Submission Window: January 15th – 21st, 2026
Payment: $25
Theme: Green Man/Woman, Dryad, Yaksha, Tree Spirit
Submissions Will Open January 15-21, 2026
For our Spring/summer Issue 2026
Theme: Green Man/Woman, Dryad, Yaksha, Tree Spirit
Our no fee call for poems & prose
From time immemorial, tree spirits have been a part of our mythology. Fairy Tale Magazine seeks stories and poems that have lore at its heart. Our Spring/Summer 2026 theme celebrates the Green Man, Green Woman, Woodwose, Jack-in-the-Green, the Green Knight, Peter Pan, Robin Hood. We’re open to tales and poems the world over, so give us your shalabhanjikas, Yaksha / Yakshi, Iroko, Loko, Osanyin, Aja, La Ceiba, Woodwose, Ents (like Treebeard!).
* Tell us a tale of a Morris Dance in which a true magical creature participates. What happens? Or perhaps you’re interested in sharing a tale about a dryadologist out there studying tree spirits.
* What about a tree sprite who longs to wander free? Must we always bloom where we’re planted, or can we be like Ents and walk the forests?
* What about the Green Man of the city vs. the country?
* Tell us of the between time! Spin us a tale of spring, or of its counterpart—autumn. Be sure your protagonist is a nature or tree spirit of some kind or that your poem/story is nature or tree spirit centered! Remember that we focus more on fairy tale style storytelling than short story or flash, but we welcome your best tree spirit stories.
No erotica! No horror!
If you were published in our latest issue, we ask that you please sit out one round before submitting again.
For those who submit (following the guidelines below), we send emails once decisions are made.
Submissions accepted via Google Form only. The link appears here when submissions are open.
About Us
The Fairy Tale Magazine is an online lit magazine that publishes two full issues per year and one bonus mini-issue for our Prose & Poetry Contest. We seek fairy tale stories and poems from and about a wide range of backgrounds. Our full issues are released online on April 15th and November 1st. Bonus issue for the contest is released July 15th.
This is NOT a children’s publication. It is intended for teens and adults (age 15 and older).
Guidelines 2025
(Updated on December 8, 2025)
The Fairy Tale Magazine accepts only previously unpublished stories and poems. We accept unsolicited submissions. Use the following word counts:
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Short Stories (between 900-2,000 words): Fairy tales inspired by any aspect of the above-listed themes. (1 piece per submission period)
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Poetry (500 word limit): Poetry inspired by any aspect of the above-listed themes are welcome. (1 piece per submission period)
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We do not accept submissions of art or nonfiction. We are not hiring. No inquiries please.
Note: If you were published in the previous full issue, please wait one full issue before submitting your work again.
How to Format and Submit Your Work
Submit your work using our fillable Google Form only. The link to the submission form appears here when submissions are open.
The portal closed August 21st at midnight!
(If you encounter issues, please notify us at: [email protected].)
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Prose should be single spaced. Indent new paragraphs.
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For poetry, special spacing may be submitted if necessary for your poem
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Include a brief third-person bio (50-word max)
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Please include your PayPal address so we know how to pay you. PayPal ONLY! Thank you!
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Only works in English, please.
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We are happy to read and publish work from any country, and are open to work with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
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Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please email [email protected] with WITHDRAW in the subject line to let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere. Once we accept a story or poem for publication, be sure to withdraw your submission from other publications
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You must be 18 years old or older to submit work to The Fairy Tale Magazine.
About Theme and Content
Keep in mind that all fairy tale related fiction and poetry needs an element of the supernatural—as well as transformation. Mashups welcomed. The essence of classic fairy tales should be maintained in stories and poems submitted here. You can take a lot of license with the work, but there must be a clear connection to the theme.
Absolutely none of the following for any submissions: sci-fi, time-travel, futuristic, space travel, high fantasy, erotica, stage magic, dystopian, extreme horror/gore, western, lengthy grossout descriptions of bodily functions or injuries, objectifying descriptions of people’s bodies, excessive world building (a.k.a., info dumps) war or battle as a major plot device, love triangles, and any form of romance that is not between humans or human-like creatures like fairies.
All content must be PG. Many children find our site even though it’s not a children’s publication.
Notification of Winners and Payment
Our google form is set to email you a copy of your submission. You will receive an email notifying you of our decision. Chosen authors will be announced on the blog at fairytalemagazine.com around September 25, 2025. The Fall/Winter Issue (PDF) will be on the blog on or around November 1st. There will be a contract to sign.
No editorial feedback is provided. We do not justify decisions.
RIGHTS
First and all electronic and digital rights are being sought, as are rights to use the work for promoting and to benefit The Fairy Tale Magazine (FTM) in perpetuity, although you will retain the right to withdraw consent for using your work in promotional efforts after one year from publication. We are also buying the first podcast, YouTube, and all potential digital media rights to your work. Media rights are not exclusive.
Once a work is published on this website, you are free to shop it elsewhere—meaning electronic and digital and electronic rights revert to you immediately after publishing, but FTM will continue to sell or publish your work as part of the magazine’s mission, on media platforms such as YouTube and on podcasts platforms indefinitely. FTM is not published anywhere but on this site.
Via: Fairy Tale Magazine.
