Publisher of exceptional short fiction and poetry collections. Literate Yourself!

Press 53

General call

Prime 53 Poem Summer Challenge 2025

Manuscripts should be approximately 50 to 120 pages in length. We do not favor one length over the other. We are only concerned with the quality of the poems. 

The competition is open to manuscripts written in the English language from writers at all levels, 18 years years of age or older, who live in the United States or one its territories. Note: authors and editors who work for Press 53 or have published a book with Press 53 are not eligible to enter.

Press 53 Award for Poetry

FLASH NONFICTION SUBMISSIONS FOR PRIME NUMBER MAGAZINE, Issue 293
Flash Nonfiction Editor: Shuly Xóchitl Cawood, author of A Small Thing to Want: Stories; Something So Good It Can Never Be Enough: Poems; What the Fortune Teller Would Have Said: Flash Essays
A note from Shuly: Though I do not fact-check, I expect that every nonfiction piece is exactly that—the truth. Please, please, NO FICTION PIECES in this category. I am looking for Flash Nonfiction Essays of up to 750 words.
I love a good micro essay, so please don’t feel a need to pad your piece to hit 750 words. I would rather have a mini piece that packs a good punch. I adore a good story, and I’m a sucker for a strong piece that centers on a relationship. Please, no anecdotes. A good flash essay goes deeper than an anecdote. Find examples of essays I love at these links.
https://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/swerve/
https://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/snowbound/
Submission period: May 1-June 30, 2025 or until we reach 79 submissions (a prime number)
Publication Date: September 1, 2026
Reporting Time: We will do our best to notify writers of acceptance or rejection at least one months prior to publication date. Submissions will be open tri-annually (Jan-Feb; May-Jun; Sept-Oct) and will close either the last day of the second month or when we have received 79 submissions.
Reading Fee: None
Submit ONE unpublished flash nonfiction piece of no more than 750 words (please include word count under title), shorter pieces are very welcome. Be sure your essay is double spaced with numbered pages, written in English and set in a standard 12-pt. font (Times, Garamond, etc). Please limit your submission to one essay per submission period.
This will be a “blind read,” so please DO NOT include your name on your submission.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but please withdraw your essay immediately if it is accepted elsewhere. You will find the "Withdraw" button in the upper-right corner of your submission. Only original, unpublished works will be considered. Publication includes on a blog, website, or anywhere on social media.
Eligibility: Submissions are open to writers anywhere in the world who write in English.
Rights: Prime Number Magazine will be granted First Worldwide Serial Rights, including the right to permanently archive the accepted work in Prime Number Magazine. After the work is published, all other rights revert to the author.
Payment: Writers living in the United States, UK, and Australia will receive a free book from Press 53. All other writers will receive a PDF version of a Press 53 book.
Questions/Comments should be directed to Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher and Editor in Chief (kevin @ Press53.com (no spaces)

Flash Nonfiction

POETRY SUBMISSION FOR PRIME NUMBER MAGAZINE, Issue 293, Sept-Dec 2026
Guest Poetry Editor: Vaughn M. Watson, author of going out & being normal
Submission period: May 1 – June 30, 2026 midnight Eastern time (or until we reach 199 submissions)
Publication Date: September 1, 2026
Reporting Time: We will do our best to make sure you receive an acceptance or rejection one month prior to publication date. Submissions will be open the first two months of every quadrimester (four months) with a new guest editor. Poets are encouraged to submit again during the open submission periods (Jan-Feb; May-Jun; Sept-Oct). Submissions will close once we receive 199 submissions.
Reading Fee: None
Submit ONE unpublished poem of up to three pages, written in English in a standard font (Times, Garamond, etc.) in whatever style you wish to see the poem presented to readers.
Please limit your submission to ONE poem per person per submission period. Guest editors are instructed to read only the first poem if more than one poem is submitted. Note: Since we allow for simultaneous submissions, our one-poem submission rule eliminates confusion if a poem in a multi-poem submission is accepted elsewhere. This saves us a lot of time and grief. We hope you understand.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but please withdraw your poem immediately if accepted elsewhere. You will find the "Withdraw" button in the upper-right corner of your submission screen. Only original, unpublished poems will be considered.
Eligibility: Submissions are open to writers anywhere in the world who write in English.
Rights: Prime Number Magazine will be granted First Worldwide Serial Rights, including the right to permanently archive the poem online in Prime Number Magazine. Once the poem is published, all other rights revert to the author.
Payment: Writers living in the United States, UK, and Australia will receive a free copy of the guest editor's poetry book from Press 53. Writers living outside these countries receive publication of their poem as compensation. (Our book printer has facilities in the US, UK, and AU, which allows us to print and ship from those locations. Due to high shipping charges outside those countries, we have to establish these limits.)
Questions/Comments should be directed to Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher and Editor in Chief (kevin @ press53.com (no spaces).

Poetry Submission

Welcome to our annual "Prime 53 Poem" Summer Challenge!
This is a free contest to celebrate a poetry form invented in 2019 by Press 53 poetry editor Christopher Forrest and publisher & editor in chief Kevin Morgan Watson: the Prime 53 Poem. Open to writers around the world! This summer challenge runs from June 1 until July 31, midnight Eastern time (US). Sorry, no exceptions.
The challenge is to write a Prime 53 Poem, and our top four poems, judged by Chris, will be published in Issue 293 of Prime Number Magazine on September 1, 2026.
Four winners will receive a free paperback book of their choice from Press 53, unless the writer resides outside of the United States (or one of its territories), the United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand. Anyone residing outside these countries will receive publication only (our printer has printing facilities in the countries mentioned, which makes it affordable for us to print and ship books to these areas).
Your poem must adhere to the following rules:· Total syllable count of 53 · Eleven total lines · First three stanzas are three lines each with a 7 / 5 / 3 syllable count · Final stanza must be two lines with a 5 / 3 syllable count, for a total syllable count of 53 ·
Rhyme scheme (slant/soft rhymes work) aba cdc efe gg The total line count is a prime number (11), the syllable count in each line in first three stanzas is a prime number (7 / 5/ 3), and the syllable count in each line of the last two-line stanza is a prime number (5 / 3), making the poem’s total syllable count a prime number (53).
Prime 53 Poem Sample
Road trips, beaches, and one-wish  (a)
trips, backdrops for your  (b)
reading lists.  (a)
Why not, too, write poetry?  (c)
Count your syllables:  (d)
fifty-three.  (c)
Pens and pads, your tools to pack.  (e)
Leave musings there, bring  (f)
poems back.  (e)
You will feel better,  (g)
and smarter.  (g)
Four winners will be announced via Submittable, and on the Prime Number Magazine and Press 53 Facebook pages, and to our subscribers (get your free subscription at https://www.press53.com/subscribe).
By entering this competition, the author grants Press 53/Prime Number Magazine First Worldwide Serial Rights to publish their Prime 53 Poem in Issue 293of Prime Number Magazine and the right to permanently archive the poem on our website. All other rights, including copyright, remain with the author upon.   Questions should be directed to Kevin Morgan Watson.

"Prime 53 Poem" Summer Challenge

SHORT FICTION SUBMISSION FOR PRIME NUMBER MAGAZINE, Issue 307, Jan-Apr 2027
Guest Short Fiction Editor: Gerry Wilson, author of Crosscurrents and Other Stories
Submission period: September 1 – October 31, 2026, midnight Eastern time (or until we reach 199 submissions)
Publication Date: January 1, 2027
Reporting Time: We will do our best to notify writers of acceptance or rejection no more than one month prior to publication date. Submissions are open the first two months of every quadrimester (every four months) with a new guest editor. Writers are encouraged to submit again during the open submission periods (Jan-Feb; May-Jun; Sept-Oct). Submissions close once we receive 199 stories. Please limit your submissions to one story per submission period.
Reading Fee: None
Submit ONE unpublished story of no more than 5,300 words (please include word count under title), micro, flash, and short-short stories are welcome. Be sure your story is double spaced with numbered pages, written in English and set in a standard 12-pt. font (Times, Garamond, etc). Please limit your submission to one story per submission period.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but please withdraw your story immediately if it is accepted elsewhere. You will find the "Withdraw" button in the upper-right corner of your submission. Only original, unpublished works will be considered.
Please Note: Due to the high volume of submissions, we are now limiting submissions to 199 in order to give our guest editor plenty of time to read and consider each submission. Sorry, no exceptions.
Eligibility: Submissions are open to writers anywhere in the world who write in English.
Rights: Prime Number Magazine will be granted First Worldwide Serial Rights, including the right to permanently archive online the accepted work in Prime Number Magazine. After the work is published, all other rights revert to the author.
Payment: Writers living in the United States, UK, and Australia will receive a free copy of the guest editor's Press 53 story collection. Writers living outside these countries receive publication of their story as compensation. (Our printer has facilities in the US, UK, and AU, which allows us to print and ship from those locations. Due to high shipping charges outside those countries, we have to establish these limits.)
Questions/Comments should be directed to Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher and Editor in Chief, at Kevin @ Press53.com (no spaces)

Short Fiction Submission

The Press 53 Award for Short Fiction is awarded annually to an outstanding, unpublished short story collection. This competition is open to any living writer age 18 or older, regardless of his or her publication history, provided the manuscript is written in English and the author lives in the United States or one of its territories.
Award: The winner of this contest will receive publication by Press 53, $1,000 and 53 copies of the book; all prizes will be awarded upon publication. ​
Reading fee: A reading fee of $30 must be paid for each entry. Reading fees are nonrefundable. ​
Dates for submission: Enter September 1 through December 31, 2026​
How to Enter:  Online via Submittable, your online submissions manager. Note: We no longer accept entries by mail.
Announcement of winner: The winner of the Press 53 Award for Short Fiction will be announced no later than May 3, 2027 to all entrants by way of Submittable and on the Press 53 website, Facebook, and via email to our subscribers. A list of finalists will also be announced at that time. ​
Confirmation of entry: Confirmation of receipt of your entry will be sent via e-mail by Submittable immediately after submission. ​
Multiple submissions: Writers may submit multiple story collections. A separate reading fee is required for each entry. ​
Judging: Kevin Morgan Watson, Press 53 Publisher & Editor in Chief, will be the only judge for the competition; the story collections will be judged “blind” and judged solely on the strength of the stories as a collection, and the winning collection will be published by Press 53. The judge’s decision is final. Please note: due to the volume of entries, feedback or critique on individual stories or the collection is not possible. ​
Eligibility: The competition is open to manuscripts written in the English language from living writers 18 years of age and older, regardless of their publishing history, who live in the United States or one of its territories. Previously published stories may be (and probably should be) included in the collection. ​
Ineligibility: Previously published story collections, including self-published collections available in print or ebook, are not eligible. Individuals who work for Press 53 or have published a book with Press 53 are not eligible to enter. ​
Story Collection Guidelines (please read carefully):
1.  Manuscripts should contain a collection of short stories, and can include flash and micro fiction.
2. Manuscript must include a table of contents with page numbers. The stories should be double-spaced with pages numbered and set in a standard 12-point font (such as Times New Roman, Minion, Garamond, etc.).
3. Manuscript should be around 100 to no more than 250 pages in length. We do not favor one length over the other. Stories previously published in magazines, journals, and elsewhere can be (a probably should be) included in the manuscript.
4. The author's name should not appear on the manuscript. We will find your contact information via Submittable after the winner has been selected.
5. An acknowledgments page for previous publications of stories in the collection should not be included. We are judging the stories only, not your previous publication record.
​Any questions or concerns, other than technical issues with the submissions manager, please contact Editor@Press53.com ​
Submissions for the Press 53 Award for Short Fiction will open September 1, 2026 and will close at midnight Eastern Time on December 31, 2026. Press 53 reserves the right to extend the deadline.

Press 53

Highlights

About

Featured Call

Flash Nonfiction