Where to Submit your writing in January 2025

#19

Hello writer friends,

Wishing you all a very happy new year 2025. I was on a break from everything and took my time to get back to a routine. Here are a few opportunities you can submit your writing to:

STORYSHARES

• Eligibility: Open internationally

• Genre: Decodable, Microfiction, Character Fiction, Nonfiction, Teen Fiction, Alternate Ending

• Entry Fee: Free

• Word Count: Microfiction: ≤250 words, others: no limit

• Theme: Varies by category

• Prize: Cash + publication

• Deadline: January 13, 2025

Waxwing

• Eligibility: Open to all

• Genre: Flash Fiction, Nonfiction

• Entry Fee: Free

• Word Count: Up to 1000 words per piece

• Theme: Risk-taking narratives, intense, peculiar, revelatory writing

• Prize: Publication

• Deadline: 15 January 2025

Full House Literary Journal

• Eligibility: Open to all

• Genre: Poetry, Prose, Hybrid work (including visual art, photography)

• Entry Fee: Free

• Number of Words:

  • Poetry: Up to 30 lines per poem (excluding white space)

  • Prose (microfiction, flash fiction): Up to 750 words (250-500 preferred)

• Theme: No theme, open submissions

• Prize: £5 per accepted piece (paid via PayPal or other arrangements)

• Deadline: January 24, 2025 (11:59pm GMT)

Zhagaram Literary Magazine

• Eligibility: Open to all, prioritizing marginalized voices (women, people of color, etc.)

• Genre: Poetry, Mini Essays, Visual Art

• Entry Fee: Free for poetry; fees for feedback and expedited submissions

• Number of Words: Poetry (up to 3 poems); Mini Essays (under 2,000 words)

• Theme: Culture and heritage, with focus on marginalized communities

• Prize: No monetary prize, but cover art is featured and artist interviewed

• Deadline: 31 Jan 2025

Empty House Press

• Eligibility: Open to all

• Genre: Poetry, Prose Poems, Flash Fiction, Nonfiction, Hybrid

• Entry Fee: Free

• Word Count:

  • Prose: Up to 2000 words (prefer 500-1500)

  • Poetry: 1-3 poems

• Theme: Place, home, memory, empty spaces

• Prize: Publication

• Deadline: 31 Jan 2025

Five South Literary Magazine

• Eligibility: Open to all

• Genre: Poetry

• Entry Fee: Pay what you want ($3 minimum)

• Number of Words: Up to 3 poems or 5 pages

• Theme: Open

• Prize: Publication

• Deadline: 31 January, 2025

Photo by Kavya Rk Nair on Unsplash

The Bombay Literary Magazine

• Eligibility: Open to all

• Genre: Fiction, Graphic Fiction, Poetry, Translated Fiction, Translated Poetry

• Entry Fee: Free

• Number of Words: No specific word limit mentioned

• Theme: Open

• Prize: ₹5,000 honorarium (approx. $61 or €51) per contribution

• Deadline: January 31, 2025

Spell Binder Magazine

• Eligibility: Open to all writers and artists globally

• Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, Drama, Visual Art

• Entry Fee: Free

• Number of Words:

  • Poetry: Maximum 40 lines per poem (up to 2 poems)

  • Fiction: Short Stories – Maximum 3000 words, Flash Fiction – 100-1000 words

  • Nonfiction: Creative Nonfiction – Maximum 3000 words, Flash Creative Nonfiction – 100-1000 words

  • Drama: Stage/Screen plays – Maximum 5 A4 pages

  • Visual Art: Maximum 3 works, themed around “Estrangement”

• Theme: "Estrangement" for Visual Art

• Prize: £3 honorarium per accepted piece

• Deadline: Open in January 2025

Bennington review

• Eligibility: Open to emerging and established writers; no submissions from current/recent Bennington College students, faculty, or staff; alumni and past employees must wait three years.

• Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Film Writing, Translations.

• Entry Fee: None.

• Word Limit: Poetry: 3-5 poems; Fiction/Creative Nonfiction: Up to 30 pages; Film Writing: 10-20 pages.

• Theme: Innovative, intelligent, graceful, and reckless writing.

• Prize: $120 for prose (6 pages or under), $250 for longer prose, $25 per poem; two copies of the issue and a copy of the next issue.

• Deadline: Opened January 6th to March 9th, 2025.

Nashville Review

• Eligibility: Open to all, except current or former (within 5 years) students and employees of Vanderbilt University.

• Genre: Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Translation, Comics, Featured Art.

• Entry Fee: None.

• Word Limit:

  • Fiction: Up to 7,000 words (or 3 flash fictions, 1,000 words each).

  • Poetry: 1-3 poems, up to 10 pages.

  • Nonfiction: Up to 8,000 words.

  • Translation: Prose up to 8,000 words or 2 poems.

  • Comics: One-page or excerpts from graphic novels.

• Theme: No specific theme; seeks the best work in the genres listed.

• Prize: $25 per poem, $100 for prose and art pieces.

• Deadline: January; capped at 500 submissions per section.

Subscriber Shoutout

Vrinda Baliga was declared the winner of the prestigious short story contest held by the Bangalore Writers Workshop at the Bangalore Lit Fest, 2024. Her story called the Breakout explores the impact of AI in the future and how it tampers with the humanness of school children. Read the riveting story here. Congratulations Vrinda! Looking forward to more wins!

Vrinda Baliga is a writer based in Hyderabad, India. She is the author of the short story collections called Mixtape, Arrivals and Departures and Name, Place, Animal, Thing. You can find her on the gram @vrinda_baliga.

As always keep submitting!

Lit Khabari