Splinter Journal is Calling for Pitches — Earn AUD $500–$900 per Piece

Publication: Splinter Journal
Topic(s): Profiles, essays, literary criticism, writing about writing, poetry, fiction, memoir
Rate: AUD $250–$900 per piece
Deadline: January 20, 2026
Name of Editor: Not specified
How to Pitch: Join Sure Media Agency to access the editor’s contact and outlet-specific pitching guidance.

Splinter Journal is now accepting pitches and submissions for Issue Five, published by Writers SA with support from Adelaide University, Flinders University, and the Don Dunstan Foundation.

This is a high-paying international writing opportunity open to writers worldwide, including freelance writers from Kenya and across Africa. Splinter actively welcomes diverse, intersectional, and underrepresented voices.

Submissions must be in English. Non-English submissions are accepted only with a human-produced English translation (AI translations are not allowed).

What They’re Looking For

Splinter publishes work that interrogates how reality is constructed — and how it fractures. They are drawn to writing that balances absurdity and seriousness, intellectual weight and emotional disruption.

There is no fixed theme, but for Issue Five, editors are particularly interested in work that brushes—directly or indirectly—against:

Regional and Indigenous (First Nations) voices
Housing insecurity and homelessness
Climate crisis and climate justice
The future (or collapse) of progressive politics
Literary criticism engaging with the above

Writers are encouraged to approach these ideas indirectly, creatively, and unexpectedly. The publication avoids overly instructional or moralising work. Instead, they favour pieces that feel destabilising, intimate, strange, humorous, and intellectually ambitious.

There is no strict word count. As guidance, the longest piece published so far was 8,000 words, though longer works may be considered.

Formats Open for Pitches (Do NOT Submit Full Drafts)

Profiles — AUD $900
Critical examinations of public figures and our one-sided relationships with them.

Essays — AUD $900
Creative nonfiction or reportage exploring ideas beyond the self. Experimental forms and emotionally resonant reporting are encouraged.

Writing About Writing — AUD $500
Essays on writing as a strange, flawed, deeply human practice. Each issue includes one column analysing the worst piece the writer has ever published.

Criticism — AUD $700
Strong-voiced literary criticism of recent works, placed within a broader personal, historical, or cultural context.

Formats Requiring Completed Submissions

Poetry — AUD $250 per poem / AUD $450 for up to four poems
Poetry that explores the fractures and contradictions of lived reality.

Fiction — AUD $900
Any genre or length (excluding book-length manuscripts). Must be compelling, original, and idea-driven.

Memoir — AUD $600
Personal writing that illuminates larger truths through lived experience.

Submission Rules (Important)

One submission per writer (except poetry: up to three poems or one collection of four)
Previously unpublished work only
No resubmissions of declined work
Simultaneous submissions allowed (withdraw if accepted elsewhere)
Editors cannot provide individual feedback
Decisions communicated via Submittable by late April 2026

Why Kenyan Writers Should Pay Attention

This is a rare opportunity to place high-concept literary work with a respected international journal while earning AUD $500–$900 per piece. Kenyan essayists, critics, poets, and literary writers with a strong voice and intellectual range are well-positioned for this call.