SUBMISSIONS FOR SUMMER 2020

We are no longer accepting short fiction and poetry for our 28th issue on the theme of ‘earth’. Send in your writing before 9am GMT on Monday 2 March 2020.

UPDATE: SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

It’s that time again Popshot people! We are now accepting submissions for the next magazine on a theme of…“Earth”.

We have just finished putting together the Mystery issue (thank you to all who submitted, the magazine will hit newsstands at the end of next week), allowing us to open the doors for new submissions.

Our next theme is ‘earth’ and we are interested in writing that looks broadly at our planet, the soil from which all things spring, theories around and the history or mythology of creation from primordial soup to Earth Mothers that come from different ends of the planet, like Gaia and Papatūanuku.

Writers might want to look at the fight to save our planet from global warming, or the difference (fictions, even) in the interpretations or lack thereof of the crisis we are facing. At a time when some world leaders are denying that there is a problem with what humans are doing to the earth, what might the outcomes be? Your stories and poems can shoot us into the future, look at the earth from afar or teach us the lessons we need to learn now. They might have a human angle, or they may look at the role of our planet from the perspective of the plants and wildlife who also inhabit it.

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 Summer issue are open until 9am GMT on Monday, 2 March 2020.

The Earth issue will be published in May 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. 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. Earth – Poetry). We are open to original contributions from anyone, anywhere in the world.

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

Drop us a line at hello@popshotpopshot.com

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SUBMISSIONS FOR SPRING 2020 ISSUE

We are now accepting short fiction and poetry for our 27th issue on the theme of ‘mystery’. Send in your writing before 9am GMT on Monday 2 December 2019.

UPDATED 2 DECEMBER 2019: SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

It’s that time again Popshot people! We are now accepting submissions for the next magazine on a theme of…

“Mystery”.

We have just finished putting together the Chance issue (thank you to all who submitted, the magazine will hit newsstands at the end of next week), allowing us to open the doors for new submissions.

Our next theme is ‘mystery’ and we are interested in writing that sets up or solves a conundrum or points to the enigmatic in something ordinary or beautiful.

Writers might want to look beyond the confines of genre, where mystery is central to crime novels and “whodunnits”.  Although we love the satisfaction of having a problem or murder neatly solved, we also want to see writing that is surprising, literary and pushes the boundaries of our expectations when it comes to mystery, perhaps delving into the absurd as well as the more tangible unravellings that happen with any good yarn. 

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 Spring issue are open until 9am GMT on Monday, 2 December.

The Mystery issue will be published in February 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. 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. Mystery – Poetry). We are open to original contributions from anyone, anywhere in the world.

At Popshot towers we have just wrapped up the Fantasy issue, which will be on sale from 8 August.

Drop us a line at hello@popshotpopshot.com

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Illustration by Seb Westcott

SUBMISSIONS FOR THE WINTER 2019 ISSUE

We are now accepting short fiction and poetry for our 26th issue on the theme of ‘chance’. Send in your writing before 9am GMT on Monday 2 September.

The Chance Issue

UPDATE: SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

We have just finished putting together the Fantasy issue (thank you to all who submitted, the magazine will hit newsstands next week), allowing us to open the doors for new submissions. Our next theme is ‘chance’ and all the potential ramifications of taking a chance — as well as those of its bedfellows coincidence and opportunism.

Writers might want to examine what happens when you take a chance, the positive and negative outcomes of doing something extraordinary through luck or coincidence, chance encounters, impossible coincidences, the “fates” aligning to hand over an opportunity. There’s an old creative writing rule of thumb: “Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of trouble are cheating.” Do you agree? What would you do with your characters given the chance?

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.

Submissions for the Winter issue are open until 9am GMT on Monday, 2 September.

The Chance issue will be published in November 2019.

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. 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. Chance – Poetry). We are open to original contributions from anyone, anywhere in the world.

At Popshot towers we have just wrapped up the Fantasy issue, which will be on sale from 8 August.

Drop us a line at hello@popshotpopshot.com

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Illustration by Shauna Mckeon

THE ESCAPE ISSUE IS HERE

The Popshot editors are pleased to introduce the latest instalment of our journal, The Escape Issue!

We asked our contributors for writing about escape in all its forms, from disappearing to warmer climates to slipping out of terrifying, difficult or mundane situations.

The submissions we received were of an extremely high standard. This was brilliant, but it made our job difficult to select the short stories, flash fiction and poetry for inclusion – thank you to everyone who sent in their work.

In The Escape Issue our writers wrest free from relationships, physical constraints, wriggling out of time and life-threatening situations. The stories and poems included feature escaped jaguars, flamenco classes, magic mushroom tea and monsters.

Whether you’re reading the magazine on the beach, during the commute, or over coffee on a Sunday morning, we hope you enjoy escaping into Popshot.

Words by Daniel Shand, Jonathan Greenhause, Hollie McNish, Imie Kent-Muller, Phillip Mitchell, Mantz Yorke, Hannah January, Suzanne Morrison, Amanda Huggins, Shelley Weiner, Grainne Tobin, Pam Kress-Dunn, Aaron Menzel, Jo Matthews, Barry O’Farrell, Annabelle Markwick-Staff, Maria Castro Dominguez, Jack Williams, Luciana Francis, Flora Jardine, Colleen Baran.

Illustrations by Alexandra Dzhiganskaya, Bistra Masseva, Charlotte Price, Cleonique Hilsaca, Dionne Kitching, Esther Lalane, Jade Moore, Janie Anderson, Jasmijn Evans, Jen Leem-Bruggen, Jodie Welsh, Kelly Romanaldi, Marta Cubeddu, Marta D’Asaro, Martina Messori, Matthew Brazier, Olivia Waller, Renzo Razzetto, Sam Hinton, Sara Thielker-Bowles, Sophie Parsons, Tess Smith-Roberts, Tobi Frank, Vector That Fox, Yiqing Zhang.

Orders will be dispatched within two working days.

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