The hottest Contests Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Literature Topics

139 Recently Opened Submission Calls, Upcoming Deadlines, Contests, Theme Calls and more

The Sub Club Newsletter • 555 implied HN points • 28 Oct 24
📚 Literature Contests
  1. There are many new opportunities for writers to submit their work, including 18 recently opened submission calls and contests. It's a great time to get your writing out there!
  2. Keep an eye on deadlines, as some contests and submission calls are closing soon. Make sure to submit your work on time to maximize your chances of getting published.
  3. Theme calls can spark creativity, so consider writing for specific themes. They can guide you to produce focused and relevant pieces that fit what magazines or journals are looking for.

Book Review Contest Rules 2026

Astral Codex Ten • 7639 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
📚 Literature Contests
  1. Only book reviews are allowed this year (even-numbered years); you get one entry per person or team, there’s no strict word count but past finalists were often 2,000–10,000 words, and nontraditional books may receive some reserved finalist slots.
  2. Submit through the Google Form and include a Google Doc link that is anonymized (don’t put your name or identifying details in the Doc) and set to “anyone with the link”; avoid Google Doc’s native footnote feature and write footnotes by hand if you need them.
  3. The deadline is May 20, readers will vote to pick about ten finalists (one published per week) with winners chosen later, and prizes start at $2,500 for first, $1,000 for second, $500 for third plus publicity and other perks.

104 Recently Opened Submission Calls, Upcoming Deadlines, Contests, Theme Calls and more

The Sub Club Newsletter • 356 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
📚 Literature Contests
  1. There are a lot of writing opportunities available right now, including contests and themed calls. Writers should look for these chances to get published.
  2. Submission deadlines can come up quickly, so it's important to stay organized and keep track of dates. Missing a deadline means missing out on a chance to share your work.
  3. Community support through submission accountability events can help writers stay motivated. Attending casual 'submit parties' can make the process feel less daunting.

197 Recently Opened Submission Calls, Upcoming Deadlines, Contests, Theme Calls and more

The Sub Club Newsletter • 416 implied HN points • 14 Oct 24
📚 Literature Contests
  1. There are 197 new opportunities for writers to submit their work, including calls for submissions, contests, and themed projects. It's a great time for writers looking for places to share their stories.
  2. This week has a variety of submission deadlines, including 105 newly opened calls and 38 last chance submissions. Keeping track of these can help writers stay organized and ensure their work gets seen.
  3. Writers can also participate in upcoming submission accountability sessions, which provide casual support and feedback while submitting work. These sessions can be motivating and helpful for overcoming submission anxiety.

28 Recently Opened Submission Calls, Upcoming Deadlines, Contests, Theme Calls and more

The Sub Club Newsletter • 475 implied HN points • 07 Oct 24
📚 Literature Contests
  1. There are 28 new places for writers to submit their work. This is great news for anyone looking to share their writing.
  2. Some calls for submissions have deadlines coming up soon, so it's important to act quickly if you're interested.
  3. There are also contests and theme calls available this week, offering more chances for recognition and publication.
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ACX/Metaculus Prediction Contest 2026

Astral Codex Ten • 4060 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
📰 News Contests
  1. A crowdsourced prediction contest on Metaculus is now live, covering U.S. politics, AI, international affairs, and culture, and you can enter using your regular account or a bot account.
  2. Submit forecasts by January 17 at 11:59 PM PT; a snapshot then determines contest rankings and how the $10,000 prize pool is allocated, and forecasts made after that only affect site leaderboards, not contest rankings.
  3. Organizers announced cash awards for the best question submitters, with the top prize being $700 and several other winners receiving smaller amounts.

Note on Friedman Contest

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2311 implied HN points • 20 Aug 25
😂 Humor Contests
  1. There is a contest related to Thomas Friedman where you can submit your own lyrics for a song called 'Mean Mr. Mustache'.
  2. The winner will receive an autographed Rollie Fingers jersey as a prize.
  3. To enter the contest, send your submissions via email or Twitter as specified.

February Call for Subscriber Writing, Reader Q&A, and the Book Review Contest Winners

Freddie deBoer • 1485 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
📚 Literature Contests
  1. 2023 book review contest winners announced: Alicia Kenworthy as the winner, Hal Johnson and Ethan Spiegelman as runners up.
  2. Reader Q&A opportunity open: Submit questions for a Q&A post before the end of February by replying directly to the email.
  3. Bi-monthly call for subscriber writing: Interested writers can submit their work for a chance to be shared with a mailing list of ~50,000 readers, following a specific format.

Another AI Art Contest

Bet On It • 90 implied HN points • 12 Aug 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Contests
  1. There's a contest for AI artists to create unique game chips. If you impress with your work, you could win up to $500.
  2. The challenge is to beat a specific set of art created by a human artist named Savane, who is known for high-quality work.
  3. Artists need to submit their artwork by September 15, and the winner will be decided by personal preference, so it's a tough competition.

Boy Bird House Architecture

Bird History • 79 implied HN points • 05 Dec 23
💾 History Contests
  1. In the Progressive era, children learned to build birdhouses in school to protect birds and cultivate important life values.
  2. Building birdhouses in schools was not just about conservation, but also about nurturing a love for birds and nature in children.
  3. Birdhouse building contests were a common community event that engaged boys, taught craftsmanship, and promoted bird protection on a larger scale.

Genre Grapevine for April 24, 2023

Genre Grapevine • 58 implied HN points • 24 Apr 23
📚 Literature Contests
  1. Twitter faced backlash after changing verification policies, leading to a movement to block verified accounts.
  2. Fandom must navigate anti-drag laws in states affecting conventions and safety of attendees.
  3. Various awards in the sci-fi/fantasy community have finalists and winners announced, recognizing notable works in the genre.

VFYW: Zen And The Art Of Window Sleuthing

The Weekly Dish • 0 implied HN points • 06 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Contests
  1. The contest uncovers surprising small-town history and quirky local facts, linking ordinary streets to famous people and odd events.
  2. A lively community shares photos, travel snaps, pet pics, and personal stories, making the game a friendly social ritual.
  3. Sleuthing is playful and detective-like, full of helpful clues and red herrings (like signs reading “Zen Den” or “Phoenix Block”) that send people down deep online and local searches.

VFYW: The Eyes Have It

The Weekly Dish • 0 implied HN points • 22 Nov 25
🏝 Travel Contests
  1. The puzzle asked readers to identify a Central/Eastern European town from a photo, with the building’s “eyes” (dormer windows), red-tile roofs, and rolling cultivated hills acting as the main location clues.
  2. Solvers used a mix of deliberate searches and lucky mistakes—searching phrases like “houses with eyes,” misreading roof patterns as signage, and locating a distinctive library skylight—to find the hotel and town.
  3. The contest showcases an engaged community trading local knowledge, archival detours, and clever sleuthing methods, turning each round into a collaborative detective exercise across multiple countries.

VFYW: Bigfoot's Trap House

The Weekly Dish • 0 implied HN points • 14 Feb 26
🏝 Travel Contests
  1. A weekly window-location contest brings a lively online community together to sleuth, share photos, and trade stories and follow-ups.
  2. Solvers lean on tiny visual clues and online tools — chain stores, license plates, gas prices, and Google Street View — to pinpoint exact locations, sometimes landing on surprising finds like a spot in Oregon.
  3. The contest sparks travel plans, local-history tidbits, recipes, creative reimaginings, and friendly banter, making it about more than just identifying a window.

VFYW: Breaking Bad Bunny

The Weekly Dish • 0 implied HN points • 31 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Contests
  1. The VFYW contest brings a global community of sleuths together to solve window-photo puzzles and share entertaining facts and reactions.
  2. The project produced a 200-page photo book now sold via print-on-demand at a relatively high price, whereas earlier bulk printing made copies much cheaper.
  3. Winners often crack the locations by spotting tiny visual clues—like license plates, hotel logos, tree types, and parking structures—and participants trade follow-ups, stories, and local knowledge.