Welcome to February, dear you. In this article, I’ve rounded up the top creative writing opportunities; grants, competitions, some gigs, and magazine calls. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back often (because new calls may pop up later in the month). And if you spot an opportunity that’s missing from the list, send it my way; let’s keep this list growing! Let’s make February 2025 our month of writing wins!
Call for Submissions By Categories
OPEN TO ALL WRITERS (WORLDWIDE)
These are poetry, prose, and playwriting opportunities for writers without restrictions based on location, demographics, or other criteria.
Stone’s Throw (Rock and a Hard Place Press) is accepting noir, crime, and dark fiction (1,000–2,000 words) for its monthly online publication, paying $25 per accepted story (deadline: February 4, 2025).
Sci Phi Journal is open for short fiction submissions focused on hard SF, speculative philosophy, and fictional non-fiction, paying €0.03 per word & €0.01 for translations (deadline: February 5, 2025).
Write or Die Magazine is accepting free submissions for essays, fiction, and author interviews, a fee of $3 per submission for essays and fiction after the first week of the month; interviews have no fee. (deadline: February 8, 2025).
Unbias the News is seeking pitches on migration (European angle) and environment (global) stories, offering 500 euros per reportage and 250 euros for first-person narratives or opinion pieces. (deadline: February 9, 2025).
The Suburban Review is accepting fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, comics, and art for TSR #37: BOTTOM, paying up to $550 (deadline: February 9, 2025).
Writers’ & Artists’ Short Story Competition 2025 is accepting adult short stories (up to 2,000 words) on the theme of wonder for a chance to win an Arvon Residential Writing Week (worth £850) and have the story published on their site (deadline: February 14, 2025).
Stillhouse Press is accepting poetry collection submissions (royalty-based pay; deadline: February 14, 2025).
Claypso Magazine is accepting prose and poetry submissions for their next issue (deadline: February 15, 2025).
Wildscape Literary Journal is accepting poetry, flash fiction, flash creative nonfiction, and art submissions for their second issue (unpaid, deadline: February 15, 2025).
Psaltery & Lyre is open for submissions in all genres, accepting poetry, fiction, nonfiction, hybrid pieces, and book reviews with no payment (deadline: February 15, 2025).
Omnidawn is accepting submissions for its 2025 poetry contests, including a book contest (prize: $3,000) and a chapbook contest (prize: $1,000), with a deadline of February 16, 2025.
Humber Literary Review is seeking fiction, creative nonfiction, comics, and poetry for its Spring/Summer 2025 issue, paying $100 per piece (deadline: February 16, 2025).
Flash Fiction Online is accepting original flash fiction stories (500-1000 words) in various genres, with a payment of $80 per story (deadline: February 21, 2025).
Lunch Ticket is accepting submissions for the Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction, with a 3,500-word limit, and a prize of $250 (deadline: February for the Summer/Fall issue).
Lunch Ticket is hosting The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts, accepting translations and multilingual texts for publication, with a prize of $200 and publication in the upcoming issue (deadline: February 28, 2025).
Write or Flight is looking for contestants willing to write a memoir, with the winner receiving a publishing contract, a year of coaching, and a $10,000 advance (application deadline: February 28, 2025).
Yellow Arrow Journal is accepting creative nonfiction, poetry, and cover art submissions for the spring 2025 issue, “UNFURL,” with a $10 payment for selected works (deadline: February 28, 2025).
Livina Press is seeking poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction submissions for their themed issue on “Womanhood” (deadline: February 28, 2025, unpaid).
Autumn House Press is accepting fiction submissions for their Fiction Prize, offering $2,500, book publication, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant (deadline: February 28, 2025).
GRANT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES, AWARDS, AND CREATIVE WRITING FELLOWSHIPS
The Reuters Institute Journalist Fellowship Program is open to mid-career journalists with at least five years of experience, offering a fully-funded fellowship with a £2,000 monthly stipend (deadline: February 13, 2025).
The Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award is accepting applications for journalistic reporting projects, with the winner receiving a total of $12,500 (deadline: February 19, 2025).
The Leader of Africa Institute Grant Writing and Funding (GWF) Program 2025 is accepting applications from researchers, lecturers, graduate students, and social innovators worldwide for grant writing and funding mentorship (deadline: February 21, 2025).
Words Without Borders is offering the 2025 Momentum Grant for Early-Career Translators to assist with completing a sample translation of a book-length work (prize: $3,000, deadline: February 28, 2025).
The Tarbell AI Fellowship offers $50,000 and a 9-month placement at a major newsroom for early-career journalists interested in AI coverage (deadline: February 28, 2025).
Deborah Rogers Foundation is accepting applications for the 2025 DRF Writers Award, offering £10,000 to an unpublished writer demonstrating literary talent and needing financial support.
Tiny Spoon is accepting applications for its Tiny Residency, where selected writers will lead a virtual writing workshop and receive half of the sign-up funds (deadline: February 29, 2025).
WITH RESTRICTIONS
Opportunities for writers from specific regions, demographics, or themes.
Omenana Speculative Fiction Magazine is looking for speculative fiction, art, and non-fiction (essays and reviews) from African and African Diaspora artists and writers, offering $20 for each story published, with a submission deadline of February 20, 2025.
The X Page is hosting a storytelling workshop for women over 18 in the Waterloo region who came to Canada as refugees or immigrants, offering a $150 payment for published and performed stories (deadline: February 28, 2025).
Oriọna Magazine is seeking essays, fiction, poetry, one-act plays, book reviews, visual art, and photography from writers and artists of color on the theme “Home” (unpaid, deadline: February 28, 2025).
The Nigeria Review is accepting submissions for Issue 6, including critical essays, book reviews, and interviews across various genres (deadline: February 28, 2025).
The Tenth Annual Narrative High School Writing Contest is open to students in grades 9-12, accepting stories, essays, and poems based on the prompt “What I Cannot Say, I’ll Say Here” (deadline: February 5, 2025).
ENOUGH, a Rumpus series, is accepting personal essays, critical essays, poetry, comics, and hybrid work from women and non-binary writers on rape culture, sexual assault, and domestic violence (deadline: February 8, 2025).
Verge 2025 is seeking poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction, experimental or hybrid works, and artwork responding to the color blue from writers in Australia (deadline: February 9, 2025).
Emerging Writers’ Festival is accepting applications from writers, storytellers, and creatives for its 2025 festival holding September 11-18 (deadline: February 10, 2024).
The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition is open to writers born or living in Wales, offering a £1,000 first prize and publication in an anthology (deadline: February 14, 2025). Check their rules for free entry guidelines.
The 2025 CAAPP Book Prize is accepting submissions for a first or second book by a writer of African descent, in any genre intersecting with poetry (including hybrid work, speculative prose, and translation), with the winner receiving $3,000 and publication by Autumn House Press (deadline: February 15, 2025).
A Public Space is accepting applications for its 2025 Editorial Fellowship, a six-month paid program ($6,000) for aspiring editors in New York City (deadline: February 15, 2025).
The Veterans Writing Award is accepting unpublished full-length manuscripts (fiction or nonfiction) from U.S. veterans, active duty personnel, and their immediate family members, offering a $1,000 cash prize and a publication contract with Syracuse University Press (deadline: February 15, 2025).
The Island Prize is accepting submissions for a debut novel by African writers (aged 18 and over), with a word count between 35,000 to 100,000 words, with the winner receiving £500 and manuscript support (deadline: February 16, 2025).
Pfumo Collective is seeking non-fiction proposals from African writers for the CITIZEN anthology, offering a stipend and travel expenses for accepted writers.
The Nnaabagereka Nagginda Women’s Fund is hosting the Mental Health Essay Competition for Ugandan participants aged 8-23, with a chance to win up to UGX 3 million. (deadline: February 21, 2025).
The London Library Emerging Writers Programme is open to UK resident writers in all genres, offering free membership, masterclasses, networking, and publication in the cohort anthology (deadline: February 26, 2025).
Front Strike Press is hosting a contest on the theme “post-election emotional turmoil,” accepting poetry (up to 4 pieces), micro non/fiction (up to 4 pieces), flash non/fiction (up to 2 pieces), and visual art (up to 6 pieces), with prizes of $50 for the winner, $20 for short-listed works, and $10 for long-listed works (deadline: February 28, 2025).
The Little Tokyo Historical Society is hosting the Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest, seeking fictional stories set in Little Tokyo (up to 2,500 words in English or 5,000 ji in Japanese), with $500 prizes in each category (Youth, Japanese, and English) (deadline: February 28, 2025).
uHlanga is accepting poetry submissions from South African poets (or those living in South Africa), with no reading fee and successful submissions offered a standard contract (deadline: February 28, 2025).
Elegant Literature is accepting short story submissions (max 2,000 words) from new writers worldwide (except Quebec and Canada) on the theme “Loud Music & Dark Places,” offering a $3,000 grand prize, 10c per word for finalists, and publication (deadline: February 28, 2025).
The Chaucer Heritage Trust is accepting poetry and short story submissions from students (ages 5-18) for The Canterbury Tales Writing Competition 2024/25, with prizes up to £300 for winners and £1,000 for school libraries (deadline: February 28, 2025).
Fahmidan Publishing & Co. is accepting digital chapbook submissions from POC and women-identifying writers (deadline: February 28, 2025), offering a 30% royalty rate and a standard contract.
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Prize is open for submissions of books published in 2024 by South African authors or residents, awarding R75,000 for the Main Prize and R45,000 for the Debut Prize (deadline: February 28, 2025).
WRITING OPPORTUNITIES WITH MARCH 2025 DEADLINES
LSTW Magazine is accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and visual art for its 10th issue on the theme “Motion” (C$200 per piece, deadline: March 1, 2025).
The Steve Miller BSFS Annual Poetry Contest is accepting science fiction, fantasy, horror, or science-themed poems with a maximum of three entries per person (deadline: March 1, 2025). First prize: $100, second prize: $75, third prize: $50.
Intrepid Times is accepting narrative non-fiction travel stories (1,200–1,800 words) for its Pilgrimages – 2025 Travel Writing Competition, awarding a $300 prize (deadline: March 1, 2025).
Teach. Write. is accepting submissions of flash fiction (under 1,000 words), short fiction (1,000-5,000 words), poetry (up to 100 lines), creative non-fiction (up to 2,000 words), and writing inspired by prompts (up to 2,000 words or 100 lines of poetry), with honorariums of $15 for short stories and $10 for other categories (deadline: March 1, 2025).
The Woodward Review is accepting poetry, prose, hybrid, and digital media submissions with a $50 payment for contributors (deadline: March 1, 2025).
Table//FEAST Literary Magazine is accepting general submissions for poetry (max 5 poems, $10 each), prose (fiction or creative nonfiction, max 1 work, $20), and art (max 2 works, $15 each) for Issue Four (deadline: March 1, 2025).
SUSPECT Journal is accepting fiction, essays (up to 6,500 words), and poetry (up to 10 pages) from Asian authors on the theme “Eco-” with a payment of USD100 per accepted submission (deadline: March 1, 2025).
3 Mile Harbor Press is accepting poetry manuscripts for the 8th Annual Poetry Book Award, offering a $500 prize, publication as a perfect-bound edition, and 25 author copies (deadline: March 1, 2025).
Lọúnlọún is accepting fiction submissions from African writers (deadline: March 2, 2025), focusing on historical events shaping Africa, with no compensation for writers at the moment.
The Rumpus is hosting the inaugural Rumpus Prize, accepting submissions in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction with a $1,000 first-place prize and publication, plus $200 honorable mentions in each genre (deadline: March 2, 2025).
ROLLING SUBMISSIONS (NO DEADLINE SPECIFIED)
Witcraft is looking for witty, humorous, and absurd short fiction and poetry (200-1000 words), offering three monthly prizes for the best submissions (rolling submissions).
Who Let the Stories Out is accepting traditional narrative fiction (up to 2,000 words) but does not offer payment (submissions close after the first 100 entries each month).
The Sunlight Press is open for submissions of personal essays, reviews, artist reflections, and photography (fiction and poetry currently closed).
New Orleans Review accepts submissions in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and book reviews, offering an honorarium of $300 for prose and $100 for poetry (no fee for black writers throughout this month).
The Sick Times is accepting pitches for reported news stories and essays/commentary pieces, particularly from people with Long COVID and related diseases.
Rest of World is accepting story pitches related to global digital trends, with a focus on the EV revolution, Chinese tech influence, tech giants, and innovation in emerging markets.
Shenandoah is accepting fiction submissions (short stories and novel excerpts) for its December 2025 issue, and offering payment based on their budget.
Merganser Magazine is accepting submissions of fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry, with payment of $0.08 USD per word for prose and $1 USD per line for poetry.
The Dirty Spoon is accepting submissions for essays, interviews, and narrative nonfiction journalism about food and beverage culture, offering an honorarium of $25-$50 per piece.
Jewish Fiction is looking for Jewish-themed literary fiction (short stories or novel excerpts) between 1,500 and 6,000 words.
The New Quarterly is accepting fiction, poetry, and nonfiction submissions with a payment of $350 for fiction and nonfiction, $75 for poetry, plus a complimentary copy and contributor subscription rate (no deadline specified).
Flash Phantoms is looking for unpublished horror stories (up to 1,000 words) and micros (100 words) from writers worldwide (unpaid, but plans to pay in the future). They’ll give you a 24-hour response if you pay $5.
Scribeworth is accepting poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art for its quarterly publication (unpaid, rolling deadlines: Nov 30, Feb 28, May 31, Aug 31).
Bonus: Check out our full list of writing opportunities with rolling submissions here.
What are the best free writing contests for beginners?
Several contests in this list have no entry fees, and they are run by prestigious organizations.
P.S.: If you’ve ever won a writing contest/gotten published/any other opportunity via an opportunity shared on D’LitReview, please let me know!
P.P.S.: If you liked this list, kindly share it with others who would love to see it too. Thanks for reading!
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