Come see us at AWP in Baltimore, March 5-7, Table 431!
Fiction submissions are currently closed.
We are always open for visual art submissions.
FICTION
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What to submit
Weird Lit Magazine seeks short stories under 3000 words or up to three flash pieces under 1000 words each in the following styles and moods:
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​​Absurdist, ambiguous, avant-garde, bleak, dark, deadpan, existential, experimental, grotesque, hopeful, horror, humorous, literary, magical realism, noir, psychological, slipstream, speculative, supernatural, weird
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​We want stories with a strong voice and we encourage non-realist narratives and settings.
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​What not to submit
- Erotica, fanfic, shallow revenge stories, rewritten fairy tales and fables, swords-and-boards fantasy, hard sci-fi, YA, AI-generated or AI-assisted prose, graphic depictions of rape, or anything involving established IPs, e.g. Disney characters
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- ​Previously published works, including self-published
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- Stories we have rejected
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- More than one submission per reading period (a submission consists of one short story or up to three flash pieces)
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Submission Guidelines
Submit your best work in a .docx or .odt format.
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Include the word count of your story at the top of the document.
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We intentionally read all submissions blind. Do not include any identifying information on your piece(s), e.g. name, address, etc.
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If you are submitting more than one flash story to us, please upload them as separate files.
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Submissions that do not adhere to our formatting requirements or that include identifying information will be rejected unread.
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Simultaneous submissions
Simultaneous submissions are fine, just let us know as soon as possible through our contact form if your piece has been selected for publication elsewhere.
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​Money
Weird Lit Magazine is not currently a paying market, but we aim to be someday!
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Awards
We nominate works we publish for several awards, including Best of the Net, Best Small Fictions, The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers, and the Pushcart Prize.
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Congratulations to Chris Scott for winning a 2025 Best Small Fictions award for his story in our Summer 2024 issue, "Teddy Bear Pancake."
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Publishing rights
In the event we publish your work, you grant Weird Lit Magazine exclusive electronic rights for three months and non-exclusive rights indefinitely so we can include it in our online archives.
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Response Rate
We aim to respond to all submissions within 40 days of receipt. If you haven't heard from us by then, please reach out via our contact form.
VISUAL ART
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What to submit
Weird Lit Magazine seeks visual art and photography submissions. Please send up to three high-res, quality .jpgs or .pngs of weird work to weirdlitmagart@gmail.com along with titles for each piece and the media or materials used.
​What not to submit
We are not interested in work created in any part with the assistance of AI tools or imagery—we want wholehearted, wild creativity and artistic, human framing.
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Money
Weird Lit Magazine is not currently a paying market. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to consider sharing your work!
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Publishing rights
Previously published, posted, or distributed pieces are acceptable as long as the artist still owns the copyright to the work. All pieces will be published in an online-only format alongside a byline according to our editorial selection for the issue.​​
