Spring Lit has Sprung
NewPages Newsletter #171 Featuring 62 Submission Opportunities & Upcoming Events
Happy Monday. Springing forward is such a difficult time to adjust to the older a person gets, I swear. Hopefully if you live in a state that observes daylight savings time, you did not forget to set your clocks ahead an hour. Aside from the time change feeling like you did indeed lose an entire hour of sleep, this week is looking good. Spring has sprung or at least the weather decided to give us sunshine and 50s and 60s. It is March in Michigan, though, so I do not discount more winter down the road.
March is already half over with by the end of the week, so you have our March eLitPak newsletter to look forward to Wednesday afternoon. Plus, spring is officially here in just one more week! Spring always brings with it new issues of literary magazines and more books. If you are young writer or are the parent of a young writer, NewPages Editor Denise Hill keeps a vetted list of publications and writing contests to help them in their budding writing careers.
Speaking of new issues of literary magazines, swing by the Magazine Stand to catch up with the latest releases. First, learn more about fledgling journal MoonLit Getaway. The journal shares new artwork, fiction, and poetry every two weeks open access online, with a print anthology released every September (aptly named Harvest Moon). There’s still time to catch the Winter 2025 issue of The 2River View which features new poems by Kristin Lueke, Lindsey Brown, Jenny Burkholder, Andrew Cox, and more.
Story Monsters Ink is a monthly literary resource for teachers, librarians, parents, and young readers. The February 2025 issue includes interviews with Amanda Gorman, David Shannon, regular columns, and more. Established in 2016 in Joshua Tree, CA by r soos, Cholla Needles celebrates its 100th Issue Anniversary this March 2025. The editors/writers featured in this issue include Cynthia Anderson, David Chorlton, Tobi Alfier, Juan Delgado, Miriam Sagan, Michael Dwayne Smith, Romaine Washington, John Brantingham, Cati Porter, and Bonnie Bostrom.
Come back to the Magazine Stand throughout the week to learn more about Under the Gum Tree’s Winer 2025 issue and The Tiger Moth Issue 13.
In book news, come to our Book Stand later this week to discover Notes by John Murphy and The Murmur of Everything Moving by Maureen Stanton. In the meantime, let our reviewers help you find your next great read. Jami Macarty reviews Lindsay Turner’s The Upstate. This is Turner’s second collection, and it locates the reader in the northwesternmost area of South Carolina. Macarty also reviews Heliotropia by Manahil Bandukwala which offers up poetry that “reaches for a beloved, for connection, for light.”
Meanwhile Eleanor J. Bader tackles (Re)Imagining Inclusions for Children of Color with Disabilities by Soyoung Park. The book is grounded in education professor Park’s direct observations of public, elementary level “special education” programs in California, New York, and Texas. Come back to the NewPages Blog tomorrow for a review of Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Uché Blackstock.
Inspiration
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” An idiom that is pretty obvious in its meaning. By trying to “fix” something, it may end up breaking something that wasn’t broken to begin with. On the flip side. . . sometimes something may be working, but is it really working well? It may not be “broken” but maybe it is inefficient, or you may be just unwilling to notice it is not working like it honestly should or needs to be working.
Have you had that moment in your life where you originally had that thought? Did you ever change your mind later as you learned more and saw more? Did this turn of phrase ever make you upset with the utterer? Why? What did you see as being “broken” or at least not working well that they were diehard that a good system was in place?
Calls, Contests, & More
Below is a small preview of this week’s 62 writing contests, calls for submissions, and literary and writing events.
National Baseball Poetry Festival Call for Submissions
Deadline: Noon, Friday, March 28, 2025
The National Baseball Poetry Festival invites submissions of poems that deal with any aspect of the gamesmanship, nature, and atmosphere of Baseball and/or Softball, for example: opening day, ballpark food, childhood memories, first pitch, athletic heroes, uniforms, ball parks, Little League, dugout chatter, the season of the game, etc. No restriction on form. Poets may submit one (1) poem for consideration, which should fit on a single page. The thematic views of baseball/softball and the game will be given wide interpretation by the judge(s). Submissions are free. For full submission guidelines, please visit our website.
Heron Tree Call for Submissions
Deadline: May 15, 2025
Until 15 May 2025, Heron Tree is accepting found poems composed from sources published in or before 1929. We are interested in any and all approaches to found poetry construction and erased or remixed texts. Accepted poems will be published weekly on the Heron Tree website starting later in 2025 and will be collected in a free, downloadable PDF volume. For detailed submission guidelines, visit us at our website. No fee, no payment.
The National Indie Excellence© Awards
Deadline: March 31, 2025
The National Indie Excellence© Awards (NIEA) are open to all English language printed books currently for sale including self-published authors, small to midsize independent publishers, and university presses. Now in our nineteenth year, NIEA is a proud champion of self and independent publishing and authors of all genres who produce books of excellence and distinction. Eligible books must have been published within the two calendar years prior to our deadline. Please visit our website for more information about our prizes, awards, and how to submit.
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee)
Deadline: April 1, 2025
Submit one humor poem up to 250 lines to win $2,000. Second prize: $500. Third prize: $250. 10 Honorable Mentions: $100 each. Top 13 poems published online. 24th annual contest sponsored by Winning Writers and co-sponsored by Duotrope. No fee to enter. Accepts published and unpublished work. Judge: Jendi Reiter, assisted by Lauren Singer. This contest is recommended by Reedsy. Learn more and submit at our website.
New American Voices Award for Immigrant Writers
Deadline: April 7, 2025
The $5,000 post-publication book prize from Fall for the Book and the Institute for Immigration Research recognizes prose works that illuminate the complexity of the human experience as told by immigrants. Two finalists each will receive $1,000. All finalists will appear at the Fall for the Book Festival in October 2025. $20 entry fee. This year’s Award is judged by Marie Myung-Ok Lee, Mary-Alice Daniel, and Brando Skyhorse. See website for more information.
2025 Prime Number Magazine Awards for Poetry and Short Fiction
Deadline: March 31, 2025
$1,000 first prize in each category plus publication. Two runners-up in each category receive $250 plus publication. Poetry judged by Molly Rice. Short Fiction judged by Dennis McFadden. Reading fee $15. Deadline March 31. Submit online through Submittable. Details at the website.
Submit to Ploughshares' Emerging Writer's Contest!
Deadline: May 15, 2025 at 12pm EST
The Emerging Writer's Contest is now open! Awarded in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry categories each year, Ploughshares’ Emerging Writer’s Contest recognizes works by writers who have yet to publish a book. Winners in each genre receive $2,000, a conversation with Aevitas Creative Management, and publication in Ploughshares. Submit your writing by May 15th at 12pm EST for the chance to be discovered!
2025 Tennessee Williams Contests: Poetry & Short Story
Deadline: March 9, 2025
The Tennessee Williams Museum invites poets and writers to submit original works to the annual Tennessee Williams Poetry and Short Story Writing Contests. Drawing from the 2025 Festival theme, writing contest entries must in some way reference Tennessee Williams’ seminal work A Streetcar Named Desire. Poets and authors should loosely make reference to the play whether it be Williams during the writing process, one of the play’s characters, or one of the actors/actresses who played a role in the film. First-place winners will be awarded a $300 prize while second-place winners will receive a $150 prize. Submissions must be received by midnight on March 9, 2025. More information and submissions at our website.
Extension for Cloudbank Contest
Extended Deadline: March 15, 2025
Cloudbank awards a $200 prize for one poem or flash fiction (500 words or less) in each issue. March 15, 2025 is the new deadline for Cloudbank 19 Contest submissions. Non-contest submissions are welcomed through April 15, 2025. Guidelines details—and more—at our website. Revive us with your fire!
Trio Award and Bogan Award Poetry Book Publication Contests: Win $1,000 and Publication
Deadline: March 31, 2025
Since 2012, Trio House Press has sponsored the Trio Award for a First or Second Book, and the Louise Bogan Award for Excellence in Poetry. Winners receive $1,000 and publication of their manuscript. This year's judges are Sierra DeMulder (Trio Award) and Randall Mann (Louise Bogan Award). Recent Trio House authors include Christian Gullette, Susan L. Leary, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, and Artress Bethany White. Our mission is to publish poetry and prose that moves, inspires, and encourages connection, empathy, and understanding. Check out the guidelines and submit your manuscript at our website.
Announcing the 2025 Perkoff Prize from the Missouri Review!
Deadline: March 15, 2025
The 5th Annual Perkoff Prize is now open for entries. The Perkoff is a tri-genre contest that awards $1000 and publication each to writers of the best story, set of poems, and essay that engage in evocative ways with health, wellness, and medicine as judged by the editors. Each entrant receives a 1-yr digital subscription to the Missouri Review and a digital edition of our latest anthology, Life Support: Stories of Health and Wellness. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: March 15. Read the full guidelines here.
Gutsy Great Novelist Chapter One Prize
Deadline: March 3, 2025 5PM ET
The Gutsy Great Novelist Chapter One Prize is awarded for an outstanding first chapter of an unpublished novel. First prize is $1,000; 2nd is $500; and 3rd is $250. The prize is open internationally to anyone over 18 writing a novel in English in any genre for adult or YA readers (fiction only). Winners will be announced March 31, 2025. See full guidelines at our website.
Emma Howell Rising Poet Prize
Deadline: April 1, 2025
The Emma Howell Rising Poet Prize winner receives $2,000 and publication by Willow Springs Books. Anyone’s first book by a poet under 35 is eligible. Manuscripts should be a minimum of 48 pages with a $25 entry fee. The deadline is April 1st. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Willow Springs Books, c/o Inland Northwest Center for Writers, 601 E Riverside Avenue, CAT Room 442, Spokane, WA 99202. Anish Nekkalapudi, Managing Editor.
Please note: only paying subscribers get access to all 62 submission opportunities! You can become a paying subscriber for only $5 a month and get early access to submission opportunities and events before they go live on our site.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to NewPages Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.