You have arrived at the CRUX:
An annual print and digital anthology, showcasing the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror made in Australia today.
***
CRUX 2026
CRUX 2026 is a collection of speculative fiction and poetry from Australia’s boldest voices. Curated by a team of Aurealis-winning editors, CRUX challenges preconceptions of what speculative and literary mean in a contemporary context, boldly embracing the hallmarks of genre fiction while never forgetting what it means to speculate: to challenge, to deconstruct, and most crucially, to hope. Featuring odes to ancient styles of storytelling and experiments in the new and unexplored, CRUX is an anthology for right now; one that forges onward without losing sight of the stories and traditions that have inspired us for generations.
With writing from: Arden Baker, Isaac Beach, Will Greatwich, Mara Papavassiliou, Kate Alfano, Emily Mercurio, Luke Weavell, M. Mclellan, S. L. Johnson, Megan Cartwright, David Stevens, Nalini Jacob-Roussety, Jason Schembri, Dmitri Akers.
And illustrations from: Tracey Chen, Arden Baker, Zoe Curtis, Rebecca Stewart, May Du, Jimmy Spence, Lizzi Long, Jesse Densley.
***
Submission guidelines
We are looking for all things speculative fiction written by Australian authors.
Submissions are currently CLOSED. Follow our socials and sign up to our mailing list for upcoming submission windows.
Length: We accept stories of up to 7,000 words, though the longer the story is the better it will need to be. The same goes for poetry.
Simultaneous submissions: We’re happy to receive simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your piece is accepted elsewhere. We endeavour to respond quickly once the submission window ends.
Multiple submissions: We accept ONE story submission and ONE poem submission per author, per submission window. Give us your best work!
Poetry: We do accept poetry, provided it is sufficiently speculative and narrativised. Autofiction or diaristic poetry will not fit with this publication. We want something unashamedly speculative, with a palpable narrative throughline and a high level of polish. We welcome absurdist and surreal pieces, provided they make appropriate use of their speculative elements. Poetry will be held to a very high standard.
Reprints: We do NOT accept reprints.
Translations: We do NOT accept translations.
AI use: Absolutely fucking not.
Format: Typeset your manuscript in anonymised Standard Manuscript Format or as close to it as you can get (12 pt, a serif font like Courier or Times New Roman, double-spaced, no blank line between paragraphs).
Do not include your name or mailing address anywhere on your submission to allow our editors to consider submissions anonymously.
We do prefer a SHORT cover letter with every submission. Tell us if you have any prior publications under your belt. Let us know what made you write this story. Give us any content warnings you feel your story needs.
Editing: We have limited time and resources to devote to each story, especially during the initial read, where we will be looking for any red flags indicating low submission quality. Please ensure your submission is free of typos, grammatical errors, and formatting quirks. We would not want a high-quality piece to miss its publication opportunity due to unprofessional presentation or a lack of polish.
All accepted manuscripts will be line-edited for grammar, punctuation, and clarity. The author will have the opportunity to review and discuss all of these edits. Payment will be made after receipt of the final, line-edited manuscript.
Payment: For stories, Meridian Australis pays 3 cents AUD per word, with a minimum payment of $80 AUD. For poetry, we pay a flat rate of $20 AUD per poem.
Rights: For this payment, we purchase First World Serial Rights and First World Electronic Rights. The story is yours and after six months, our exclusivity over it ends and you can sell it elsewhere.
Want to submit?
We want to read writing from all walks of life. Australia’s strength is in its plurality and we want CRUX to reflect the breadth and depth of our nation’s talent. Don’t self reject!