Question: what do publishers and/or critics look for in a fantasy short story today?

[HalaxyGigh]

Broad question/s, but what are your thoughts?

 

[Brian G Turner]

What do readers expect, and what do they want? Broad question/s, but what are your thoughts?

Are you reading many SFF magazines that publish short stories, or successful anthologies published over the past few years? IMO they'd give you a better overview.

 

[millymollymo]

Are you reading many SFF magazines that publish short stories, or successful anthologies published over the past few years? IMO they'd give you a better overview.

What he said.

Every magazine has it's own taste, likewise for reviewers and awards.

FWiW my general answer to your question would be that infuriating thing: Fresh, different, new, well written, suitable for the magazine's aim/audience.

READERS are not the same as CRITICS, which in turn are completely different to commissioning EDITORS.

Readers - do this thing for enjoyment, a pastime. (Or to learn?)
Editors - are responsible for the voice and atmosphere of a publication. They want "stuff that suits their mag/zine/house"
Critics - are an enigma, no-one has discovered their decryption code yet . A few have tried to manipulate the code and failed magnificently. Generally however they are leveled up editors and/or readers. They read a lot, know the scene and don't like things that are overdone.

Which then leads us to "What's overdone?"
See "trope" or read this: TV Tropes

Which brings us nicely back to reading you'll notice