Short Fiction Markets – Canadian Lit Mags A-Z

[UPDATE December 2022: I’ve updated my litmag list because the word count info is so useful to short story writers. So, Merry Christmas!]

These are not ALL the magazines out there in our northern land. This is my personal list of Canadian lit-mags that publish the kind of short fiction I read and write, and for which I’m eligible to submit. (You won’t find Ricepaper here because I’m not Asian Canadian, and you won’t find Arc because I don’t write poetry.) To discover more Canlit markets, check out the CBC’s Guide to literary journals.

Acta Victoriana (Digital publication out of Toronto, since 1878)

Accepts: Poetry and short fiction to 2500 words
Submission period: Year round; check website for openings; simultaneous okay
Payment: Small honorarium

AE : The Canadian Science Fiction Review (Digital publication)

Accepts: Fiction to 3000 words, reviews, visual art
Submission period: Year round; check for calls on website
Payment: $0.10 per word

Agnes and True (Digital publication, since 2015)

Accepts: Fiction to 3500 words
Submission period: Year round; check website for openings
Payment: $75

The Antigonish Review (Print and digital, from Nova Scotia, since 1970)

Fiction up to 3,000 words, plus poetry, essays, articles, book reviews
Open year-round; Submit online; simultaneous submissions discouraged
Pays $50 + copies.

Augur Magazine (Digital publication)

Literary/speculative fiction to 5000 words, plus poetry, nonfiction, comics
Also publishes Tales and Feathers, fantasy stories under 2500 words
Submission period: Check website; simultaneous okay
Payment: $0.11 cents per word

Blank Spaces (Print and digital publication, since 2016)

Accepts: Fiction to 3500 words, nonfiction, art, photo essay
Issues per year: 4
Submission period: Year round; some months have a small submission fee
Check Guidelines
Payment: not mentioned

Canthius Journal (Print and digital, from Ontario, since 2015)

Prose (CNF, essays, some fiction) to 3,500 words, and poetry
Publishes authors of marginalized genders
Monthly submission caps; check website. Simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $50-$150

The Capilano Review (Print and digital, from Vancouver, since 1972)

Fiction to 2,000 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, reviews, and visual arts
Publishes experimental work
Check website for submission periods; Simultaneous okay
Pays $50/page

Carousel (Digital magazine, from Ontario, since 1983)

Fiction and poetry, comics and visual arts
Check website for openings, themes, and details. Simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $40-80

Carte Blanche (Digital publication from Quebec, since 2004)

Fiction to 3,500 words, plus poetry, CNF, comics visual and audio arts
Check website for submission periods and themes; Simultaneous submissions okay
Pays a small honorarium

Cloud Lake Literary (Digital magazine since 2020)

Fiction to 3500 words, plus CNF, poetry, and children’s literature
Check website for submission periods
Pays $50-$150

The Dalhousie Review (Print magazine, since 1921, from Nova Scotia)

Fiction to 5,000 words, plus articles, essays, creative non-fiction, poetry, and reviews
Submissions year-round, by email. Check guidelines. Simultaneous submissions discouraged
Pays small honorarium

Event (Print and digital magazine, from BC, since 1971)

Fiction up to 5,000 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, and reviews
Open submission period. Check website for guidelines. Simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $35/page

Exile (longstanding print magazine; also publishes anthologies)

Literary and speculative fiction to various lengths, depending on theme, plus CNF and poetry
Submissions year-round; check website for calls and themes; submit by Submittable or snail mail; exclusive submissions only
Payment unspecified

Existere (Digital magazine, from Toronto, since 1978)

Fiction to 3,500 words, plus poetry, essays, reviews, CNF, and visual arts
Submissions year-round; Simultaneous submissions okay
See submission guidelines
Pays $50/piece

The Feathertale Revew (Print humour magazine and website, since 2008)

Fiction to 2,500 words, plus poetry and cartoons
Open submission period. Submit by email. See guidelines.
Pays for work featured in the print Review

The Fiddlehead (Print journal from New Brunswick, since 1945)

Fiction to 6,000 words, plus poetry, CNF, and reviews.
Open submission period; submit once/year by Submittable or snail mail. Simultaneous submissions okay; Check guidelines
Pays $60/page

filling Station (Print magazine from Alberta, since 1993)

Experimental fiction, plus poetry, CNF, novel excerpts, and visual arts
Open submission period; check guidelines. Simultaneous submissions okay
Payment unspecified

Freefall (Print and digital magazine from Alberta, since 1990)

Fiction to 4,000 words, plus poetry and visual arts
Submissions open from June-September via Submittable; simultaneous submissions okay
See Submission Guidelines
Pays $10/page

Funicular Magazine (Print magazine from Alberta, since 2018)

Accepts: Fiction to 3000 words, plus poetry
Open submission period; check website. Simultaneous submissions okay; options for free submissions or a small fee for a faster response
Payment: $10/page

Fusion Fragment (Digital and print magazine, since 2020)

Speculative, Slipstream and Science Fiction to 15,000 words
Open submission period; check website; simultaneous submissions okay
Payment: 3.5 cents per word

Geist (Print publication from Vancouver, since 1990)

Fiction to 5000 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, essays, and visual arts
Submissions by Submittable or snail mail; check website for submission guidelines and open periods. Simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $100-1000

Grain (Print publication from Saskatchewan, since 1973)

Fiction up to 3,500 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, and experimental cross-genres
Submissions open from September-May. Submit online or by snail mail. Check website for guidelines
Pays $50/page

Hermine (Print magazine from Toronto, on its third issue)

Fiction to 4000 words
Check website for open submission periods; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $50 to $200

The Humber Literary Review (Print and digital magazine from Toronto, since 2014)

Fiction to 6,000 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, essays, and visual arts
The latest issue is available to read free online for limited periods after releast
Check the website for submission calls and themes; small submission fee; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $100

Into the Void (Print and digital magazine on its 20th issue)

Fiction to 5000 words, plus poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual arts
Read the magazine before submitting (That’s always a good idea but here it’s a requirement.)
Check the website for open submission periods; a small fee kicks in after a cap is reached; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $20

long con magazine (Dazzling digital magazine that publishes art about art, based in Halifax, since 2019)

Fiction to 15 pages, plus poetry and visual arts
All submissions should respond to a particular artwork
Check the website for open submission periods; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $50

The Malahat Review (Print and Digital magazine from Victoria, since 1967)

Fiction to 8,000 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, and translations
Submit once per calendar year, via Submittable. Simultaneous submissions okay but notify; check Submission Guidelines
Pays $70/page

Minola Review (Digital magazine with print anthology, since 2016)

Fiction to 5000 words, plus poetry, reviews, excerpts, and creative non-fiction, from women writers
Check website for open submission periods; simultaneous submissions okay
Payment: $75

The Nashwaak Review (Print magazine from New Brunswick, since 1994)

Fiction (no word limit specified), plus poetry, travel articles, essays, art, and reviews, with an Atlantic emphasis
Open submission period. Submit by snail mail and email; no mention of exclusivity
Payment not specified

The New Quarterly (Print and digital magazine from Waterloo, since 1981)

Fiction to 6,000 words, plus poetry, CNF, reviews, and interviews; also accepts work for its website.
Submissions year-round, with caps. See guidelines for formatting; simultaneous submissions okay. Submit once per calendar year.
Pays $250

On Spec (Print and digital magazine from Edmonton, since 1989)

Speculative Fiction to 6000 words
See website for guidelines, tips, and calls for submissions
Pays 5 cents/word

Paperplates (Digital magazine published once/year, since 1999)

Fiction, poetry, reviews
Query with the first 300 words only; simultaneous submissions okay
No pay but the glory

Parentheses

Fiction to 2000 words, plus poetry and visual arts, especially from marginalized writers
Blind submissions, year-round; check guidelines; simultaneous submissions okay
No pay but the honour

Prairie Fire (Print magazine from Winnipeg, since 1978)

Fiction to 10,000 words, plus poetry and creative non-fiction
Submit by snail mail once/year; see guidelines; simultaneous submissions okay but mention in cover letter
Pays 10 cents/word

Prairie Journal (Print and online magazine from Alberta, since 1983)

Fiction, poetry, drama, literary criticism, reviews, and artwork
Submit by snail mail; see guidelines; exclusive submissions only
Pays a small honorarium

PRISM International (Print magazine and website, from Vancouver, since 1959)

Fiction to 6000 words (preferably less), plus poetry, translations, and visual arts
Submit online; check website for open submission periods; small submission fee; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $40/page

Pulp Literature (Print magazine since 2014, with podcast on website)

All genres of fiction to 20,000 words (but most stories are <5000), plus poetry, graphic narratives, and excerpts
Submit online; check website for guidelines and open periods; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays 2 to 8 cents/word

The Puritan (Digital magazine from Toronto, since 2007)

Fiction to 10,000 words, plus poetry, essays, interviews, and hybrids
Open submission period. Submit online; see Submission Guidelines; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $150

Queen’s Quarterly (Print magazine from Ontario, since 1893)

Fiction to 3,000 words, plus poetry, essays, articles, and reviews.
Open submission period. Submit by email or snail mail; see guidelines; simultaneous submissions okay
Payment TBD on acceptance

Qwerty (Print magazine from New Brunswick, since 1996)

Fiction to 5,000 words, plus poetry, reviews, and visual arts
Submit online, ideally from September-April; see guidelines; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays a small honorarium

Riddle Fence (Print magazine from Newfoundland, since 2007)

Fiction to 3,000 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, and visual arts
Submit by email; check website for guidelines; simultaneous submissions okay
Payment unspecified

Room (Print magazine and website from BC, since 1975)

Feminist fiction to 3,500 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, and visual arts
Submit online; see Submission Guidelines for themes and deadlines; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $50-$150

Shrapnel (Online magazine, since 2020)

Experimental fiction (no word limit), plus poetry, CNF, essays, and graphic narratives
Submit by email; follow guidelines; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $60

sub-Terrain (Print magazine from Vancouver, since 1992)

Fiction to 3,000 words, plus creative non-fiction and visual arts
Submit online or by snail mail; check guidelines for themes and open periods; no mention of exclusivity
Pays 10 cents/word

The /tƐmz/ Review (Online magazine from Ontario, since 2017)

Experimental fiction to 10000 words, plus poetry, CNF, and reviews; also publishes chapbooks
Submit online, year-round; check guidelines; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $20

untethered (Print magazine from Toronto, since 2014)

Fiction to 3,000 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, and visual arts
Submit by email; check Submissions Guidelines for format and openings; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays $20

The Windsor Review (Digital magazine from Ontario, since 1965, formerly print)

Fiction to 5,000 words, plus poetry, creative non-fiction, and visual arts
Submit online once/year; see Submission Guidelines; simultaneous submissions okay
Pays a small honorarium

That’s my list — over 40 great magazines to read and submit to. Good luck.