FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Los Angeles, August 26, 2026 — Sulis International Press today announced it is retiring its annual short story and poetry contest, launched in 2022, in favor of a year-round open submissions process for short fiction and poetry.
“Our contest gave us a wonderful group of writers over the past several years, and we’re grateful to everyone who entered,” said Anthony Holmes, Director of Publications, on behalf of the Editorial Team at Sulis International Press. “But as we’ve grown, we’ve found that a standing, no-fee submissions window lets us build the same kind of relationships with new authors, without an entry fee or a single deadline standing in the way.”
Beginning August 25, 2026, writers of short fiction and poetry can submit work for consideration in future Sulis anthologies at any time, at no cost, through this form. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis by the Sulis editorial team, consistent with the acquisitions standards the press applies across its four imprints: Riversong Books, Sulis Horizon, Keledei Publications, and Sulis Academic Press.
The change also reflects a broader industry shift. Like many small presses, Sulis has seen a marked rise in low-effort, AI-generated submissions in recent contest cycles; a trend reported across literary magazines and small presses more broadly. Open submissions, which ask writers to briefly describe their work and its fit with Sulis, allow editors to engage more directly with each writer’s intent and craft.
“Sulis exists to publish authors who’ve been passed over elsewhere, and to do right by them with above-market royalties once we do,” Holmes added. “That mission depends on real editorial relationships: reading closely, giving honest feedback, working with a writer to make a piece its best. That’s harder to do inside a once-a-year contest format, and easier to do when the door is simply always open.”
Writers with questions about the transition, including past contest entrants, are encouraged to contact the press directly.
About Sulis International Press
Sulis International Press is an independent, multi-imprint publisher based in Los Angeles, Dallas, and London. Its four imprints, Riversong Books (fiction), Sulis Horizon (general nonfiction), Keledei Publications (spirituality and inspirational titles), and Sulis Academic Press (academic monographs), are united by a shared mission: publishing authors and projects passed over by larger houses, and paying them above-market royalties for the privilege.
Media Contact:
The Editorial Team at Sulis International Press
[email protected]
