Career Builder - Best Lit Mags of 2025

The magazine was established to seek out, publish and promote the very best new Irish and international writing. We believe that there is a need for a magazine that, first and foremost, gives new and emerging writers an opportunity to get their work out into the world.

THE STINGING FLY is a literary magazine, a book publisher, an education provider, and an online platform. We’re independent and not for profit. Our mission is to seek out, nurture, publish and promote the very best new writers and new writing.

Out of 1,762 votes, these lit mags came out on top in 2025 as the best lit mags for advancing writers' careers.

No database exists for nonfiction agents' reading habits, so we asked every agent, editor, and writing-adjacent human we could until we got enough answers.

Nonfiction Magazines That Will Make Agents Notice You

Main characters publish in them, read them, and run them! Please note this list is far from exhaustive. All poets have main character energy, honestly.

Poetry Magazines with Main Character Energy

Publications with stories selected for America's oldest prestigious short fiction award, established in 1919. Editorial committee selections only.

Lit Mags Featured in O'Henry Award Anthologies

Essential publications that nominate short fiction for the O'Henry Prize anthology, one of America's most venerable literary awards. Established in 1919.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the O'Henry Prize

All-time most competitive literary magazines. Getting published in these is a significant achievement for any writer.

Most Competitive Literary Magazines of All Time

Explore the most popular literary magazines of all time. These long-established publications are a staple in the literary world for writers of all genres.

Most Popular Literary Magazines of All Time

The Stinging Fly

The writer of the story must be aged 18 or over and must not yet have published fiction with The Stinging Fly, either in the magazine or online.
The writer must be either resident on the island of Ireland or consider the island of Ireland to be their home.
One previously unpublished story to be submitted per writer.
The story must be no more than 3000 words in length.
The story needs to be uploaded here as an attachment.
The author’s name should not appear anywhere on the document.
The story should be set in font size 12 (minimum) and use 1.5 or double line spacing.<div><br></div><div><b>Applications will be accepted from Tuesday June 16th until Tuesday June 30th 2026 up to 5.00pm (Irish time). </b></div>

The writer must be aged 18 or over, must be resident on the island of Ireland or consider it their home, and must not have previously published fiction with The Stinging Fly.

The Stinging Fly

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