Theme & Deadline Calendar Calendar of upcoming themes, openings, and deadlines for publications, contests, and anthologies, including themes (where applicable). Check the publisher's guidelines for full details before submitting. Filter Themes & Deadlines Category: Category: Fiction Category: Nonfiction Category: Poetry Category: Visual Art Listing Type: Any Listing Type Anthologies Only Contests Only Journals Only Literary Agents Only Genre: Any Genre Genre: General Genre: Action-Adventure Genre: Erotica Genre: Fantasy Genre: Horror Genre: Mystery/Crime Genre: Romance Genre: Science Fiction Genre: Suspense/Thriller Genre: Western Genre: Open to All/Most Genres Publication Medium: Any Publication Medium Publication Medium: Electronic Publication Medium: Print Publication Medium: Audio Publication Medium: Video Minimum Payscale: Any Min. Pay Min. Pay: Token Min. Pay: Semi-pro Min. Pay: Pro Include unthemed deadlines Only show results in my Favorites List Include deadlines with associated fees Include results in my Ignore List Exclude listings with MATURE content Only show New and Updated deadlines (past 7 days) Exclude TEMP CLOSED listings 217 deadlines found. Project & ThemeOpeningDeadlineDays Left Rough Cut Press Theme: Rant 27 Oct 20261* 1 The Blue Bell Review Space Contest [The Blue Bell Review] NEW! Added in the past 7 days Theme: Space 28 Oct 20262* 0 Penumbra Theme: Teaching Lives 28 Oct 20262* 1 The Thing in the Dark [Fresh Words] NEW! Theme: The Thing in the Dark 30 Oct 20264* 1 BAUXITE Magazine FLEDGLING Added in the past 7 days Theme: Gallium- hardening in the cold, being soft in the warmth 30 Oct 20264.2 0 ELA Literary Magazine Theme: Anniversary 30 Oct 20264* 1 Paw&Claw Anthology Series [Paw&Claw Ink] Theme: Unearthly and Ungodly 01 Sep 202630 Oct 20264* 0 Neon Hemlock Press Has Restrictions Novellas 30 Oct 20264* 0 Roses and Wildflowers [Society for Ritual Arts] Theme: Yellow Kings, Red Queens, and Broken Things 30 Oct 20264* 2 Shared Grief Journal FLEDGLING Theme: Grief and the Holidays 30 Oct 20264* 1 Neon & Smoke Charges fees for some submissions Theme: Love Issue 01 Oct 202630 Oct 20264.5 2 Inframince Journal FLEDGLING NEW! Theme: Fragmentation 31 Oct 20264* 0 B O D Y Limited Demographic Poets born in Scotland and poets currently living in Scotland 31 Oct 20265* 0 Fun in the Dark Anthology Series [Kilter & Rammel Publishing] Theme: Antiquities 31 Oct 20265* 6 Trembling With Fear [The Horror Tree] Theme: Halloween 31 Oct 20265* 1 100 Word Project [Manawaker Studio] Theme: Siren 31 Oct 20265* 1 The Calendula Review Theme: Sonorous 14 Sep 202631 Oct 20265* 0 Carnage House MATURE Theme: DIED: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Defiance 31 Oct 20265* 2 Dragon Soul Press Short Story Anthologies [Dragon Soul Press] Theme: Flame Forger 31 Oct 20265* 3 EcoTheo Review [EcoTheo Collective] Theme: Cycles 01 Oct 202631 Oct 20265* 0 Gouda & Cozy [Epona Muse Publishing] NEW! Added in the past 7 days Theme: Gouda & Cozy 31 Oct 20265* 0 Haven Speculative Magazine Has Restrictions Authors of color, members of LGBTQIA+ communities, and writers belonging to other underrepresented groups 01 Oct 202631 Oct 20265* 10 Heartsick Anthology [Exploitation Media] FLEDGLING Theme: Love: all the shapes it can take and all the ways it can go wrong 31 Oct 20265* 2 I Want to Know What Love Is [Misti Media, LLC] Theme: Stories of romance that are based on power ballads 31 Oct 20265* 0 MIDLVLMAG Theme: Human Capital 01 Sep 202631 Oct 20265* 3 The Perch Theme: The MIX 31 Oct 20265* 0 Phylum Press Quarterly Journal [Phylum Press] Theme: Avocado 31 Oct 20265* 4 Reckoning Has Restrictions Theme: Environmental justice flash fiction 31 Oct 20265* 3 Ricepaper Magazine Theme: Beyond the Hyphen 31 Oct 20265* 0 Sapling Lit FLEDGLING Theme: Environmental Advocacy 01 Sep 202631 Oct 20265* 0 shoegaze literary Theme: Reality Bites Back 31 Oct 20265* 0 Sweet Cute Magazine FLEDGLING Theme: Holiday Stories 15 Oct 202631 Oct 20265* 0 Troublemaker Firestarter Theme: Forever 01 Sep 202631 Oct 20265.5 0 Dark Moments Drabble Monthly Challenge [Dark Moments] Added in the past 7 days Theme: Decades 01 Oct 202631 Oct 20265.8 2 Christmas of the Dead Anthology Series [Wicked Shadow Press] Theme: Christmas Horror 01 Nov 20266* 1 Flame Tree Publishing Beyond & Within Anthology Series [Flame Tree Publishing] Theme: Mythos & Meaning: Human Accounts of Beastly Encounters 01 Nov 20266* 6 Liars' League Theme: Christmas: Grit & Glitter 01 Nov 20266.3 6 The First Line [Blue Cubicle Press] Theme: First line: "Lawrence was the last to arrive." 01 Nov 20266* 5 Santa Fe Literary Review Theme: Connection: Networks, Relationships, and Alienation 15 Jul 202601 Nov 20266* 4 Syncopation Literary Journal Theme: Women in Music 01 Nov 20266* 0 Tendon Magazine [Johns Hopkins Center for Medical Humanities and Social Medicine] Theme: Witness 01 Nov 20266* 0 THEMA Theme: Sent by Mistake 01 Nov 20266* 5 The Words Faire Quarterly [The Words Faire Press] Theme: Incertitude 01 Nov 20266* 0 Bloodletter Magazine Charges fees for some submissions Theme: Omen 03 Nov 20268.7 1 foofaraw Updated in the past 7 days Theme: Monstrously Massive March- reprints only 08 Nov 202613* 4 Hot Flash Literary Theme: Burning the candle at both ends 01 Oct 202612 Nov 202617* 1 Raconteur Press Anthology Series [Raconteur Press] Theme: Deep Blue 12 Nov 202617* 1 The Toe Rag Theme: Signs & Symbols 26 Oct 202613 Nov 202618* 0 The Chimes Theme: The Labyrinth of Suffering 13 Nov 202618* 3 PHIL LIT Journal [PHIL LIT] Theme: Impressions & Inheritance 01 Sep 202613 Nov 202618* 0 Dorveille Literary Magazine FLEDGLING Theme: Eternal 15 Nov 202619* 1 Apofenie Magazine Theme: Absence 15 Nov 202620* 0 Fiction Potluck Contest [The Writer's Workout] Theme: A Special Place 01 Oct 202615 Nov 202620.3 0 Flame Tree Publishing Beyond & Within Anthology Series [Flame Tree Publishing] Theme: Art is Horror 15 Nov 202620* 6 Litro Magazine Theme: Breaking Borders II 15 Nov 202620* 0 Alaska Women Speak Theme: Narrowing Runway of Winter 15 Nov 202620* 0 Anomaly Poetry Rituals & Tidings Anthology Series [Anomaly Poetry] Theme: Tidings 01 Sep 202615 Nov 202620* 1 Boudin [The McNeese Review] Added in the past 7 days Theme: Hope/solar/punk 15 Nov 202620* 0 Hushmarrow Press FLEDGLING Theme: What we hide, what we lose, what we refuse to confront, and what refuses to stay buried 15 Nov 202620.5 2 My Galvanized Friend Theme: The Immoral of the Story 01 Jul 202615 Nov 202620* 1 Phosphorescent Lit Theme: Fever 15 Nov 202620.5 0 Sinister Wisdom Added in the past 7 days Theme: On Our Backs 15 Nov 202620* 0 Timeless Reflections Anthology [Diamante Lavender Blog] Theme: The Depths of Desire 15 Nov 202620* 1 Ugly People Literary Magazine FLEDGLING Theme: Body 01 Sep 202615 Nov 202620* 2 Empyrean Literary Magazine Theme: Annihilation 15 Nov 202620.6 0 Agita Magazine [Agita Publishing] Theme: Ekphrasis 18 Nov 202623* 3 The Markaz Review Theme: Mis/Translation 20 Nov 202625.3 0 WayWords Literary Journal [The Writer's Workout] Theme: City 01 Oct 202620 Nov 202625.3 1 Emerald City Ghosts Theme: Christmas Ghost Stories 20 Nov 202625* 2 Rosetta Literary Added in the past 7 days Theme: Constellation 20 Nov 202625* 0 Sinking City Theme: Re-Imaginings 20 Nov 202625.5 0 Moonflake Press Online [Moonflake Press] Theme: After Midnight 25 Nov 202630* 0 Agita Magazine [Agita Publishing] Limited Demographic Theme: Ehphrasis- submissions restricted to LGBTQIA+, disabled, or BIPOC authors 17 Oct 202625 Nov 202630* 2 Quotidian Bagatelle [foofaraw Press] Added in the past 7 days Has Restrictions Theme: Drabbles relating to events in 2026 15 Oct 202625 Nov 202630* 2 Pure Slush Great Cities Anthology Series [Pure Slush] Theme: Rome 01 Oct 202630 Nov 202634* 1 123 * An asterisk indicates that we do not know the time/zone for the deadline, so we cannot be precise. The actual deadline could be up to a day before or after that date in your time zone. We recommend submitting early to avoid disappointment. indicates the theme/deadline was added in the past 7 days, while indicates it was updated in the past 7 days. indicates a theme. indicates a limited demographic. indicates other restrictions may apply. Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy. Accept All Cookies Allow Essential Cookies Only