Themes are chosen by Patrons at the end of the month and announced to Patrons on the 1st of each month. Submissions open to Patrons on the 1st of each month. Submissions will be open to the public on the 7th of each month. Submissions for each theme close on the last day of the month at midnight US central time.

Submissions should be in Shunn Manuscript Format and attached as .doc/.docx/.rtf/.odt files. Please note that submissions sent before the first of the month, longer than 1000 words, or in formats other than those listed above will be deleted unread.

The winner will be announced no later than the 15th of the following month and will be paid $0.08/word or $10, whichever is more. The winning story will appear on our Patron Hunt as an exclusive and will be included in a forthcoming issue of Apex Magazine.

Theme: The theme for the submission period of 1/1 to 1/31 is Hope OR Sacrifice OR Sacrificial Hope OR Hopeful Sacrifice. We had a close vote and the team decided to go with two themes. We have to be able to find one or both of the themes in the stories, and the theme must be inextricable from the story.

Go here to submit.