Thuggish Itch is our horror and sci-fi anthology collection.

Home to your horror, sci-fi and speculative fiction stories. 

 

Current theme:

BEAR

Something huge is out there... breathing, watching, waiting.

For this theme, we want speculative and/or horror stories where a bear is impossible to ignore: a force of nature, a nightmare given fur and muscle, a symbol that stalks the edges of reality, or something that should not exist at all.

The bear might be monstrous, supernatural, altered, or disturbingly familiar, but it must matter... driving fear, twisting the story’s direction, and leaving a mark that lingers long after the final line.

Please ensure that you read through the general guidelines and format your submission accordingly - poor formatting choices may result in your work not being read or considered. If you have any specific questions please contact us using the form on the home page or via the listed social media accounts.

To help make sure that your submission gets to the correct place, please include the following in the subject line of your email: Thuggish Itch - Bear - Story Title.

  • Word count: 1,000 - 10,000 words
  • Deadline: March 31 2026
  • Payment:
  • AU$5.00 for stories under 2,500 words
  • AU$10.00 for anything above 2,500 words

Recent releases:

 
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