Ever wonder how some literary magazines get listed on industry rankings like Krouse, Brecht, or Garstang? It’s pretty simple: Win prizes.
What are prizes? In indie lit, prizes are placements in prestigious anthologies. No, we don’t know why they are called prizes either, or awards. Leave it to lit folks to call placement in an anthology an “award.”
So, if you want to increase your ranking and exposure in indie lit, which prizes are important? Well, here is a list. They all have different deadlines and ways to submit. They’re all run by different organizations. Bad news, they are mostly North American. Good news, they are mostly free to submit/nominate.
1. Pushcart Prize
Key insight: Most prestigious small press award. Include your strongest pieces regardless of length. Winners receive a significant career boost.
Deadline: December 1 → Cost: Free → What to submit: Up to six pieces total (any combination of poetry, fiction, nonfiction) → How to submit: Mail nominations with a cover letter to Pushcart Press, P.O. Box 380, Wainscott, NY 11975
2. Best of the Net
Key insight: Essential for online-only or hybrid magazines. Must provide both URL and full-text document.
Deadline: September 30 → Cost: Free → What to submit: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art published online between July 1 (previous year) and June 30 (current year) → How to submit: Via online form at bestofthenetanthology.com
3. O. Henry Prize Stories
Key insight: Don't indicate your favorites. Instead, include all of the strong stories you’ve published throughout the year.
Deadline: Rolling (stories considered September 1 to August 31) → Cost: Free → What to submit: Short stories published in print or online → How to submit: Email PDFs to ohenryprize@gmail.com, labeled with publication name and date
4. Best American Series
Key insight: Editors submit directly; no author submissions. Having stories selected is career-defining.
Deadline: December 31 → Cost: Free → What to submit: Short stories, essays, mystery and suspense, food and travel writing, science fiction and fantasy, and best science and nature writing → How to submit: Everything you need to know is laid out in this PDF
5. Best Microfiction
Key insight: The premier anthology for micro work. Regular inclusion establishes your venue as top-tier for flash.
Deadline: November 2 to December 15th → Cost: Free → What to submit: Up to five stories of 400 words or fewer → How to submit: Via Best Microfiction’s Submittable during submission window
6. Best Small Fictions
Key insight: Accepts longer flash than Best Microfiction. Can submit as Word docs, PDFs, or links.
Deadline: Opens November 15 for pieces published in the current calendar year → Cost: Free → What to submit: Five best pieces under 1,000 words (flash fiction, prose poems, haibun) → How to submit: Via submission link at altcurrentpress.com during open period
Bonus: CLMP Firecracker Awards
Key insight: Celebrates the best of independently published literature. Winning magazines receive $1,000 plus a publicity campaign.
Deadline: September 15 to November 14 → Cost: $65 for the first submission ($55 for CLMP members), $45 for each additional submission → What to submit: Categories include General Excellence (2+ years publishing) and Best Debut (launched within 2 years) → How to submit: Via CLMP’s Submittable, with up to 3 issues from the current year
Selfishness aside, placing a piece in any of these anthologies does a lot for the writer’s career. Since there is no fee associated with most of them, there is no reason not to submit.
If you’re outside of the United States and are having issues snail mailing your Pushcart nominations, please email hello@chillsubs.com. We’ll help you out.
Benjamin Davis
Benjamin has stories and poems in 25+ literary journals like Booth, Wigleaf, and Moon City Review. His book of poems, The King of FU (2018), was such a smashing success it shocked the indie press who printed it into an early grave. He is now working on his first six novels.