Literary Submissions open to Writers in September 2026
1 Cincinnati Review
The Cincinnati Review welcomes submissions from writers at any point in their careers. They open for submissions in September, December, and May. Those reading periods will open on the first day of the month and close once they hit the submissions cap for that period. Current and former students, faculty, and staff of the University of Cincinnati or their families are ineligible to submit unless they are more than two years removed from their affiliation with the university. They accept poetry, prose, and miCRo submissions. They pay $25/page for prose and $30/page for poetry in the print journal and $25 for miCRo posts or special features.
Deadline: Opens September 1, and closes once the cap reaches.
https://cincinnatireview.submittable.com/submit
2 Okay Donkey
Okay Donkey is a literary magazine that likes to read the odd, the off-kilter, and the just plain weird. “We like work that’s funny, that’s sad, and that’s both funny and sad. We especially enjoy the experimental, the surreal, the magical realist, and the genre-bending. Do you like slipstream? Cool! We like it too.” They publish one new piece every Friday, alternating between flash fiction and poetry, but they do NOT publish flash nonfiction. Writers can either send one piece of fiction or one batch of micros or one poem per author, per submission period. They pay contributors a $25 honorarium for each flash fiction or poem that are published on the site.
Deadline: Opens September 1, and stays open until they hit their submissions cap.
https://okaydonkeymag.submittable.com/submit
3 Shenandoah
“Our editors love writing that stretches their imaginations and ways of thinking, surprises, makes them laugh, moves them, is formally interesting or challenging, defies genre, explores the confusing or uncomfortable, introduces them to new writers, thinks globally, has a distinctive voice, cares about the world, and does not assume white people are literature’s default characters.” They are currently accepting fiction submissions for the month of September. Poetry submission hasn’t been announced yet. “We pay all of our contributors as much as our budget allows. Payment details will be explained when your work is accepted.”
Deadline: Opens September 10 with no specific deadline.
http://shenandoah.submittable.com/submit
4 Fifth Wheel Press
Fifth wheel press is accepting submissions for its digital anthology, livewire, which will be published in October 2026. They want writers to deal with any of the following topics: electricity, currents, circuits, grounding, sparks, the electrical grid, wiring, electromagnetics, high voltage blackouts, wattage, conductivity or lack thereof, static electricity, and so much more. To understand what they mean, they advise writers to visit their website to read previous issues. “For this call, we are looking primarily for poetry, prose poetry, short prose (<1500 words), and other experimental writing by queer, trans, and gender variant writers. Visual components and hybrid formats are welcome, but we are not looking for artwork that is not connected to writing in some way at this time.” They pay $5 per piece.
Deadline: September 5.
https://fifthwheelpress.subfolios.com/submit
5 Philly Chapbook Review Submissions
They are now OPEN to submissions of original poetry and fiction. They welcome submissions of poem/story/essay excerpts from both chapbooks and full-length collections. But for this issue, they are looking for reviews and author features of forthcoming or recently published chapbooks (within the 12 months). They define a chapbook as having between 25-55 pages of content. They cover both poetry and prose chapbooks as of Issue 12. Submissions of original poetry and short fiction open for periods of a month and a half four times per year. “We pay a token fee of $10 to all contributors, because all writers deserve to be paid. We hope to increase our budget in the future, but it’s the best we can do for now.”
Deadline: September 15
https://phillychapbookreview.org/submissions/
6 Metphrastics Submissions
They are looking for poetry focusing on Wounds, responding to works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection and special exhibits “This can be a literal or abstract wound depicted in a painting, a “wounded” or damaged work of art itself, kintsugi and other artistic repairs of “wounds,” weapons that have caused wounds, having your heart broken in the Egyptian Wing, or any other way you’d like to interpret this prompt.” They pay $10 per poem.
Deadline: September 15, 2026.
https://www.metphrastics.com/submit
7 Constellations of Becoming: Queer Futures and Other Worlds
This is a magazine of queer topics. They have two themes for this submission window:
Noncorporeal: they are searching for the spooky stories. This is not horror, though there may be suspense and even a dash of horror. A spooky, haunting, incorporeal element is certainly expected. Humor and mystery beats are welcome.
Incorporeal – At least one paranormal entity must be not composed of matter; having no material existence.
“There is no restriction as to how you incorporate the theme into your story. However, we’ll be seriously impressed if you can work within Sci-Fi or Fantasy, but they won’t be the bulk of the accepted submissions. We encourage you to weave the theme into an engaging story with well-developed characters and deep emotion. Suspense and thrillers are encouraged over horror for this anthology, but a great horror story may rise to the top. Stories that contain infanticide, rape, or gratuitous gore will not be accepted.”
Only fiction is accepted. The word limit is 2000 to 6000 words. Each accepted story receives $10 and a D2D royalty share from the sales on the D2D platform and a percent of the Kickstarter. This does not include: wholesale to authors; or non-D2D retail outlets. Links will be available to direct your customers to D2D outlets.
Deadline: November 30
8 The Green Sheaf
For their Fall 2026 issue, they are seeking flash fiction and poetry that feature The Crone in all her glory, from female-identifying & gender fluid writers who are 50 and over. They want the author to imagine their own version of the Crone: Is she the fierce Morrigan, or is she the Cailleach? Is she the elder Hecate, or is she the Baba Yaga? Is she Grandmother Spider, or Nana Buluku? Has she given out her last fuck, or has she settled gently into a well-deserved rest? Or, maybe a little bit of both? Whoever she is, please make this your own. They accept 500 word limit for flash fiction and no more than 50 lines. Chosen submissions will receive a flat payment of $50 and the author must be able to receive payment via Paypal.
Deadline: September 18
https://www.thegreensheaf.com/submit
9 The 2nd Edition Dr. Awele Ilusanmi Short Story Competition, 2026
This competition is open to both African and foreign writers. To be eligible, authors must join their WhatsApp group to stay. Only fiction between 2,000-3,000 words, written in English are accepted. AI-generated entries are strictly prohibited. Entry in times New Roman, 12 pt, double-spaced, should be submitted as a Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) attachment. Include full name and phone number on the first page. Submissions are accepted through this mail: authorshub22contest@gmail.com. The subject should be: Dr. Awele Ilusanmi Short Story Competition 2026 – Entry. The winner receives N200,000.
Deadline: October 30
Join the group below:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/JuVYvBSLB5NAG5Bz3FhynC?s=cl&p=a&ilr=1
10 CHINUA ACHEBE PRIZE FOR LITERATURE 2026
The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) announces the Chinua Achebe Prize for Literature 2026, an annual prize recognising excellence and outstanding achievement in Nigerian fiction. Nigerian writers at home and abroad are invited to submit published novels for consideration. Works must have been published in 2025 or 2026. Manuscripts are not eligible, only published novels. Ten copies of it, alongside, proof of Nigerian citizenship; a covering letter stating the prize being entered for; author’s email address, telephone number and postal address; publisher’s details, publication year and ISBN must be submitted. There is no fee for submission.
An author may submit only one title. Works previously entered for the prize are not eligible. Entries must be original and must comply with Nigerian copyright laws. Authors and publishers are responsible for any copyright infringement.
The winner will receive ₦1,000,000 (One Million Naira) and a plaque/certificate.
Submissions are to be made in person or by mail to this address:
The General Secretary
Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)
KM 2, Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village
Mpape, Abuja, Nigeria.
ANA will not be responsible for delays, loss or charges arising from postal/courier services.
