Taking Submissions: The Submission Pit May 2026 Window

The Submission Pit is open for speculative fiction submissions through May 31, 2026, offering one winning science fiction, fantasy, or horror story a $100 prize plus 50% of subscriber revenue for the month. Stories between 6,000 and 10,000 words are eligible.

About This Submission Call

The Submission Pit is a speculative fiction Substack created to offer stronger pay opportunities for short fiction writers. Each month, one winning story is selected for publication and receives both a cash prize and a share of subscriber revenue. The publication is seeking science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories with strong storytelling and originality, while avoiding excessive gore or hateful content unless essential to the narrative. Reprints are accepted if the author still controls the rights.

Submission Guidelines

As an aspiring speculative fiction writer myself, I got tired of seeing digital magazines offering such small amounts for short stories, shocked that most than half of them were less than a hundred dollars on a flat-rate basis. $25, $10, even $5 in some cases. Selling your short fiction isn’t easy, and knowing there are thousands of aspiring speculative writers out there like me didn’t help either, so instead of wallowing in rejection and working tirelessly on my own work I decided to do something about it.

And thus ‘The Submission Pit’ was born.

Similar to The Short Story Substack (which I highly recommend any aspiring writer joining, click here), I’m offering $100 a month to the best speculative story (sci-fi, fantasy, horror) submitted every month.

Why am I doing this?

As a publisher of trade magazines I know first-hand the time and effort that goes into producing a physical publication. Similarly, as an aspiring writer I know that a pblockion for writing will only get you so far and the submission process to get published can at times seem daunting.

While much of the magazine landscape has shifted over the years due to the rise of digital platforms, Substack seemed a natural fit to create a publication that was digital, could reach a large audience, and satisfy my desire to be a fiction editor as while still write in my spare time.

So I had two options, I could continuously sending short stories into the ether in the hopes of getting published (which I still do vociferously) or offer other aspiring writers the opportunity to showcase their work in the hopes of furthering their careers (and get paid for it in the process).

What does the timeline look like?

Submit stories by the end of the month to the address below, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout.

Where do I send submissions?

[email protected]

What are the rules for submitting?

1. No Fees

2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form

3. Only speculative fiction will be accepted (science fiction, fantasy, and horror).

4. 6 – 10,000 words

5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

6. Acknowledge Distribution Rights on this Substack – You can still sell your story elsewhere but we need to be able to save and publish it here. The goal is to create a library for subscribers.

7. Excessive racist, ***ist, and/or homophobic content will not be tolerated as well as any stories involving excessive gore, violence, or abuse of minors unless it’s 100% germane to the story.

8. One story per author can be submitted for each reading period.

What do I get for subscribing?

At this point subscribers supporting the Substack will go to support fellow aspiring writers. 50% of the paid subscribers for each month will go to the winning author/story, in addition to the prize of $100.

Anything Else?

Yes! Analytics will be published monthly in terms of subscribers, the number of submissions, and anything else that might be relevant. There is also the option to sign up for FREE emails.

More Submission Opportunities

Looking for more speculative fiction submission opportunities?
Browse more speculative fiction submission calls.

Submission FAQ

When is the submission deadline?

The May 2026 submission window closes on May 31, 2026.

What genres are accepted?

The Submission Pit accepts speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

What is the word count limit?

Stories must be between 6,000 and 10,000 words.

How much does the publication pay?

The winning story receives: $100 USD, 50% of paid subscriber revenue for the month

Are reprints allowed?

Yes. Reprints are accepted as long as the author still retains the rights to distribute the story.

Via: Publication details here.