators living in these countries are welcome to submit. Genre: Character-driven fiction and non-fiction — both original works and works in translation — between 1,000 and 5,000 words. Payment: €200. The cover artist will receive a flat fee of €500. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review. Genre: Poetry and reviews of chapbooks coming soon or published in the past three years. Payment: $10. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Plott Hound. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry starring animals. Payment: 8 cents/word for original fiction. $20 - $100 for reprints. $50 for poetry. $300 for art. Deadline: March 15, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Quarter Press: Quarter(ly). Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Meadowlark Books. Genre: Full-length memoir, poetry, short stories, novels. Read their submission guidelines here. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

University of Wisconsin Press. Genre: Novels, short story collections, and works in translation. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Beaches and Trails: A Psychological Thriller Anthology. Restrictions: International, but priority given to Canadians. Genre: Psychological thriller stories that explore unreliable narrators, emotional unravelling, and mental tension. Payment: 0.01$ CAD per word. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Penumbric. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art, animation, and music. Payment: $10. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Our Lake in Winter Anthology. Genre: Creative non-fiction writing about visiting Chicago's Lake Michigan shoreline in winter. Payment: "Modest." Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Translunar Travelers Lounge. Restrictions: March 15 - 21 is reserved for writers of color. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.03 per word with a minimum of $20. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Caribbean Poetry Book Series: Calabash. Restrictions: Open to Caribbean poets. Genre: Full-length poetry collection. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Pathways to Imagination - Whispers Made Flesh. Genre: Dark Fantasy, Folk Horror, Cosmic Unease, the Surreal, Gothic, Magical Realism, or Mythic Fiction short stories. 7000 words max. See theme. Payment: $25 - $45, depending on length. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

(s)crawl magazine. Genre: Horror fiction and poetry. Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: March 15, 2026.

Barrelhouse. Genre: Fiction (up to 5000 words), poetry, essays on theme: The Aftermath. Payment: $50. Deadline: March 16, 2026. or until filled.

Island Magazine. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $175. Deadline: March 16, 2026.

Agita. Genre: Horror or dark science fiction flash stories. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: March 21, 2026. Extended period for LGBTQIA+, disabled, or BIPOC authors.

Virginia Woolf Anthology. Genre: Literary criticism and autotheory. "We are interested both in writing that engages playfully and seriously with Woolf’s fiction and nonfiction." Length: 7000 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: March 29, 2026.

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Short stories and poetry. See themes. Payment: $50.00 USD for featured authors, or $20.00 USD for stories published on their &More page and $10.00 USD for poems. Deadline: March 30, 2026. Closes when full.

foofaraw anthology. Genre: Speculative and literary fiction. See theme. Payment: Fiction: $0.01 per word. Poetry: $5.00. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Best New England Crime Stories. Restrictions: Open to all writers who currently live in the six New England states. Genre: Crime stories, mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, historical, and horror. Payment: $25. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $75 for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews web issues. Deadline: March 31, 2026. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: March 31, 2026. Submit early to avoid submission fee.

Palimpsest Press. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Quantum Quill Anthology. Genre: Sci-fi. "All sci-fi subgenres: hard SF, cyberpunk, space opera, biopunk, alien contact, time travel, dystopian, post-human." Length: Up to 10,000 words. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Adroit Journal. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $50 - $100. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Critical Blast Publishing: Fantastic Voyages Anthology. Genre: Portal stories, with characters taken unexpectedly and unexplainedly from the world they know into a world they don't. Length: 2,500 to 10,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Rage, Well Spoken. Restrictions: Open to women. Genre: Creative non-fiction by women that confront, interrogate, or give voice to their rage. Payment: 4 cents/word. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

DreamPunk Press: TEETH Anthology. Genre: Eerie, or creepy, or Gothic fiction. See theme. Payment: $200. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

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: March 31, 2026.

Black Hare Press. Genre: Dark stories, in any genre. Length: 5,000 - 50,000 words. Payment: $20 - $50, depending on length. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Engen Books. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: Short fiction that fits under the suburban gothic genre. Length: 7,500 words max. Payment: $0.01 CAD per word. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Air and Nothingness Press. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We are seeking HARD SF stories for an anthology to be titled Tea or Coffee, Stars, and Gravity which will collect stories with these 3 title elements key to the narrative." Payment: $0.08/word. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

McClelland & Stewart is a division of Penguin Random House. Restrictions: Open to Black, Indigenous, and racialized writers, as well as those of other traditionally underrepresented communities. Genre: Full-length literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Payment: Advance and royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

SAPP. Restrictions: Prioritizes work by Canadians. Genre: Art, photography, and writing on themes. See theme. Payment: Cover art: $100, $30 per accepted piece (poem, art, photography, short form, or hybrid). Deadline: March 31, 2026.

The Marrow. Genre: Poetry written in, or translated into, English, from Australian and international poets. Payment: AU$40. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Married/couples stories. Genre: Nonfiction. Married? In a long-term relationship? We know you have stories! Share the ups and downs, the funniest moments, the most romantic moments, and all your tips and advice for other couples. We want to know how you got together and how you stay together! Payment: $200. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

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: March 31, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings. Genre: Nonfiction. One of the most important keys to contentment and happiness is the ability to count your blessings. Even during the toughest times, if we can find gratitude and count our blessings we feel better. Each day holds something to be thankful for and it could be just as simple as having the sun shine or having food on the table. Payment: $200. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Random Acts of Kindness. Genre: Nonfiction. We are looking for true stories about random acts of kindness that have happened to you or stories about a kindness that you performed for someone else. Stories can be serious or funny but they should definitely inspire our readers to look for ways in which they can perform kind acts. Payment: $200. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Positive Thinking. Genre: Nonfiction. We are looking for stories of optimism, faith and strength to encourage our readers to use positive thinking. What was the situation that inspired you to use positive rather than negative thinking? How did you change your attitude -- from negative to positive? How did that turn your life around? These inspirational stories will remind readers to use positive thinking, focus on hope and show them that each day holds something to be grateful for. Payment: $200. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

The London Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 31, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

Aurealis. Restrictions: Australian and New Zealand writers. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy or horror short stories between 2000 and 8000 words. Payment: A$20 and A$60 per 1000 words. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

The Hudson Review. Genre: Nonfiction. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Dragon Soul Press: Pirate Cove. Genre: Stories featuring pirates. All genres accepted.  Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

MetaStellar. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy or horror. 1000 words max. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Cursed Morsels Zine. Genre: Surveillance horror/Weird fiction that's at least a little bit about ICE/fascist occupation. "Given that we’re a Minneapolis-based press, it would be wild NOT to include at least one story in this vein." Payment: 10 cents/words. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ stories, 12,000 words minimum. See themes. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Whisper House Press: Doom Scroll Anthology. Genre: Social media horror fiction. Payment: $30. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

parABnormal. Genre: Nonfiction, poetry on the paranormal. "For us, this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores." Payment: $25.00 for original stories, $7.00 for reprints. $10.00 for each poem. $20.00 for original articles, $6.00 for reprints. $7.00 for reviews and interviews. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: March 31, 2026. In celebration of Disability Awareness Month, there are no submission fees for writers living with both visible and invisible disabilities for the month of March.

Flash Point Science Fiction. Genre: Science Fiction 100 to 1,000 words in length. Payment: $0.02 per word. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Inkd Publishing: Behind the Shadows IV. Genre: Horror. Payment: Minimum $10. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Witches Save the World: Hags, Harridans, and Hexes Gone Right. Genre: Stories of witches as marginalized folk who rise up and burn it all down. Maximum Word Count: 8000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Gordon Square Review. Genre: Poetry, short stories, personal essays, and hybrid prose works. Payment: $25 per prose piece and $10 per poem. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

SpecPoVerse. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $5. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Harbor Editions: Marginalia series. Restrictions: Open to traditionally marginalized writers—those who belong to communities that have been historically excluded from mainstream society due to systemic oppression or unequal power dynamics. Genre: Chapbooks. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: March 31, 2026.

Short Story Substack accepts one short story every month. Genre: All genres. Word count 6,000 - 10,000 words. Payment: Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: March 31, 2026. Reprints accepted.

Poetry Substack accepts one poem every month. Genre: Poem. Must have a rhyme scheme or a rhythm scheme. No blank verse or free verse. Payment: Base Pay of $10 for the chosen poem + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: March 31, 2026. Reprints accepted.

AND A FEW MORE...

West Branch. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation. Payment: $50 per submission of poetry, and $.05/word for prose with a maximum payment of $100. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: April 2, 2026. Opens April 1.

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

Utopia Science Fiction. Genre: Utopian science fiction. See theme. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $25 for poetry. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

The Cafe Irreal. Genre: Magical realism, Length: Up to 2000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

Crimson Quill. Genre: Fantasy. Payment: $35. Deadline: Opens April 1, 2026.

Ninth Letter Web Edition. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. See theme. Payment: $25 per poem and $75 for prose. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

The Ex-Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: April 1, 2026.