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The Top 100: Most Challenging Fiction Publications

The following fiction publishers are among the Top 100 most challenging, according to responses reported by our users. (To qualify for this list, we must have received a minimum of 25 people reporting responses to fiction submissions, and at least one must have been an acceptance. "Fledgling" listings are not included.)
Note: The information on this page is updated once daily and may not reflect recent response reports or changes in status.
TitleGenresLengthsPaymentMedia
The Sun Magazine  Charges fees for all submissions  
Ploughshares  Charges fees for some submissions  to Provides copies  
AGNI  Charges fees for some submissions  to Provides copies  
Split Lip Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions  to  
West Branch  
Okay Donkey Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions  
Clarkesworld: Science Fiction & Fantasy Magazine (Wyrm Publishing)     
Autumn House Fiction Prize (Autumn House Press) Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  +
Pleiades: Literature in Context TEMP CLOSED  
The Drift: A Magazine of Culture and Politics  
Ninth Letter  Charges fees for some submissions   to Provides copies
The Masters Review New Voices  to
The Georgia Review  Charges fees for some submissions 
The Florida Review  Charges fees for all submissions  
The Missouri Review  Charges fees for some submissions   
Brilliant Flash Fiction  to  
The Dark Magazine (Prime Books) 
Booth  Charges fees for all submissions  to  
Strange Pilgrims TEMP CLOSED    to  
Slant Books  Charges fees for all submissions   +  
Redivider: A Journal for New Literature  Provides copies  
New Letters  Charges fees for all submissions  Provides copies
Augur Magazine TEMP CLOSED    
Bennington Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
Salt Hill Journal TEMP CLOSED  
Orion's Belt TEMP CLOSED  
Beneath Ceaseless Skies  
Wigleaf: (very) short fiction TEMP CLOSED
PodCastle (Escape Artists)  
Uncanny Magazine TEMP CLOSED     
Southern Indiana Review  Charges fees for all submissions    to Provides copies
Fusion Fragment  
The Cincinnati Review TEMP CLOSED  
Hayden's Ferry Review  Charges fees for all submissions  Provides copies  
The Adroit Journal TEMP CLOSED  to
Wallstrait: A Literary Journal of Hard-to-Define Fiction  Charges fees for some submissions   to
Sequestrum: Literature & Art  Charges fees for all submissions     to
Glossy Planet Literary Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions
Kenyon Review TEMP CLOSED   
Colorado Review  Charges fees for all submissions to
Brown Hound Press TEMP CLOSED   to
ShortStory Substack   to
The Penn Review  
Baltimore Review  to Provides copies  
The Apple Valley Review 
West Trade Review (Iron Oak Editions) Charges fees for all submissions  
Post Road Magazine  Charges fees for all submissions  
Intrepidus Ink      
The Rumen TEMP CLOSED 
Haven Speculative Magazine / Haven Spec 
F(r)iction (Brink Literacy Project) Charges fees for all submissions   to Provides copies
Propagule Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions    to
SmokeLong Quarterly  Charges fees for some submissions
swamp pink  Charges fees for all submissions  to
Black Warrior Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Must Read Books Publishing) TEMP CLOSED   
The Dublin Review
The Southampton Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to Provides copies  
Electric Spec    to
Southern Humanities Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED   to
Remains Magazine 
The Forge Literary Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions   to
EPOCH Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED   
Fabula Argentea: the venue of good writing   
Cold Caller Magazine  to
The Future Fire         to
Broad Ripple Review 
Translunar Travelers Lounge TEMP CLOSED  
Banshee: A Literary Journal (Banshee Press) TEMP CLOSED  Provides copies
Chestnut Review  Charges fees for all submissions  to  
Nightmare Magazine TEMP CLOSED  
Crab Apple Literary TEMP CLOSED  
Pseudopod (Escape Artists) TEMP CLOSED 
The Offing: A Literary Magazine to
Fraidy Cat Quarterly (Fraidy Cat Press) TEMP CLOSED     to  
Tahoma Literary Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
Strange Horizons: A Magazine of Speculative Fiction TEMP CLOSED    
Flash Frog
Potomac Review  Provides copies  
MENACE Magazine  MATURE     to
OTHERSIDE (Hybris Press) TEMP CLOSED    
Red Rock Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED Provides copies
Epiphany Magazine  Charges fees for all submissions  to
Orison Books TEMP CLOSED   +  
New Feathers Anthology TEMP CLOSED   to Provides copies  
Conjunctions  Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED   to  
Bourbon Penn    
Indiana Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to Provides copies
Fun in the Dark Anthology Series (Kilter & Rammel Publishing) TEMP CLOSED    to Provides copies  
Tabula Rasa Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to  
Ink In Thirds to  
The Southern Review (Louisiana State University Press) Charges fees for all submissions   to Provides copies
Reckoning: creative writing on environmental justice      
Failbetter    
Peatsmoke Journal  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
The Baffler 
Remember: The more people who report their response times to us, the more accurate our statistics are. Please report your responses to us!

Date compiled: Wednesday, November 4, 2026 6:50:30 AM UTC.

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