The final week of August was personally very stressful, and that carried over into the first week of September. Hopefully, you’ve been having a better week. Remember not to beat yourself up over those goals and ambitions. Taking a break—or taking it slow and easy for a while—is a necessity to recharge and come back with renewed energy for your writing and submitting goals.
NewPages is always here with our weekly roundup of submission opportunities and an inspiration prompt—ready whenever you are.
Inspiration Prompt: The Color that Stayed
From that stubborn pasta stain on a white T-shirt to the layer of rust coating a beloved family tool to the bright neon paint you once thought was a good idea but no amount of priming can fully remove, some colors refuse to leave. Even the orange-lavender sky at sunset can feel imprinted forever on your retina.
Like in Lori Morgan’s song “Something in Red,” colors often carry meaning—desire, hope, heartbreak, transformation. Something simple carrying so much weight, like Johnny’s plea to Ponyboy to “stay gold” in The Outsiders.
Create something inspired by a color that lingers.
- Writers: What memory, emotion, or moment does it stain? Is it a positive stain or a negative one?
- Artists: How does this color live on—physically, emotionally, or symbolically? Does it represent time, memory, or change?
We can’t wait to see what colors linger in your work. When you’re ready to submit, scroll down for some opportunities to explore.
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Submission Opportunities: 88 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.
September 2025
- Waccamaw | poetry, fiction, nonfiction | Free | Deadline: September 8, 2025
- Hominum | poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art, hybrid pieces, one-act plays, screenplays, songwriting | Free | Deadline: September 10, 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
- Inlandia Fall 2025 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Free | Deadline: September 14, 2025
- Asterales October 2025 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Deadline: September 15, 2025
- Bat City Review | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Free | Deadline: September 15, 2025
- Bramble “What America Means to Me” | poetry | Free | Deadline: September 15, 2025
- Penumbric | speculative fiction | Free | Payment: $10 | Deadline: September 15, 2025
- Right Hand Pointing October 2025 | fiction, poetry | Free | Deadline: September 15, 2025
- Unbroken October 2025 | prose poetry | Free | Deadline: September 15, 2025
- Up the Staircase Quarterly November 2025 | poetry, art | Free | Deadline: September 15, 2025
- Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, academic papers, field notes | $7.50 fee | Deadline: August 16 – September 16, 2025
- Sunspot Lit | fiction, nonfiction, graphic novel | $5 fee | Deadline: September 23, 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
- The Letter Review Prize |fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reviews, interviews | $15 – $25 fee | Prizes: 12-16 winners share $4,000 USD prize pool and are published | Deadline: September 30, 2025
- Livingston Press Open Reading Period | Novels, linked story collections, narrative poetry | Free | Deadline: September 30, 2025
- Nashville Review | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translation, comics | Free | Payment: $25 for poetry $100 for prose and art | Deadline: September 30, 2025 (or until cap reached)
- Presence #83 | haiku, tanka, haibun, rengay | Free | Deadline: September 30, 2025
- Sunspot Lit | flash, poetry, graphic novel, art | $5 fee | Deadline: September 30, 2025
- Watershed Review | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | $3 fee (Free for students/financial need) | Deadline: September 30, 2025
October 2025
- Cherry Tree Issue 11 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry | $3 fee | Deadline: October 1, 2025
- Gordon Square Review | fiction, nonfiction, poetry | Free | Deadline: October 1, 2025
- Gordon Square Review Flash Contest for Midwest Writers | fiction | $10 fee | Prize: $500 and publication | Deadline: October 1, 2025
- Iowa Review | fiction, poetry | Free (postal), $4 (online) | Payment: $1.50 per line of poetry, $0.08 a word for prose | Deadline: October 1, 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
- Same Faces Collective Fall/Winter Issue | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, photography, film, animation, performance | Free | Deadline: October 1, 2025
- Willow Springs Surrealist Poetry Prize | Poetry | $15 fee | Prize: $1,000 and publication | Final Judge: Michael McGriff | Deadline: October 1, 2025
- Willow Springs Books Spokane Prize for Short Fiction | Entry fee | Prize: $2,000 + publication | Deadline: October 1, 2025
- Winning Writers Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest | poetry (can be previously published) | $25 fee | Prize: $3,500 for a poem in any style, $3,500 for a poem in a traditional/rhyming style + online publication | Final Judge: Michal ‘MJ’ Jones. Deadline: October 1, 2025
- Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop A Hotel Room of One’s Own | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre, plays, screenplays, comics, graphic narratives, graphic novels | $30 fee | Prize: travel, meals, lodging, and some pocket money for uninterrupted writing at University of Dayton Marriott, complimentary registration to 2026 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop | Deadline: October 6, 2025
- Euphemism 21.1 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, spoken word, sound installation, music, video, comics, sequential art, graphic narratives | Free | Deadline: October 10, 2025
- Blink-Ink Museum-themed Issue | fiction | Free | Deadline: October 15, 2025
- Harpur Palate | poetry, art | Free ($3 expedited response) | Deadline: October 15, 2025 (or until 500 submissions reached)
- Jet Fuel Review Fall 2025 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Free | Deadline: October 15, 2025
- Kelp Journal Issue 13 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry | Free | Deadline: October 15, 2025
- Kings River Review. Fall 2025 Issue (all genres + art) | Free | Must be a 2-year college student | Deadline: October 15, 2025
- Little Patuxent Review January Issue | fiction, nonfiction, poetry | Free | Deadline: October 15, 2025
- The Loch Raven Review | fiction, nonfiction | Free | Deadline: October 15, 2025
- Phoebe 55.1 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | $3 fee | Payment: $30 | Deadline: October 15, 2025
- Santa Clara Review The California Edition | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | $2 fee | Deadline: October 15, 2025
- Arcturus | fiction, nonfiction, poetry | Free (Tip Jar available) | Deadline: October 31, 2025
- Blue Mesa Review Fall 2025 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | $3 fee | Payment: $25 | Deadline: October 31, 2025
- Cloudbank Books Vern Rutsala Book Contest | fiction, poetry | $25 fee | Prize: $1,000, publication, 50 author copies | Deadline: October 31, 2025
- The Dolomite Review Issue One “Firsts” | fiction, nonfiction, poetry | $3.50 fee | Deadline: October 31, 2025
- Grist: A Journal of the Literary Arts | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | $3 fee (Free for current subscribers) | Deadline: October 31, 2025
- Inlandia Blacklandia Anthology on Black Mental Health | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Free | Editor: Romaine Washington | Deadline: October 31, 2025
- Inscape 2026 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Free | Payment: Copies | Deadline: October 31, 2025
November 2025
- Iowa Review | nonfiction, visual literature | Free (postal), $4 (online) | Payment: $0.08 a word for prose, $40 per page of visual literature | Deadline: November 1, 2025
- Qua Magazine Fall 2025 Issue | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, photography | Free | Deadline: November 2, 2025 | Must live in the state of Michigan.
- 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
- The Headlight Review Mighty Micros Issue | fiction, prose poetry | $5 fee | Deadline: November 30, 2025
December 2025
- Girls Right the World Issue 10 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre, art, photography | Free | Deadline: December 31, 2025 | Must be a girl or young, gender-fluid writer or artist aged 14-21
- Press 53 Award for Short Fiction | fiction | $30 fee | Prize: $1,000 advance, publication, 53 author copies | Judge: Kevin Morgan Watson | Deadline: December 31, 2025
January 2026
- The Emerson Review 2026 Issue | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, photography | Free | Deadline: January 1, 2026
- Magazine 1 PoetryLife Poetry Contest | poetry | $5 fee | First Prize: $150 Bookstore1 gift card, invite to read at PoetryLife, publication | Judge: Rick Hilles | Deadline: January 10, 2026
- Driftwood Press In-House Poem Contest 2026 | poetry | $25 fee | Prize: $300, publication, 5 copies of the journal, interview opportunity | Deadline: January 15, 2025
- Driftwood Press In-House Short Story Contest 2026 | fiction | $30 fee | Prize: $400, publication, 5 copies of the journal, interview opportunity | Deadline: January 15, 2025
- FLARE: The Flagler Review Spring 2026 | fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Free (Tip Jar available) | Payment: 1 contributor copy | Opens September 30, 2025 | Deadline: January 15, 2026
February 2026
- Doubleback Review April 2026 Issue | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Free | Deadline: February 15, 2026 | Work must have been previously published in a defunct journal.
March 2026
- Colorado Review | fiction, poetry | $3 fee | Payment: $300 for short stories and nonfiction; $100 for poetry and cover art | Deadline: March 31, 2026
- National Indie Excellence Awards | fiction, nonfiction, genre fiction, memoir, writing for children, writing for young adults, poetry, graphic novel, comics, photography, cookbooks | $75 fee | Cash Prizes & Sponsorship Awards | Deadline: March 31, 2026 | Open to self-published, independently-published, & university-published books
April 2026
- Talking River Review | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography, art | $3 fee | Payment: one contributor copy, 1-year subscription, and 1-year gift subscription | Deadline: April 1, 2025
- West Branch | poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translation | $3 fee | Payment: $100 for poetry, $0.10/word for prose up to $200, two contributor copies, and one-year subscription | Deadline: April 1, 2026
- Winning Writers Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest | poetry (can be previously published) | Free | Prize: $2,000, two-year gift certificate to Duotrope, online publication | Final Judge: Jendi Reiter | Deadline: April 1, 2026
- Abandoned Mine | poetry | Free | Deadline: April 30, 2025
May 2026
- Winning Writers Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest | fiction, nonfiction (can be previously published) | $25 fee | Prize/genre: $3,500, two-year gift certificates to Duotrope, online publication | Final Judge: Mina Manchester | Deadline: May 1, 2026
- The Georgia Review | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book reviews | Free (postal), $3 (online) | Payment: $50 per printed page for prose and $4 per line for poetry, up to $800, two copies | Deadline: May 15, 2026
Year-Round Opportunities
- Arkana | fiction, poetry, nonfiction, scripts, illustrated narratives, translations, art | Free
- 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 | fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art | Free (tip jar) | Payment: $5 (open until quota reached)
- 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 19, 2025
Looking for fresh places to send your work? This week’s roundup features 100+ submission opportunities for writers of all genres, plus a creative prompt to spark your next piece. Whether you’re new to submitting or a seasoned pro, NewPages has the resources to help you share your words with the world.
Where to Submit Roundup: September 12, 2025
Let the rain guide your creativity—then find the perfect place to share your work with this week’s 110 verified submission calls.
Where to Submit Roundup: September 5, 2025
Looking for places to send your work? Our Where to Submit Roundup for September 5, 2025, features fresh calls for submissions, contests, and opportunities for writers and artists. Plus, this week’s inspiration prompt—“The Color That Stayed”—invites you to explore the colors that linger in memory, emotion, and art.
Where to Submit Roundup: August 29, 2025
What if your life were a musical? Imagine the opening number, the show-stopping finale, and all the harmonies in between. Would it be a glittering Broadway spectacle, a gritty rock opera, or something entirely unexpected? When you’re ready to take center stage, we’ve got 94 submission opportunities waiting for your next big piece.
