Call for Submissions

Submissions for our annual New Voices and Ron Often Poetry Prize contests are now open.  

The New Voices Series, sponsored by the College, invites early-career writers to campus to read their work alongside student writers from the University of Chicago. The Ron Offen Poetry Prize Series, established in memory of poet and editor Ron Offen, invites a Chicago poet to campus to read their work alongside a student writer from the University of Chicago.  

The visiting writers will each select a student from the pool of submissions to introduce and to read before them at their respective events. The selected student writers are invited to a celebratory dinner with the visiting writer and Creative Writing faculty members after their reading. In addition, each of the selected students will receive a prize of $100. 

In February 2026, our visiting writers include Imani Elizabeth Jackson (Ron Offen Poetry Prize Series, Feb. 3, 2026), Carina del Valle Schorske (New Voices in Nonfiction, Feb. 10, 2026), Alex Foster (New Voices in Fiction, Feb. 17, 2026), and Jake Rose (Phoenix Poets New Voices in Poetry, Feb. 24, 2026). 

This year’s New Voices and Ron Offen Poetry Prize Series submission opportunities are listed below. Please note you will need to sign into your UChicago Microsoft 365 account to access the submission forms. 

Ron Offen Poetry Prize Series

• Visiting Poet: Imani Elizabeth Jackson
• Event Date: February 3, 2026
• Eligibility: Any current UChicago undergraduate student. Must be available on February 3 at 5pm for the reading.
• Guidelines:
  • Submit 3-5 pages of poetry in PDF or Doc/Docx format.
  • Title the document file as: [Last Name] - [Submission title] - Offen Prize
  • Do not include your name inside the document. (Submissions will be anonymous when the writer views them.)
  • Please only submit one submission per contest. (You can, however, submit to multiple contests.)
• Submission Deadline: December 5, 2025 at 11:59PM
• Submission Link: TBA

Imani Elizabeth Jackson is a poet from Chicago. Her writings appear in Apogee, BOMB, TriQuarterly, Annulet, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship, Futurepoem’s 2020 Other Futures Award, the Arkansas International’s inaugural C.D. Wright Award (selected by Hanif Abdurraqib), and several awards from Brown University. Under the name mouthfeel, she co-authored the poetry-cookbook Consider the Tongue (2019) with S*an D. Henry-Smith; she also contributed to Francesca Capone’s Weaving Language: Lexicon (Essay Press, 2022). She is the author of the chapbooks saltsitting (reissued by g l o s s, 2020) and Context for arboreal exchanges (Belladonna*, 2023) and the book Flag (Futurepoem, 2024). Imani also collaborates with Madeleine Le Cesne and Isra Rene as donk, an experimental kitchen. 

New Voices in Nonfiction 

• Visiting Writer: Carina del Valle Schorske
• Event Date: February 10, 2026
• Eligibility: Any current UChicago undergraduate student. Must be available on February 10 at 5pm for the reading.
• Guidelines:
  • Submit 3-5 pages of nonfiction in PDF or Doc/Docx format.
  • Title the document file as: [Last Name] - [Submission title] - New Voices NF
  • Do not include your name inside the document. (Submissions will be anonymous when the writer views them.)
  • Please only submit one submission per contest. (You can, however, submit to multiple contests.)
• Submission Deadline: December 5, 2025 at 11:59PM
• Submission Link: TBA

Carina del Valle Schorske is a writer, translator, and wannabe backup dancer. Her debut essay collection, The Other Island, is forthcoming from Riverhead Books. It was recently awarded a Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant. She writes about Caribbean culture, literary politics, diasporic dramas, and the songs she can’t stop singing to herself, and essays have been published many places including The Believer, The Cut, The Point, and the New York Times Magazine, where she is now a contributing writer. Her profile of Bad Bunny was featured on CBS, and a her story about grief and belonging on apocalyptic dance floors won a National Magazine Award. As a translator, del Valle Schorske focuses on Puerto Rican poetry, especially the work of Marigloria Palma. Her own poetry has been featured in a variety of small journals and anthologies and has been supported by fellowships from CantoMundo, MacDowell, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She has a PhD in English & Comparative Literature from Columbia University. 

New Voices in Fiction

• Visiting Writer: Alex Foster
• Event Date: February 17, 2026
• Eligibility: Any current UChicago undergraduate student. Must be available on February 17 at 5pm for the reading.
• Guidelines:
  • Submit 3-5 pages of fiction in PDF or Doc/Docx format
  • Title the document file as: [Last Name] - [Submission title] - New Voices Fiction
  • Do not include your name inside the document. (Submissions will be anonymous when the writer views them.)
  • Please only submit one submission per contest. (You can, however, submit to multiple contests.)
• Submission Deadline: December 5, 2025 at 11:59PM
• Submission Link: TBA

Alex Foster graduated from the University of Chicago in 2017, majoring in economics with a minor in creative writing, before getting his MFA in creative writing from New York University. His debut novel, Circular Motion, was published in May 2025 by Grove Atlantic. It was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. In addition to writing, he is a book editor at Macmillan, with the Holt and Metropolitan imprints, where he has worked on the publication of New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning literary fiction and political nonfiction.

New Voices in Poetry, Phoenix Poets

• Visiting Poet: Jake Rose
• Event Date: February 24, 2026
• Eligibility: Any current UChicago undergraduate or graduate student. Must be available on February 24 at 5pm for the reading.
• Guidelines:
  • Submit 3-5 pages of poetry in PDF or Doc/Docx format.
  • Title the document file as: [Last Name] - [Submission title] - Phoenix
  • Do not include your name inside the document. (Submissions will be anonymous when the writer views them.)
  • Please only submit one submission per contest. (You can, however, submit to multiple contests.)
• Submission Deadline: December 5, 2025 at 11:59PM
• Submission Link: TBA

Jake Rose is a poet, artist, and educator living in California’s Central Valley. Rose teaches at the University of California, Davis, and has published poems in West Branch, The Seventh Wave, and Adult Groceries, among other journals. JOAN, winner of the Phoenix Emerging Poets Book Prize from the University of Chicago Press, is forthcoming in March 2026. Other projects include The Art of the Death, a book-length erasure poem; Spectropoetics, a land-based project in interspecies writing; and The Month Books, a series of handmade chapbooks exploring chronic illness and hybrid form. 

Sliced Bread

Deadline: Rolling. Sliced Bread, a student-run literary and arts publication accepting work from UChicago undergraduates only, wants your art, photography, poetry, and short prose! They print one or two books per year, and accept art, prose, poetry, and nonfiction. They are currently accepting submissions for their Spring 2026 edition on a rolling basis through this link. Their editorial team meets at 8pm every Thursday in Bartlett Lounge, for those interested in the production side of a literary magazine. Follow their Instagram, @slicedbreadmag, for more information. 

Euphony

Deadline: Rolling. Euphony is a biannual, student-run literary magazine at UChicago; they publish fiction, poetry, essays, creative nonfiction, and book reviews submitted from new and established writers from around the country. Their submissions are running; print magazines are released in the winter and spring, and online publication is year-round. They meet Mondays from 7-8pm in the Reynolds Club South Lounge. Read more about their submission details here.   

The Chicago Shady Dealer  
Deadline: Rolling. Always open for submissions, The Shady Dealer is UChicago’s oldest and most well-known satirical newspaper. They publish 3 print issues a quarter, and continually online. They also hold open pitch and writing meetings in Harper Memorial 145 every Sunday at 7pm. Check out more submission details here.  

Blacklight Magazine

Deadline: October 24. Blacklight Magazine is a student magazine dedicated to platforming marginalized voices in the literary and art space: "come exist with us." They welcome any medium of writing and art, including photography. Their yearly submission cycle will open later in the year. Blacklight is also currently looking for board applications, due Friday, October 24th, at 11:59pm. They encourage interested people to follow their instagram at @blacklightmag, learn more about the board application on this form, and visit their website through here. Questions can be directed to blacklightuchicago@gmail.com.

The Seabird Writing Conference

Deadline: Rolling. The Seabirds Writing Conference (SWC) is an intercollegiate organization (with chapters at Brown/RISD, Northwestern, Princeton, UChicago, Dickinson, Hamilton, ASU, and USF) dedicated to helping writers at all levels from across the US improve their writing. The parent organization hosts weekly writer's workshops, special themed events, and help each other find opportunities to publish their work. SWC members also have the opportunity to publish their workshopped pieces in The Bird Blog.

The UChicago Chapter aims to foster a community of student writers across campus, and bring awareness to writing events happening across Chicago. They meet a few times a quarter for write-ins, group writing exercises, and field trips to Chicago-area bookstores, cafés, and book talks. To join their Discord server, which facilitates workshops and communicates scheduling logistics, visit the SWC website here.

UChicago Writers' Workshop

Independently from the workshop courses offered through the Creative Writing department, Writers' Workshop is an RSO that seeks to develop the creative writing ability of its members-- student writers from all across campus-- through weekly fiction and poetry workshops. Their meetings primarily involve group discussions of pieces submitted by members, along with creative writing exercises. They welcome writers of any level. Fiction workshops meet Monday and Wednesday, and poetry meets on Tuesday; all meetings are 7-8:30pm in Harper Memorial Library. Find out more by joining their list-host via this address: uchicagowritersworkshop@lists.uchicago.edu

Barrelhouse 

Deadline: ASAP/November 12, 11:00pm. Barrelhouse is an independent nonprofit literary organization publishing new writing “with an edge and a sense of humor.” They are running a special online issue for Fall 2025, titled “The Dirty Issue,” which will feature fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art along the theme of “dirtiness,” whatever that means to the submitter. Accepted contributors will receive $50 for their work. Barrelhouse will continue to accept submissions until November 12, 2025 at 11:00pm, or whenever they reach their submission cap of 500. For information on their general and specific submission guidelines, visit these pages. 

Midwest Weird

Deadline: Rolling. Want to Get Weird? Midwest Weird is an audio literary magazine featuring weird fiction and nonfiction by Midwestern writers.

What is Weird? It could be the style. The content. The genre. It could be you. Check out our past episodes to get a sense of the weird we like. And read our "New Lit on the Block" profile on New Pages. If you think it’s weird, your work may fit with us.

​Who are we looking for? We’re looking for weird work from writers based in the Midwest. We’re especially looking for work from writers who are women or nonbinary, part of the LGBTQ, BIPOC, and disabled communities, and/or other underrepresented writers.

We’re also looking for writers who are excited about creating audio versions of their work. Midwest Weird is expanding the notion of a literary magazine, and what creators of today can do.

​How will this work? If your work becomes part of Midwest Weird, your story can be read and produced by our team, or you can take the lead. We may also interview you for a special bonus episode.

Your work can be original, or it can be previously published. Work should be between 1,000 to 4,000 words. A little more or less is fine. You will retain all rights to your story. In the future, we'll also offer honorariums for accepted work.

​Long story short If you think we might like your work, send it our way. And stay weird. Submit now! Send us a word or pdf doc with your fiction or nonfiction. Include a short bio, including your membership in any underrepresented groups. Don't sweat if you haven't published much in the past; we're eager for new voices! Have any audio or podcast experience? Let us know!

Equinox

Deadline: Rolling. Equinox is a journal of contemporary literature at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. For more than 50 years, we have been publishing creative writing from the Arkansas region and beyond. We are now an online journal. We accept work from any undergraduate student in the United States. We are looking for fiction, poetry, hybrid writing, short screenplays, and visual art. Each writer may submit up to 20 pages for fiction or screenplays, or 10 pages for poetry or hybrid writing. Each year, Equinox awards the David Jauss Fiction Prize and the Jo McDougall Poetry Prize to best work. We are currently accepting submissions! Submit your work as an attachment (.docx, or pdf) to equinox@ualr.edu. For more information on submissions, visit this site.

Memoryhouse Magazine

Deadline: Rolling. Memoryhouse Magazine is a semi-annual publication that seeks to curate personal narratives through creative nonfiction and visual art, with special emphasis on stories and art from Chicagoland-based writers and artists. The editorial board is a diverse collection of students at the University of Chicago who share a love of the written word and the city of Chicago.

Tethered Literary 

Deadline: October 31. Tethered Literary is a writer-run digital journal seeking writing in all genres, and art in any medium that can be displayed in a static digital layout. Because they are dedicated to promoting both writing that fits into conventional literary categories, and “misfit, genre-defying work,” they accept any work under 10,000 words. They encourage submissions from emerging writers and artists, as well as those who see their identities, communities, or experiences as under or improperly represented in the world. Tethered Literary was founded in 2025, and has since published two issues. To read more about their submission guidelines, visit this page. Follow them on Instagram at @tethered_literary. 

The Forge Literary Magazine 

Deadline: Rolling. The Forge publishes new short prose, selected by a rotating cast of editors. (previously unpublished) short prose, selected by a rotating cast of editors. They prefer literary fiction and nonfiction, but genre elements are fine. Forge opens their submission window on the 1st of every month (November 1) until they’ve reached 200 submissions; they offer $100 per piece accepted. To learn more about their submission criteria, visit this page.  

Brio Literary Journal 

Deadline: November 7. Brio, a student-run literary journal publishing thought-provoking undergraduate work from across the nation, is seeking an exceptionally broad variety of student work for their Fall 2025 issue, Decomposition. In line with their connections to NYU’s Comparative Literature department, Brio especially seeks to showcase work with an interdisciplinary focus; the work they are accepting this issue includes short stories, poems, articles, academic writing, translations, visual images, screenplays, stage plays, sheet music, and lyrics. For more information on Brio and their Fall 2025 submission guidelines, visit this page. 

The Albion Review

Deadline: December 1. The Albion Review is a national literary journal based out of Albion College in Albion, Michigan. Published annually since 2004, The Review features works of short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art. The Albion Review strives to showcase the work of emerging undergraduate talents. If chosen for publication, all contributors will appear in the print and online edition; contributors from the United States will receive two print copies of the journal. Submissions for their 2026 issue are currently open; all submissions will also be considered for the Albion Review Art, Poetry, and/or Prose prize, which awards $200 to each category winner.

Copper Nickel

Deadline: December 15. Copper Nickel is the national literary journal housed at the University of Colorado Denver. We publish a broad range of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and writing in translation, with a particular—but by no means exclusive—interest in work that considers sociohistorical context. Work published in Copper Nickel has been reprinted in the Best American Poetry, Best American Short Stories, Best Small Fictions, Best Literary Translations, and Pushcart Prize anthologies. Please consider submitting your original, unpublished work for our next issue between August 15–December 15.

Bending Genres

Deadline: January 31, 2026. Bending Genres is committed to publishing the best fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and microreviews from dedicated writers. "We seek thrilling, fanciful, oddball, unusual, stunning fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction pieces." They are open for submissions year-round, though submissions for their 47th issue close in January. Work from Bending Genres has been included in Best Small Fictions, Best Microfictions, Best Poetry, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. You can learn more about submission details here.

Blue Marble Review

Blue Marble Review welcomes submissions from students ages 13-22. It is published four times a year and accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, opinion pieces, travel writing, photography, and art on a rolling basis. They are looking for new work that hasn’t been published anywhere else either online or in print. Contributors published online in Blue Marble Review will receive $30 per published piece and $75 for cover art. Submissions for their next publication will open November 1. Read more about their submission guidelines here. 

Jerboa Lit Contest

Jerboa Lit, a growing organization for flash fiction, offers quarterly, timed contests for flash fiction writing. Over the course of 48 hours, competing writers craft a 500-word story incorporating all elements of a prompt (containing a specific genre, item, and short phrase). Registration is $25, and there's a $1,000 prize for first place, with prize money being paid out through fifth place. In addition to being a fun exercise with the chance to win prize money, each short story will also receive editorial feedback, and authors retain all rights to their work (so they can submit their story elsewhere after the contest if they choose). 

Though their next competition has not been announced, learn more at the Jerboa Lit website.