Writing contests and journals that pay for prose and poetry

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Contests sponsored by the Windsor International Writers:

Opinion Piece Contest, In Memory of Dr. Aubrey Goldstein. Dr. Goldstein loved reading articles in Newspapers and magazines etc. that expressed opinions regarding just about any topic. Then he enjoyed discussing them with his friends. So! In less than two thousand words give us your opinion on any subject and our esteemed judge, the great Suzette Martinez Standring will pick the winner.

Entry fee: $20.00 First prize is a free admission to this year’s Windsor International Writers Conference, July 6 – 8, 2018. Conference details here.

After you submit your payment (here), you may email your Opinion Piece to: pamelajeangoldstein@gmail.com

Deadline June 1, 2018. Contest details here.

For conference attendees, there are also five free contests: Best Opening Line, Best Opening Paragraph, Most Masterful Short Story, Best Poetry, and Best Description of the Wine and/or Dessert from the Conference’s evening meals. Details here.

Finally, for young authors, aged 8 – 14, there is a free prize for Best Description of any Character you love from a book. Descriptions should be just 500 words and first prize is free registration in any Windsor International Writers summer camp.

Send your entry to: pamelajeangoldstein@gmail.com

See contest details here and details of the summer camps here.

Note: I’ll be offering two talks at the Windsor International Writers Conference: Writing Point of View and Writing Query Letters that Get a Yes. Details here.

Rattle publishes about 300 poems each year, and almost all of them come from unsolicited submissions. They pay $50 for online publication and $100 if they publish you in print.

Deadlines are ongoing.

In addition to their on-going search for all kinds of poetry, Rattle is currently looking for:

-         Entries for their Ekpharstic Challenge – poetry inspired by art. Deadline May 31, 2018 (but note this is a regular features, so if you miss this opportunity, it will come again). Ekphrastic details here.

-         Poetry by young people (16 or younger at time of writing, 18 or younger at time of submission). Deadline June 15.

-         Entries for the Rattle Poetry Prize. $25 entry fee; $10,000 prize. Deadline July 15, 2018

-         Poets Respond to any news story or event of the previous week. Deadline every Friday for publication online on Sunday.

-         Artwork for their print

Details for all Rattle submissions here.

LampLight is a literary magazine of dark fiction, both short stories and flash fiction. Pays 3¢ per word, $150.00 max.  

“For inspiration, we suggest “The Twilight Zone”, “The Outer Limits”, and LampLight, Vol1 Issue 1 which is free. We go for stories that are dark, literary; we are looking for the creepy, the weird and the unsettling. We do not accept stories with the following: vampires, zombies, werewolves, serial killers, hitmen, excessive gore or sex, excessive abuse against women, revenge fantasies, cannibals, high fantasy.”

Submission periods: April 15 – June 15 for Sept and Dec issues; Sept 15 – Nov 15 for March and June issues. Guidelines here.

Subprimal Poetry Art looks for poetry and flash fiction that is crafted, urgent, lyrical, compelling, mythical, concerned with spiritual revelation, uses rhythmic sensual, vivid imagery and deals with fundamental truths. Pays $20 or $10 for reprints.

“We're looking for work that enables the reader / listener to experience something that they might not otherwise in their regular life and causes them to think. We like pieces that use language in new ways. We have a special fondness for prose poems. Voices outside of the status quo keep us awake at night.”

Submission periods: May 1 – June 15 for July issue; Sept 1 – Oct 1 for Nov issue; Jan 1 – Feb 15 for March issue. Submission guidelines here.

Living Education supports and promotes home learning and educational choice. Pays $50 per article.

“Submissions from homeschooling and homeschool-minded parents, educators, administrators, and students are welcome. Please view past issues of Living Education  to get a feel for our audience and content. We are especially interested in articles that highlight unique and innovative paths that the educational journey can take.”

Submission deadlines: Fall issue: June 15; Spring issue: December 15

Upcoming Theme for Autumn 2018: Problem Solving: Cultivating the Creative Mindset. Full submission guidelines here.

On Fire, a previous anthology
from Transmundane

Tansmundane Press is looking for short stories 3,000 – 7,000 words on the theme of air for an anthology. Pays $10-20, depending on length, plus author copies: one physical and one electronic. 

Deadline: June 15, 2018. 

More generally, Transmundane is always open to submissions. They publish both e-book and print formats. At a minimum, books should be 35,000 words in length, although we prefer 60-80,000 words; however, longer works are also considered. Do note that shorter works are considered for anthologies and works less than 50,000 words will be published in e-book format only.

Guidelines here.

Writers who wish to submit to Chicken Soup for the Soul should be aware of deadlines that are approaching.

According to their website:

“If we publish your story or poem, you will be paid $200 ($100 for devotionals) one month after publication of the book and you will receive ten free copies of the book your story or poem appears in. You will also become part of the Chicken Soup for the Soul family, you will receive our exclusive contributors’ communiqué and you will be entitled to buy cases of books from us at a discount.”

The following books have deadlines that are approaching:

• The Golden Years – Life After 60 / June 30, 2018
• Grandparents / August 31st, 2018
• Stories About Angels / September 30th, 2018
• Stories About Miracles / September 30th, 2018
• Stories About My Mom / September 30th, 2018
• More Messages from Heaven / September 30th, 2018
• Life Lessons from My Cat / October 31, 2018
• Life Lessons from My Dog / November 30, 2018

Writers should expect a response within 60 days of the book’s “on sale” date. If you haven’t heard back by that time, they have not selected your story for publication. They have a sort of strange company culture, which discourages negative communication – which is why they don’t send rejection letters.

To learn more, and to submit, visit this page.

PS: Chicken Soup for the Soul also runs the website, Aplus.com, which publishes feel good articles aimed at getting “viral” content. They don’t explicitly list their submission guidelines, but they can be contacted here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Cambridge, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.