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 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó nor any current faculty or student at the 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó 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.