Radon is a triannual journal publishing original prose and poetry relating to science fiction, transhumanism, anarchism, and cyberpunk dystopia. Our goal is to amplify speculative writers who see the world differently, who use story and verse to expose injustice and investigate our futures.
We are a semi-professional market paying 2¢/word for fiction and $20 per accepted poem. As of January 2025, we no longer accept reprints. We also now utilize tiered decision letters.
We are also looking for applications for future artist-in-residence slots which rotate yearly.
Submissions should be primarily science fiction and contain social commentary to be considered. We do not publish fantasy, magical realism, surrealism, or cli-fi.
General Submission Guidelines:
- 5,000-word limit for fiction
- Up to 5 poems per submission
- Submissions are open year-round
- Simultaneous submissions accepted
- No fees, but please consider our Patreon
- We are not accepting AI-generated works
- For additional insight, please see our FAQ
- Response time is typically two to four weeks
- Please do not begin your story/poem with a quote.
Note: Authors published in Radon cannot be accepted into the issue immediately following, and must wait a reading period before submitting again. For example: authors published in Issue 9 are ineligible for Issue 10, but may be published in Issue 11.
Fiction submissions may be up to 5,000 words. We pay 2¢/word. As of 2025, we no longer accept reprints.
For quicker processing, please use a single-spaced version similar to Shunn's Modern Manuscript Format.
Stories most often accepted contain a great narrative combined with progressive social commentary.
Please note that we do not accept fantasy, magical realism, or science fantasy, and will reject these genres.
For Dystopian submissions, we look for narratives combining dystopia alongside revolutionary attitudes, often featuring characters actively fighting to break their chains of oppression.
We do not publish straight horror fiction but are happy to consider sci-fi with horror elements.
Note: Our fiction editors strive for immersive, justifiable worldbuilding and emotionally resonant characters. The story's worldbuilding and character development are as important to us as the plot.
Please submit up to five poems in a single document. There is no line limit.
Label attached file "LastName_5 Poems" (replace "5" with the number of poems submitted.)
Our poetry editor prefers free verse with narrative elements, an emotional core, and a driving voice.
We are unlikely to accept stand-alone haiku poems, but will consider a haiku series as a single unit of work.
Hard sells: End-rhyming | Capitalizing each line | Non-purposeful enjambment | Wildly varying line lengths | Environmental/nature poems | Excessive use of tree, river, or flower imagery | Greek mythology | Religious imagery
Radon is looking for a digital artist to join us as our next Artist-in-Residence beginning late 2025.
Please see our previous covers here for the type of art styles we are looking for. We typically look for digital-native paintings that are primarily science fiction in theme and cyberpunk in aesthetic. We look for high-quality art that evokes emotion and social commentary simultaneously.
Our artist-in-residence works with our editorial and production teams through an entire calendar year and is guaranteed payment for at least $500 worth of art. We have three issues a year and pay $100/cover art, $50/back cover, and $20/website art.
We are looking for a mix of previously available work from an artist and a willingness to work with our team to create commissioned work later in the year.
All submissions in your application should showcase digital art that is at least 300 DPI.
Please do not send us photographs or physical paper/canvas art.
We are not interested in publishing abstract art, pop art, or mixed media.
Due to ethical and rights concerns, we cannot accept AI-generated artwork.
Our cover art is oriented vertically and sized 5.5 x 8.5 inches.
Artists retain full copyright to their work.