A free contest, a home for your reviews. plus 5 paying markets for your short fiction, poetry, essays, and kid lit

Polar Expressions Publishing has four free contests each year, seeking material for their annual anthologies. Right now they’re seeking short stories and poetry. There is no entry fee. The short story prizes are $500, $250 and $100; for poetry: $200, $100 and $50, plus a free copy of the anthology, which will include all the top entries.

Deadline July 31, 2018. Guidelines here.

In the fall, Polar Expressions runs a separate contest for students, kindergarten through grade 12.

Helios Quarterly Magazine publishes fiction (100–1,500 words), poetry (up to 100 lines), essays, narratives and articles that deal with science fiction, fantasy or horror (1,500–5,000 words), reviews of adult science fiction, fantasy or horror – books, TV or films (1,500 words max),  and “art that illuminates the darkness.” Pays 3¢ per word (U.S.) for the first 1,500 words then 1¢/word for short stories, 25¢ a line for poetry, $15 for reviews, and $35 for other nonfiction.

Reading period: July 1–15, 2018. Next reading period: Oct 1–15. Guidelines here.

Sowing Creek Press seeks personal essays, 1,200–2,000 words for an anthology titled Nature’s Healing Spirit: Real Life Stories to Nurture the Soul.

“Nature can be defined in terms of the great outdoors or observations in your own backyard. City dwellers experience the natural world in a park or on a patio and can find those connections meaningful. While readers enjoy immersing themselves deep in the forest, high on an isolated mountaintop, or in the vast wilderness of a desert, nature finds its way into urban settings, too. And no matter where you find it, Nature’s Healing Spirit can help.”

Pays $50 for essays (U.S.); $25 for poems. Deadline: July 15, 2018.

Sowing Creek also publishes books that fit its “intent to plant literary light – to inform, help, and uplift. Nonfiction works may tackle tough topics to help the hurting or take the form of emotionally driven work that’s presented via lighter subject matter. Fiction is soon to come.”

Submission guidelines here.

LADYBUG magazine seeks stories and poems for children ages 3–6 . Theme: Our Diverse World. “We want stories about real or imaginary people with interesting hobbies, jobs, traditions, or inventions. We would like to see Black, Latinx, First Nations, East Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern children from first, second, or third generation families. 

Tell us quirky, funny, heartfelt, and lesser-known stories where race, ethnicity, class, culture, and ability might intersect.. Our readers like simple yet strong plots, memorable characters, and humor. We prefer short work for young children (stories may be up to 800 words, poetry up to 20 lines).” 

Pays up to 25¢ per word (Canadian) for stories and articles; up to $3.00 per line for poems; $25.00 minimum. 

Deadline: July 15, 2018. Guidelines here.

CRICKET magazine seeks middle grade (ages 9–14) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, recipes, and activities on theme of Make a Splash. 

Pays up to 10¢ per word for fiction; up to 25¢ per word for nonfiction; up to $3.00 per line for poems; $25.00 minimum. 

Deadline: August 15, 2018. Guidelines here.

See full range of submission guidelines for 11 magazines for children aged 6 months to 14 years published by Cricket Media here.

Enchanted Conversation magazine seeks fairy tales, folktales and myths – either retellings of established stories or with original characters set within fairy tale, folktale or mythic templates. Wants stories 700–2,000 words and comics 1 to 5 pages in length. For other issues also accepts poetry, but not for the August.

Pays $20 per story or comic

Deadline: July 20, 2018, for the August issue, but publishes bi-monthly. Guidelines here.


Quick Brown Fox welcomes short essays about your favourite book(s) and about reading and writing, plus your reviews of books and movies or whatever else catches your eye.  More here. Read how to write a book review (or any kind of review) 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.