Lock eyes with your opponent, draw your weapon—whether it’s a vibroblade on a rain-soaked Earth or a plasma lance in the weightless void of space or even a plain old sword. We’re seeking electrifying speculative fiction stories for this anthology of duels that pit skill, honor, and desperation against each other in one-on-one confrontations. From neon-lit streets to asteroid arenas, these are tales of personal stakes and deadly precision.

What We’re Looking For

• Genre: Speculative fiction, including cyberpunk, space opera, dystopian, or hard sci-fi.
• Theme: Stories must focus on duels—intimate, one-on-one battles using advanced weapons, technology, or even augmented bodies. Duels can be ritualistic, spontaneous, or forced by circumstance, but they must carry deep personal or cultural weight.
• Setting: Earth (near-future or far-future) or extraterrestrial (space stations, alien worlds, starships). The setting should amplify the tension and stakes.
• Tone: Intense, character-driven, and evocative. Show the sweat, the strategy, and the emotional cost of facing a single foe.
• Length: 6,000 to 10,000 words.
• Originality: No fan fiction or reprints. We want fresh stories that make every strike and parry unforgettable.

Submission Guidelines:

• Stories must be original, unpublished works of fiction between 5,000 and 10,000 words.
• We welcome a variety of genres—fantasy, science fiction, mystery, or blends—provided the story centers on one or more cryptids as defined above.
• Submissions should be in English, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, and saved as a .rtf file.
• Dividers between sections need to be “***” centered.
• Include in your document your name, contact information, story title, word count, a short blurb (150 words or less) and a short bio (150 words or less) in your document.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere.
• Multiple submissions are not permitted; please submit only one story per author.

Deadline: Submissions must be received by close of business on August 10, 2026.

How to Submit:

• Email to anthologies@jrhandleyinc.com with the subject line with the subject line: Duel – [story name], [author name]. Example: Duel – story submission, Jill Author.
• We aim to respond to all submissions within 12 weeks of the deadline.

Compensation:

• Accepted stories will receive an author share as described in our contract.
• Publication is planned for November 2026 in both print and digital formats.

Why Write for our Duel Anthology? Imagine a cybernetic samurai facing a rival in a corporate skyscraper’s rooftop garden, or a starpilot dueling an alien champion in a zero-gravity cage to save their crew. These are the stories that will seize readers, weaving raw emotion with futuristic spectacle. Your duel could be the one that defines courage, betrayal, or redemption in a world where every move is life or death. We can’t wait to read your work!

Bayonet Books Editorial Team