Today marks the first day of summer—the summer solstice. And in honor of both the season’s arrival and the oppressive heat that’s rolled in this week, what better way to get your creative juices flowing than by exploring one of summer’s more dramatic downsides?
We’re also back with a fresh roundup of submission opportunities to help you find a home for your work. So grab your laptop, a cold matcha latte, and head to your local library, bookstore, or that blessedly air-conditioned coffee shop—and dive in.
Writing Prompt: Stormy Weather
There comes a time in every life when the air turns thick and stale—when the heat presses down like a weight, and even the hum of a fan feels like a cruel joke. The energy to move, to think, to cook, evaporates. You sit, sweat pooling, praying for something—anything—to break the spell.
Then, it comes. A low rumble. A flicker of light. The sky cracks open and the storm rolls in—thunder shaking the windows, lightning slicing the sky, and finally, finally, a breath of cool air. Relief, wrapped in chaos.
Have you lived through days like these? When your clothes felt like damp rags and your mood was as volatile as the weather? When the phrase “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity” became a personal mantra—or a punchline?
Or maybe you’ve never known that kind of oppressive summer. But can you imagine it? A world where the very air turns against you, where you long for the violence of a storm just to feel alive again. In our house, it was tradition to throw the curtains wide and marvel at the storm, even as the radio warned us to take shelter in the basement.
This week, we invite you to write about stormy weather—literal or metaphorical. Maybe your character is trapped in a sweltering city, waiting for the sky to break. Maybe the storm is emotional, a long-awaited release after a period of tension. Or maybe you want to explore a sci-fi world where humidity is weaponized and storms are currency. Perhaps you’ll craft a poem where the pacing mirrors that bated breath and sweet release.
Whatever your take, let the pressure build—and then let it pour. Then see below for places to submit your work.
Submission Opportunities: 54 Ways to Share Your Work
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🌱 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.
June 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
- Gutsy Great Novelist | Page One Prize | Fiction | Fee: $20 | Prizes: $1,000 (first), $500 (second), $250 (third) | Deadline: July 16, 2025 at 5PM ET
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- Speckled Trout Review Summer 2025 Issue | Poetry | Free | Deadline: August 20, 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: September 12, 2025
Where to Submit Roundup: September 5, 2025
Where to Submit Roundup: August 29, 2025
