British Fantasy Society

Here’s this month’s list of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found!
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Dracula Beyond Stoker
I’ve featured this well-established magazine in previous round-ups, but it’s worth flagging again, as the current issue will feature stories about one of the most interesting characters in Dracula: Mina Harker.
Word count: 1500–5000 words
Payment: 5 cents per word
Deadline: 30 June 2025
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Bending the Arc
This excellent new Substack zine is dedicated to ‘thrutopian’ fiction, which the editors describe as imagining ‘ways through to a world we would be glad to leave to future generations. It tells stories about tangible change and walks us along the challenging path from now to a more hopeful, liveable tomorrow.’
Word count: Up to 2030 words
Payment: None
Deadline: Open 7–31 July 2025
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Tractor Beam
Following on from thrutopias, this online magazine specialises in ‘soilpunk’ – speculative fiction focusing on farming, food and earth science, with an emphasis on positive outcomes.
Word count: Up to 6000 words
Payment: $1200
Deadline: Ongoing
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Enter Here
This anthology is subtitled ‘An Anthology of Portals’, and will feature speculation-fiction stories of physical or magical doorways of all descriptions, by writers who identify as marginalized.
Word count: 2000–4000 words
Payment: 1 cent per word
Deadline: 15 June 2025
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Anomaly
This venue publishes very short SF stories on its Patreon.
Word count: Up to 300 words
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: Open 1–7 June 2025
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Encounters with Cryptids
Have you written a horror story involving some sort of creature not scientifically proven to exist, but which is believed to exist? Then send it here.
Word count: 2000–4000 words
Payment: 3 cents per word
Deadline: 9 June 2025
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America’s Slide Toward Authoritarianism
The title makes the theme clear, but the editors of this anthology to be published by the International Human Rights Art Movement would also like submitted stories to suggest what can be done about it, which is a tricky brief.
Word count: Up to 2500 words
Payment: $50
Deadline: 1 July 2025
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Deep
This anthology from Death’s Head Press will feature tales of ‘the unexplored depths of our planet and the universe’.
Word count: 2500–10,000 words
Payment: 5 cents per word
Deadline: 31 July 2025
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Dirty Magick
Urban fantasy was a hot buzzword a few years back, but I don’t see so many submission calls focused on the sub-genre now. But here’s one!
Word count: 2000–12,500 words
Payment: $50
Deadline: 30 June 2025
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Allegory
This well-established online magazine of SF, fantasy and horror is open for submissions for its next volume.
Word count: Up to 5000 words
Payment: $15
Deadline: 30 June 2025
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The Pink Hydra
The new minizine ‘Something Old, Something New’ will appear on this venue’s Ko-fi site, and will feature stories that revolve around some aspect of ‘unreality’.
Word count: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: $10 per 5000 words
Deadline: 30 June 2025
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Cooking Up Death
A fun challenge for mystery writers! This anthology will feature cosy (or rather, ‘cozy’ with a ‘z’) mysteries in which food is used as the method of murder.
Word count: 6000–9000 words
Payment: Share of royalties
Deadline: 30 June 2025
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Kozy Krampus
It’s tough to get in a festive mindset right now, but if you can manage it, the editors at Underland Press are on the search for Christmas-themed gothic horror stories.
Word count: Up to 5000 words
Payment: 1 cent per word
Deadline: Open 15–30 June 2025
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Writing contests

In addition to the usual short story open submissions, here are four writing contests which all seem worth your time:

Sustainable Story Award
This new award organised by online book reseller World of Books will celebrate the opening chapters of novels that tackle urgent environmental and social themes.
Word count: First three chapters
Payment: £15,000 first prize, £5000 runner-up prizes
Deadline: 6 July 2025
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Big Finish
Have you ever wanted to write for Doctor Who? (Of course you have. Who wouldn’t?) This year, audio publisher Big Finish’s annual Short Trip contest requires writers to conjure a story for the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker.
Word count: Synopsis and first 500 words
Payment: None, but the winning story becomes an official audio release
Deadline: 12 June 2025
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The British Fantasy Society
The annual BFS short story contest is open now! It’ll be judged by Steven Poore and Pete Sutton, the editor of BFS Horizons, which will publish the winning stories.
Word count: 500–5000 words
Payment: £100 first prize, £50 runner-up prize
Deadline: 30 June 2025
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Art of the Near Future World
This new contest rewards the best flash fiction, which, in the words of its judges, relate to ‘our near future world, the world a few months to a few years away.’
Word count: Up to 1000 words
Payment: $250 first prize
Deadline: 30 June 2025
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Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.

Image from Wikimedia Commons.