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Where to Submit Roundup: July 18, 2025

Happy Friday, writers!

With the rain comes a cool, windy break from the heat—but don’t worry, the 80s will be back soon enough. If you’re enjoying a brief respite from summer’s swelter, we hope you’re able to spend some time outdoors without the usual bug battalion.

Too chilly for your taste? It’s the perfect excuse to cozy up with your laptop and dive into your writing and submission goals. And if you’re not sure where to begin, NewPages has you covered with this week’s creative writing prompt and a fresh roundup of literary submission opportunities.

Illustration of an elderly person in a party hat sleeping in a chair beside a birthday cake, with the text “Forget Golden, Welcome to the Rusty Years – Stories from the years that creak.” A rusty bell and textured background emphasize the theme of aging.

Inspiration Prompt: The Rusty Years

We often hear that life after 65 is the beginning of the “golden years”—a time of rest, reward, and reflection. A period when retirement brings freedom, joy, and the chance to finally enjoy the fruits of a life well-lived.

But what if that sheen is just a myth?

What if, instead of golden, these years are rusty?

Rust creeps in slowly. It stiffens joints, clouds memories, and wears down the body like time wears down metal. The older you get, the more things fall apart—literally and metaphorically. Aches appear in places you didn’t know existed. Simple tasks become complex. Your body begins to betray you in strange and unexpected ways.

Yes, age can bring a growing family—grandchildren, great-grandchildren, new branches on the tree. But it also brings loss: of parents, siblings, lifelong friends. The world gets quieter. Lonelier. And financial security? It’s often more fragile than we’re led to believe, with many elders walking a tightrope of uncertainty.

My grandfather calls these the “rusty years.” Not out of bitterness, but realism. He no longer mows the lawn, sure—but his joys are fewer, his ailments more frequent. Each year brings a new challenge, a new limitation.

So let’s talk about the rusty years.

What do they mean to you?

  • A memoir from the perspective of the Tin Man, joints creaking with every step?
  • A lyric essay to your nonna, whose hands once kneaded dough and now tremble?
  • A short story about entering this new chapter, only to find it’s not what you imagined?
  • A photo collage of rusted tools and aging skin, layered with memory and metaphor?

Let this prompt guide you into the spaces we don’t often explore—where beauty and decay coexist, where resilience is quiet, and where stories still bloom, even in rust.

Want even more writing prompts?
Get one delivered to your inbox every week when you subscribe to the NewPages newsletter! Stay inspired with fresh ideas, submission calls, and literary news—right in your inbox.

When you’ve finished your piece, scroll down to explore 47 new submission opportunities for writers of all genres. Whether you’re submitting poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid work, there’s a home waiting for your voice.

Submission Opportunities: 47 Ways to Share Your Work

Paid newsletter subscribers get early access to most submission calls and upcoming events before they’re posted on our site. You’ll also receive our monthly eLitPak Newsletter, packed with even more literary goodness. Consider subscribing or upgrading today!

🌱 New to submitting? Check out our Guide to Submission Opportunities for further details on these calls and contests.

✏️ Have young writers at home? Don’t miss our Young Writers Guide for contests tailored to grades K–12.

July 2025

  • WCSU MFA: Housatonic Book Awards. All genres | Fee: $25 + processing | Prize: $1,000 honorarium + $500 travel stipend | Deadline: July 18, 2025
  • MudRoom | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Free ($3 expedited submissions available) | Deadline: July 25, 2025
  • Driftwood Press.
    • Adrift Chapbook Contest (Poetry) | Fee: $25 | Prize: $750 + publication + 20 copies | Judge: Matthew Olzmann | Extended Deadline: July 31, 2025
    • Adrift Short Story Contest (Fiction) | Fee: $30 | Prize: $500 + print copies | Judge: Kelly Link | Extended Deadline: July 31, 2025
  • Press 53 2026 Press 53 Award for Poetry | Poetry | $30 fee | Prizes: $1,000 advance, publication, 53 author copies (winner); $500 advance, publication, 25 copies (runner-up) | Judge: Tom Lombardo | Deadline: July 31, 2025.
  • Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize | Poetry | $15 fee | Prizes: $1,000, publication, broadside (winner); $500 and publication (second); $250 and publication (third) | Final Judge: Stephen Kuusisto | Deadline: July 31, 2025
  • Sunspot Lit | Novella-length fiction, nonfiction, graphic novel, epic poetry | $20 fee | Deadline: July 31, 2025.
  • Wordrunner eChapbooks Prose Collections | Fiction, nonfiction | $8 fee | Payment: $125 + royalties for kindles | Deadline: July 31, 2025.

August 2025

  • About Place Journal Fall 2025: On Freedom | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, cross-genre, drama, graphic narratives, screenplays, interviews, reviews, translations, art, photography, audio, video | Free | Deadline: August 1, 2025
  • The Nomad Review Fragility theme | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre, comics, graphic narratives, reviews, interviews, art, photography | Free | Deadline: August 1, 2025
  • Orison Books. Best Spiritual Literature Awards | Fee: $12 | Prize: $500 + publication | Deadline: August 1, 2025
  • Radar Poetry 12 Annual Coniston Prize | Poetry | $20 fee | Prize: $1,000 and publication | Deadline: August 1, 2025
  • Inverted Syntax Aggrey & Tabbikha Prize for Poetry | Poetry, cross-genre | $20 fee | Prize: $500 and book publication | Deadline: August 15, 2025 | Open to Black poets and/or those part of the S.W.A.N.A diaspora
  • Inverted Syntax Sublingua Prize for Poetry | Poetry, cross-genre | $20 fee | Prize: $500 and book publication | Deadline: August 15, 2025 | For female-identifying poets only
  • Thorn & Bloom Issue 03: The Splinters We Carry | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre, comics, graphic narratives | Free | Deadline: August 15, 2025
  • Speckled Trout Review Summer 2025 Issue | Poetry | Free | Deadline: August 20, 2025
  • The Headlight Review Anthony Grooms Prize in Fiction | Fiction | $18 fee | Prize: $750, chapbook publication, 20 copies | Judge: James E. Cherry | Deadline: August 31, 2025
  • Inverted Syntax Fissured Tongue Volume VII | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | $4 fee | Deadline: August 31, 2025

September 2025

  • The Main Street Rag: North Coast Voices. Poetry Anthology | Fee: $3 | Payment: copies | Deadline: September 1, 2025
  • Last Syllable. Book Awards in Poetry & Prose | Fee: $25 | Prize: $1,000 + travel + Visiting Writer Series feature | Deadline: September 1, 2025
  • Superpresent Fall 2025: TRUTH | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre, drama/plays, comics, graphic narratives, translations, art, photography, audio, video | Free | Deadline: September 1, 2025
  • The Branches Fall 2025 Issue: VOICE | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, screenplays, graphic narratives, graphic novels, reviews, art, photography, audio, video | Free | Deadline: September 13, 2025.
  • The Big Book of Quantum Fiction | fiction, poetry, cross-genre, art, photography | Free | Payment: $24 and 1 contributor copy | Deadline: September 30, 2025
  • DuFrank Lit. Fiction | Free | Deadline: September 30, 2025
  • Livinston Press Open Reading Period | Novels, linked story collections, narrative poetry | Free | Deadline: September 30, 2025

October 2025

  • The Missouri Review 35th Annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry | $25 fee | Prize: $5,000 and publication awarded per genre | Deadline: October 1, 2025
  • Willow Springs Books. Spokane Prize for Short Fiction | Entry fee | Prize: $2,000 + publication | Deadline: October 1, 2025
  • Kings River Review. Fall 2025 Issue (all genres + art) | Free | Must be a 2-year college student | Deadline: October 15, 2025

November 2025

  • Black Fox Literary Magazine. Winter Issue | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry | Free | |Deadline: November 30, 2025
  • Blueline 2025 Open Reading Period | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, photography | Free | Payment: Copies | Deadline: November 30, 2025

Year-Round Opportunities

Ready to submit? Bookmark your favorites, mark your calendar, and good luck sharing your work!

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