Submissions Types: General, Open Calls, Contests, Book Prizes, Publications, Awards, oh my!
What is the difference?
Writers are often told to “submit their work,” as if all submission opportunities are the same, but they’re not. The pathway you choose can affect your odds, your budget, your timeline, and your emotional bandwidth. Knowing the difference helps you submit with more agency (and less doom-refreshing).
Below is a simple breakdown of the common lanes in the lit world, plus how to decide what makes sense for you right now.
General Submissions (open calls)
Contests (& Book Prizes)
Publications (& Book Deals)
Awards
1) General Submissions
What it is: Sending your work to a magazine, journal, or indie press during their normal open reading period (often called an “open call” or “general reading period”).
Why it exists: General submissions are the backbone of literary publishing. This is how journals build issues, discover new voices, and curate what compels them. Some calls are themed, some are not.
What you usually get:
Publication (if accepted)
Sometimes payment (varies widely)
Sometimes marketing support via associated media accounts.
Typical cost:
[$]: Often free, but, sometimes there’s a small submission/reading fee, and sometimes venues offer a tiered option (free vs. expedite). I call these “fee-speed bumps”—and while not every journal says this outright, small fees can help cover platform costs and/or reduce volume so editors can read more sustainably. However, many publishers that charge fees for general submissions will also offer a limited amount of waived-fee submissions for anyone under financial burden.
Time: Minimal preparation, with a decision timeline that can range from weeks to months. Most response-times are posted, but pay attention to if they’re submit-date or deadline-date based.
Best for you if:
You want publication credits, editor relationships, and community
You’re building your portfolio or testing new work
You prefer low-cost, steady submitting over high-stakes wins
PHIL LIT note: We care a lot about shrinking “submission jail” and respecting writers’ time. We try our best to get all general submission responses out within two months of the submission.
2) Contests
What it is: A time-limited call with a prize attached: Usually a combination of cash, contributor copies, and a bundle of perks. Often judged by a guest judge (although sometimes internally to keep entry fees low).
Why it exists: Contests can fund a journal, spotlight writers, and create a celebratory moment around literature. They can also provide meaningful prize money in a world where so much creative labor goes unpaid.
What you usually get:
Publication for the winner (and sometimes finalists)
Cash prize / honorarium
Public recognition (winner announcement, feature, interview)
A more defined timeline than general submissions; but also, possibly a longer timeline from entry-to-publication.
Typical cost: Almost always has an entry fee. As a rule of thumb, consider contests where the entry fee is no more than ~2–3% of the top prize (and where finalists also receive meaningful recognition, publication, and/or honorarium).
Best for you if:
You’re comfortable paying an entry fee for the chance at a prize
You have a piece that’s ready-ready and feels competitive
You want the visibility of being a finalist/winner
*See Book Prizes Below
A gentle truth: Contests are part lottery and part skill game. Your work can be excellent and still not win.
3) Full-Work Publications
What it is: Submitting (or querying) a complete project—a chapbook, poetry collection, novel, story collection, or nonfiction book—rather than a single poem/story/essay.
Where it happens:
Small presses / independent presses (open reading periods for manuscripts)
Some Journals/Magazines also operate as a small/indie press under an imprint and will also have open reading periods for manuscripts.
Literary agents (queries!)
Journals/Magazines with (chap)book prizes
Why it exists: This is the lane for when your work isn’t a single piece anymore—it’s a body of work that needs a home, a spine, a cover, and a distribution plan!
What you usually get:
A contract with royalties or lump-sum payment, and author copies (if accepted)
Editing + production + distribution (scope varies by press)
Sometimes an advance (more common with agents/larger commercial publishers)
Longer timelines: acquisitions decisions can take months, with publications often a year+ out
Typical cost:
Querying agents is free. (But time consuming)
Some journals/magazines/small press run (chap)book prizes as contests with entry fees ($20 is common). However, for the chosen book there is usually a substantial prize ($1000 + author copies is pretty common).
Best for you if:
You have a manuscript that’s truly cohesive (not just “a pile of good pieces”)
You’re ready for longer timelines and deeper edits
You want the reach and credibility of a book-length publication
If you want to pursue in-person speaking engagements
Quick checklist before you submit a full manuscript:
Does the press publish work that resembles yours in tone/genre/form?
Do they accept simultaneous submissions? (many do; some don’t)
What rights are they taking (world/NA, print/audio/ebook)?
What’s their distribution like (direct, indie bookstores, Ingram, etc.)?
Do you have a clean manuscript + query + synopsis + thesis + short bio ready?
TIP: QueryTracker is a great resource to find an agent, and Publishers Marketplace is a great resource to vet an agent.
4) Awards
What it is: Recognition given to work that has already been published (or occasionally, to a body of work). Awards can be run by journals, organizations, universities, or independent institutions. A Lot of awards are nomination-based (meaning the publisher submits your work), while others allow self-entry. Most have strict eligibility windows.
Two common types:
External awards (from orgs, foundations, societies, etc.)
Journal awards (like “Best of Issue,” “Editor’s Choice,” “Reader’s Choice,” etc.)
What you usually get:
Prestige + discoverability (sometimes life-changing)
Sometimes cash prizes
Long-tail benefits: invitations, agent interest, more publication opportunities
Typical cost: Nominations are free to the writer, but it’s frequently an expense (& labor) for the publisher.
Best for you if:
You’re already publishing and want to amplify the reach of your work
You want long-term career scaffolding
Important difference: Awards aren’t about “what’s publishable.” They’re often about what’s already been affirmed by publication—then elevated.
Why this matters: It’s worth submitting to publishers who nominate their writers. Not all do. At PHIL LIT, we nominate eligible work for six awards (See Below).
TIP: If you’re very early in your publishing journey, start with general submissions. Build credits, learn your best-fit venues, develop resilience, and refine your voice through repetition. If you’re early to mid-journey and want a visibility boost, add select contests. Choose ones that align with your aesthetic and values—your entry fee is helping support the journal.
Where to find these opportunities?
Here are widely used places to search for journals, contests, calls, and deadlines (always double-check details on the publisher’s actual website—because guidelines change!):
Duotrope — listings + tracker + deadline calendars
Chill Subs — searchable database (including a large magazines directory)
Poets & Writers — databases for mags, contests, small presses.
CLMP Calls for Submissions — opportunities from CLMP-member publishers
NewPages Calls for Submissions — ongoing listings
Submittable Discover — free marketplace for opportunities (calls, grants, contests, residencies, etc.)
While you’re here, dont forget to vote for our Winter’s Reader Choice Poem:
READER'S CHOICE VOTE
Vote for Your Favorite Poem from the WINTER 25’ issue. The top 3 reader-selected poems from each issue will be featured in a special section in our Annual PHIL LIT Poetry Anthology AND receive a contributor Copy.
We hope this was helpful!
Fearless & Human First,
PHIL LIT Journal Editorial Team