Happy Friday! Whether you’re superstitious or skeptical, NewPages has your creative fuel—offering inspiration to jumpstart your writing along with submission opportunities to keep you busy. If Friday the 13th sends a shiver down your spine, maybe hold off on submitting until tomorrow. But today? Perfect for setting your plans in motion.
Writing Prompt: Demystifying 13
In honor of Friday the 13, why not embrace this as our prompt? Is thirteen a symbol of fortune or misfortune?
Throughout history, cultures have clashed over the meaning of this number. In Western traditions, it’s often associated with bad luck—especially on a Friday. Some link this superstition to the Last Supper, where Judas became the infamous 13th guest before the crucifixion. Others cite Norse mythology, where Loki disrupted a feast of twelve gods, leading to chaos. The thirteenth card in a Tarot deck is death.
But in many cultures, thirteen marks a positive transformation. Jewish tradition celebrates thirteen as the age of maturity with a bar mitzvah. In Mesoamerican civilizations, thirteen symbolized an important cycle in the sacred calendar, tied to cosmic order and spiritual growth. Even the ancient Egyptians viewed thirteen as a number of ascension in the afterlife.
Are these beliefs simply passed down without question, or do they reflect something deeper? For this prompt, explore how the number thirteen shapes luck, culture, or personal experience. Write about a character who defies superstition, a society built on the sacred power of thirteen, or a twist of fate where thirteen holds unexpected meaning. Write a poem reflecting on the ways thirteen has shaped your fortune—or misfortune. Craft a lyric essay unraveling superstition, questioning beliefs that may crumble under close scrutiny. Or…how about a tongue-in-cheek experiment where you test all things related to 13 and luck that you can and record the results?
Whether thirteen is a blessing or a curse is up to you—so grab your pen and explore! And don’t wait too long—June 15 is right around the corner, and plenty of submission opportunities are ending soon.
Submission Opportunities: 58 Ways to Share Your Work
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June 2025
- Gold Man Review. Issue 15 | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry | Free | Deadline: June 15, 2025 (West Coast residents only)
- Nobody’s Home: Modern Southern Folklore. Nonfiction, interviews, reviews | Free | Deadline: June 15, 2025
- Philly Poetry Chapbook Review. Poetry | Free | Deadline: June 15, 2025
- Boudin. 2025 Flash Fiction Chapbook Contest | Fee: $15 | Prize: $1,000 + 25 copies + AWP signing + McNeese Review inclusion + 3-yr subscription | Judge: Roxane Gay | Deadline: June 15, 2025
- Catamaran Literary Reader. Poetry Prize for West Coast Poets | Fee: $45 | Prize: $1,000 + book publication | Judge: Mary Szybist | Deadline: June 15, 2025
- The MacGuffin. Poet Hunt 30 | Poetry | Fee: $15 | Prize: $500 + publication | Judge: Darrel Alejandro Holnes | Deadline: June 15, 2025
- Swan Scythe Press 2025 Poetry Chapbook Contest | Poetry | $18 fee | Prize: $200, publication, and 25 author copies | Deadline: June 15, 2025
- The Tusculum Review. Fiction Chapbook Prize | Fiction | Fee: $20 | Prize: $1,500 + publication | Judge: Jaime Cortez | Deadline: June 15, 2025
- Jerboa Lit. 500 Flash Fiction Contest | Fiction | Fee: $25 | Prize: $1,000 | June 27–29, 2025
- Barrow Street Press 2025 Poetry Book Prize | Poetry | $30 fee | Prize: $1,500 and book publication | Judge: John Murillo | Deadline: June 30, 2025
- Burnside Review Press. Chapbook Contest | Poetry | Fee: $15 | Prize: $200 + chapbook + 10 copies | Deadline: June 30, 2025
- HEART Poetry Award | Poetry | $10 fee | Prize: $500 and publication | Judge: Grey Held | Deadline: June 30, 2025.
- The Letter Review Letter Review Prize | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry | $15-$25 fee | Prize Pool: $4,000. 12-16 winners will share the prize pool and receive publication | Deadline: June 30, 2025.
- Sky Island Journal Issue 32 | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre, translations | $4.99 fee (waivers available) | Deadline: June 30, 2025.
- Slate Roof Press 2025 Elyse Wolf Prize | Poetry | $10 fee (sliding scale available) | Prize: $500 and publication (winner); $100 (runner up) | Deadline: June 30, 2025
*Must be able to make 3-year commitment to the press.*
July 2025
- Bellevue Literary Review.
- Felice Buckvar Prize (Nonfiction) | Fee: $20 | Prize: $1,000 + publication | Judge: Nicole Chung | Deadline: July 1, 2025
- Goldenberg Prize (Fiction) | Fee: $20 | Prize: $1,000 + publication | Judge: Joan Silber | Deadline: July 1, 2025
- John & Eileen Allman Prize (Poetry) | Fee: $20 | Prize: $1,000 + publication | Judge: Joan Silber | Deadline: July 1, 2025
- Embracing Our Differences 2026 Exhibition | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre, art, photography | Free | Deadline: July 1, 2025
- Orison Books. Orison Chapbook Prize | Fee: $15 | Prize: $300 + chapbook | Deadline: July 1, 2025
- Vine Leaves Press 2026 International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition | Nonfiction | $25 fee | Prize: $1,000 and book publication | Deadline: July 1, 2025
- Winning Writers North Street Book Prize | Mainstream/literary fiction, genre fiction, creative nonfiction & memoir, poetry, children’s picture book, middle grade, graphic novel & memoir, art book | $85 fee | Prizes: $10,000 (grand prize); $1,000 (top prize/genre); $500 (honorable mentions) | Deadline July 1, 2025
- #Ranger. Issue 11 | All genres + multimedia | Free | Deadline: July 15, 2025
- Blink-Ink Issue #61: Phones | Fiction | Free | Deadline: July 15, 2025
- Driftwood Press.
- Adrift Chapbook Contest (Poetry) | Fee: $25 | Prize: $750 + publication + 20 copies | Judge: Matthew Olzmann | Deadline: July 15, 2025
- Adrift Short Story Contest (Fiction) | Fee: $30 | Prize: $500 + print copies | Judge: Kelly Link | Deadline: July 15, 2025
- New American Press New American Fiction Prize | Fiction, cross-genre, translations | $25 fee | Prize: $1,500, publication, 25 copies, promotional support | Final Judge: Clancy Martin | Extended Deadline: July 15, 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
- 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.
- 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
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
- 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.
October 2025
- DuFrank Lit. Fiction | Free | Submissions reopen July 1 | Deadline: September 30, 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 | Submissions re-open July 1 | |Deadline: November 30, 2025
Year-Round Opportunities
- Blue Mountain Review | Prose, poetry, music, visual art | Fee: $5
- The Capra Review | All genres + multimedia | Free
- Changing Skies | Creative nonfiction, poetry, art | Free
- Decolonial Passage | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry | Free
- Driftwood Press | All genres + graphic works | Fees vary
- Fahmidan Journal | All genres | Free | Payment: $15
- Feels Blind Literary | All genres + comics | Fee: $3 (free on Mondays)
- Gambling the Aisle | Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre | Free
- Hindsight Journal | Art, photography, nonfiction, poetry | Free
- Jewish Fiction | Fiction, translation | Free
- Kaleidoscope | Articles, fiction, poetry, reviews, visual art | Free | Payment: $10–$100
- New Verse News | Current-events poetry | Free
- Palooka | Magazine & chapbook submissions | Fee: $3 (magazine), $8 (chapbook) | Payment: copies
- Philly Poetry Chapbook Review | Excerpts, interviews, reviews | Free
- Pictura Journal | August 2025 Issue (all genres + art) | Free (tip jar) | Payment: $5
- Plant-Human Quarterly | Poetry, essays | Free
- Stone Circle Review | Poetry | Free
Ready to submit? Bookmark your favorites, mark your calendar, and good luck sharing your work!
Where to Submit Roundup: July 4, 2025
Where to Submit Roundup: June 27, 2025
Where to Submit Roundup: June 20, 2025
