Submit Your Work
Submit Your Work
Thank you for your interest in submitting your literature or art to The New Engagement. We are thrilled that you are here and are looking forward to reading or viewing your work! But first, the boilerplate caveats: all literature must be original and unpublished, and all visual art and film must be original and currently unreleased. For more details, see the FAQ below.
WHY SUBMIT TO THE NEW ENGAGEMENT?
- For the three favorite flash fiction stories—as judged by our editors—submitted to The New Engagement's Flash Fiction Challenge, a $500, $250, and $100 prize.
- For selected literature and art, publication in our digital or print journal or both. First print issue expected early 2017.
- Selected art will be featured in full-color, high-quality spreads of the print journal.
- Writers or artists whose work is selected for print publication will receive two copies of the journal.
- Promotion and exposure via our traditional marketing and social media channels. We consistently feature our writers and artists in organic and paid promotions to reach the widest audience possible. We want your work to be seen, read, and enjoyed!
- As an independent content provider for EBSCO, a leading information platform for thousands of university and public libraries around the world, your published work will be available to a vast audience of educators, students and general readers worldwide.
- We are listed in the esteemed Poets & Writers database of literary journals.
- We nominate our writers for awards, including the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Our current submission opportunities are listed below. We have new contests opening on a regular basis, so sign up to our newsletter via the form below or 'like' our Facebook page to stay updated on upcoming and current opportunities.
NOW OPEN - EXTENDED TO MARCH 6, 2017
Because our inaugural contest, The James Baldwin Prize for Literature, was such a success, we’re pleased to announce our second literary contest, The New Engagement’s Flash Fiction Challenge!
- Open November 12, 2016 - March 6, 2017.
- In the spirit of brevity, we welcome all short fiction that runs 1,000 words or less.
- The submission fee is $5 per entry (you may submit multiple entries if you wish).
- ALL submissions will be considered for publication in our monthly on-line journal and quarterly print journal.
- We will be awarding three prizes: $500 (1st), $250 (2nd) and $100 (3rd).
- Winners will also be published in a 2017 print issue.
- The winners will be announced in April, 2017.
The contest is judged by the editors—to get an idea of what we like, simply peruse our online journal, review what we've published, or join our social media feeds to see what we feature. We look forward to reading your flash fiction!
We are also accepting original fiction and poetry, for which there is no entry fee. Please click the submit button below.
We are also accepting original essays on a number of topics, for which there is no entry fee. Please click the submit button below.
Please click the submit button below. A Submittable form will prompt you for the required files and information. There is no fee at this time.
NOT READY TO SUBMIT?
Stay Connected
If you aren't yet ready to submit your work but would like to receive reminders about submission deadlines and notification of our new issues (no more than two emails per month), please sign up to our email newsletter! And no worries—we don't share or sell our email subscriber list.
Also, please consider supporting our journal by subscribing to our social media feeds, where we highlight and promote our writers and artists.
Suggested Reading List
To help you get an idea of The New Engagement's orientation, here are a few pieces to get you started.
- Chaos and Compassion, a Collection by Jennifer Thompson (Poetry)
Trauma, both foreign and domestic, amid care and comfort. - Twinkles & The Blob by Nandi La Sophia (Short Story)
Boisterous, brazen, and beautiful, Nandi La Sophia's story startles and surprises. - Zer0: Emancipation, Chapter 19 by Jessica Deaver (Short Story)
Contemplating an inhospitable future. And speculating on whether there could be any other kind.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We only accept electronic submissions through Submittable on our Submit page (use the 'Submit' buttons above or go to our Submittable landing page to see all categories). Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting.
We publish a wide variety of stories, poetry, paintings, illustrations, short films, and photography. We care a great deal about projects that attempt something personal and revelatory, express a concern about a social issue, and strive for a unique perspective. We are especially open to experimental and daring work that endeavors to play with form or do something new with language or style. Also, even if your material is not overtly political or ostensibly social, but is perhaps a character study or a personal musing on an issue, we encourage you to send it to us. Genuine and thoughtful internal impressions are what grab us!
We carefully read all submissions before determining if the material is a good fit for our journal, and our standard response time is 1-2 months depending on volume, though it's not unheard of for us to respond within just a couple of days. If you are accepted for either online or print publication, we will notify you via Submittable and send you a contract to be signed. See question below regarding steps after being accepted for publication.
We do, but we ask that you inform us immediately if your work is accepted by another publication before we make our final decision.
You retain the rights to your work. We are simply publishing it. However, we do ask that you credit us with being the initial publisher of your material. Should it appear elsewhere, please state that your work first appeared in The New Engagement.
Currently, the only pay we offer is the cash prizes for our various contests, though we hope to being offering payment soon for sumissions.
We only accept work that has not yet been published.
They are not, but we do require a short, one-paragraph biography.
The publisher, Lupe Rodarte, will send you a contract (currently we use electronic contracts by HelloSign), which you will need to complete and sign. In order to keep our journal operations running smoothly, we ask that the contract be completed and returned promptly.
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"You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive."
~ James Baldwin
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The New Engagement
The New Engagement endeavors a novel approach to discovering, introducing, and showcasing writers, artists, and filmmakers, by providing them digital and print platforms, while encouraging and supporting their social-consciousness.