Fiction, Drama
The Lemonwood Quarterly
The Lemonwood Quarterly pays $200 for each story or play it selects for publication, ten per quarterly issue, with a $4.00 charge per submission that is the writer's cost. Published pieces also advance to a December final round for the $1,000 and $500 prizes. It takes fiction and plays of 2,000 to 10,000 words, welcomes writers of every nationality, refuses machine-generated text, and answers within thirty days of each window.
🟢 Currently accepting Verified 2026-10
The docket
The nine things that decide whether a pitch is worth sending. Every answer below is either taken from the publication’s own guideline or computed by BRYME from the 300-publication desk. Where the publication does not say, the docket says so instead of filling the gap in.
- Payment
- $200 payment per story or play selected for publicationThe highest figure of the 72 records quoting in USD on this desk that state a figure. On publication.
- Length
- Stories and plays of 2,000 to 10,000 words; no poetry, flash fiction, nonfiction or other prose; up to four submissions a year, one per quarterly issue
- Who can submit
- Open worldwideThe guideline states the call is worldwide. Diaspora writers are explicitly welcome.
- Reading period
- Not yet assessedBRYME has not recorded a reading period for this market from its guideline page. That is our gap rather than the publication's silence: it does not mean the window is open, and it does not mean there is none. Read the guideline linked on this page before you send.
- Response time
- Within thirty days of the window deadline
- Simultaneous submissions
- You may submit elsewhere at the same timeSimultaneous Submissions to other publications are fine, but please withdraw your submission immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. — https://thelemonwoodquarterly.submittable.com/submit (read 2026-10-02)
- AI policy
- AI-assisted work is prohibitedThe guideline forbids AI-generated or AI-assisted writing.
- Rights
- StatedThe publishing agreement grants The Lemonwood Quarterly first worldwide electronic publication rights and non-exclusive online rights, with copyright retained by the author.
- Experience
- Not statedThe guideline sets no experience requirement. BRYME records that as silence, not as a welcome — a first-time writer is not excluded, but nor are they invited.
What this record does not tell you
This publication leaves 2 of the nine questions unanswered. BRYME publishes that gap instead of filling it — a generated answer would look complete and cost you a pitch.
- Reading period — no window recorded yet, so check the guideline before you pitch rather than assuming it is open.
- Experience — look at what kind of writer this publication normally publishes before you pitch; its guideline does not say.
Record last human-checked 2026-10-02. Sources listed at the foot of this page. Figures are compared only against other records quoting in USD on this desk quoted the same way, so a per-word rate is never ranked against a flat fee.
Quick facts
- Payment
- $200 payment per story or play selected for publication
- Word count
- Stories and plays of 2,000 to 10,000 words; no poetry, flash fiction, nonfiction or other prose; up to four submissions a year, one per quarterly issue
- Submission
- Online form through Submittable; Word or PDF only.
- International writers
- Yes
- Status
- 🟢 Currently accepting
- Last verified
- 2026-10
What this publication wants
This is BRYME's summary of the publication's focus — not a copy of their website. Type of writing: Fiction, Drama. Official guideline: The Lemonwood Quarterly guidelines.
Topics, themes and styles they look for
- Superbly written short stories and plays; the magazine looks for English-language work of 2,000 to 10,000 words.
- Stories with female protagonists well into adulthood, which the page says it especially seeks.
- Writers of every gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexuality and nationality, including writers without MFA degrees or prior publications.
Subjects they avoid
- Work that includes machine-generated or AI text.
- Poetry, flash fiction, nonfiction prose and other forms - the page excludes them by name.
- Work previously published in any form, including online, in blogs or in print.
- More than one submission per quarterly issue, or more than four a year.
- A simultaneous submission accepted elsewhere without immediate withdrawal.
Key requirements
- Read https://thelemonwoodquarterly.submittable.com/submit before sending.
- Submit through the quarterly contest window on Submittable; Word document or PDF.
- Keep the piece between 2,000 and 10,000 words, and submit only fiction or a play.
- Pay the $4.00 charge per submission, or check the page for any free window.
- Withdraw immediately if a simultaneous piece is accepted elsewhere.
- Note that the page's own listing does not show the window's closing date in the text as read, so no closing date is recorded here.
Who can submit
Official page: "We welcome and encourage submissions from writers of every gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and nationality - including writers without MFA degrees or previously published work."
Rights
The publishing agreement grants The Lemonwood Quarterly first worldwide electronic publication rights and non-exclusive online rights, with copyright retained by the author.
AI policy
Prohibited
How to write for them
Official requirement: always follow the publication's own guideline exactly.
BRYME's practical advice: write for the publication's audience, use a clear structure, keep paragraphs short, lead with a specific angle, and confirm the word count before submitting. These are practical suggestions — they are not the publication's official rules.
How to pitch
Where a pitch is required, this is the general pattern BRYME recommends — always adapt it to the publication's guideline.
- Research the publication and read several recent pieces.
- Choose a specific idea that fits their beat and audience.
- Write a concise subject line naming your idea.
- Introduce yourself in one or two lines (who you are, where you publish).
- Explain the proposed piece in a short paragraph — angle, structure, length.
- Say why it fits this publication.
- Include 2–3 relevant clips or links.
- Close professionally and thank them for their time.
- Send through the official channel only.
Accepting submissions now, with no stated closing date.
How to submit
Online form through Submittable; Word or PDF only.
Apply through the official channel below. BRYME only records submission destinations it has verified.
- Official guideline: opens the publication guideline (new tab)
- Submission: Online form through Submittable; Word or PDF only.
What the guideline asks you to prepare
- Read the submissions page and its guidelines before sending.
- Submit through the current quarterly window on Submittable - the page lists Fall 2026 fiction and playscript windows, and its listing does not show a closing date in the text as read.
- Send fiction or a play of 2,000 to 10,000 words as a Word document or PDF.
- Note the $4.00 charge per submission and the $200 payment on publication.
What happens after submission
Expected response: Within thirty days of the window deadline
If the publication does not state a response time, BRYME records that it is unknown. A follow-up is generally reasonable after a couple of weeks; if there is still no response, treat that as a likely non-acceptance rather than a rejection. Acceptance is normally communicated by the publication. If they accept, they will tell you exactly how to submit the final piece and, for most, how and when payment is made.
Check, question or correct this record
BRYME publishes its working, not just its conclusions. Last human check: 2026-10.