Call for Submissions: NPR's Short Fiction Contest

National Public Radio (NPR) has announced the latest installment of its Three Minute Fiction contest. The contest, which was launched in 2009, invites writers to create stories in fewer than 600 words, which can be read in roughly three minutes.

Although the initial contest held only the word-count guideline, judge Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has given this sixth iteration a few more rules. Adichie, the author of critically acclaimed books Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun, has stated that each story submitted for this contest must include a) a joke and b) someone crying.

For more information on rules and guidelines, and for information on how to submit stories, please visit http://npr.org/.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. ET on January 23, 2011.

Consequence Magazine call for submissions

Deadline: October 1st

Website: http://www.consequencemagazine.org/

Type: Call for Submissions

Reading Fee: n/a

Prize: n/a

Looking for: exceptional short fiction, poetry, non-fiction, interviews, and visual art

Accepts: Email submissions, Snail mail submissions, simultaneous submissions, but NOT previously published submissions

From their site:

CONSEQUENCE magazine, the literary, print magazine addressing the culture of war, publishes each spring. We focus on the personal and social consequences of armed conflict worldwide, and welcome multi-cultural perspectives.

Ginosko Literary Journal call for submissions

Looking for poetry, short-fiction, creative non-fiction & more:

Deadline: N/A

Website: http://www.ginoskoliteraryjournal.com , http://www.ginoskoliteraryjournal.com/submissions.htm

Type: Call for Submissions

Reading Fee: None

Prize: None

Looking for: Accepting short fiction & poetry, audio recordings, creative non-fiction, interviews, social justice concerns for the 9th issue of the literary journal ginosko, the summer issue.

Accepts: Email and Snail Mail Submissions

From their site:

Call for Submissions: Ginosko Literary Journal

Editorial lead time 1-2 months; accept simultaneous submissions and reprints; length flexible, accept excerpts.

Receives postal submissions & email—prefer email submissions as attachments in
Microsoft Works Word Processor or Rich Text Format. Copyright reverts
to author.Publishing as semiannual ezine, winter & summer. Selecting material
from ezine for printed anthology.

Check downloadable issues on website for style & tone:
http://www.ginoskoliteraryjournal.com/

Also looking for artwork, photography, to post on website and links to exchange.

Ginosko (ghin-océ-koe)
To perceive, understand, realize, come to know; knowledge that has an inception, a progress, an attainment . The recognition of truth by experience.

Member CLMP. Listed in Best of the Web 2008.

Family Circle Fiction Writing Contest: DL Aug 31

http://www.parents.com/family-life/fitness/stress-relaxation/fiction-contest-winners/?page=12

Deadline: August 31st, 2009

Type: Contest

Reading Fee: None

Prize: One grand prize winner will receive $750, publication in Family Circle, a certificate for one online mediabistro.com course (valued at up to $610), and a one-year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership ($49 value). Two runners-up will each receive $250 and a one-year
mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership ($49 value), and will have his or her story published on familycircle.com.

Looking for: Short fiction up to 2500 words

Accepts: Snail mail submissions

See the parents.com website for further details on the contest.

Want to read more short stories?

Check out Kevin Brockmeier's 50 Favorite Stories, courtesy of Oxford American.

This would be a fun list to save, then slowly search out and read each one. A fabulous summer project!

Submit your Short Fiction Story to Esquire Mag - No fee

Winner gets $2500 and publication in Esquire Magazine
Bookfox has a superfly blog that we've fallen in love with, and he recently blogged about Esquire's new no-fee fiction contest, so we thought we'd pass it on [and why aren't you Tweeting, Bookfox? If you are, be sure to follow us].

Esquire's short story winner gets $2500 and publication in Esquire Magazine. What's the catch? You have to follow their rules, and of course, as purveyors of creative writing exercises and prompts, we're big fans of writing contests with interesting rules.

From Esquire.com:

"The first and most important rule — besides, of course, that the story has to be original — is that the story must be based on one of three titles that we have provided.

The titles are:

1. "Twenty-Ten"

2. "An Insurrection"

3. "Never, Ever Bring This Up Again"

A date, a thing, and a statement. No exceptions. Make of them what you will, do with them something great. But no taking an old story and slapping one of our new titles on it. We'll know, and we won't be happy.

Second rule: Your story cannot exceed 4,000 words. We are serious about that, too."

Submissions begin May 1st and the deadline is Midnight, August 1st, 2009.
Visit Esquire.com for more further details and to submit. Also check out Esquire's new online fiction 'zine.

Glass Woman Prize No Fee Short Fiction Contest

Glass Woman Prize

Here is a no-fee contest (our favorite!) funded personally by Beate Sigriddaughter for you short fiction and creative non-fiction writers out there. From her site:

The Fifth Glass Woman Prize will be awarded for a work of short fiction or creative non-fiction (prose) written by a woman.

Length: between 50 and 5,000 words. The top prize for the fifth Glass Woman Prize award is US $700 and possible (but not obligatory) online publication; I will also award two runner up prizes of $100 each and one additional prize of $50, together with possible (but not obligatory) online publication. Subject is open, but must be of significance to women. My criterion is passion, excellence, and authenticity in the woman’s writing voice. Previously published work and simultaneous submissions are OK. Copyright is retained by the author. There is no reading fee.

Submission deadline: March 21, 2009 (receipt date; anything received after that date will be considered for a future prize).

Notification date: June 21, 2009.

Be sure to check the site for additional submission guidelines.

Call for Submissions: Assisi online journal: DL Apr 18

Call for Submissions

Assisi: An Online Journal of Arts & Letters

St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York is pleased to announce that Assisi: An Online Journal of Arts & Letters is now accepting submissions for its inaugural issue.

Assisi will offer an eclectic mix of essays (both academic and personal), short fiction and poetry in an online journal which is published twice-yearly. We will also publish photographs, drawings
and other art works.

Submissions will be accepted by e-mail only. You may submit through April 18, 2009 for the inaugural Spring 2009 issue.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Your text submission must be in Word or Rich Text Format, and must be sent as an attachment to your e-mail. At this time, we can only accept photos and art work submitted as .JPEG files. Include your name, address, daytime telephone number and title(s) of submission(s) in the body of your e-mail. NO IDENTIFICATION SHOULD APPEAR ON THE MANUSCRIPT OR ART WORK ITSELF.

There is a limit of one submission in each category per person per submission period. You may send all your submissions together attached to one e-mail, or send them in separately.

Essays: Up to 20 pages total, double-spaced.

Short Fiction: Up to 20 pages total, double-spaced. Novel excerpts will be considered if they are self-contained.

Poetry:
Up to 5 poems per submission, single or double-spaced. Please, no
more than one poem per page.

Photography and Art: Up to 3 works per submission.

We do not reprint previously published work. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable as long as they are indicated as such and Assisi is notified immediately if the work is accepted elsewhere.

Send all submissions to: assisi(at)stfranciscollege.edu (replace (at) with @)

Assisi holds first rights for publication; we also reserve the right to use your name and the title of your work in press releases and on sections of our website other than the pages of Assisi. Beyond this use, and following publication in Assisi, rights revert to the author/artist providing Assisi is acknowledged in any subsequent publication of the work.

If you have questions, or need further information, please contact Dr. Wendy Galgan, Editor, at wgalgan(at)stfranciscollege.edu (replace (at) with @)

Feb 28: Chistell No-Fee Writing Contest

9th Annual Chistell Writing Contest Guidelines

Contest Begins: October 1, 2008

Contest Deadline: February 28, 2009

Theme based on Long Walk Up and Spiral: Courage

Entry Fee: None. No purchase necessary to enter contest

Age Limit: Must be 16 years or older to enter contest

Genres: Short story and poetry

----------------------------------------------------------

Grand Prize Short Story: $100.00

2nd Place Short Story: $50. 00

Grand Prize Poetry: $100.00

2nd Place Poetry: $50.00

Peoples from around the globe 16 years or older may enter the contest.
Pornographic, discriminatory nor hate related stories or poems will be accepted. Electronic submissions are preferred and encouraged. Entries should be submitted inside the body of an email (and not sent as attachments in order to avoid viruses) and sent to: soulfar@aol.com with 9th Annual Chistell Writing Contest Submission in the subject line of the email.

All submitted short stories and poems must be unpublished and under complete (100%) ownership to the author submitting the work.

No writer may submit the work of any other writer living or deceased.
Submitted short stories and poems must not be under consideration for publication by another editor or/and publisher at the time the short story or poem is submitted to the contest. Previous
winners in the Annual Chistell Writing Contest are not allowed to enter this years contest.

Winners will be announced in May 2009. A special page will be created at the Chistell website (http://www.chistell.com) to include the winning short stories and poems. In addition, a press release will be sent to global media informing them of the winning short stories and
poems.

All rights to all submitted short stories and poems remain with the writer submitting the work. At the conclusion of the contest, writers are encouraged to submit the work to other editors/publishers for publication.

It is our hope to help you advance and grow your writing career and to increase appreciation for reading, writing and literacy around the globe.

Fiction book contest: OSU Prize in Short Fiction

Do you have a collection of short stories or novellas?

The Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction 2009: The Ohio State University Press and the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing at OSU invite submissions for the 2009 Ohio State University. Each year, a readers' committee of OSU fiction writers and a final judge select one manuscript for publication by The Ohio State University Press. The winning author receives publication under a standard book contract, which includes a cash prize of $1,500 as an advance against royalties. Entries must be between 150 and 300 typed pages (approx. 40,000 to 80,000 words) and may include short stories, novellas, or a combination of both. Novellas must not exceed 125 pages (approx. 35,000 words); a single novella is not an eligible submission. Previously published stories may be included, with appropriate acknowledgments.

Manuscripts must be postmarked in the month of January and be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of $20 (U.S. dollars). Send check or money order (no cash) made payable to The Ohio State University.

• The competition is open to all writers in English, published or unpublished.
• No translations unless done entirely by the author.
• Current students and employees of The Ohio State University are not eligible.
• Entries must be postmarked during the month of January 2009. Entries postmarked after January 31, 2009 will not be accepted.
• Manuscripts must be typed. Clear photocopies of typed manuscripts are acceptable.
• Please do NOT send your only copy, illustrations or other irreplaceable material, as MANUSCRIPTS CANNOT BE RETURNED.
• Judging is anonymous, so your name or other identification should only appear on the cover page, and nowhere else in the manuscript. Your submission should include a cover sheet with name, street and email address, and phone numbers and a title page which lists title and approx. word count only (NO name, no other identifying information)
• Please include a nonrefundable handling fee of $20.00 (U.S. dollars)
• with each manuscript (US check or money order payable to The OhioState University). If you wish, include a stamped, self-addressed postcard to confirm receipt of your manuscript, and a stamped, self-addressed business-sized envelope so we can notify you of the results. OSU Press assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged manuscripts. Manuscripts will not be returned.Further details about the prize, eligibility, submission formats and previous winners can be found on the Ohio State University Press website

The winning entry will be announced during May, 2009.
2008 Winner: Paul Eggers' The Departure Lounge.

Mail to:
Fiction Editor
The Ohio State University Press
180 Pressey Hall
1070 Carmack Road
Columbus OH 43210-1002

Call for Submissions from Westsiders

Are you a writer who lives on LA's westside?

http://www.forthmagazine.com: FORTH Magazine is the Westside's first and only Arts and Literature magazine for and by local artists and writers. Launching January 2009, FORTH is a free publication and needs the community's support to really make an impact in displaying and uniting the local arts community.

SUBMIT WORK: Forth is seeking submissions from Westside Locals only. Looking for writing and art of all types. Writing pays 10cts/word (500 words max). Almost any genre of poetry or prose, including: Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Creative (Subjective/Gonzo) Journalism, Humor, or Social / Political commentary. NO standard, dry journalism or run-of-the-mill personal memoirs. Most Important: Be creative, insightful, and well-written. PUSH THE LIMITS. We like edgy as well as intellectual. Send us your best.

Call for submissions: Kaleidoscope

KALEIDOSCOPE MAGAZINE call for submissions on the theme of "Giving & Receiving
Care: A Delicate Balance." Deadline 3/1/09. Guidelines available at
www.udsakron.org and http://www.udsakron.org/kaleidoscope.htm.

Exploring the Experience of Disability through Literature and the Fine Arts

Guidelines for Submission
Kaleidoscope Magazine has a creative focus that examines the experiences of disability through literature and the fine arts. Unique to the field of disability studies, this award-winning publication expresses the experiences of disability from the perspective of individuals, families, healthcare professionals, and society as a whole. The material chosen for Kaleidoscope challenges and overcomes stereotypical, patronizing, and sentimental attitudes about disability. Although content always focuses on a particular aspect of disability, writers with and without disabilities are welcome to submit their work.

The criteria for good writing apply: effective technique, thought-provoking subject matter, and in general, a mature grasp of the art of story-telling. Writers should avoid using offending language and always put the person before the disability.

Kaleidoscope is published twice a year, in January with a submission deadline of August 1, and in July with a submission deadline of March 1.

Email: kaleidoscope@udsakron.org

Kaleidoscope accepts:
Non-fiction – articles relating to the arts, both literary and visual, interviews, or personal accounts—5,000 words maximum/double spaced.

Fiction — Short stories with a well-crafted plot and engaging characters—5,000 words maximum/double spaced.

Poetry – Poems that have strong imagery, evocative language – six poems maximum.

Book reviews – Reviews that are substantive, timely, powerful works about publications in the field of disability and/or the arts. The writer's opinion of the work being reviewed should be clear. The review should be a literary work in its own right – 5,000 words maximum/double spaced.

Publishing information:
Considers unsolicited material (always include SASE)
Accepts simultaneously published work
Acknowledges receipt in two weeks
Rejects or accepts within six months
Reserves right to minor editing without author's approval; substantive editing with approval

Payment information:
Payment is made upon publication and varies from $10 to $125.
Contributors receive two complimentary copies of the magazine.
Copyright reverts to author upon publication.

Online journal seeks submissions: Tattoo Highway

Tattoo Highway, an online journal of prose, poetry and art, is now reading for TH/18: "Diners, Dives & Michelin Stars" ~ the food issue. Deadline January 15, 2009.

GENERAL GUIDELINES: Our tastes are eclectic. We like fresh, vivid language and we like stories and poems that are actually about something -- that acknowledge a world beyond the writer's own psyche. If they have an edge, if they provoke us to think or make us laugh, so much the better. We strongly suggest reading a previous issue or two before submitting.

While we particularly welcome poetry and short "screen-reader-friendly" prose or cross-genre pieces (1000 words), we do on occasion publish longer work. We encourage hypertext and new media (Flash .swf) submissions, also photographs and original graphics.

All readings are "blind" (authors' names and other identifiers are removed). Writers may submit up to 5 poems, prose poems or flash fictions (500 words max), or 2 longer prose pieces. While we prefer to see work that has not been previously published, we do consider work that has appeared in small-circulation print journals. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know promptly if you place a piece elsewhere.

As always, we're featuring our contest: "A Picture Worth 500 Words." Details on website.

See their website for further information on submitting.

Ink-Filled Page call for submissions

This just in from Ink-Filled Page:

Ink-Filled Page is a quarterly literary journal produced by Indigo Editing & Publications, www.indigoediting.com. The journal is published online quarterly, and we print an anthology annually. Our most recent quarterly issue was released in October and is available at www.indigoediting.com/ifp.

Literary Submissions

Fiction submissions can be short stories or novel excerpts, and the nonfiction section is open to personal narratives and essays. While all genres are welcome, special interests include:

• travel
• multicultural themes
• feminism
• magical realism

We are specifically looking for fresh, untold stories and unique voices that draw us into the world of the story. While we know and love many Jo(h)ns, we are inundated by character Jo(h)ns. We ask that you only submit characters by that name if it is necessary for the story.

Limit submissions to 5,000 words, one submission per candidate. Authors who submit more than one piece will not be considered. Electronic submissions only.

Poetry and short story contest: Central Coast Writers

Spring 2009 Central Coast Writers Contest
From their site:

Poetry and Short Story winners will each receive $500

Their winning work will be published in the Spring 2009 Homestead Review produced by Hartnell College. Note: All contest entries will be considered for publication in Hartnell College's Spring 2009 Homestead Review.

Contest Rules

Eligibility: Open to all work not previously published. Simultaneous submissions allowed, but you must notify us if your work is accepted elsewhere.

Entry Fee: Short stories: $15 per story. Poetry: $5 per poem.

Multiple Entries: You may enter as many times as you wish.

Maximum Length: Short story: 4000 words. Poetry: no restriction.

Submission Period: August 15, 2008 through November 15, 2008 (by postmark)

Notification: Winners will be notified by March 31, 2009 and announced in Scribbles, the Central Coast Writers branch monthly newsletter.

Finalist judges will be Homestead Review editors Maria Garcia Teutsch and Dr. Jessica Breheny, published authors in their respective genres of poetry and fiction.

For further details on submissions, see the above link.

Short fiction contest: Write2Help.org

Write2Help.Org Fall 2008 Short Fiction Contest:

Proceeds benefit World Relief, a worldwide humanitarian effort based out of Baltimore, MD.

Topic: Write a short story (1500 words or less) about an exciting or awakening experience in childhood.

Prizes: 1ST Place - $1,000
2ND Place - $250
3RD Place - $100

Deadline: December 20, 2008

Entry Fee: $10

Website: www.write2help.org

Writer's Digest Short Short Story Contest

The 9th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition is accepting entries until December 1st, so get out that magnifying glass and find your best teeny tiny story. Here's what they're searching for and what your big prize could be:

We're looking for fiction that's bold, brilliant... but brief. Send us your best in 1,500 words or less. But don't be too long about it—the deadline is December 1, 2008. The Grand-Prize winner will receive $3,000 (that's $2—or more—per word). Plus, the 1st- through 25th-place manuscripts will be printed in the 9th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition Collection,
published by Trafford Publishing.

Prick of the Spindle Accepting Submissions ~

Prick of the Spindle is a quarterly online journal that is open to both traditional and experimental forms. They accept submissions year-round, and there is no reading fee. In their own words:

We have a special bent toward fresh and innovative voices that use language in unique ways. Editors are currently reading submissions in all categories for Vol. 2.4, forthcoming December 23, 2008. If you are interested in being considered for publication in Prick of the Spindle, please take care to read the guidelines for submitting your previously unpublished work.

They do not publish children's or young adult's fiction, and do not lean toward genre fiction "unless it is especially well-written with a contemporary flavor." There is no length requirement for fiction, and they are open to publishing novella-length pieces (traditionally defined as consisting of anywhere from 17,500 to 40,000 words). They are also seeking reviews in the realms of academic literature, fiction, and poetry. Reviews can consist of works of literary criticism, book reviews, and academic analysis or essays.

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest

Dream Quest One is sponsoring Poetry and Writing (Fiction/Non-Fiction) Contests. In their own words:

Deadline: December 31, 2008
Open to anyone who loves to express their innermost thoughts and feeling into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream. Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original.
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed. And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed. Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted. All winners will be announced on January 31, 2009.
Prizes:

• Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
• Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.

Entry fees: Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story.
Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM” Mail to:
Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654
Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for further details or to enter!

Damselfly Press Accepting Submissions ~

Damselfly Press is accepting submissions of Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry until December 15, 2008 for their next issue, to be published on January 15, 2009. In their own words:

Our fifth issue honors women of all experiences, ages and backgrounds. We are pleased to feature fiction, non fiction, and poetry that is excellently crafted, thematically diverse, and accessible.

• We read year round.
• Please send online submissions only with the genre in the header of the e-mail.
• Submissions must be in a Microsoft® Word document or .RTF attachment.
• Please include writer’s contact information on a separate cover page.
• We are unable to provide compensation to writers for accepted submissions at this time.
• If a writer’s work initially appears in damselfly press and is later published elsewhere, we request an acknowledgement.
• Fiction- Send 9-10 pages of fiction not to exceed 2,500 words max. Submitters may send up to two fictional stories per submission to the fiction editor.
• Poetry- Send 1-3 poems per submission to the poetry editor.
• Nonfiction- Send 3-10 pages of nonfiction not to exceed 2,500 words max. Submitters may send up to two nonfiction submissions such as memoir or personal essays to the nonfiction editor.
• Writers must include bios not to exceed 50 words.
• We do not accept previously published work.
• For writers whose work has been accepted by our journal, please refrain from re-submitting up to a year after publication.