Kill Your Darlings magazine now accepts short fiction submissions from members year-round. (Not yet a member? Join here!) Minimum payment is $1000. We encourage you to read short stories we’ve published to get a sense of the kind of material we like! 

Please follow these guidelines:

• You must be a KYD member to be considered for fiction submissions. Memberships are $59.95.
• Stories must be between 2000 and 5000 words.
• Submissions should be in PDF or Word document format, size 12, double-spaced, Times New Roman font. Please leave your name off the document to assist with the judging process.
• Stories, or substantial portions of these stories, must be previously unpublished.
• Stories may be submitted/pitched elsewhere, but must be withdrawn if accepted for publication elsewhere. 
• Submissions are open year-round. However, to manage efficient reading, please only submit one active submission at a time. 
• Include a relevant biography (no more than 100 words).

We encourage writers from diverse backgrounds and all levels of experience to submit. All successful writers will be expected to undergo editing with KYD staff. Due to the expected volume of submissions, we will not be able to provide feedback on unsuccessful works. 

Interested in developing your writing? Check out our writing courses and manuscript assessments.

Please note that Submittable is a separate platform to the KYD website, so you’ll need to create a free Submittable account to submit your story.

Our prize for creative non-fiction essays is back!

Submissions open Monday, 2 November 2026.

The Kill Your Darlings Creative Non-Fiction Essay Prize is a competition for essays between 2500 and 3500 words, on any subject and in any style (such as memoir, commentary, cultural criticism, reportage, etc.). All work must be new work, previously unpublished.

The winner will receive a prize of $2000, with two runner-ups winning prizes of $500 each. The winning entry will be published in Kill Your Darlings magazine.

2025 winners: ‘Piscine’ by Sarah Walker and ‘وجبت wejbet’ by George Haddad.

2023 winner:  ‘Think an Empty Room, Moonly with Phone Glow’ by Xiaole Zhan.

2022 winner: ‘Hungry Little DisHuman Beings’ by Caitlin McGregor.

Sign up to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, Substack and Instagram for updates about other KYD prizes and writing opportunities. 

Terms & Conditions

• To enter you must have a Kill Your Darlings membership that is active on the prize’s closing date. To subscribe, please click here.
• You must be 18 years of age or over at the time of submission.
• Submissions close at 11:59pm (AEDT) Monday, 30 November 2026. Entries submitted after the closing date will not be considered.
• Entries must be submitted using this Submittable portal. Submitting requires a free Submittable account—this is separate from the login associated with your KYD Membership.
• ‘Hybrid’ works including illustrations or other non-textual elements will be considered, but they must contain prose text within the stated word limits. 
• Entries must be an original and previously unpublished work. (Previously published writing can be adapted or built upon to form a new original work.) 
• KYD will not be accepting submissions that include AI-generated text or images, and any unidentified use of AI-generated text will be considered a form of plagiarism. A bibliography of references will be required of winning entrants.
• Entries may be submitted/pitched elsewhere during the prize period, but must be withdrawn if accepted for publication elsewhere. 
• Entries must include a brief pitch/synopsis, no more than 100 words, outlining your topic and argument, entered into the ‘Synopsis’ box in Submittable. Essays submitted without a synopsis will not be considered.
• Completed essays must be attached as one single PDF or MS Word document. Numbered A4 pages with double-spaced 12pt Times New Roman (or similar) font is encouraged but not essential. 
• Please leave your name off the document to assist with the judging process.
• Only one entry per person will be accepted.
• The decision of the judges is final. The judges will not enter into any correspondence and no individual feedback will be provided to entrants.