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 Academy for the Arts Open for Prose Manuscripts
Deadline: February 28, 2026
Sundress Publications is open for submissions of full-length prose manuscripts in all genres. All authors are welcome to submit manuscripts during our reading period, which runs from December 1, 2025 – February 28, 2026. Sundress is particularly interested in prose collections that value genre hybridization, especially speculative memoir; strange or fractured narratives; flash fiction; experimental work; or work with strong attention to lyricism and language. These collections may be short stories, novellas, essays, memoir, or a mixture thereof.
We are looking for manuscripts of 125-165 double-spaced pages of prose; front matter is not included toward the page count. Individual stories may have been previously published in anthologies, chapbooks, print journals, online journals, etc., but cannot have appeared in any full-length collection, including self-published collections. Manuscripts translated from another language will not be accepted. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but we ask that authors notify us immediately if their work has been accepted elsewhere.
The reading fee is $15 per manuscript, though the fee will be waived for all writers of color and entrants who purchase or pre-order any Sundress title. Authors may submit as many manuscripts as they would like, provided that each is accompanied by a separate reading fee or purchase/pre-order. Entrants can place book orders or pay submission fees in our store.
All manuscripts will be read by members of our editorial and reader board, and we will choose one manuscript for publication in 2026. We strive to further our commitment to inclusion and seek to encounter as many unique and important voices as possible. We are actively seeking collections from writers of color, trans and nonbinary writers, writers with disabilities, and others whose voices are under-represented in literary publishing. Selected manuscripts will be offered a standard publication contract, which includes 25 copies of the published book as well as any additional copies at cost.
To submit, send us a 20-35 page sample of the manuscript (DOC, DOCX, or PDF); the sample should include the author’s name and an acknowledgements page. The sample may include one story/essay or a number of shorter pieces. After our initial selection process, semi-finalists will be asked to send the full manuscript in the spring.
Submit your manuscript samples to us here.
Please note that we are unable to accept manuscripts from authors who reside outside of the USA as we are unable to adequately support books in international markets.
Any questions or concerns, as well as withdrawal notifications, can be sent to sundresscontest@gmail.com.
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.
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 Academy for the Arts Now Accepting Residency Applications for Fall 2026
Deadline: May 1, 2026
Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) is now accepting applications for short-term writing residencies in all genres—poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, journalism, academic writing, and more—for their fall residency period which runs from August 16th, 2026 to January 2nd, 2027. These residencies are intended to provide writers with the time and space they need to finish their creative ideas in a peaceful environment.
Each farmhouse residency is $350/week, which includes a private room as well as access to our shared kitchen, bathroom, office, and living area, plus wireless internet. Writers Coop residencies are $175/week and include your own private dry cabin in addition to access to the farmhouse amenities.
Residents will stay at the SAFTA farmhouse, located on a working farm on a 45-acre wooded plot in a Tennessee “holler” perfect for hiking, camping, and nature walks. The farmhouse is a half-hour drive from Knoxville, a vibrant city with an engaged literary community. For writers seeking a rural retreat with urban amenities, SAFTA is ideal.
As part of our commitment to anti-racist work, we use a reparations payment model for our farmhouse residencies which consists of the following:
- 3 reparations weeks of equally divided payments for Black and/or Indigenous writers at $150/week
- 3 discounted weeks of equally divided payments for BIPOC writers at $250/week
- 6 equitable weeks of equally divided payments at $350/week
Black and/or Indigenous writers are also invited to apply for a $350 support grant to help cover the costs of food, travel, childcare, and/or any other needs while they are at the residency. We are currently able to offer two of these grants per residency period (spring/summer/fall). If you would like to donate to expand this funding, you may do so on our website.
For the 2026 Fall Residency period, SAFTA will be offering the following fellowships:
- Fellowship for Black & Indigenous Writers: one full fellowship for Black and/or Indigenous identifying writers
- Smokelong Quarterly Fellowship for Trans Writers: one full fellowship for a trans writer
The application deadline for the fall residency period is May 1st, 2026. Find out more about the application process here.
For those applying for one of our fall fellowships and will need financial aid in order to attend, the application fee has been waived. All other application fees will go towards funding travel grants for Black and/or Indigenous identifying writers. Application fees are also waived for the month of February!
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.