Uncanny is a magazine of sci-fi and fantasy. They want “intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs.” According to their guidelines, for fiction, they pay 10 cents a word, and are looking for original, unpublished speculative fiction stories between 750-10,000 words. Poetry can be any length, and payment is $40 per poem. For speculative fiction novellas between 17,500 to 30,000 words, payment is $.10 per word, and for nonfiction submissions, payment is $100 per essay. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Analog is the magazine of "science fiction and fact." They publish stories in which some "aspect of future science or technology is so integral to the plot that, if that aspect were removed, the story would collapse. " According to their guidelines, they pay 8-10 cents per word for short fiction (up to approximately 20,000 words), 6 cents per word for serials (40,000-80,000 words), 9 cents per word for fact articles, and $1 per line for poetry. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
ClarkesWorld is a monthly sci-fi and fantasy publication. They publish short stories, interviews, and fiction. According to their guidelines, for fiction, they pay 14 cents per word, and the word limit is 1000-22000 words. For non-fiction, they are looking for articles of interest to readers of science fiction and fantasy, and pay is 10 cents a word up to their word limit of 2500 words. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Asimov's Science Fiction is a publisher with quite a lot of awards. Stories they've published have won 53 Hugos and 28 Nebula awards. They're looking for “character oriented” stories, those in which the characters, rather than the science, provide the main focus for the reader’s interest. According to their guidelines, they pay 8-10 cents a word for short stories up to 7,500 words, and 8 cents a word for longer material. They also pay $1 a line for poetry, which should not exceed 40 lines. To learn more, refer to their submissions guidelines.
Apex Magazine publishes science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They publish stories directly on their website, so you can easily get a sense of what they publish. The maximum word length is 9,000 words. According to their guidelines, payment for original fiction is $.08 per word. If they podcast your story, additional payment is $.01 per word. For flash fiction, the maximum word length is 1,000 words, and payment is $0.08 per word. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Lightspeed Magazine seeks to publish original science fiction and fantasy stories. According to their website, "no subject should be considered off-limits." According to their guidelines, they pay $0.08 a word, for 1500-10,000 words; stories of 5000 words or less are preferred. They also consider flash fiction stories of 1500 words or less. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Strange Horizons is a speculative fiction magazine that publishes fiction, poetry, reviews, essays, and interviews. They previously indicated to pay 8 cents a word, but current rates are unclear. For their fiction department, they want "speculative fiction, broadly defined." To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Giganotosaurus is a publisher of science fiction & fantasy stories. They accept submissions between 5,000 and 25,000 words. GigaNotoSaurus publishes one story a month. They “want a variety of settings, styles, viewpoints, and backgrounds. This includes but is not limited to cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, and genders.” According to their guidelines, they pay $200 per story on acceptance. They are not always open to submissions. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Cricket Magazine, often referred to as the New Yorker for children, is a nationally distributed literary journal for kids. They publish short stories, non-fiction articles, poetry, and puzzles/crafts/activities for children. Most short stories they publish are 1200 to 1800 words in length. They previously indicated to pay 25 cents per word, but current pay rates are unclear. They are not always open to submissions. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Ladybug is also a Cricket media publication, and it is also intended as a read-aloud, read together magazine. This one is targeted at children ages 3-6 and the parents or caregivers who read with them. It needs “imaginative contemporary stories,” new spins on fairy and folk tales, and stories from different cultures. They previously indicated your piece should be no longer than 800 words and that pay was up to $.25 per word. Current rates are not clear. See full submission guidelines here.