MAYDAY A project of New American Press (see other related projects). About This is a distress call—orange smoke in the darkness, an upside-down flag at sea.MAYDAY wants your voice, urgency, and excitement to reveal new ways of knowing and being. We seek the kind of work that can trek out into the cold dark and light a flare for us. We hear the call and offer our response.First published by New American Press in 2009 and relaunched with an expanded editorial staff in 2020, MAYDAY publishes contemporary poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translations, cultural commentary, and visual art from creators working in English or in translation anywhere in the world.MAYDAY aims to be a home for marginalized and underrepresented voices, a beacon of plurality, craftsmanship, and literary excellence. We want culture journalism that cultivates authenticity, curiosity, and compassion; we want innovative fiction that trusts the reader; creative nonfiction with an experiential arc; subversive poetry that engages critically with the world; translations that move in the liminal space between borders. We want to be surprised. We want weird stuff.MAYDAY nominates for The Best of the Net, the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize, and the Pushcart Prize. Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for some submissions. They charge fees for written work, except for some submission periods. The fee is USD $3 (average for magazines that charge). Country of Publication & Year Established United States Established in 2009 Publication Medium & Frequency Electronic Publication Electronic PublicationUnknown publication frequency AI Policy Unknown AI policy Statistics Synopsis Regular Speed MAYDAY's overall average response time is within a normal range for magazines. More ChallengingMAYDAY's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines. Less ResponsiveMAYDAY's overall rate of non-response is higher than most magazines. Collapse section Fiction Open Thanks for considering MAYDAY as a home for your fiction. We are interested in original and engaging literary short fiction. We love innovative, strong writing that trusts the reader and is true to its author regardless of genre. We are committed to featuring a diverse range of content and authors, including LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and international voices.Dates: Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.Audience:Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.Genres: GeneralLengths: Flash Fiction: 300 - 1,000 words; Up to 3 pieces. Short Story: 1,000 - 3,000 words.Styles:Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.Topics: Open to all/most Topics including... Other: May vary.Payment:Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $20.Submissions:Method: Submittable submission manager. Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.Media: Text. Collapse section Nonfiction Open We seek personal, critical, and hybrid essays that move, engage, and transport us and our readers. We are sure to respond to many things, but a strong authorial voice, a clear thought or experiential arc grounded in a sense of place, and some connection with a writer’s risk in approaching their story are often most resonant.Dates: Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.Audience:Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.Lengths: Interview: No specific word count limits known. Review: 1,000 - 1,500 words. Essay: 600 - 6,000 words. Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 5,000 words.Styles:Open to all/most Styles, including: Critical, Literary, Personal.Topics: Open to all/most Topics including... Film/Television: Theory/Analysis/Criticism. Literature/Books: General, Theory/Analysis/Criticism. Politics/Political Science. Society/Culture: General, Social issues. Visual Arts: Theory/Analysis/Criticism. Other: May vary.Payment:Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $20-$50.Submissions:Method: Submittable submission manager. Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.Media: Text. Collapse section Poetry Open At MAYDAY, we want to publish poems that teach us their language and how to read them. We seek to cultivate a poetry section that moves readers through the expressive and fresh–the weird yet intentional. We value subversive poems that engage critically with the world, that are specific yet embrace the mess of complexity. We want poems that make us laugh, poems that make us cry, and those that manage both. We enjoy poems that invite readers to connect with their speakers, and leave us transformed by the poet’s voice. We want poems that engage in or break received forms and those that create new ones. We’d love to see poetry that uses space imaginatively, including projective, concrete, visual, erasure, and documentary forms, as well as forms we haven’t seen yet! Show us what a poem can be and do. Send us your best.Dates: Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.Audience:Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.Genres: GeneralLengths: Poem: No line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.Poetry Forms:Open to all/most Forms, including: Hybrid form.Styles:Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.Topics: Open to all/most Topics including... Other: May vary.Payment:Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $10.Submissions:Method: Submittable submission manager. Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.Media: Text. Collapse section Visual Art Open We endeavor to pair every piece of writing published on MAYDAY with original art by working artists. Accepted visual art will be featured at the top of a story, poem, translation, or essay that highlights or engages with the image. We’re particularly interested in work that is critical, experimental, inclusive, progressive, and/or represents an alternative to mainstream pieces. Artists of all perspectives, backgrounds, and voices are encouraged to submit. Otherwise, there are no particular requirements.Dates: Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.Audience:Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.Lengths: Artwork: Unknown number of pieces.Art Media: Open to all/most Art Media.Art Styles:Open to all/most Art Styles.Topics: Open to all/most Topics including... Other: May vary.Payment:Semi-pro payment (US$10-49 per piece) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $10.Submissions:Method: Duosuma submission manager. Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.Media: Image. Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary. Go to publication's website Report: Submission/Response Correction/Update New Cover ArtSocial:Facebook FacebookInstagram @newamerpress Support this Publisher: Buy Book(s) Make a Donation For the Editor(s): Request Interview Link to Duotrope MAYDAY Submission Statistics The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics. Filter: Category: All Categories Fiction Nonfiction Poetry Visual Art Group by submission Include outliers Include related projects Accuracy We have received 17 reports from 16 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information. Days Reported 3 min | 73.2 mean avg | 73.0 median | 349 max days (80.6 std dev) Responses 35.29 % Acceptances: 0.00 % No publication has a 0% acceptance rate. This data is based on submission reports sent to Duotrope, and we have not received reports of any acceptances yet. Rejections: 35.29 % (89.5 avg. days per rejection) | 16.7 % personal, 50.0 % form, 33.3 % unspecified Non-Responses 5.88 % Lost/Returned: - Never Responded: 5.88 % (141.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded) Withdrawals 58.82 % (52.5 avg. days per withdrawal) Pending 32 responses are pending (18 min | 216.4 mean avg | 128.0 median | 634 max days waiting | 523.9 std dev) from 27 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days Other Information The editors will try to make a decision within 90 days. (29.4 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 90 days.) Do not query on the status of your submission before 90 days have passed. The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00. (79.2 % of reports specified whether they paid a fee; of those, 34.2 % paid fees.) Submissions are acknowledged within 2 days on average. Most recent response reported was received on 03 Sep 2026. Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 13 Jun 2026. Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 08:50 UTC (24 minutes ago). View report of recent responses from this project Work submitted here was also submitted to...This section is available to subscribers only. Sign up and start your free trial today!Members accepted here also had work accepted by...This section is available to subscribers only. Become a member and start your free trial today! Your Submissions This section is available to subscribers only. Join today! Related ProjectsMAYDAY Creative Nonfiction Prize BELIEVED DEFUNCT Charges fees for all submissionsMAYDAY Poetry Micro-Chapbook Contest BELIEVED DEFUNCT Charges fees for all submissionsMAYDAY Short Fiction Prize BELIEVED DEFUNCT Charges fees for all submissionsNew American Fiction Prize Charges fees for all submissionsNew American Poetry Prize Charges fees for all submissionsNew Poetry from the Midwest BELIEVED DEFUNCT Charges fees for all submissionsNew Stories from the Midwest DNQ Charges fees for all submissions Before SubmittingWe cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.Be professional, patient, and persistent. DatesLast Updated: 13 Sep 2026We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year. 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