Thank you for considering Room for the publication of your original short stories, poems, creative non-fiction, or art. Room publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art by people of all marginalized genders, including cis and trans women, trans men, nonbinary and Two-Spirit people. We strongly suggest you get a sense of our tastes by reviewing material we've published in recent issues—buy newsstand copies, subscribe, borrow from a library, or visit our latest edition online. Alternatively, you can order single copies of specific issues.
Note the following before submitting:
- Submit only work that has not been previously published, in print or online.
- Fiction and creative non-fiction: up to 3500 words.
- Poetry: up to 5 poems.
- Art: up to 5 images.
- Submit all work in Times New Roman 12-point font.
- Double space all prose submissions.
- We gladly accept simultaneous submissions. Please note in the "Bio" section whether your submission is exclusive to Room or whether you have submitted it to other magazines as well. If another magazine accepts your work for publication, please advise us immediately.
- We do not charge for general submissions, with the exception of our annual contests.
Additional Information
- All contributors will be paid upon publication: $50 CAD per page (up to a maximum of $200)
- Check our home page regularly for updates on upcoming themes and deadlines. If your work is targeted for a particular theme, it will be considered for that theme as long as it is sent by the deadline. There is no need to add a special note or designation.
- We receive over 4,000 submissions each year and can only publish approximately 80-100 pieces. So send your absolutely best piece(s) of work.
- We do not publish the same writer more than twice a year, and never in consecutive issues.
- To avoid a flood of material by a single submitter or overly frequent submissions, please send only one submission in one category—poetry (up to 5 poems), fiction, or creative non-fiction—per quarter. (Note: You may enter our contests and make a regular submission at the same time so long as the materials are different.)
- Do not send a second submission until you have heard back from us considering the first one.
- We respond to all submissions by email. Our average response time is between two weeks and six months.
- If you are using Hotmail or Gmail, please be sure to designate Room as an approved sender to prevent our response being caught up in your spam filters.
- Please note that the information and guidelines above apply to regular submissions. Our contests have different guidelines. Click on the contest categories below for rules specific to that contest. For information on our annual literary contests and cover art contest, please also visit our contests page.
DEADLINE: JULY 1
FIRST PRIZE: $1000 + publication in Room
SECOND PRIZE: $250 + publication in Room
HONOURABLE MENTION: $100 + publication on Room's website
Creative Non-Fiction Contest Guidelines:
- The cost of entry is dependent upon the location of your residence.
- If you reside outside of Canada (whether you are Canadian or not), the fee is $45 CAD if you reside in the US or $55 CAD if you reside outside of North America to submit your initial entry, and $7 CAD for each additional entry. Residence is based on the address associated with your Submittable account. This is where your subscription will be shipped. Under "Fee," select the correct payment amount from the drop-down menu. You must choose the appropriate submission fee option, or your piece may be disqualified. No refunds are provided for selecting the incorrect fee option.
- If you reside in Canada (at the Canadian address associated with your Submittable account, regardless of citizenship), the fee is $35 CAD to submit your initial entry, and $7 CAD for each additional entry. Residence is based on the address associated with your Submittable account. This is where your subscription will be shipped. Under "Fee," select the correct payment amount from the drop-down menu. You must choose the appropriate submission fee option, or your piece may be disqualified. No refunds are provided for selecting the incorrect fee option.
- One submission is one piece of creative non-fiction (memoir, travel writing, nonfiction humour, essay, literary journalism, personal journalism, biography, profile, etc.) of up to 3,500 words. Please double-space all prose submissions.
- Submit your work in Times New Roman 12-point font.
- All initial entries include a one-year subscription to Room. Additional entries do not include an additional free subscription. You must submit an initial entry before submitting an additional entry. If you submit an additional entry without first submitting an initial entry, your additional entry may be disqualified without refund.
- Your name cannot appear ANYWHERE in or on your submission. Submissions will by anonymous to the judges. If your name is anywhere on your submission, it will be disqualified. Remove all bylines. Ensure that your name (legal name, regularly used nickname, or publishing pseudonym) and any personal details (that would make your identity obvious to the judge) are not included in your submission document, including in headers, footers, titles, or in the file name. If your name is in your nonfiction piece, then please change all references to your name TO AN ALIAS for the judging period. You will have the opportunity to change the alias if your piece is selected as a winner. If you wish to publish under a pseudonym, please do not include your pseudonym anywhere within the submission, including in the document file name, headers, footers, titles, or byline. You will have a chance to provide your pseudonym to the editor, should your piece be chosen as a winner.
- You can only upload one document on Submittable. Do not include a cover letter. Do not include a bio. Cover letters and bios will be deleted and will not be forwarded to the judge.
- Each entry must be original, unpublished, not submitted or accepted elsewhere for publication, and not entered simultaneously in any other contest or competition.
- Room's contests are open to women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people. We specifically encourage writers with overlapping under-represented identities to submit their work. Previously commissioned Room writers or Room Contest judges are disqualified from entering the contest.
- Any submission that does not meet these guidelines will be disqualified. The submission fee is non-refundable.
- Please direct any questions or concerns to contests@roommagazine.com
Submissions Period
May 15–June 5: We're accepting submissions from writers from all around the world!
June 6–June 30: We're only accepting submissions from Canadian writers / writers based in in so-called Canada; diaspora writers welcome. If you're unsure whether you qualify, email submissions@roommagazine.com to check.
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Who is the future for? Room and guest editors from Augur Magazine seek writers of marginalized genders for fiction of utopic exploration. Is Utopia possible, and for whom? What are the DIY steps to craft beauty from ugliness? How can the social experiment go right? Craft and complicate perfection; make the unimaginable real.
Please note that we are not looking for Dystopia, but we welcome complications & examinations of what Utopia means and who it’s historically been imagined for.
Edited by Kerry C. Byrne, Terese Mason Pierre, Toria Liao, Yilin Wang, Nara Monteiro, and Micah Killjoy
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This form is for fiction submissions to Room Magazine. Don't forget to provide us with the following information:
- Your name, address, phone number, and email address.
- An accurate word count of your piece.
Submissions Period
May 15–June 5: We're accepting submissions from writers from all around the world!
June 6–June 30: We're only accepting submissions from Canadian writers / writers based in in so-called Canada; diaspora writers welcome. If you're unsure whether you qualify, email submissions@roommagazine.com to check.
__________________
Who is the future for? Room and guest editors from Augur Magazine seek writers of marginalized genders for CNF of utopic exploration. Is Utopia possible, and for whom? What are the DIY steps to craft beauty from ugliness? How can the social experiment go right? Craft and complicate perfection; make the unimaginable real.
Please note that we are not looking for Dystopia, but we welcome complications & examinations of what Utopia means and who it’s historically been imagined for.
Edited by Kerry C. Byrne, Terese Mason Pierre, Toria Liao, Yilin Wang, Nara Monteiro, and Micah Killjoy
______
This form is for creating nonfiction submissions to Room Magazine. Don't forget to provide us with the following information:
- Your name, address, phone number, and email address.
- An accurate word count of your piece.
Submissions Period
May 15–June 5: We're accepting submissions from poets from all around the world!
June 6–June 30: We're only accepting submissions from Canadian poets / poets based in in so-called Canada; diaspora writers welcome. If you're unsure whether you qualify, email submissions@roommagazine.com to check.
__________________
Who is the future for? Room and guest editors from Augur Magazine seek poets of marginalized genders for poems of utopic exploration. Is Utopia possible, and for whom? What are the DIY steps to craft beauty from ugliness? How can the social experiment go right? Craft and complicate perfection; make the unimaginable real.
Please note that we are not looking for Dystopia, but we welcome complications & examinations of what Utopia means and who it’s historically been imagined for.
Edited by Kerry C. Byrne, Terese Mason Pierre, Toria Liao, Yilin Wang, Nara Monteiro, and Micah Killjoy
______
This form is for poetry submissions to Room Magazine. Don't forget to provide us with the following information:
- Your name, address, phone number, and email address.
Submissions Period
May 15–June 5: We're accepting submissions from artists from all around the world!
June 6–June 30: We're only accepting submissions from Canadian artists / artists based in in so-called Canada; diaspora artists welcome. If you're unsure whether you qualify, email submissions@roommagazine.com to check.
__________________
Who is the future for? Room and guest editors from Augur Magazine seek artists of marginalized genders for art of utopic exploration. Is Utopia possible, and for whom? What are the DIY steps to craft beauty from ugliness? How can the social experiment go right? Craft and complicate perfection; make the unimaginable real.
Please note that we are not looking for Dystopia, but we welcome complications & examinations of what Utopia means and who it’s historically been imagined for.
Edited by Kerry C. Byrne, Terese Mason Pierre, Toria Liao, Yilin Wang, Nara Monteiro, and Micah Killjoy
______
This form is for visual art submissions to Room Magazine.
Send us your most engaging work. These are not images to illustrate accompanying writing, but submissions of their own standing. Submit up to five images (maximum of 1MB sized JPG or PDF) with a short paragraph about the work of art including: the title, size, medium and date. You can also direct us to your work online in your bio.