Submission Guidelines

Logistics
  • Submission Windows/Deadlines: Will be announced on this page and via social media when opened
  • Fees:$20
    • A limited number of submission fee waivers are available for those experiencing financial precarity. If you believe you qualify for fee-free submission, contact us at subito@colorado.edu.
  • Platform: TBD
  • Formatting: Submitted manuscripts should be formatted in size 12, double-spaced, serif-font. An exception: if significant portions of the manuscript utilize non-traditional formatting — are, for instance, lineated — submission in whatever form is most representative of the final, published form is encouraged.
    • No images, please
  • Previously Published Work: Manuscripts that have been previously published in whole – either in print or online – will not be considered. This includes self-publication. So long as the complete work has not appeared in a single venue, publication of chapters/selections/elements of the manuscript will not disqualify a manuscript from consideration.
  • Simultaneous Submissions: Accepted, but we ask that you notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted for publication somewhere else.
  • Eligibility: Anyone with a close working relationship with the contest judge at present or within the previous five years should not submit. No past or present paid employee of the University of Colorado nor any current faculty or student at the University of Colorado are eligible. Those who have participated in a single, week-long workshop with the judge remain eligible. If you have additional questions about eligibility, contact us at subito@colorado.edu.

Subito Press is seeking a novella-length work of horror fiction for publication as a perfect-bound text in 2026. Traditional narrative forms and experimental/hybrid modes are welcome.

All submitted manuscripts will be carefully read and ranked by a team of student editors. The winner of the competition will be selected by Stephen Graham Jones. A prize of 1000 dollars and 20 author copies will be awarded to the winner.

  • Judge: Stephen Graham Jones
  • Deadline: September 30, 2025
  • Word Count: 20,000-39,999 words
  • See "Logistics" for formatting considerations, etc.
  • For more detailed information, please see the announcement page: Stephen Graham Jones Horror Novella Competition
  • Include with manuscript a brief cover letter, a short bio, and a list of acknowledgements of past publications.

Jenny Drai selected as winner of 2026 Subito Innovative Writing Contest for Bewildered Physical Spaces, coming soon.

  • Judge: Rajiv Mohabir
  • Deadline: January 31, 2026
  • See "Logistics" for formatting considerations, etc.
  • For detailed information, please see the announcement page: Subito Innovative Writing Contest.