Listed below are our current open calls. We are open for our chapbook contests from March to May, our open reading period for full-length poetry manuscripts from June to August, our broadside contest from September to November, and our open reading period for prose manuscripts from December to February. Our residency applications are open year-round. Other calls will be published here as they open.
Sundress Publications Opens Submissions for 15th Annual E-Chapbook Competition
Deadline: May 31, 2026
Sundress Publications announces its 15th annual e-chapbook contest. Authors of all genres to submit manuscripts during our reading period from March 1st to May 31st, 2026.
We welcome submissions in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid work, as well as visual poetry, poetry comics, and visual hybrid works. Manuscripts must be between twelve to twenty-six (12-26) pages in length, with a page break between individual pieces. Previously published individual pieces are allowed as long as they have not appeared in a full-length collection, including self-published books. Both single-author and collaborative dual-author manuscripts will be considered. Submissions must be primarily in English; translations are not eligible. We do not consider AI-generated or AI-assisted writing or art.
All of our chapbooks are available for free digital download on our website, ensuring wide accessibility and readership. Sundress e-chapbooks typically average over 1,000 downloads, with authors receiving a full promotional packet and extensive social media coverage. Please note that print publication is not an option.
From March 1-14th, submissions to this contest are free for one manuscript per writer. Beginning March 15th, the entry fee is $10 per manuscript, though this fee will be waived for writers of color and entrants who purchase or pre-order any Sundress title. Authors may submit multiple manuscripts, provided each is accompanied by a separate reading fee or book purchase/pre-order. Fees and purchases may be processed through our store.
The winner will receive $250 and publication as a full-color PDF available exclusively online. The editor’s choice selection will receive $150 and publication, and runners-up may also be considered for publication.
All manuscripts should include a cover page (title only), table of contents, dedication (if applicable), and acknowledgments for previous publications. These pages will not count toward the total page count. Manuscripts must not contain identifying information. Authors with close relationships to the judge (friends, relatives, colleagues, past or present students) are discouraged from entering.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but authors must notify Sundress immediately if a manuscript is accepted elsewhere. No revisions are permitted during the judging period. Winners will be announced in Fall 2026.
This year’s contest will be judged by Paige Quiñones. Quiñones is the author of The Best Prey (Pleiades Press, 2021), winner of the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Prize and finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Poetry. She has received awards and fellowships from the Academy of American Poets and Inprint Houston. Her work has appeared in Best New Poets, Copper Nickel, Juked, Orion Magazine, Poetry Northwest, Sixth Finch, Washington Square Review, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the Ohio State University and a PhD in literature and creative writing from the University of Houston. She currently lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where she leads online poetry workshops.
Sundress Reads Looking for Recently Published Books to Review
Deadline: Rolling
As part of Sundress’ Publications’ ongoing commitment to service and the importance of highlighting work from other small presses, we are now accepting submissions for consideration for inclusion in our review series, Sundress Reads. We’re looking to feature reviews for any books published or to be published in 2023 or 2024.
We at Sundress champion writers whose work highlights human resilience and challenges misconceptions. We will not consider reviewing any book that promotes actions or includes language that contribute to oppression. Books by authors from LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodivergent, disabled, immigrant, incarcerated, and otherwise marginalized communities are encouraged to submit. Recent titles we’ve reviewed include Alicia Mountain’s Four in Hand (BOA Editions), Teow Lim Goh’s Faraway Places (Diode Editions), and Noreen Ocampo’s Not Flowers (Variant Literature).
Authors or publishers of books published within this date range are invited to submit books, chapbooks, or anthologies in any genre for consideration by our reviewers who are standing by. Books must be published by independent presses, university presses, or small presses; we do not accept submissions from “the Big 5” or self-published collections. Submissions will be considered on a rolling basis.