REMINDER: THIS IS FOR ELIGIBLE REPRINTS ONLY
Tenebrous Press presents the Third Annual Brave New Weird Awards—to reward and promote this unique blend of genres—and its accompanying anthology, Brave New Weird: the Best New Weird Horror of the Year, Vol. 3.
We define New Weird Horror as a subgenre focused on progress, creatively capturing themes and questions that bleed into fiction straight from the modern reader's life and future. It acts as a challenge to break new ground in terms of form and content and to engage with the unknown. Beyond that, New Weird Horror will be defined by the winning pieces themselves.
Buzzwords: speculative; eclectic; horror-centric but genre-blended; progressive and innovative in terms of content, social themes, form, or voice; concept-driven.
Does this sound like your writing? Submit your previously published work to the New Weird Horror Awards today!
Eligibility
Any previously published piece of short fiction under 7.499 words originally published in the English language within the eligibility period.
You may submit NARRATIVE poems only; poems will be judged on their storytelling.
Stories published in other languages are welcome if there is an English translation available, and the English translation falls under the eligibility period.
Any work published through Tenebrous Press is not eligible INCLUDING THE SKULL & LAUREL MAGAZINE. We already think you're awesome, regardless. Tenebrous staff are also not eligible.
Previous WINNERS are NOT eligible; please do not submit.
NOMINEES from previous years ARE eligible.
Eligibility period
Works published between the 31st of October 2023 and the 31st of October 2024 will be considered for BNW Vol. 3.
Simply: If it's published before Halloween this year, it competes for this year's award. If it's published after Halloween, it competes for next year's award.
Final submission deadline for this year's award: November 1st, 2023. Send ARCS if necessary to get the submission in on time.
Response
As this is an award, there will not be any rejection notices. Stories are submitted by editors, readers, reviewers; imagine sending rejection letters to someone who didn’t even submit their own work.
Instead, if we want to award & feature a story, we will reach out to the author. There will be a published shortlist, and the shortlisted works that don’t end up being featured will still be mentioned & advertised in the anthology.
Results
Selected authors will be asked to sign a non-exclusive contract allowing their reprint to be featured.
A reprint payment of $25 + one paperback copy + one award certificate will be given to the selected authors.
How to submit
ANYONE may submit. Readers, reviewers, editors, and the authors themselves are all welcome to submit.
Authors submitting on your own behalf: Submit a short story as a text document. Add the link if the story is available online. Authors, please submit ONLY YOUR ONE LIKELIEST STORY.
Editors, reviewers, and readers submitting on behalf of others: please submit up to THREE individual stories or ONE full anthology/magazine issue (we will consider every story in the manuscript individually).
Electronic submissions only.
INDIVIDUAL STORIES, SUBMIT HERE.
FULL ISSUES, SUBMIT HERE.
Other rules
You may speak about this award, submitting to this award, and being shortlisted for this award, in any way you like.
If we missed anything, drop us an email or DM!