Submit your mystery, crime & thriller writing

Mystery, crime & thriller submission deadlines, in one place.

67 checked submission opportunities, sorted by soonest deadline, with fees and pay up front.

Magazines, anthologies, contests and publishers taking short stories and novels right now.

Browse: Contests · Anthologies · Free to enter · Magazines · Novel publishers

41 dated deadlines26 open anytime47 with no entry fee

Closing this week

Oct 31, 2026

ITW Thriller Awards 2027

International Thriller Writers

  • Award (published work)
  • Thriller Award (no cash stated)
  • Fee: Not stated on the awards page or FAQ

Novels; short stories under 35,000

Nov 1, 2026

MWA Barbara Neely Awards 2026

Mystery Writers of America

  • Contest
  • $2,000 + one-year MWA membership (two awards: unpublished and published)
  • No fee

300–500-word essay + 5-page mystery writing sample

All places accepting submissions

67 shown
Oct 31, 2026

ITW Thriller Awards 2027

International Thriller Writers

  • Award (published work)
  • Thriller Award (no cash stated)
  • Fee: Not stated on the awards page or FAQ

Novels; short stories under 35,000

Nov 1, 2026

MWA Barbara Neely Awards 2026

Mystery Writers of America

  • Contest
  • $2,000 + one-year MWA membership (two awards: unpublished and published)
  • No fee

300–500-word essay + 5-page mystery writing sample

Dec 15, 2026

CWC Awards of Excellence 2027 (published works)

Crime Writers of Canada

  • Award (published work)
  • CA$200–1,000 per category ($4,950 total)
  • Fee: CA$30–55 (novel $55, novella $40, short story $30; 20% member discount)

Varies by category

Dec 31, 2026

Crime Without Corpses

Level Best Books (ed. Gabriel Valjan)

  • Anthology
  • $25–50 (depends on number of stories chosen)
  • No fee

2,000–5,000

Jan 29, 2027

CWA Emerging Author Dagger 2027

Crime Writers' Association (sponsor: Fiction Feedback)

  • Contest
  • £500; shortlist sent to agents and publishers
  • Fee: £42

Opening up to 3,000 + synopsis up to 1,500

Mar 4, 2027

IPPY Awards 2027 – Mystery / Suspense-Thriller

Jenkins Group (Independent Publisher Book Awards)

  • Award (published work)
  • Gold/silver/bronze medals (no cash stated)
  • Fee: $89 per category by Dec 16, 2026; $99 final

Published book

Mar 15, 2027

ITW Best First Sentence Contest 2027

International Thriller Writers (ThrillerFest)

  • Contest
  • 10-page critique from a 2027 Master Class instructor (the judges); winners read at the CraftFest Luncheon, April 28, 2027
  • Fee: No entry fee listed (ITW membership or ThrillerFest XXII registration required)

One sentence (your opening line)

Apr 18, 2027

The Crime List 2027

Rebel Seed Studio

  • Contest
  • $3,500 to one winner
  • Fee: $35 by Nov 22, 2026, rising to $85 at the closing deadline

Any length

Apr 30, 2027

Al Blanchard Award 2027

New England Crime Bake

  • Contest
  • $100 + publication in Best New England Crime Stories + Crime Bake admission
  • No fee

Up to 5,000

Open anytime

Close To The Bone – Press

Close To The Bone

  • Publisher taking novels
  • Case-by-case contracts
  • No fee

Novels, novellas, collections

Open anytime

Cold Caller

Cold Caller Magazine (Substack)

  • Magazine
  • $125 flat per story
  • No fee

2,000–6,000 sweet spot; up to 10,000

Open anytime

Crooked Lane Books

Crooked Lane Books

  • Publisher taking novels
  • Advance + royalties (terms not published)
  • No fee

60,000–100,000

Open anytime

Down & Out Books

Down & Out Books

  • Publisher taking novels
  • Terms on offer
  • No fee

50,000+ (send first 10,000)

Open anytime

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine

Must Read Books Publishing

  • Magazine
  • 6–8¢/word (fiction); $25–50 per poem; 7¢/word nonfiction
  • No fee

2,500–8,000 preferred (700–20,000 considered)

Open anytime

Harlequin Intrigue

Harlequin (HarperCollins)

  • Publisher taking novels
  • Advance + royalties (category romance contract)
  • No fee

55,000–60,000

Open anytime

Hera Books

Hera Books (sister of Canelo)

  • Publisher taking novels
  • Royalties on net receipts
  • No fee

80,000+

Open anytime

Inkubator Books

Inkubator Books

  • Publisher taking novels
  • 45% of net receipts
  • No fee

Full-length

Open anytime

Joffe Books

Joffe Books

  • Publisher taking novels
  • Terms on offer
  • No fee

Minimum 60,000

Open anytime

Love Inspired Suspense

Harlequin (HarperCollins)

  • Publisher taking novels
  • Advance + royalties (category contract)
  • No fee

55,000

Open anytime

Lyrical Press (Kensington)

Kensington Publishing

  • Publisher taking novels
  • Terms on offer
  • No fee

Mysteries 75,000–100,000

Open anytime

Mystery Tribune

Mystery Tribune

  • Magazine
  • Honorarium for print-edition fiction (amount discussed on acceptance); web/flash unpaid
  • No fee

No fixed limit; most 3,000–6,000; they rarely read past 10,000

Open anytime

The Strand Magazine

The Strand Magazine

  • Magazine
  • $100–150 per story
  • No fee

2,000–6,000 preferred (occasional 1,000-word shorts or short novellas)

Open anytime

Thriller Magazine Press

Thriller Media LLC

  • Publisher taking novels
  • $300 advance + 33% net royalties
  • Fee: $9.99 (includes personalized feedback)

Novels 50,000–90,000; novellas 25,000–50,000

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New · $9 PDF

The 2026–27 Crime Writer Submission Calendar

All 67 listings on one printable, month-by-month planner with fees, prizes, word counts and links, plus a spreadsheet and a calendar file with a reminder a week before each deadline.

See what’s inside →

Know a place accepting submissions that we missed?Add a listing → Running a magazine, anthology or contest?Get a featured listing → Editor, coach, cover designer or writing tool?Get a featured resource spot →

CrimeCalls™ at a glance

What it is
CrimeCalls™ is a deadline board for mystery, crime and thriller writing: contests, awards, anthology calls, magazines and publishers taking submissions, sorted by deadline, with entry fees and pay shown up front.
Who it’s for
Writers of mystery, crime, noir, cozy, suspense and thriller fiction, from first short story to finished novel, plus the editors and organizers who run these calls.
What it covers now
62 current listings: 17 contests, 8 awards for published work, 11 anthology calls, 8 magazines and 18 novel publishers. 26 are open anytime and 44 charged no entry or reading fee when last checked.
How listings are checked
Every listing is checked by hand against the organizer’s official guidelines page, links straight to it, and shows the date it was last checked. Past deadlines drop off automatically. See our editorial standards.
How often it’s updated
We aim to re-check listings weekly and add new calls as we find them. Last full check: October 27, 2026.
Getting listed or featured
Standard listings are added as a courtesy once we’ve checked them: email hello@crimecalls.com or see Add a listing. Featured listings (pinned at the top and labelled “Featured” until your deadline) are $39 at the founding rate for the first 10 sponsors, then $99. Editors, coaches, cover designers and writing tools can buy a 60-day featured resource spot at the same price: Advertise.
Submission calendar
The 2026–27 Crime Writer Submission Calendar is a $9 one-time download: a printable PDF of every current listing month by month (36 dated deadlines plus 26 open-anytime markets), with a CSV spreadsheet and an ICS file for Google, Apple or Outlook calendars.
Open data
Every listing is also available as open data (JSON) and as llms.txt for AI assistants.
Who publishes it
CrimeCalls™ is published by Continuing Education And Training, LLC, 500 Westover Drive, Suite 17707, Sanford, NC 27330. Contact: hello@crimecalls.com. See our editorial standards.
Last updated
Listings last checked October 30, 2026; each listing shows its own last-checked date.

More about how CrimeCalls works → · Writers’ FAQ →