Melius Scripto Press International, Ltd Presents

Current Open Anthologies

Speculative Fiction

(#SpecFicAnthology)

Mythology and Lore

(#MythologyandLore)

Seeking well-written short stories for our current anthology projects.

If you’re submitting a novel or other prose longer than 10,000 words, please see our regular submissions guide here.

Currently (2021)

Open for Entries

October 1st, 2021

Deadline for Submissions

MSPI will consider short stories in the Speculative Fiction category meeting our submission criteria. See the graphic below to understand what is covered under Speculative Fiction. This list is not exhaustive. It is just meant to provide an idea of what is under the broad umbrella of Speculative Fiction.

For this anthology, we are looking for short stories that are either your own brand-new fairytales, fables, legends, or myths—or your unique re-imaginings of such stories from around the world. Take an old fantastical tale and make it your own—give it a twist. Please note that each type of story has the specific elements/tropes indicated below:

Please note that the words “once upon a time” do not need to be used for this anthology. Also, fairy tales and fables are often written as “kid friendly”—that is not a requirement (or a recommendation) for this anthology.

Our acquisitions team is looking for short stories within the theme described below.

We want to read your story!

Up to 12 stories will be selected to appear in each anthology. All rights and ownership to stories submitted to this anthology return to the author after one year from publication date, until and unless other agreements are made.

Max Word Count: 10,000

Winning Stories announced: November 1, 2021

Anthology Published: December 15, 2021

The Rules

Submissions are accepted via electronic submission on this website only.

Between now and Midnight of the latest time zone October 1, 2021.

There is no entry fee for this anthology.

There is no limit to the number of stories you may submit.

The story may have been previously published, however all submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s). If it has been previously published and you aren’t sure about your rights, do not submit the story.

Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s). All writers must be credited on title page.

If a writing team is chosen for publication, the person who submits the project will be the only point of contact (POC) recognized by MSPI and its team unless other arrangements are made in writing. Any applicable royalties will be paid only to the POC per a signed contract. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing any royalties.

Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material are not allowed.

All ownership and rights to the material submitted to this anthology remains with the original rights holders unless and until other agreements are made.

Entries must be received on or before the deadline.

Eligibility

All writers at least 14 years of age are eligible. However, a writer who is under 18 must have parent or guardian written permission to be eligible for publication. This determination will be made after the finalists are chosen.
All persons from anywhere in the world are eligible; however the material submitted must be in English.
The material submitted must not be encumbered by any obligation to, or option held by, a third party prior to entering the competition.
Material submitted to other anthologies, competitions or contests wherein rights may be retained by the publisher permanently or during any portion of 2021, 2022, 2023 are ineligible.
There are no requirements as to when the material was written.
Any submitted work that becomes optioned, professionally adapted for the screen or purchased between the time of submission and the end of the judging period will no longer be eligible.
Material should be submitted in PDF format, following standard submissions guidelines. Those guidelines can be found here. No non-standard fonts or font sizes.
Adaptations are ineligible unless the underlying rights are owned by the writer or the work is in the public domain.
Short stories longer than 10,000 words will not be eligible. If you have a story longer than 40,000 words, please see our standard submissions guide.

All material must be submitted electronically via the MSPI website. Submissions to individuals at MSPI or via its representatives or associates on the Writing Fiction Facebook group or any other group will not be eligible.
The ten finalists will be chosen based on the following criteria:
Story elements (premise, plot, characterization, conflict, etc.);
Voice and Originality;
Potential (pacing, reader engagement);
Use of the anthology theme
Overall impression and quality (Effort, editing, followed submission criteria, etc.).
The top 10 finalists will be notified by email. Entrants will be required to submit further information to assist in the judges’ verification of eligibility. Any entrant may be deemed ineligible at the sole discretion of MSPI. For information on the types of stories that are typically rejected by MSPI, go here.
Finalists will be required to sign and return within seven (7) business days of receipt a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and a Release and Indemnification and any other documents that MSPI or any other partner may require before publication. Failure to respond to the initial notification within ten (10) days or return of notification will result in disqualification. We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.

Entry Conditions and Release

BY ENTERING THE ANTHOLOGY YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release and hold harmless MSPI, Ltd, MSPI.com, its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, anthology editors, judges, readers, sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising or promoting the Contest, and every one of their respective members, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, copyright, infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to a participant’s Entry, participation in the publication and/or acceptance or use or misuse of publication rights; provided however, that such release will not apply to any commercial exploitation of the story by a Released Party in violation of your rights under

applicable copyright law; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the MSPI, ltd. and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Publication. Employees of MSPI, Ltd. and their immediate families are ineligible to participate in this contest. Any such submission will be immediately disqualified. ENTRY TO THIS PUBLICATION IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED or restricted by any Federal, State or Local law. Recipients’ eligibility will be verified before publication and the selected authors may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility. By entering the publication, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online and cloud-based services and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your submission file(s).
Submission or acceptance into this anthology competition does not constitute an agreement for royalty payments. Any such agreement will be made separately only upon acceptance for publication by MSPI.

Copyyright and Ownership

MSPI or any other partner, employee or agent associated with this anthology claims no ownership nor first right of option to any original short story submitted to this anthology. All ownership and rights to the material submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders until and unless other agreements are made upon selection for the anthology.

Publicity

Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to MSPI and its agents’ and contest sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or personal information for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. All uses of an entrants’ information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Refund Policy

Not applicable for this anthology as there are no entrance fees.