12 New Agents Seeking Genre Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, YA, LGBT, Children's Books and more

Here are twelve new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and 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. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

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

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Ms. Hillary Fazzari of Bradford Literary Agency

Currently closed to queries!

Hillary Fazzari (she/her) joined the Bradford Literary Agency as the agency’s assistant in 2022 before moving into agenting in 2023. Prior to that, she had interned at Writers House and served as a long-term reader and editor for another literary agency. She is a highly editorial agent and is looking for high concept, high stakes stories with deep character development and gorgeous, commercial prose. 

What she is seeking: Overall, she acquires primarily Middle Grade and YA, and is open to any genre in those areas, including graphic novels. In New Adult and Adult, she acquires more selectively and is open to:

• Rom-coms;
• Romantasy;
• SFF with strong romantic elements; important female, queer, and/or nonbinary characters; and emotive plotlines; and
• Very select narrative nonfiction that focuses on history.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Sobi-Dee Burbano of LCS Literary Services

Currently closed to queries!

Sobi-Dee Burbano earned her Associate’s Degree in Arts, but her true passion has always been reading. She discovered a love for books as a child and that has carried on through adulthood. When she is not caring for her young children, as a mother of two, the kindle is her best friend. She loves reading romance of all genres including fantasy and paranormal.  Sobi is excited to work with aspiring authors and is now actively building her list. She is looking for unputdownable stories with bold, courageous characters who take you down an emotional journey of perseverance. She enjoys getting lost in a great drama-filled fantasy and also hopes to escape into a romance that makes her fall in love with love again.

What she is seeking: 

• Adult Fiction: Contemporary, Commercial, Fantasy, General, Historical, Horror, Humor, Literary, Mystery, New Adult, Paranormal, Psychological Thriller, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Women’s Fiction
• Young Adult Fiction: Adventure, Contemporary, Dystopian, Fantasy, Historical, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
• Middle Grade: Adventure, Contemporary, Dystopian, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery, Paranormal, Sci-Fi

How to submit: Use the agency's querymanager HERE.

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Michelle Jackson of Jackson Literary Agency

Michelle began her agenting career as an intern and then a Literary Associate with Olswanger Literary.  She is also a published author and has earned educational degrees from New York University, SUNY at StonyBrook, Teachers College Columbia University and Argosy University. Michelle looks forward to bringing adult fiction and select young adult and non-fiction works of new authors to the masses, especially BIPOC and underrepresented authors. She is also a content editor and loves developing and working with new authors to help them hone their craft

What she is seeking:  Michelle is on the hunt for writers with a strong voice and masterful descriptive writing, stories with memorable characters, a great premise, a twist on an old tale and original concepts.
Adult Fiction: Commercial, Historical, Humor, New Adult, Romance, Thriller, Women’s Fiction, Literary, Contemporary Romance, Inspirational, Multicultural, Psychological Thrillers, Romantic Comedy, Speculative, Light fantasy, Magical Realism, Paranormal
Young Adult Fiction: Contemporary, Historical, Christian, Romance, Speculative, Light Fantasy, Magical Realism, Paranormal
Select Middle Grade: Commercial, Contemporary
Picture books: Whimsical, Non-fiction, select Biographies, Fiction, Illustrators, particularly author-illustrators
Select Non-fiction: Relationships, Lifestyle, Cookbooks, Travel, True Crime, Wellness, Self-help

How to submit: Use the agency's querymanager HERE.

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Jynastie Wilson of LCS Literary Services

Currently closed to queries!

During a childhood that was spent devouring the pages of both fantasy and contemporary novels alike, Jynastie Wilson discovered that there was magic within these pages, one that was much more complex than the fact that they happened to offer a place of escape and distraction. Instead, she found that these novels had the magic to make people feel a little less alone — specifically those that came from various marginalized communities, such as she did. 

What she is seeking: Jynastie is looking for a variety of projects in both Adult and Children’s genres.

• Adult: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, and stories written by LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and/or other marginalized authors.
• Young Adult: Contemporary, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical, Horror, and stories written by LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and/or other marginalized authors.
• Middle Grade: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical, Horror, and stories written by LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and/or other marginalized authors.
• Childrens: Picture Books, Chapter Books, and stories written by LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and/or other marginalized authors.

How to submit: Use the agency's querymanager HERE.

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Ms. Shabnam Banerjee-McFarland of Odom Media Management

Currently closed to queries!

Shabnam Banerjee-McFarland (she/her) is an Associate Agent at Odom Media Management. Throughout her career, she has worked in independent media aimed at providing tools, resources, and frameworks that support movement-building. As an editor, she has worked with New York Times bestselling authors, speakers, and activists on books and digital training products on topics of intersectionality, racial and gender justice, decolonization, identity, and community organizing. She received her B.A. from University of California, Berkeley and M.A. from Columbia University in American Studies focusing her research on gender, race, and media. 

What she is seeking: Right now, she is most focused on non-fiction books about racial capitalism and closing the racial wealth gap, decolonization, and an intersectional, gender-inclusive approach to equity and equality.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Ms. Kate Rogers of KO Media Management

Kate Rogers is a University of Washington graduate with a double major in English and Cinema Media Studies. She has worked in customer service at Vroman's Bookstore in her hometown of Pasadena, California, and as the Assistant Director for Communications and Marketing for Stevens Court Community Council in Seattle.

What she is seeking: Kate loves stories with graphic/illustrated elements or multimodal components. All ages (Children’s, MG, YA, and Adult) welcome, as long as there is a visual component! Genres include humor, horror/thriller (bonus if it’s entry level for a younger audience!), romance, light sci-fi, light fantasy (not currently open to high-fantasy of any kind), contemporary realistic fiction, and narrative non-fiction. She is interested in diverse, character-driven narratives that subvert familiar tropes or conventions. Bonus points if your story includes non-conventional, interactive formats.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

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Ms. Mara Hollander of Azantian Literary

Mara Hollander started her publishing career at FinePrint Literary Management and joined Azantian Literary Agency in 2025. Prior to working in publishing, Mara earned a bachelor's degree at Georgetown University and a PhD and Pitt Public Health, and was a professor researching US health care policy. Mara believes stories make us who we are and that everyone deserves a chance to write their own. She is actively seeking to represent authors from communities traditionally underrepresented in publishing, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and disabled and/or chronically ill writers. In her free time, she writes fantasy novels, watches a shocking amount of figure skating, roots for the Washington Nationals and Georgetown Hoyas, and daydreams about petting dogs.

What she is seeking: Mara is actively seeking to represent authors from communities traditionally underrepresented in publishing, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA, people  who are disabled, and people who are chronically ill. In fiction, she is seeking accessibly-written novels for Adult and YA audiences that rip your heart out and make you forget the world around you. She is open to most fiction manuscripts and nonfiction proposals and loves to be surprised!

FICTION

• Fantasy (including political and romantasy)
• Romance
• Thrillers/mysteries (including political)
• Horror
• Women’s fiction
• Upmarket + book club/commercial fiction

NONFICTION

• Mental health care, substance use disorder treatment (this interest is specific to nonfiction) (please no pure memoirs)
• The American health care system (please no pure memoirs)
• Academic research for a commercial audience
• Academic research for an academic audience
• Making business better
• Sports (literally anything in sports)
• Gender + sexuality, focused on queer identities
• The role of women in _________
• Race + ethnicity
• Psychology, neuroscience, and the human brain
• Parasocial relationships
• Multilevel marketing
• Cults, schemes, and Fyre Festival-style scams
• Politics, policy, and the future of government
• Climate change
• Science in modern life

How to submit: Mara is open the first seven days of the month. Use her querytracker HERE.

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Julie Gourinchas of Bell Lomax Moreton Agency (UK)

Julie Gourinchas (she/they) works across the agents’ various lists and provides editorial and administrative support where needed. Prior to her time at BLM, she was managing editor for a transcontinental literary consultancy, and later transferred into freelance editorial work where she worked closely with a number of agents and their clients. 

What they are seeking: Julie is drawn to uncommon voices and striking, intelligent writing—whether it be vibrant and floral or tense, quick, and sparse—as well as texture in both tone and setting, and she loves anything spiky, toothy, and dark. While the literary-speculative is her sweet spot, she considers herself genre agnostic within literary fiction, and remains open to compelling and well-executed genre overlap. These include:

• historical fiction, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries (also including and indeed encouraging alternate history);
• gothic fiction (specifically regional gothic with a strong sense of place);
• dynamic-led (e.g. friendships, family, etc) dramas with high emotional stakes;
• searing contemporary fiction centred on themes of identity and belonging;
• speculative science fiction addressing the relationship between humanity and technology;
• dark westerns;
• magical realism;
• female-led horror, especially featuring mangled nature or cosmic, Lovecraftian vibes;
• dark academia;
• speculative “fantasy” with only drips of magic, preferably set in the real/human world.

She is keenly interested in hearing from authors traditionally underrepresented in the industry, including but not restricted to writers of colour; queer, trans, and nonbinary writers; working class writers; disabled writers; etc. 

Folkloric, literary, and mythological retellings are a special favourite, particularly when approached from a fresh, imaginative perspective; she’d also love to see a sharp, literary story exploring humanity’s relationship to technology in the vein of Black Mirror. Likewise, a New Weird story exploring the effects of climate change on humanity and society, in the vein of Jeff VanderMeer or China Miéville, would not go remiss. On rare occasion, a moody psychological suspense story, where a heady sense of atmosphere reigns, is welcome. Also, more terrible women please.

In non-fiction, Julie is keen to read in the narrative and “big ideas” spaces, particularly in the realms of politics, history, and the social sciences.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

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Miriam Cortinovis of Ki Agency 

Born and raised in Italy, Miriam (they/she) moved to Chicago as a teenager and has since earned a BA in Creative Writing and an MA in Writing & Publishing from DePaul University. After an excellent internship at Aevitas Creative Management, for which she also freelance read, she landed at ArtHouse Literary as an intern. They became Associate Agent through intense months of professional growth and supported learning. When not reading or writing SFF fiction of their own, Miriam enjoys playing videogames with their partner and scheming on Dungeons & Dragons with her friends. Their MSWL is inspired by all these speculative passions on top of their non-binary, bisexual, and chronically ill identity.

What she is seeking: Miriam defines themself an omnivore in regard to Science Fiction and Fantasy, never turning down an original unique piece with a strong voice—so never say never! That being said, a speculative element is required, even if abstract/literary. Miriam also enjoys representing most age targets, from Middle Grade and up to Young Adult (for which they also accept contemporary works without a speculative element) and Adult. To browse a visual MSWL you can visit this Instagram post, while for a more detailed one you can follow this link.

Miriam is not a fit for literary fiction, adult contemporary, non-fiction of any kind, historical fiction without a significant speculative lens, picture books and chapter books.

How to submit: Read submission guidelines HERE.

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Carleen Geisler of Britt Siess Creative Management (CANADA)

Carleen Geisler joined BSCM in early 2026 after starting her agenting career at ArtHouse Literary and P.S. Literary. She lives outside of Vancouver, BC on a small regenerative produce farm.

What she is seeking: She currently represents adult nonfiction and adult fiction across genres, with a focus on contemporary stories. In fiction, she tends to gravitate toward a more upmarket or literary voice, though she will also look at commercial works. Her tastes span widely from very quiet, everyday stories to odd or unsettling atmospheres, and everything between. In nonfiction, her aim is to find niche topics that appeal to a wide audience. Authors with clear knowledge of their subject and a talent for making an emotional connection with readers are who she tends to gravitate toward in nonfiction.

How to submit: Read submission guidelines HERE.

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Esty Loveing-Downes of  Howland Literary

Currently closed to queries!

Esty holds a BFA in creative writing from Ringling College of Art + Design and is currently an MFA candidate in fiction at Queens University of Charlotte. Aside from serving as a daily editor for the Southern Review of Books, she joined the teams at Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency and Tobias Literary Agency before joining the ArtHouse Literary Agency team and becoming an Associate Literary Agent. 

What she is seeking: Esty is looking for romance, upmarket fiction, YA, genre-blending sci-fi, picture books, and select nonfiction and literary fiction. She’s also looking for genre-blending sci-fi or speculative fiction like THE NIGHT CIRCUS, magical realism like Carmen Maria Machado’s HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES, or nonlinear, poetic work like THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR. She’d also love to see “romantasy” with strong leads like A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES and CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, fae stories with romance tropes like THE CRUEL PRINCE, character-driven journeys like THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE, or the fairy tale vibes of SPINNING SILVER.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Ms. Rebecca Love of The Booker Albert Literary Agency

After graduating with a B.A. in Professional Writing, Rebecca completed internships with Christian Indie Publishing Association and ArtHouse Literary Agency before moving to Booker Albert Literary Agency. 

​From a young age, she has been fascinated with epic worlds like LOTR and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Books with romantic elements like Ella Enchanted, The Goose Girl, and The Cruel Prince all have places in her top ten. She also adores historical fiction like The Wednesday Wars and iconic masterpieces like Monica Hesse's They Went Left, but her all-time favorite novel has to be the grounded fantasy The Scorpio Races. Her favorite troupes are houses-with-personality (think House of Leaves or The Haunting of Hill House), zombie apocalypses like in the book World War Z, and underwater worlds.

What she is seeking: Regardless of genre, Rebecca is looking for stories that have good pacing, grounded worlds, and believable characters. She is interested in fantasy of all kinds and anything that has a good hook. She would love to see more scary YA and MG historical fiction. 

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

2024 New Year's Writing Resolution: Revise Your Darlings

William Faulkner is purported to have coined the phrase: "Kill all your darlings." (Although that maxim is attributed to Faulkner, Arthur Quiller-Couch had advised writers to "murder your darlings" decades earlier in 1914.) As a piece of writing advice, "kill your darlings" is simply a warning not to become too enamored with your lovingly created turns of phrase. Like Pygmalion, falling in love with own's own creation doesn't necessarily turn out well for the creator.

This year, in keeping with my tradition of making a New Year's writing resolution, I have resolved, not to kill my darlings, but to rephrase them. I have come to the realization that my work needs some rather drastic pruning. So, I am going to revise.

Writers tend to focus on composition. The act of creation is not only enjoyable, it provides an invigorating boost to the ego. Composition relies on talent, the innate ability to observe, and put those observations into words (or music, or any art form) in a way that is memorable. But while composition begins with talent, which I maintain can't be taught, it ends with revision, which is a skill that has to be learned. 

Revising your own work requires distance. You have to read it as if you didn't write it. That is not easy. Once you have expressed something with language, those words become imprinted in your mind. Not only are they hard to forget, it is very difficult to change those words in any major way. And, of course, there is the dilemma of not knowing if they even need changing.

The best way to revise is to put your work down for a long time, not just a few days, or even weeks, but months. Write something else. Populate your mind with other words, other observations, other stories. Then, once you are thoroughly distanced, go back to your previous work and read it, not as its creator, but as a reader does, with fresh eyes.

Then ask yourself a simple question: "Am I bored?"

Good writing is not boring. It engages the senses, and stimulates thought. Most of all, it produces an emotional response. If your writing doesn't make you feel as if you are there, it needs to be revised. Descriptions need to be more vivid, insights fully expressed, feelings generated. As a writer, your writing needs to make you, its creator, laugh, cry, shrink back in horror (but in a good way).

So, dear writers, come with me on my 2024 quest to take a hacksaw to my writing and transform it into something more perfect, more genuine, more ... just more.  

(Image: Lightspring)

105 Calls for Submissions in January 2024 - Paying markets

This January there are more than 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.

Happy submitting!

(Image: Wikimedia)

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Three Ravens Press. Genre: Cryptid horror. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Anterior Skies. Genre: Fiction (horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi, noir—anything macabre and weird, preferably with cosmic horror undertones), non-fiction (based on true story, investigative journalism, true crime), poetry, flash fiction. Anything and everything, as long as it fits. Payment: One cent per word. $15 minimum (if you write a 200-word poem, you’ll get $15, not $2); max payment is $50 (if you write a 6,000-word short story, you’ll get $50, not $60). Deadline: January 1, 2024.

June Road Press. Genre: Poetry collection, full-length, 40 to 60 poems, preferably the author’s first or second book. "We’re particularly interested in work with strong ecological/environmental themes, or that engages in meaningful ways with nature or place, by writers who identify as women." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

All My Relations Volume 6 is an art and lit, online and printed magazine, exploring the theme of “resistance.” This volume is open to racially and ethnically marginalized, gender variant, and disabled creatives only, in consideration of the theme. Own voices only, please. Payment: $10. Deadline: Open until filled or until January 1, 2024, whichever comes first.

Wild Umbrella. Genre: Short stories, essays, and poems. Payment: €10 per poem and €25 per fiction story or non-fiction essay. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Cafe Irreal. Genre: Magical realism. Length: Up to 2,000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Book Worms. Genre: Dark fiction, essays, poetry. Theme is My Bloody Valentine: dark love stories, Tinder dates gone horribly wrong, bitter romance, a lover’s revenge, tragic love, etc. Dark humor is okay, but it should fit the themes of horror and romance. Specifically looking for original poetry (any length). Payment: $0.08/word for prose. $25 – $50 per poem. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Cardinal Rule Press Genre: Children’s picture books that empower children through meaningful stories for readers, age 4-11. They also publish non-fiction books for parents (word count up to 70k). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2024.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary flash fiction. Payment: $80. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2024.
 

The Body’s Experience of Religion. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $10. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Totally Entwined: Oh, Baby!. Genre: Novellas, 30,000 - 50,000 words. Theme: Surprise Babies. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Here There Be Dragons. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. "Dragons are icons of fantasy and legends about them abound. Found in novels, poetry, and art, they stir the imagination as helpers, heroes, villains, and symbols of love, fear, and wealth. We are looking for renderings of dragons in writing and art that capture the essence of these fascinating creatures." Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Reservoir Road Literary Review. Genre: Literary short stories, lyrical creative non-fiction, photography. Payment: $5. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2024. Note: Submission window closes when their cap is reached.

table/FEAST. Genre: Prose, poetry, CNF, art about food. Payment: $18 per poem, prose $35, art $20. Deadline: January 3, 2024.

The Feminist Press. Genre: Full-length manuscripts. "International literature, hybrid memoirs, and intersectional activist nonfiction, either single author or anthology. Our fiction projects range from hilarious to heartbreaking, from literary to playful. We especially encourage Black and Indigenous writers and other writers of color, queer and trans writers, and disabled and neuroatypical writers to submit." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 3, 2024.

 
Fourteen Poems Genre: Poems. "We want to represent all that's thrilling about the new wave of LGBT+ poets. If you’re a poet, even if you’ve never been published before, we want to read your work. Every issue we publish 14 of the best queer poems we’ve found, and we want to include you! We publish 4 times a year, but take submissions all year round. To be considered, email up to 5 poems, preferably in a pdf format, with a small paragraph about yourself to hello@14poems.com." Payment: £25 for each poem published. Deadline: January 4, 2024.

Invisible City. Genre: Art. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 5, 2024.

Poet Lore. Genre: Love poems by LGBTQ poets. Payment: $50. Deadline: January 5, 2024.

Room Magazine. Restrictions: Open to artists of marginalized genders. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and poems. See theme. Payment: $50 per page. Deadline: January 5, 2024.

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length. Deadline: January 5, 2024.

Hexagon. Genre: Speculative fiction short stories, flash fiction, poetry, graphic stories, and visual art, in English or French. 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: January 7, 2024.

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: January 7, 2024.

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: January 7, 2024.

Stone’s Throw. Genre: "We're looking for dark fiction, crime and noir, length between 1,000 and 2,000 words." Payment: $25. Deadline: January 7, 2024. Open to submissions the first week of every month.

Cosmic Horror Monthly. Genre: Cosmic Horror, Lovecraftian, Weird stories, art. Payment: 6 cents/word. 50 dollars for artwork chosen as interior content. 200 dollars for cover art. Negotiable. Deadline: January 7, 2024.

Flickers of Fear. Genre: Horror. See theme. Payment: $10 for poetry and flash fiction. $25 - $50 for art. Deadline: January 7, 2024.

Flame Tree: Myths, Gods & Immortals. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Myths, Gods & Immortals brings together the new and the ancient, familiar stories with a fresh and imaginative twist. Each book brings back to life a classic mythological or folkloric figure, with completely new stories alongside the original tales." Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Deadline: January 7, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Griffith Review. Genre: Non-fiction short (1,000–1,500 words) pieces of commentary, analysis and critique on subjects as diverse, esoteric or topical as you like. Payment: $500. Deadline: January 7, 2024. Pitches only.

Mslexia. Restrictions: Open to women. Genre: Fiction poetry, nonfiction. Payment: £25. Deadline: January 8, 2024.

Diet Milk: Gothic. Genre: Gothic fiction, poetry, and art. See theme. Payment: $0.01/word for fiction (minimum $40); $15/poem; $50/art piece. Deadline: January 8, 2024.

Geist. Restrictions: Canadian connection required. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. Payment: $100 - $1000. Deadline: January 9, 2024. No-fee submissions for Black writers, Indigenous writers, and writers of color.

Full Bleed. Restrictions: Open to writers who are also parents. Genre: Criticism, belle lettres, visual art, illustration, fiction, poetry, and graphic essays. "We are always happy to feature collaborations between writers and artists; ekphrastic creations; and groundbreaking critical essays. For issue seven, we are especially, though not exclusively, interested in work that explores the meaning of home (or habitat), for human and non-human life, at a time of rapid ecological change, and in an era of acute, ongoing refugee and humanitarian crises. We’d also welcome work that considers the aesthetics of home, the discovery or creation of new homes, homesickness, working from home, chosen families, home-in-exile, housing insecurity, and any other angles on the theme that attract your curiosity." Payment: $50 - $100. Deadline: January 10, 2024.

Bell Press: Stasis. Restrictions: For this call, we are particularly interested in Canadian authors, though international submissions will be considered. Priority will be given to Canadian work to align with Canadian granting-body requirements. Genre: Science fiction, in particular, retrofuturistic short fiction with a modern lens. Stasis invites submissions that bend the rules of temporality: blending past, present, and future. Payment: $15 CAD plus royalties. Deadline: January 10, 2024.

Alien Magazine. Genre: All types of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 13, 2024.

Griffith Review: Attachment Styles. Genre: Non-fiction on theme: Attachment Styles. "The attachments we form in our lifetimes shape our experience of the world and our understanding of who we are. ‘Hell is other people,’ wrote Jean-Paul Sartre, his point being less about misanthropy and more about how entwined our self-perception is with the ways in which others perceive us. And alongside our personal relationships – from filial to friendship, from collegiate to romantic – sit the complex emotional connections we form with places, ideas and objects. How do we navigate these varying attachments, and what can they offer us when our lives are so mediated by technology?" Payment: Negotiated. Deadline: January 14, 2024.

Daikaijuzine. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $10.00 for each short story, and $5.00 for each poem and flash fiction piece. Deadline: January 14, 2024. Opens January 1.

Seaside Gothic. Genre: Seaside gothic fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or a collection of photographs or illustrations. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: January 14, 2024.

Waystation. Genre: Space opera. Payment: $10. Deadline: January 14, 2024.

Solarpunk Magazine. Genre: Solarpunk. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $40/poem, and $75/essay.  Deadline: January 14, 2024.

Yankee Scares. Restrictions: All stories must be set in Connecticut. Preference will be given to writers who: Live in Connecticut -- Have some connection to Connecticut -- Live in New England. Other writers may apply and will be offered space as available. Genre: 80s and 90s nostalgia horror. Length: 1000 - 8000 words. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Shenandoah. Genre: Fiction and novel excerpts. Payment: $80 per 1000 words of prose up to $400. Deadline: Opens January 15, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity. 

Orion. Genre: Essays on the environments of film and television. Payment: Who Pays Writers lists payment of 25 cents/word. Deadline: January 15, 2024. Pitches only.

Sunlight Press. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, photography, reviews. Payment: $15 - $40. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Women Artists Datebook. Restrictions: Open to women. Genre: Poems and art. Theme: Peace and Justice. Payment: $200 for art, $70 for poetry. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

34 Orchard. Genre: Fiction, poetry. "We like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad." Payment: $50. Deadline: January 14, 2024. Opens January 1.

just femme & dandy. Genre: Fashion for the LGBTQIA+ community. Theme: Time Travel. "We want to hear about the historical figures that informed your developing queer/trans styles, what you imagine for our queer future. Think Queerasures & Queertopias: Past, Present, and In Futurity! We’re particularly interested in receiving submissions that considers queer fashion, past, present, or future in terms of climate change and fashion’s role in (un)sustainability. We would love to hear from up and coming drag artists and independent fashion designers." Payment: 50 USD per text-based submission and 150 USD per multimedia submission (video, photography, image + text, fashion spread + interview, etc.). Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Great Weather for MEDIA: Annual Print Anthology. Genres: Poetry, flash fiction, short stories, dramatic monologues, and creative nonfiction. "Our focus is on the fearless, the unpredictable, and experimental but we do not have a set theme for our anthologies." Payment: $10. Deadline: January 15, 2024. Only pays US writers.

Rattle: Tribute to the Ghazal. Genre: Poetry. The poems may be any subject or length, but must be ghazals. Payment: $100. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Electric Spec. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20 per piece. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

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: January 15, 2024.

Cricket Media: ASK Magazine. Genre: Science articles for children 7–10 years old. Theme: Shipwrecked. Payment: Unspecified. Deadline: January 15, 2024. Queries only.

Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: January 15, 2024. See themes. Queries only.

Ploughshares. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Payment: $45/printed page, $90 minimum per title, $450 maximum per author. Deadline: January 15, 2024. (Charges for online submissions. No charge for snail mail.)

Ploughshares Solos. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction up to 20,000 words. Payment: $450 maximum per author. Deadline: January 15, 2024. (Charges for online submissions. No charge for snail mail.)

Apex: Strange Locations. Genre: Speculative microfiction in the form of tourist brochures, travel blogs, and travel guides to the strangest, darkest places you can imagine. Length: Up to 250 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: January 15, 2024. 

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review. Genre: Reviews of chapbooks coming soon or published in the past three years, essays on the crafts of poetry and chapbook making or publishing, and features about authors or publishers of chapbooks. Payment: $10. Deadline: January 15, 2024. 

Ploughshares Look2 Series. Genre: Essays about underappreciated or overlooked writers. The Look2 essay should take stock of a writer’s entire oeuvre with the goal of bringing critical attention to the neglected writer and his or her relevance to a contemporary audience. Payment: $45/printed page, $90 minimum per title, $450 maximum per author. Deadline: January 15, 2024. Queries only.

And One Day We Will Die. Genre: Short weird fiction between 2000 to 5000 words (firm limit) using a song from the Neutral Milk Hotel song catalog for inspiration. Payment: 5¢ per word, paid via PayPal, and an ebook copy of the anthology. Deadline: January 16, 2024. Extended submission window exclusively for writers from marginalized communities January 16, 2024 - January 23, 2024.

Faces. Genre: Nonfiction, activities for children 9 - 14. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: January 16, 2024. Queries only. See themes.

berlin lit. Genre: Poetry. Payment: 20 euros per poem. Deadline: January 16, 2024.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $30 CAD. Deadline: January 25, 2024. This is a monthly call.

Every Day Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction on themes. Length: 1000 words max. Payment: $3. Deadline: January 27, 2024.

Nightmare Magazine: Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers. Genre: Horror fiction, flash fiction, poetry, CNF. Payment: 8 cents a word for fiction, $75 per essay. $40 for a poem. Deadline: January 28, 2024.

The Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy-tale inspired stories/poems. Payment: $25. Deadline: January 29, 2024.

Corvid Queen Journal. Genre: Fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and pieces that are in-between up to 5,000 words. "Feminist tales, feminist retellings of traditional tales, and personal essays related to traditional tales." Payment: $5. Deadline: January 30, 2024.

Toxic Workplaces. Restrictions: Open to women writers. Genre: CNF up to 5,000 words on theme Toxic Workplaces. Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: January 30, 2024.

Mythaxis. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 30, 2024.

The Polyglot. Restrictions: Open Canadian and International contributors of Philippine descent. Genre: Multilingual art, poems, essays, stories, artworks, and translations. Payment: $100 CAD. Deadline: January 30, 2024.

Paris Review. Genre: Poetry, prose. Payment: Unspecified. Deadline: January 31, 2024. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early. 

Gwyllion. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: £10 per accepted story or poem. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Brink. Genre: Hybrid, cross-genre fiction, nonfiction poetry. See theme. Payment: $25 Poem; $50 Work (less than 1500 words); $50 Art (1-3 Images); $100 Art (4+ Images); $100 Work (more than 1501 words). Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Ecotone. Genre: Nonfiction. "We are glad to consider all nonfiction that engages with place, whether subtly or overtly. We are particularly interested, this reading period, in personal essays and other narratives that engage with the climate crisis and/or with the natural and social sciences—ecology, natural history, sociology, and other fields, not limited to Western contexts and modes of doing science. During this window, we especially welcome work from groups historically underrepresented in literary publishing." Payment: $100.  Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Quarter Press: Quarter(ly). Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Garland. Genre: Poetry, prose poetry, short prose (<1500 words), and other experimental writing by queer, trans, and gender variant writers. Visual components and hybrid formats are welcome. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

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: January 31, 2024. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early. 

Mirrorball: How Taylor Swift Reflects the Loss, Hope & Love of Millions Around the World. Genre: Poems or prose up to 3500 words. See theme. Payment: $50/poet and $100/essay or prose. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

West Avenue: A Frolic of Fairies. Genre: Short stories of up to 5,000 words and poems. Payment: £10. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Propel Magazine. Restrictions: Open to poets based in the UK or Ireland who have yet to publish their first full-length poetry collection. Genre: Poetry. Payment: £20. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Stonehouse Publishing. Restrictions: Open to Canadian writers. Genre: Full-length literary and trade fiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Augur Magazine. Genre: Speculative fiction short stories and poetry. Translations accepted.   Payment: $0.11 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1000+ words), and a flat fee of $110.00 per flash fiction piece (1000 words and under), $60 per poem. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Tales and Feathers. Genre: Cozy SFF fiction up to 2500 words. Payment: 11 cents CAD/word. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Heathen. Genre: Horror, dark fantasy. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

The Tower Magazine. Genre: All genres, including horror, sci-fi, fantasy and erotica. See theme. Payment: €20. Deadline: January 31, 2024. Accepts some reprints.

Ampersand Review. Restrictions: Priority is given to Canadians. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, reviews. Payment: Poetry: $50 per poem/page to a maximum of $100. Fiction: $100 per story. Non-fiction: $100 per piece. Reviews: $100 per piece. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Alpennia: Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast. Genre: Historical fiction on lesbian-relevant themes, open for all writers. Stories must be set before 1900. Payment: $0.08/word. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

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: January 31, 2024.

Malahat Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: CAD $70/page. Deadline: January 31, 2024. Submissions by Canadian writers are accepted for consideration all year.

Dragon Soul Press: The Hunt. Genre: "All monster hunter stories. From dragons and dinosaurs, to Cthulhu and sirens, to the usual vampires and werewolves. Gore, horror, and originality are appreciated. All genres accepted." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Variant Lit. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $10. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Funemployment Quarterly. Genre: Science-fiction/fantasy. See theme. Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Alien Dimensions. Genre: Science Fiction, 5000-7000 words. Theme: Mars Colonization. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Belmont Story Review. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Payment: $100 for prose, $50 for poetry. Deadline: January 31, 2024. 

Event Magazine. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: CAD $40/page for poetry and $35/page for prose, up to a maximum of $500. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Terrain.org. Genre: Poetry, nonfiction, fiction, artwork, videos, and other contributions on place, climate, and justice. Payment: $50. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

december magazine. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction (essays, memoirs, biography, literary journalism, social or cultural commentary or analysis) and visual art that can be reproduced in their print format. Payment: $10.00 per page with a minimum of $40.00 and a maximum of $200.00. Deadline: January 31, 2024. No charge for BIPOC writers.

Nightmares Before Bed  Genre: Horror. "No sexual violence, abuse of children, overly disturbing images and ideas, or gore will be published.  We want horror, we want to be scared, but let's do it in a way that is respectful. We'd love to see fantasy horror or sci-fi horror here. We are looking for polished manuscripts of about 3,500 - 12,000 words." Payment: 3 cents per word. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

The Cellar Door: Marshland Horrors and After Tomorrow. Genre: Creature feature, serial killer, undead/zombies, voodoo/witchcraft, suspense/thriller, cosmic horror. Looking for horror/suspense stories that take place in swamps, bayous, and marshlands. Special preference for stories with backwater cults/legends, cryptid monsters, and other slimy creatures lurking just below the water. Word Count: 2,000 - 10,000 words. Also: Post-apocalyptic stories, but can include elements of: thriller/suspense, survival horror, creature feature, supernatural/paranormal. Payment: $25.00 + digital & paperback copy. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Critical Blast Publishing: The Devil You Know Best. Genre: All genres. "We are looking for stories that involve an encounter with the literary/mythological/theological Devil himself in situations that range from comedy to tragedy, via horror, comedy, fantasy, or science fiction. All genres welcome as long as the theme is met." Payment: $25. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Space and Time. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, magical realism. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Nonbinary Review. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. "We’re looking for speculative takes on old friends – the weird, the outrageous, the mysterious. Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose; up to 3 pages for poetry Payment: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry. $25 flat fee for visual art, or $50 for pieces chosen as cover art. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

AND A FEW MORE...

Contested Landing Anthology. Genre: Military Science Fiction. Payment: "a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors." Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 1.5 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

The First Line. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Bigfoot Country. Genre: Stories about Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti. The genre is open. Payment: $100 CAD. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length. Deadline: February 1, 2024.

69 Writing Contests in January 2024 - No entry fees

This January there are more than five dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $25,000 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: Ralph) 

_________________

Defenestration Lengthy Poem Contest. Genre: Lengthy poem (at least 3 pages). Prize: $300. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Vermont Writers' Prize. Restrictions: Open to residents of Vermont. Genres: Short story, poem, play or essay on the theme of Vermont - its people, places, history or values. Entries must be unpublished and fewer than 1,500 words long. Writers may submit only one entry per year. Prize: $1,250 and publication in Vermont Magazine. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Electa Quinney Award for Published American Indian Stories. Genre: Story. "This award seeks to highlight the work of story creators who continue the tradition of teaching through narratives often crossing the boundaries of genres, formats and disciplines. To celebrate the dissemination of stories into spaces where they can be shared all published stories qualify including small press and fine arts printing." Prize: $250. Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Jack Hazard Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to writers who teach full time in an accredited high school in the United States. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: January 4, 2024.

San José State University: Center for Steinbeck Studies – The Steinbeck Fellows Program. Fellowships are currently offered in Creative Writing (excluding poetry) and Steinbeck Studies; Fellows may be appointed in many fields, including fiction, drama, creative non-fiction, and biography. The creative writing fellowship does not require that there be any direct connection between your work and Steinbeck’s. The emphasis of the program is on helping writers who have had some success but have not published extensively, and whose promising work would be aided by the financial support and sponsorship of the Center and the University’s creative writing program. Prize: $15,000. Deadline: January 5, 2024.

Olive B. O’Connor Creative Writing Fellowship. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. Prize: $55,000, Deadline: January 5, 2024.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction. "On the first Friday of every month, a new set of story prompts will be revealed. You will have 55 hours to submit your best 500-word (or fewer) story." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: January 7, 2024. Opens January 5.

Quantum Shorts Competition. Genre: Fiction stories, under 1,000 words, that are "clearly inspired by some aspect of quantum physics." Entries also must contain the phrase “Nobody said this was going to be easy” (“Constraint”) Prize: First prize $1,500 and online publication. Deadline: January 8, 2024.

Grass Routes Prize. Restrictions: Open to working class UK writers. Genre: TV script. Prize: £5,000 and other benefits. Deadline: January 8, 2024.

Discoveries Prize. Restrictions: Open to female novelists of all ages and backgrounds, from across the UK and Ireland. Genre: Novel in progress. Prize: The winner will be offered representation by Curtis Brown Literary Agency and a cash prize of £5,000. Deadline: January 8, 2024.

Japan Center-Canon Essay Competition. The aim of the Japan Center Essay Competition is to promote awareness and understanding of Japan in the United States and to help young Americans broaden their international horizons. Genre: Essay. Contestants should write, in English, one or more aspects of Japan including art, culture, tradition, values, philosophy, history, society, politics, business, and technology in relation to their personal views, experiences, and/or future goals. (Contestants do not need to have any experience in visiting Japan or studying Japanese. Prize: Best Essay Award in the High School Division: 1st Place: $3,000 and a Canon camera, 2nd Place: $1,500 and a Canon camera, 3rd Place: $750 and a Canon camera; Best Essay Award in the College Division: $3,000 and a Canon camera; Uchida Memorial Award: $1,000 and a Canon camera; Merit Award: $200 (each) for up to five awards. Deadline: January 8, 2024.

Dr. Paul Kalanithi Writing Award. Restrictions: Open to medical students, residents, fellows. Genre: Short stories, essays or poetry addressing patients and providers facing chronic or life limiting illness. Fiction and non-fiction submissions are welcome. Prize: $300. Deadline: January 10, 2024.

Northern California Book Awards. Restrictions: Books written by authors based in northern California and published for the first time the previous calendar year are eligible for nomination. Genre: Published book. Prize: $1000. Deadline: January 12, 2024.

Miriam Chaikin Writing Award. Genre: Poetry and prose, including plays, short stories, and other creative writing. Prize: $500. Deadline: January 12, 2024.

The Lancaster Playwriting Prize. Restrictions: The competition is open to applicants living or learning in Lancashire and who must have reached their 12th birthday/must not have reached their 19th Birthday by the date of the submission deadline on Friday, January 12, 2024. Genre: Script (for a play). Scripts must be 15 to 30 minutes long. Prize: There will be two winners – one from each age group - who will each receive a prize cash and vouchers worth up to £750. Deadline: January 12, 2024.

International Booker Prize. The International Booker Prize for fiction translated into English is awarded annually by the Booker Prize Foundation to the author of the best (in the opinion of the judges) eligible novel or collection of short stories. The work must be published by a UK or Ireland publishing house. Authors are not permitted to enter their own works. Prize: £50,000 divided equally between the author and the translator. There will be a prize of £2,000 each of the shortlisted titles divided equally between the author and the translator. Deadline: January 12, 2024 for works published between December 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024.

The Bechtel Prize. Genre: Essays essays describing a creative writing teaching experience, project, or activity that demonstrates innovation in creative writing instruction. "We are looking for essays that describe a project or activity that got students excited about writing and fostered a vibrant and dynamic culture of literacy in the classroom." Prize: $1000 and publication. Deadline: January 12, 2024.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest is sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Restrictions: The contest is open to United States high school students in grades nine through twelve attending public, private, parochial, or home schools; US students under the age of twenty enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program; and US citizens attending schools overseas. Genre: Essay on an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1956. Prize: The first-place winner receives $10,000 comprised of a $5,000 cash award and $5,000 from John Hancock. The second-place winner receives $1,000. Up to five finalists receive $500 each. Deadline: January 12, 2024.

French-American Foundation Translation Prizes. Genre: Book. Best English translation of French in both fiction and non-fiction. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: January 12, 2024.

Encore Award. Restrictions: Open to British or Commonwealth citizens. Genre: Second published novel. Book must have been first published in the UK. Prize: 10,000 pounds. Deadline: January 12, 2024.

The Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award seeks to elevate the written arts in Indiana. Restrictions: Any living published writer who was born in Indiana or has lived in Indiana for at least five years will be eligible. Authors who have published works of fiction, prose, poetry and/or non-fiction are eligible; reference works, scholarly monographs and books of photography will not be considered. Self-published authors are considered. Prize: $5000. Deadline: January 12, 2024.

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: January 14, 2024.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction up to 1000 words on theme. Prize: $30. Deadline: January 14, 2024. See themes.

The Levis Reading Prize is sponsored by the Department of English and its MFA in Creative Writing program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Restrictions: The prize is given annually for the best first or second book of poetry published in the previous calendar year. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $5000. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

The Bakwin Award. Genre: Full-Length Prose (fiction or nonfiction). Prize: $1000 advance and publication by Blair. Deadline: January 15, 2024. (Note: Closes when cap is reached)

Stephen A DiBiase Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $600. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Ballard Spahr Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to residents of MN, IA, ND, SD, WI, or MI. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $10,000 & book publication with Milkweed Editions. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Walter Muir Whitehill Prize in Early American History. Genre: Essay on early American history (up to 1825), not previously published, with preference being given to New England subjects. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize. Restrictions: Open to women, US citizens only. Genre: Prose fiction. All entries must be submitted by publishers who wish to have the work of their authors that were published in the previous year considered. No self-published works or works from vanity presses will be accepted. Prize: $15,000. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Stacy Doris Memorial Poetry Award. Genre: Poem, 3-10 pages long, that demonstrates a "truly inventive spirit." Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

The Tom La Farge Award for Innovative Writing, Teaching and Publishing. Genre: "literary activity that combines serious play, imagination, erudition and innovative practice." Prize: $10,00. Deadline: January 15, 2024.

53-Word Story Contest. Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words based on monthly theme. Prize: Publication and a free book. Deadline: January 15, 2024. This is a monthly contest.

Bethesda Urban Partnership Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to residents of Washington, DC and select counties in Maryland and Virginia. Genre: Essays. Length: 500 words maximum. Prize: $500 in adult category (age 18+) and $250 in high school category (ages 14-17). Deadline: January 16, 2024.

Bethesda Magazine Short Story Contest. Restrictions: Open to residents of Washington, DC and select counties in Maryland and Virginia. Genre: Short stories. Length: 4000 words maximum. Prize: $500 in adult category (age 18+) and $250 in high school category (ages 14-17). Deadline: January 16, 2024.

Moving Words Poetry Competition for Adults. Genre: Poems of 10 lines or less that will be displayed inside Arlington Transit buses. Prize: $250. Deadline: January 17, 2024.

Washington State Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers. Genre: Published book: fiction, nonfiction, poetry for adults or children. Prize: Recognition (?) Deadline: January 19, 2024 (For books published Oct. 16-Dec. 31, 2023.)

Poetry Society of Virginia - Student Contest. Restrictions: Open to students in Virginia, grades 3 - 12. Prize: $10 - $25. Deadline: January 19, 2024.

RAFTA (Rise Against Fanaticism Through the Arts) Prize. Prize. £500. Genre: Stage play script against extremism, intolerance and xenophobia. “The script length must be between 25-35 pages, suitable for up to a one-hour presentation and characters for up to 5 actors. The script can be in any style on any historical, future, or regional context so long as it fulfils RAFTA aims to tackle extremism, intolerance and xenophobia." Prize: £500. Deadline: January 20, 2024.

The Fantastic Other. Genre: Flash fiction of theme of Hope. Prize: 35 USD, for second place is 25 USD, and for third place is 15 USD. Deadline: January 21, 2024.

Zocalo Public Square Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to US poets only. Genre: Poetry that evokes a connection to place. Prize: $1000. Deadline: January 22, 2024. 

Bethesda Poetry Contest. Genres: Poetry. Adult and high school student categories. Restrictions: Residents of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia are eligible. Prizes: First place: $350, published on The Writer's Center's blog and magazine, and a free class and membership to The Writer's Center. Second Place: $250. Third Place: $150. Honorable Mention: $75. Prize for high school students, $75. All winners will be published on the Bethesda Urban Partnership website and honored at a special event during the Local Writer's Showcase. Deadline: January 22, 2024.

The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. Restrictions: The Orwell Prize for Political Writing is open to nonfiction first published in the UK or Ireland. (See publication deadlines.) Genre: Nonfiction, including entries addressing political, social, cultural, moral and historical subjects. Prize: £3,000.00. Deadline: January 24, 2024.

The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. Restrictions: The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction is open to novels and short story collections first published in the UK or Ireland. (See publication deadlines.) Genre: Fiction that explores ideas and issues, political themes, dilemmas and injustices through imagined narratives. Prize: £3,000.00. Deadline: January 24, 2024.

Porter House Review Editor's Prize. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Prize: $750. Deadline: January 29, 2024. (No entry fee from January 22 - 29)

Future Worlds Prize. Restrictions: Open to unpublished SFF writers of color. Genre: Speculative fiction. Submit a 5,000-10,000 word extract of either a short story or the opening chapters of a novel. Prize: £4,000 top prize. Deadline: January 29, 2024.

Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship. Restrictions: Open to a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior or a current or entering college or graduate school student of any level. Home schooled students are also eligible. There is no age limit. You must also be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. Genre: 500- to 1,000-word essay about technology addiction. Prize: $1000 scholarship.  Deadline: January 30, 2024.

Scottish Book Trust: Monthly Competition. Restrictions: Open to four categories: adult writers, all-age Gaelic writers, young writers 5-11 and young writers 12-18. Genre: Short story based on prompts. (See site for prompt) Prize: Various items. Deadline: January 30, 2024.

The Hillman Prize for Journalism. Genre: Journalism. "Since 1950, the Sidney Hillman Foundation has honored journalists, writers and public figures that pursue investigative journalism and public policy in service of the common good." Prize: $5,000. Deadline: January 30, 2024.

Story Unlikely Short Story Contest. Genre: Short story. Length: 2,250 words max. Prize: First prize $750. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. See themes. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poem inspired by artwork. (See site for image.) Prize: $100. Deadline: January 31, 2024. This is a monthly contest.

Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada. Self-published books are not eligible. Genre: A 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. Prize: Winner: $25,000; Finalists: $2,500. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

A. C. Bose Grant for South Asian Speculative Literature. Restrictions: Open to South Asian or South Asian diaspora writers. Genre: Speculative fiction. Prize: $1000. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Cheshire Prize for Literature. Restrictions: The writer must have been born, live or have lived, study or have studied, work or have worked, in Cheshire, UK. Age ranges from 4 to adult. Genre: Short story, piece of poetry, script or children’s literature piece (this can be a script, story or poem, for children ages seven to 14) on the theme of Sustainability. Prize: Cash prizes. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Dandelion Cottage Short Story Contest for Michigan Students. Restrictions: Open to students attending or being home-schooled in an Upper Peninsula School District. Genre: Short story, 5,000 words max. Prize: Up to $250. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Witcraft Monthly Humour Competition. Genre: Humor with the emphasis on wit, word play, absurdity and inspired nonsense. Prize: First prize A$50, second prize A$20, third prize A$10, payable via Paypal only. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

The Danuta Gleed Literary Award for best first collection of short fiction in the English language was initiated by John Gleed in honour of his late wife to promote and celebrate the genre of short fiction, which she loved. Restrictions: Canadian residents only. Prize: A $10,000 prize will be awarded for the best first collection of published short fiction in the English language. Two finalist will also be awarded $500 each. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award. Genre: Any published book, whether fiction or nonfiction, that promotes public understanding of Chicago; titles must be available for purchase by the general public in either hardcover or bound paperback form; All subject areas, disciplines, and genres are eligible, including but not limited to: history, biography, the social sciences, art, architecture, poetry, drama, graphic novels, or fiction; Translations, textbooks, anthologies, reprints or new editions of previously published works, pamphlets, digital publications, travel guides, children’s books, or self-published works are not eligible. Prize: $25,000. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Annual Hortensia Anderson Haiku Contest. Genre: Haiku. Prize:? Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest. "The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America." Genre: previously unpublished work of short fiction. Prize: $150. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Storytwigs. Genre: Microfiction up to 100 words. Prize: 1st Place: $100; 2nd Place: $25; 3rd Place: $20; 4th Place: $15; 5th Place: $10. Deadline: January 31, 2024. See prompt.

The Caribbean Writer Prizes. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays or one act plays which explore the ideas resonating within the region and its diaspora, written by a US or UK Virgin Islands resident accepted for publication by The Caribbean Writer during the deadline year. 2023. See theme. Prize: $300 - $600. Deadline: January 31, 2024. Deadline extended.

Laureate Prize. Genre: Full-length poetry book. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: January 31, 2024. No entry fee for BIPOC writers. 

Iridescence Award. Restrictions: Open to literary or visual artists of the Black, Indigenous, or People of Color Community. Genre: Fantasy, folk mythology, science fiction, and the paranormal. Short fiction, poetry. Prize: Up to $500. Deadline: January 31, 2024. (Deadline extended)

Highlights Foundation Scholarships. Prize: 25 full tuition scholarships and 20 partial tuition scholarships for workshops that take place at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center. 30 full tuition scholarships for online courses through the Highlights Foundation. 15 scholarships for personal retreats at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Voice.club. Genre: Flash fiction, 350 words max. Prize: $25 Amazon gift card. Deadline: January 31, 2024. Note: You have to join in order to enter. See themes.

The Drabble Harvest Contest. Genre: Drabble on theme of "Alien Fetishes." A "drabble" is defined as a short story containing exactly precisely no more and no fewer than 100 words. It has a title, which can be from 1 to 15 words-- but no more than 15. Prize: $5. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

Swamp Pink. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to Indigenous people in the USA. Genre: Short stories and essays of up to 25 pages or a set of 1-3 poems. Prize: $2000. Deadline: January 31, 2024.

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: January 31, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.