Top 5 Creative Writing Opportunities for this weekend (Aug. 14-16, 2025)

Sometimes all you need are a few quite days, a quiet cafe, and several cups of coffee to get your writing out into the world.

So, take this weekend to buckle-down and choose one (or more - or all!) of these writing opportunities, all due on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025!

1. The Dewdrop Weekly Haiku & Print Anthology

Fee: $5

Submissions open every week but close on Sundays! The Dewdrop is a digest of reflective, spiritually-inflected writing, featuring poetry and essays inspired by both classic texts and contemporary voices. Grounded in Zen Buddhism but open to all perspectives, we welcome writers from any or no faith tradition—humanists, agnostics, scientists, atheists, even Jedis. They seek work that offers insight, beauty, and thoughtful engagement with life’s deeper questions. Poetry submissions open and close weekly, typically Monday morning to Sunday evening; if closed, check back in a few days. We are always on the lookout for fresh talent with something meaningful to share.

2. WILDSound Writing Festival

Fee: Variable

There are quite a few for this one, ranging from poetry to Science Fiction Short stories and Dystopia. They claim this is a good opportunity for writers to gain an agent, but there are also opportunities to have your writing performed and more.

This is marketed as "everybody wins," so this would not carry the same gravity as getting published in a literary magazine, but would at the very least be fun. You do retain all the rights to your work and can take it down at any time, per WILDSound.

3. OFIC Magazine Issue #13

Fee: $3 (Waivers Available)

OFIC Magazine wants your dead doves, blorbos, wretched meow meows, shameless smut, trauma essays, Pepe Silvia walls, and everything in between—sci-fi, fantasy, romance, realism. If it’s original, unpublished, and by a fan, we want to read it. Submissions: 1 short fiction or nonfiction piece (max 15k words) OR up to 5 flash pieces (<1k words each). Include your fandom background in the cover letter. No filing off serial numbers from fanfic. Simultaneous subs okay; withdraw if accepted elsewhere. Contributors must be 18+, receive a small honorarium + free copy. One submission per issue. They take first N.A. serial rights.

4. Belmont Story Review

Fee: None Listed

Belmont Story Review is a national literary magazine exploring the intersection of faith and culture through fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Founded in 2016, it welcomes both emerging and established writers who are passionate about their craft and unafraid to tackle complex ideas and the human experience. “Faith” is interpreted broadly and is not tied to a specific religion.

They accept unpublished fiction, essays, and poetry, and encourage reading their full guidelines before submitting. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but notify them if accepted elsewhere. Contributors receive $100 for prose or $50 for poetry, plus a print copy (international contributors may receive additional copies in lieu of payment).

5. Iron Oak Editions

Fee: None Listed

Iron Oak Editions seeks poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that combine exceptional craft with emotional impact. Poetry: Chapbooks and full-length collections that achieve “Olympic feats” with language, using powerful imagery and unexpected juxtapositions while grounding readers in shared human experiences. Fiction: Literary novels and short story collections—no genre pieces—that prioritize characterization, psychological depth, and leave readers changed by joy, humor, grief, or insight. Nonfiction: Memoirs and essay collections that reach beyond the personal to reveal something new about the world. All submissions must follow both General and Genre-Specific Guidelines. No content written by or with generative AI will be considered.

Bonus Opportunities!

Bonus! Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild Creative Writing Residency

Fee: $30

Applicants must submit: a CV/creative resume, discipline-relevant work samples, two references’ contact info, a brief bio, artist statement, and project proposal for work during the residency. Residents must have a car. Due to historic buildings, no children under 18 or pets (service animals only) are allowed. Limited ADA-accessible spaces—email [email protected] early if needed. Bedrooms, bathrooms, and studio spaces are limited. For details, visit woodstockguild.org or email [email protected].

Bonus! Cartoon Caption Contest

Fee: $18

Open to anyone 18+ (employees, agents, and immediate family of Half and One are ineligible). Submit one original, unpublished caption in English per entry. Captions must not infringe on third-party rights. Entries failing to meet these requirements will be disqualified.