2026 Uncharted Camp Summer Contest | Judged by Ai Jiang | $2500 Awarded! | Free for Writers of Historically Marginalized Groups

We invite writers to submit to the 2026 Uncharted Camp Summer from July 01 to August 30, 2026. 

For this contest, we want stories or excerpts of summer heat, secrets by the campfire, killer mosquitoes, and everything we love and hate about summer camp and the dangers of summer! Take the elements of this trope and put them in new settings: spaceships, faraway planets, mythical isles, and don’t forget the horrific beasts and the liminal shadows. Make it serious or campy, or any register in between. Make us laugh until we cry; make us ponder the logic of your science. Tame the fantastical or let it roam. Final girls or final kisses, don’t be afraid to invite a bit of those firsts and lasts. We especially love stories that incorporate elements from multiple genres, so consider how combining these aspects might enhance your story. 

This award is for all of our genres: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller/Mystery/Horror, Young Adult, and Dystopian. 

Guest Judge Ai Jiang will choose the three winning stories from our shortlist. We’re excited to offer the first-place winner of this contest $2,000 and publication, while the second- and third-place winners will receive publication and $300 and $200, respectively.

Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian writer, Ignyte, Bram Stoker, and Nebula Award winner, and Hugo, Astounding, Locus, Aurora, and BFSA Award finalist born in Changle, Fujian, currently residing in Markham, Ontario. Her work can be found in F&SF, The Dark, Clarkesworld, and The Masters Review, among others. She is the author of A Palace Near the Wind, Linghun, and I AM AI. 

Submission tips from Guest Judge Ai Jiang: 

From campy to quiet and haunting, I'm looking for stories that are emotion and personal, ones that really draw on the voice and style of the writers. I'm always a fan of more experimental formats, structures, and POVs in storytelling, and tales that offer a fresh take on tried and true tropes or are completely different and niche.   

GUIDELINES

• The deadline for entry is August 30, 2026. We will announce the shortlist within 12–14 weeks of the contest’s close. All writers will be notified when the results are in.
• Your $20 reading fee allows ONE short story or novel excerpt of 1,001–5,000 words per entry.
• We encourage multiple submissions—each story should be a separate submission accompanied by a reading fee.
• Writers from historically marginalized groups can submit for free until we reach our cap of twenty-five free submissions. No additional fee waivers will be granted.
• Please submit short stories or novel excerpts—5,000 word count maximum.
• We only consider unpublished work for contests—we do not review reprints, including self-published work (even on blogs and social media). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
• Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us immediately and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing.
• All entries will also be considered for publication in Uncharted.
• Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 (or larger if needed).
• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable).
• Please include a content warning to help safeguard our staff (if applicable).
• We only read work in English, though some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
• We do not read anonymous submissions. However, shortlisted stories are sent anonymously to the judge.
• Work generated by AI will be automatically disqualified.

Some Submittable Hot Tips:

• Please be sure to whitelist/add to contacts this email address so notifications do not get filtered as spam/junk: notifications@email.submittable.com.
• If you realize you sent the wrong version of your piece: It happens. Please DO NOT withdraw the piece and resubmit. Submittable collects a nonrefundable fee each time. Please DO message us from within the submission to request that we open the entry for editing, which will allow you to fix everything from typos in your cover letter to uploading a new draft. The only time we will not allow a change is if the piece is already under review by a reader.

OPTIONAL FEEDBACK ON YOUR WRITING 

You may choose to receive editorial feedback on your piece. We will provide two-page global letters discussing the strengths of the writing and the recommended focus for revision. Our aim is to make our comments actionable and encouraging. These letters are written by editors and staff readers of Uncharted. A significant portion of the editorial letter fees goes to our feedback editor. Should your story win, no feedback will be offered, and your fee will be refunded.