Thank you for your interest in submitting your work to (s)crawl magazine.
We are a Canadian-based magazine that publishes the best in diverse horror, showcasing short stories and poetry written by LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, BIPOC, disabled, women, and gender-diverse writers.
We accept submissions globally, however we only publish works in English. We welcome both seasoned and emerging writers to submit.
Please review our submission guidelines carefully before submitting your work.
» word count
› short stories: approx. 1,000-4,000 words
› poetry: up to three (3) poems per submission
» exclusivity
› we accept simultaneous submissions, but kindly inform us [editor@scrawlmag.com] immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
› we do not accept previously published work (including self-published or blog posts).
» fees and payment
› there is no fee to submit your work to (s)crawl
› writers will be compensated $20 CAD per piece upon publication
» (s)crawl magazine publishes unsettling, thought-provoking horror that lingers long after it’s read. we look for writing that disturbs on an emotional, psychological, or intellectual level, so submit your stories and poems that explore fear through theme, metaphor, and mood.
» we welcome a broad spectrum of horror, from the ethereal to the existential. we’re open to anything that crawls beneath our skin and stays there.
» our mission is to amplify voices that are often marginalized within the horror genre. we exclusively publish work by LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, BIPOC, disabled, women, and gender-diverse writers.
» while (s)crawl is open to a wide range of horror genres and themes, we do not publish work that relies on gratuitous violence or “hardcore horror”. this includes, but is not limited to, sexual violence, torture porn, and animal cruelty. we are not a market for exploitative horror.
» we do not accept works that have been partially or fully generated by A.I. (artificial intelligence). if we suspect a submission was written with the assistance of A.I., it will be disqualified, and repeat offenders may be banned from future submissions. (note: if your bio reads like it was written by A.I., we’ll assume your story might’ve been too.)
» please use the submission form linked below for all submissions.
» we allow only one submission per author per issue. additional submissions will not be considered.
» for poetry submissions, please include all poems (limit 3) in one document.
» attached files should be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format.
» we encourage writers to utilize the William Shunn format for fiction submissions. at minimum, submissions should be a standard 12-point font and double-spaced.
» writers will receive a decision by email any time from the date of submission up until the final notification deadline. for the current submission period, that date is may 31st, 2026.
» we endeavor to respond to all submissions even if we have decided to not move forward with your piece. for the current submission period, if you have not received a response by may 31st, please feel free to reach out.
» writers will be compensated $20 CAD per piece upon publication, which may be subject to exchange rates at time of payment.
» upon acknowledgment of acceptance, (s)crawl is granted first publication rights for the piece. after publication, all rights revert to the author. we ask that you credit (s)crawl magazine as the original publisher if your work is reprinted elsewhere.
deadline for fall 2026 submissions: march 15
