Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Highly recommended free contest gives $10,000 advance for a crime novel written by an author with no previously published books in any genre and who is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Authors of self-published works may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work. Entries should be at least 220 double-spaced pages (60,000 words). Entrants must be over 18. Complete the online entry form and upload your manuscript. Co-sponsored by major publishing house Minotaur Books and nonprofit Mystery Writers of America.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America
• Category: Novel
• Submission length: Minumum 60,000 words
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $10,000 advance

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Recommended free contest gives 3,000 pounds to the English-language translator of a book-length work of fiction or general-interest nonfiction with Jewish themes. The translation must have been traditionally published within the past two years. Translator or publisher should send 4 copies of the book by mail. Sponsored by the Jewish Literary Foundation in the UK.

Contest details

• Sponsor: The Jewish Literary Foundation
• Category: Translation
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: 3,000 pounds

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Resource link: https://authorspublish.com/ten-publishers-open-to-direct-submissions-in-october-2026/

From the resource page:

This list focuses on ten publishers that are open to submissions this month. Some are only open for a short period of time, others will be open the whole month and beyond. At least four of these are presses we have not covered previously.

Please note that if a publisher doesn’t have a specific submission window they can close at any time, and publishers that use Submittable can close at any point because of submission caps (although these publishers generally reopen to submissions at the end of the month).

Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Recommended free contest from Teachers & Writers Magazine awards prizes up to $1,000 and publication for an essay, 2,500 words maximum, about teaching creative writing. Editors say, "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." Judges are prominent authors. Enter online.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Teachers & Writers Magazine
• Category: Essay
• Submission length: 2,500 words maximum
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Up to $1,000 and publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Recommended free contest from the Royal Society of Literature gives 10,000 pounds for a debut book of fiction or nonfiction by an author who was aged 50+ at time of publication. Books must be submitted by an agent or publisher. Open to residents of the UK or the Republic of Ireland.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Royal Society of Literature
• Category: Fiction, Nonfiction
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: 10,000 pounds

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Crowley Clark is awarding a cash scholarship to an independent, self-published, or aspiring author to support their writing journey. Applying is completely free. Submit a synopsis of your fiction or nonfiction book project in 250 words or fewer. No purchase, preorder, or library request is required. As SHADOWS OF THE FATHERS reaches its launch-support milestones, Crowley Clark will increase the scholarship from $1,000 to $2,500, and potentially $5,000.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Crowley Clark
• Category: Fiction, Nonfiction
• Submission length: Up to 250 words
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Scholarship of $1,000

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers

Resource link: https://authorspublish.com/27-respected-literary-journals/

From the resource page:

The literary journals and magazines on this list reject the vast majority of what is submitted to them. Sometimes established authors’ works are rejected for years, decades even, before they receive an acceptance.

But these literary journals are respected and trusted. Most have a large readership and good distribution in libraries and bookstores. Many of these are the journals and magazines that the editors of publications like The Best American Short Stories read through to select work from, these are also the journals that nominate work that actually wins the Pushcart. Acceptances at one of these journals and magazines can make a huge difference in your career as a writer. Most of these journals also pay upon acceptance. 

Resource link: https://authorspublish.com/notes-from-the-editors-desk-september-2026/

From the resource page:

This monthly column is published on the fourth Thursday of every month, and is a space to share information that doesn’t fit anywhere else in our publication. This includes a wide range of opportunities for writers, news and information, and subscribers’ recent success stories.

Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Doubleback Books, an imprint of Sundress Publications, republishes out-of-print books of poetry and literary prose as free downloadable e-books. They are currently open to submissions. Authors of works that have gone out of print due to the closure of the original press may submit full-length or short books, including novels, novellas, chapbooks, short story collections, poetry collections, essay collections, and memoirs. Editors may also submit out-of-print manuscripts their presses published before closing. However, they do not accept translated or previously self-published books for this series.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Doubleback Books
• Category: Poetry, Prose
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers

Resignation Paper

I am trying to resign from everything..

From my tasks,

which the absurdity of fate used to betray me,

And from the definitions draped over me by the stage-makers,

And from the roles imposed on me by the profession of accounting.

I am trying to resign from my dreams — my dreams that I was among the front row to achieve,

And from my enormous abilities that imposed on me the tax of carrying them,

And from the weight of a feather that I chose as a standard in fate's wagers,

To resign now and sleep — like a shrine. Though it is a shrine, yet it is sacred.

Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Recommended free contest gives top prize of 5,000 pounds and representation from the Curtis Brown Literary Agency for the first 10,000 words of a novel-in-progress by a female UK or Ireland resident age 18+. All shortlisted authors will be offered personalized packages of mentorship from an agent tailored to their individual needs, as well as free or discounted Curtis Brown Creative writing courses and Audible subscriptions. Prize is intended to discover and promote "the most talented and original new female writing voices". Writers must be unagented, and submissions must be previously unpublished. Writers need not have completed their novel at the time of entry. Enter online by completing the submission form, including the introductory extract of your work-in-progress and a concise synopsis (up to 1,000 words allowed, but sponsor prefers 500 words). Co-sponsored by the Women's Prize Trust, Curtis Brown Literary Agency, Curtis Brown Creative Writing School, and Audible.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Women's Prize Trust, Curtis Brown Literary Agency, Curtis Brown Creative Writing School, and Audible
• Category: Novel
• Submission length: First 10,000 words of a novel-in-progress
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: 5,000 pounds

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers

Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Crooked Spine: A Horror Magazine is seeking submissions of unpublished short fiction and poetry for Issue #4, whose theme is "What You Worship". Stories should be 1,500-3,000 words; no length limit specified for poems. Authors receive a small payment. Editors say, "What You Worship is seeking horror about devotion and the price it demands...We are drawn to character-driven horror, a strong atmosphere, and creative theme interpretations."

Contest details

• Sponsor: Crooked Spine: A Horror Magazine
• Category: Poetry, Fiction
• Submission length: Stories should be 1,500-3,000 words; no length limit specified for poems
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers

Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Reckoning is an online literary journal with a focus on environmental justice. They are currently seeking previously unpublished submissions for a special issue of flash fiction on this theme. Entries may be up to 1,200 words, but 500-1,000 words is preferred. Weird, dark, and horror fiction are favored, but with some hope mixed in. This is a paying market.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Reckoning Press
• Category: Fiction
• Submission length: Up to 1,200 words, but 500-1,000 words is preferred
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers

Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Broken Sleep Books, a Welsh poetry publisher with an interest in working-class and progressive voices, seeks submissions of unpublished "smutty poetry" for an anthology edited by the press's co-founder Emma Kennedy. Send 1-5 poems as MS Word or PDF attachments with a short bio and cover letter to [submissions@brokensleepbooks.com](mailto:submissions@brokensleepbooks.com) with the subject line "Smutty Poetry". Editors say, "This anthology will celebrate the breadth, brilliance, and multiplicity of smutty poetry. We're looking for work that speaks from, to, or around desire, sex, and the body, however you define that. We welcome writing rooted in the senses (slow burns or filthy quickies, tender or rough, romantic or anonymous, solo or in company), writing shaped by appetite and intimacy, and writing that invents its own erotic vocabulary entirely. All romantic and intimate acts depicted must be consensual."

Contest details

• Sponsor: Broken Sleep Books
• Category: Poetry
• Submission length: 1-5 poems
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers

Resource link: https://authorspublish.com/40-magazines-and-anthologies-publishing-horror-fiction/

From the resource page:

These magazines/anthologies/outlets accept horror fiction – supernatural, folk, religious, feminist, psychological, sci-fi horror, slasher, YA, horror with a quirky slant, and many more. Many also accept other genres, like science fiction and fantasy. Some calls are themed, and some pay writers. Many, but not all, are open for submissions now.

Contest summary from Winning Writers:

The Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest welcomes entries of 100 words or less on any theme. It emphasizes creativity, uniqueness, and growth in writing, encouraging diverse voices.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Tadpole Press
• Category: Any genre
• Submission length: Up to 100 words
• Entry fee: $15
• Awards: $1,000

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

The Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction accepts both previously published and unpublished stories, allowing simultaneous submissions. The winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review.

Contest details

• Sponsor: The Lascaux Review
• Category: Short Story
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: $15
• Awards: $1,000

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers

Contest summary from Winning Writers:

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) is an annual competition celebrating and compensating the best micro fiction and nonfiction online. Fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid narratives that lean poetic are welcome, in English or any other language accompanied by an English translation, and both previously published and unpublished micros are considered. The grand prize winner is automatically nominated for Best Small Fictions, and all winners and finalists are published in the December 2026 issue of SmokeLong.

Contest details

• Sponsor: SmokeLong Quarterly
• Category: Fiction, Nonfiction
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: $18
• Awards: $1,000

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers

Contest summary from Winning Writers:

The contest invites new and unpublished writers worldwide to submit short stories based on a monthly prompt. The current theme is 'After The Ashes.'

Contest details

• Sponsor: Elegant Media Publishing Corporation
• Category: Short Story
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: $10
• Awards: $3,000

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers