Taking Submissions: We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2025

Deadline: December 31st, 2025
Payment: 1 cent per word
Theme: Queer short fiction reprints from 2025

We are looking for:

• The best speculative stories published in 2025 under 17,500 words that implicitly or explicitly explores queerness and/or transness.

• We refer to queerness that is inclusive of ace/aro stories, trans and nonbinary stories, and intersex stories.

• What we don’t want to see: Original/unpublished work, unqueer work, non-speculative work.

Guidelines:

• Please submit your story in .pdf, .doc or .docx file, formatted for publication or in something approaching Standard Manuscript Format. Please use italics and bold as necessary. This should be the final version that was published, not including editor notes or track changes.

• Please include a cover/query letter with the title, length, where/when the story was published, and a brief bio. You may include links to your website/social media, and previous publications if any. Please don’t stress about this cover letter, if we have additional questions about your submission, we’ll ask them.

• Simultaneous submissions are welcome.

• Multiple submissions are welcome.

• Reprint submissions from 2025 only. This can include self-published stories, and those published on your blog or Patreon.

Submit your stories here.

Submissions are open to all. Neon Hemlock Press is particularly interested in queer stories and authors.  Authors from all underrepresented backgrounds and marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to submit. Please don’t self-reject.

The compensation level for stories accepted to WE’RE HERE: THE BEST SPECULATIVE FICTION 2025 is $0.01/word. Submissions will close December 31st 2025.

Editors are encouraged to recommend work from their publications and can submit multiple stories for consideration. Authors may also submit their own work; authors from all underrepresented backgrounds and marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to submit. Please don’t self-reject.

Please note that we will not be sending rejections for this anthology, as is standard for other Best Of anthologies. The authors of selected stories will be reached out to in April 2026. We will be announcing our ToC in May/June 2026.

We’d love if you tracked your submissions on Duotrope or the Submission Grinder.

Via: Neon Hemlock.