Publishing Opportunities
Current Contests
53-Word Story Contest
Press 53 is looking for microfiction submissions.
What they’re looking for: 53-word stories based on a monthly prompt.
From the website: “It’s free, it’s fun; the winner gets published in Prime Number Magazine and receives a free book from Press 53… Open to writers around the world who write in English.”
Deadline: The 15th of each month
Where to submit: https://www.press53.com/53word-story-contest
Bazoof
What they’re looking for: Many things from a short story to jokes or even pictures of pets! Specific to the age group of 7-12.
From the website: “BAZOOF! is passionate about content that enriches the lives of children and families—for its own branded projects, along with custom services… all in a creative and zany style! Filled with short stories, comics, recipes, puzzles, games, crafts, jokes, riddles, pet care, interviews, healthy snacks, sports, true stories, fun facts, prizes and more!”
Deadline: No final date
Where to submit: https://www.bazoof.com/submit/
Blue Marble Review
What they’re looking for: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, opinion pieces, travel writing, photography and art by students ages 13 – 22
From the website: “Blue Marble Review is a quarterly online literary journal showcasing the creative work of young writers… The goal of our journal is to assemble in each issue, a broad range of voices, perspectives, and life experiences.”
Deadline: No final date
Where to submit: https://bluemarblereview.com/submit/
Cathartic Lit Mag
What they’re looking for: Poetry (prose or verse), flash fiction, short stories, creative nonfiction, vignettes, and any creative writing from young authors between the ages of 12 – 22
From the website: “This is an open space to express yourself, be creative, deal with emotion, and be read! We are looking for unique works for a young adult audience, with an emphasis on mental health – any writing used as catharsis or reflection, or used to draw attention to societal issues, is particularly welcomed. We are also open to stories about the teenage experience, mental health articles, and more.”
Deadline: No final date
Where to submit: catharticlitmagazine@gmail.com
Unlined:
What are they looking for: All you have to do is make an account be 14 years or older and then you are free to submit your work
Deadline: No final date
Where to submit: https://www.getunderlined.com/community/
Elegant Literature
Elegant Literature is looking for submissions exploring waterways.
What are they Looking for: This contest invites you to explore waterways in any genre you want Fantasy, contemporary, romance, crime. Must be a minimum of 500 words and no more than 2,000
From Website: “Stand under the waterfall. Hear it roar. Feel the water rushing downriver from the mountain. Feel it flow past you on the long journey out to sea. Rest assured, it will be gathered and returned, to begin the wild ride again.This contest invites you to explore waterways, whatever that means to you. Fantasy, contemporary, romance, crime. All genres are welcome.”
Deadline: June 30th, 2023
Where to submit: https://www.elegantliterature.com/contest/
99 WORDS — A story in your pocket
Write the World is looking for flash fiction submissions.
What they’re looking for: A flash fiction story in 99 words or less from writers ages 13-18.
From the website: “There was more room to think,’ wrote novelist David Gaffney on becoming a flash fiction convert, ‘more space for the original idea to resonate, fewer unnecessary words to wade through.’ Stories of the sudden/skinny/mini/micro variety pack the best parts of fiction into brimming, half-pint packages. Celebrate the art of concision this month, dear writers, and write a story in 99 words or less.”
Deadline: Various deadlines throughout the year, accepting submissions from:
Songwriting Competition: June 2023
Creative Nonfiction: July 2023
Flash Fiction: August 2023
Where to submit: https://writetheworld.com/competitions
Exisle Academy: “When I Met My Feelings” — Children’s Book Writing Competition
What are they looking for: A 350-word short story with global appeal, a unique voice, and a sensitive interpretation of the topic. Please send a Word doc with only the text—illustrations will be discussed with select authors who will be contacted in late August.
Deadline: July 1st, 2023
Where to submit: https://exisleacademy.com/childrens-book-writing-competition
UReCA
What they’re looking for: Creative work, and undergraduate research from any student currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program
From the website: “UReCA fosters the exchange of ideas between undergraduate students, providing a platform where students can engage with, and contribute to, the advancement of their individual fields. UReCA has published five editions to date and continues to work toward the dissemination of meaningful undergraduate work.”
Deadline: September 1st 2023
Where to submit: https://ureca.submittable.com/submit
The Moth
What they’re looking for: Poetry, and Fiction submissions
Deadline: Short Story: June 30th, 2023; Nature Writing: September 30th, 2023
Where to submit: submissions@themothmagazine.com
WriteCause
What they’re looking for: Poetry, short stories, essays from authors between the ages of 12-18 years old
From the website: “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is one of the most rapidly developing fields in the world of technology. AI has the power to revolutionize the way we work, communicate, and live. This quarter, we invite you to share your perspective on potential benefits and risks of artificial intelligence through your writing.“
Deadline: April 2023 – June 2023
Where to submit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMqAfhnT-a8Fid1tu0-75CpjjmZmRgq_YAVvXmdH9XM8PhtQ/viewform
Polyphony Lit
What they’re looking for: Poetry, prose, artwork, fiction, and nonfiction from high school students between the ages of 14 – 18
Deadline: September 30th, 2023
Where to submit: https://polyphony.submittable.com/submit
Paid
Tennessee Williams Festival
From the website:
- All of our contests open May 1 with October deadlines.
- The mission of the TWFest Writing Contest is to promote new work from emerging artists.
- The mission of the SASFest Writing Contest is to promote and publish new work by LGBTQ+ writers.
- TWFest hosts contest in one-act playwriting, short fiction, poetry, and very short fiction.
- SASFest hosts contests in short fiction and poetry.
- TWFest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization. SASFest is a program of TWFest.
- We welcome submissions from around the world.
- Submissions must be original work and not published in any way.
- Please review contest guidelines carefully to avoid disqualification.
SAS SHORT FICTION Contest – Deadline: October 2nd, 2023
SAS POETRY Contest – Deadline: October 16th, 2023
TWFest FICTION Contest – Deadline: October 2nd, 2023
TWFest ONE-ACT PLAY Contest – Deadline: October 2nd, 2023
TWFest POETRY Contest – Deadline: October 16th, 2023
TWFest VERY SHORT FICTION Contest – Deadline: October 16th, 2023
What are they looking for: One original short story, written in English, up to 1,000 words with LGBTQ rebrentation. You may submit as many stories as you wish.
Entry Fee: $10.00
Where to submit: https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/submit
Bennington College Young Writers Awards
Bennington College is looking for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions.
What they’re looking for: Poetry, fiction, or nonfiction from students in the 9th-12th grades.
From the website: “Bennington College has a unique literary legacy, including twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, countless New York Times bestsellers, and two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.”
In celebration of this legacy, Bennington launched the Young Writers Awards to promote excellence in writing at the high school level. Our goal with this competition is to recognize outstanding writing achievement by high school students. Each year, students in the 9th-12th grades are invited to enter in one of the following categories with the following submission:
Poetry: A group of three poems
Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play (run no more than 30 minutes of playing time)
Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)”
Deadline: September 1 – November 1
Where to submit: https://www.bennington.edu/events/young-writers-awards
Hope of Young Artists
What they’re looking for: Written and visual art from 14 years of age and up.
From the website: “The HOYA Magazine reaches out to young artists and writers age 14 and above and provides a platform for their works of art and writing. The magazine inquires young artists and writers about their take on global issues to raise awareness and to express their own stance.”
Deadline: December 20th, 2023
Where to submit: https://thehoyamagazine.wixsite.com/home/submissions
The Mire
The Mire is looking for previously unpublished student art and writing.
What they’re looking for: Previously unpublished fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art from high school students.
From the website: “The Mire, founded by Indian Springs students and faculty, publishes thought-provoking literature aimed towards young adults. Issued annually, The Mire aims to inspire through works that provide fresh perspectives, emotional depth, and most importantly, heart. Curated for deep thinkers, quirky be-ers, and curious do-ers —by that we mean students—The Mire allows space to develop and question through the stories we share. Named for both our Indian Springs swampy landscape and the collective feeling of what it means to be a young adult today, The Mire believes ultimately in the transformational power of narrative. Through fiction, nonfiction, poetry, humor, art and photography, the way we see and experience the world has the potential to move us, emotionally taking us out of the mires in which we find ourselves stuck.”
Deadline: September 1st – November 18th, 2023
Where to submit: https://themire.org/submit/
New York Times Summer Reading Contest
What they’re looking for: Middle and high school students are invited to tell us what they’re reading in The Times and why.
Deadline: Summer Reading Contest: June 9 – August 18th, 2023
Where to submit: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/27/learning/our-14th-annual-summer-reading-contest.html
PoArtMo Anthology
Auroras and Blossoms is looking for teen poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and six-word stories.
What they’re looking for: Poetry, fiction, or nonfiction with positive or aspirational themes from writers ages 13-16.
From the website: “We created PoArtMo as an invitation to artists in every discipline to create positive art every June (Positive Art Month) and throughout the year (Positive Art Moves). Through this movement, we also want to give you the opportunity to meet like-minded people and strike valuable and inspirational partnerships. Partnerships that lead to growth, more unity between artists, and greater visibility for indie art in general.”
Deadline: December 31st, 2023
Where to submit: https://abpositiveart.com/13-16-year-old-artists/
Reverberations
What they’re looking for: Written works based on or inspired by artists or artwork.
From the website: “Reverberations is an online publication for young people, especially college students, to engage emotionally, analytically, and intuitively with all forms of art.”
Deadline: November 13th, 2023
Where to submit: https://www.reverberationsmag.com/submit
Publications
- Binsey Poplar Pressed encourage all writing on their website as stated, “There is no theme for applications to this journal. However, for inspiration, art or writing may deal with loss, environmental awareness, or nature, as our name comes from a poem by G. M. Hopkins about trees being cut down.” Student voices from ages 12-26 can submit any poetry, writing, and artwork on the site.
- Blue Marble Review are looking for poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, opinion pieces, travel writing, photography and art by students ages 13-22. “Blue Marble Review is a quarterly online literary journal showcasing the creative work of young writers… The goal of our journal is to assemble in each issue, a broad range of voices, perspectives, and life experiences.”
- Bright Lite is an independent magazine created for girls, ages 8 to 15. Every issue, we strive to give young girls a place to express their experiences and reflections on a central theme. “We, at Bright Lite, strongly believe that it is never too early to start communicating and connecting with one another. Our quarterly magazine will be a collection of submissions from girls all over the world, including photos, interviews, articles, recipes, crafts, journals, music and advice curated just for them. Focusing on that incredible time of just being a kid; that blissful part of youth before dating, parties, and ‘coolness’ seem to distract us from simply being in wonder of the world.”
- Bazoof is a very cool site for the 7-12 group. They are accepting so many submissions from short stories and jokes or even pictures of pets! “BAZOOF! is passionate about content that enriches the lives of children and families—for its own branded projects, along with custom services… all in a creative and zany style! Filled with short stories, comics, recipes, puzzles, games, crafts, jokes, riddles, pet care, interviews, healthy snacks, sports, true stories, fun facts, prizes and more!” They have open submissions.
- Body without Organs is looking for anyone from 13-23 who has created poetry, fiction, or nonfiction prose and various artworks from drawings to photography. Their website asks, “And what does it mean to be a young writer, looking over the vast expanse of the world that lies ahead while also still seeing childhood clearly behind us, poised in the past, present, and future at once?… This is the place for questioning, searching, and feeling, for the lonely confusion and tentative connection that we all feel, that we know to be truth. If this reverberates in you, enter inside.”
- Capulet Mag are looking for fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and art by women of ages 15 to 29. “Capulet Mag is a literary magazine for Juliets everywhere. For women by women, Capulet Mag searches for the best creative fiction and art across mediums and genres.” Their current volume has closed, but they have a rolling deadline for the following magazine.
- Crashtest want high school students who write poetry, stories and creative non-fiction in the form of personal essays, imaginative investigation and experimental interviews. “We think that literature matters. We think that ideas are what it means to be human. We think that culture is built through communication and that communication is not always nice and not always easy to digest. We think Samuel Beckett was right when he said a writer must, “Fail. Fail again. Fail better.” We think we are all on the same planet breathing the same air. We think we have something to say about that. Do you?”
- Crow Toes Quarterly are for the writers who love Halloween as a year-round holiday. They are looking for spooky, but “playfully dark” poetry, fiction, and artwork for children 8-13. “What’s inside Crow Toes Quarterly, you ask? Well, all the same things that are in that forest at night are inside Crow Toes Quarterly. It is a place full of fear and wonder, where things aren’t afraid to bite. So make sure you have a flashlight before you go in and please, please, be cautious.”
- Footprints on Jupiter want teenage stories written by teens, for teens. “Based in California, Footprints on Jupiter is a teen-ran literary magazine aimed at featuring the artworks of young creators. Our goal is to showcase progressive pieces surrounding identity, culture, and society. We are currently accepting submissions for issue three.”
- Inkspire are looking for writings for blog articles, feature articles, interviews, various creative writing, and artwork from ages 14 to 29. “Through our creative writing platform, we hope to embrace youth leadership and address the lack of youth representation in the mainstream media, where youth voices are often undervalued and underrepresented.”
- Kid Spirit would like poetry, stories, artwork and even short films by 11 to 17 year olds. “KidSpirit aims to build a truly inclusive and welcoming conversation that emphasizes authenticity, personal growth, and engagement.”
- Lip Magazine offers a place for female authors ages 14-25 to write about the problems and triumphs relevant to them. There is room to submit articles, essays, short stories, poetry, reviews and even artwork. Lip hopes to address the serious topics that plague their readers and contributors, and wish to stay far away from the “crass sex advice and body-shaming fashion pages” of many media giants. Instead they aim to, “provide intelligent, thoughtful content for our equally intelligent and thoughtful readers.
- Magic Dragon is a quarterly publication that presents writing and art created by children in the elementary school grades in a magazine of quality four-color printing and graphic display.
- The Milking Cat are looking for comedy pieces by teens of any medium. “The Milking Cat was founded in 2018 when then high school sophomore Benji Elkins wanted to start a humor magazine to rival his school’s regular student newspaper. Alas, he was not allowed to, so instead, he decided to simply start the comedy journal on his own.”
- New Moon Girls is a website and magazine written by and for girls aged 8-15.
- Pank Magazine would appreciate sharp, honest and beautiful writing of creative fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. “We now have three Big Book Contests and a Little Book Contest alongside our print annual magazine and quarterly online offering. PANK loves you. PANK is always open for your love.”
- Stone Soup is a 30-year-old magazine for young people who love to read, write, and draw. Published in print form every two months, each issue contains 48 pages of stories, poems, book reviews, and illustrations by writers and artists aged 8-13.
- Skipping Stones is a nonprofit magazine for writers aged 8-16 that encourages communication, cooperation, creativity and celebration of cultural and environmental richness.
- Short Kid Stories are looking for short stories for kids and pictures of pets. They have a choice to make stories into audio files! “Stories should be kid-friendly, free of violence, and ‘questionable’ content. Fun, humorous, and clever work is always appreciated.”
- Storgy Kids would like brilliant and standalone stories. “The genre doesn’t matter. Children’s and YA fiction isn’t snooty about what is considered “good”. A space odyssey is just as legitimate as a ghost story which is no better than a well written piece about the everyday life of a kid being bullied. The ordinary and everyday can sit alongside the magic and fantastical. They all must be great.”
- Teen Ink is a site that accepts art, poems, stories, personal narratives, college admission essays, and reviews of favorite (and least favorite) movies, books, colleges, and websites for their monthly print and online magazine.
- Travel Nitch want travel stories that could be fiction or non fiction. “Have you ever dreamt of traveling the globe and writing about it? This is the perfect opportunity to show the world what you’ve got. We want your best short TRAVEL story… one that will take us on an epic adventure sure to inspire even our youngest listeners.”
- The Weight Journal are looking for honest teen submissions told through poetry, slam poetry, flash fiction, or short story. “We’re looking for writing that has something honest to say. Something that releases the WEIGHT. No topic is off-limits. This is not about being ‘school appropriate.’”
- Whitefish Review would love stories by any genre and story formats. “Despite our name, we want to see all genres of speculative fiction: your sci-fi, fantasy, slipstream, magical realism, Lovecraftian horror, and so on… we also want standalone novel excerpts, poetry, reviews, art, interviews, and whatever else, from both emerging and published writers!”