UPDATE 2 September: Submissions for the 30th issue of Popshot Quarterly are now closed. Any submissions after this time will be disregarded.

The next issue of Popshot will be on the theme of…“Protest.”

We have just finished putting together the Freedom issue (thank you to all who submitted, the magazine will thump through letterboxes and appear on newsstands at the end of next week), allowing us to open the doors for new submissions.

Our next theme is ‘protest’ and we are interested in writing that looks broadly at all forms of protest, whether quiet or noisy, political or familial or something else.

Writers might want to look at the emotions and ideas behind taking to the streets, less traditional examples of protest, the challenging nature of fighting for something that may be ideological, the conflict that happens when good people are forced to do things that might be illegal or construed as “bad”; and the spectrum of interpretation that any “cause” can be viewed within.

Your short stories, flash fiction and poems can relate to the present, at a time when protest is one of the few things we are doing en masse, or can shoot us into the future, back into the past or into an alternative, absurd or fantasy universe.

Successful submissions must display excellent writing, creative flair and originality. We are looking for a mixture of humour, social commentary, honesty and thrilling storytelling. We welcome all genres and writing styles so long as they follow our guidelines for submission (for more on which, click here).

Submissions for the Autumn issue are open until 9am GMT on Tuesday, 1 September 2020.

The Protest Issue will be published in November 2020.

Guidelines for submission:

• Poems: 12 to 40 lines
• Short stories: 1,000 to 3,000 words
• Flash fiction: 100 to 1,000 words

Three entries maximum. Entries over the word count will not be considered.

To discover more about Popshot, pick up a copy from WHSmiths or another reputable newsagent (during lockdown this might be more difficult, but here are a few other ways you can safely find it). You can subscribe to either hard copy or digital editions. Four issues are published per year showcasing the best emerging fiction writers.

To see your writing published and illustrated, head to our submit page for the full guidelines. Include the issue and form of your work in the subject line (i.e. Freedom – Poetry). We are open to original contributions from anyone, anywhere in the world.

At Popshot towers we have just wrapped up the Freedom issue, which will be on sale from 6 August.

Drop us a line at hello@popshotpopshot.com

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