The Sun Magazine: Annual Submissions, Writing Contests, and Literary Awards

Dec 21, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Oct 6, 2025

The Sun Magazine has long been a beacon for writers seeking a platform that values creativity, authenticity, and literary excellence. Each year, this renowned journal opens its doors to submissions, offering opportunities for both emerging and established writers to showcase their work. With a variety of contests and awards, The Sun provides an inspiring stage for diverse voices across genres.

Annual Submissions at The Sun Magazine

The Sun accepts submissions of essays, short stories, and poetry throughout the year. Writers are encouraged to explore themes that resonate with human experience, social issues, and personal transformation. The journal welcomes unsolicited manuscripts and prides itself on carefully reviewing every submission.

Submission Guidelines

Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography, and letters to the editor
Word Limit: Prose (up to 7,000 words), Poetry (up to five poems per submission)
Simultaneous Submissions: Accepted with notification upon acceptance elsewhere
Submission Fee: None

Awards and Contests at The Sun Magazine

The Sun Literary Journal hosts several prestigious contests each year, offering writers the chance to earn recognition and generous cash prizes. These contests aim to celebrate exceptional storytelling and provide a platform for compelling, transformative works.

The Sun Fiction Contest

Cash Prize: Payment for fiction ranges from $300 to $2,000, depending on the length and quality of the submission.
Deadline: Currently, there is no specific fiction contest with a set deadline. Writers are encouraged to submit their fiction works year-round.
Entry Fee: None

The Sun Poetry Contest

Cash Prize: Payment for poetry ranges from $100 to $250, depending on the length and quality of the submission.
Deadline: Currently, there is no specific poetry contest with a set deadline. Poets are welcome to submit their work throughout the year.
Entry Fee: None

Readers Write Series

; topics are intentionally broad to allow

In addition to general submissions, Readers Write is a feature in The Sun where readers share their personal writing on a given topic, a unique fixture of the magazine since the section’s inception in 1978. Send them your true story on an upcoming topic, and if they publish it you’ll receive a complimentary one-year subscription.b

Not sure what to write? See below for some prompts to spark an idea. Writing style isn’t as important as thoughtfulness and sincerity, and topics are intentionally broad to give room for expression and interpretation.

Upcoming Topics and Deadlines for The Sun's Readers Write Series

Nicknames — Due July 1, 2025

Honest Abe. Queen Bey. The Dude. Even if you don’t have a famous one, a nickname can make you feel cool—or it can drive you crazy. Tell us about the dig your siblings used to torment you or the moniker you earned after an epic night out. Did you rebrand yourself by changing a childhood “Missy” to an adult “Melissa”? Are you the person who comes up with the perfect handles for your friends? Have you always wanted a nickname but never had one? Send them your true story (no fabrications except the nicknames, please!) by July 1.

Stirring the Pot — Due August 1, 2025

Do you work in the culinary arts? Spend hours on the weekend perfecting your grandmother’s marinara? Do you look forward to making a nice dinner, or dread the grind of cooking every night? Maybe you’re a different kind of pot-stirrer: a political debater; a devil’s advocate; the person who brings up family secrets at the Thanksgiving dinner table. There’s more than one way to stir the pot. Please send your interpretation (true stories only) by August 1.

Ready to submit your work for The Sun's Readers Write series?

Submit

Ready to Get Involved?

Writers can submit their work through The Sun’s online portal or via postal mail. Submissions should adhere strictly to the guidelines provided on the journal's website. Submissions that align with The Sun’s focus on thought-provoking, emotionally resonant storytelling have the best chance of being selected.

For more details and to submit your work, visit The Sun’s website.