Thank you for considering Room for the publication of your original short stories, poems, creative non-fiction, or art. Room publishes work by people of all marginalized genders, including cis and trans women, trans men, nonbinary and Two-Spirit people. Visit https://roommagazine.com for more!


Submission Periods

Unsolicited submissions to Room are free, and make up over 90% of our published submissions. We open for submissions four times a year. 

March 15 (unthemed): CURRENTLY OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS. Links: call for submissions

May 1 (theme TBD)

Aug 1 (unthemed)

Nov 1 (theme TBD)

Submission periods are open for approximately 4-6 weeks, and will close once the submission limit is reached, and will not open again until the following submission period.

UPDATE: We are now closed for international fiction submissions (general).


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Before submitting please see here for our genre submissions guidelines

We also 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, including soldout digital exclusives for just $10.

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Contests

Our fiction contest is currently open! 

Visit our contests page for more information about our contests.

DEADLINE: JUNE 15
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


Room Magazine invites unpublished fiction any theme for its unthemed issue 47.4. Before submitting, please read about us to see if your work fits within Room’s mandate.

This issue has a rolling submissions period. Submissions will close once our submission limit is reached, and will not open again until our next issue.


 

Guidelines:

  • Your entry must be original and unpublished (in print or online)
  • We accept submissions upto 3500 words. Longer submissions will be rejected automatically.
  • Please submit in 12 point font. Times New Roman preferred but not required. 
  • We gladly accept simultaneous submissions. If another publication accepts your work for publication, please notify us and withdraw your piece immediately.
  • Please do not send a second submission in the same genre until you have heard back from us considering the first one (Note: You may enter our contests and submit a regular submission at the same time so long as the materials are different.)


  ________  

This form is for "Canadian writers." Please use this form if you live within Canadian territories and provinces, or are a Canadian resident who lives overseas. Since our eligibility for national and local grants depends on a majority of our published content being Canadian, we kindly request that only Canadian writers use this form.


Room Magazine invites unpublished fiction any theme for its unthemed issue 47.4. Before submitting, please read about us to see if your work fits within Room’s mandate.

This issue has a rolling submissions period. Submissions will close once our submission limit is reached, and will not open again until our next issue.

 

Guidelines:

  • Your entry must be original and unpublished (in print or online)
  • We accept submissions upto 3500 words. Longer submissions will be rejected automatically.
  • Please submit in 12 point font. Times New Roman preferred but not required. 
  • We gladly accept simultaneous submissions. If another publication accepts your work for publication, please notify us and withdraw your piece immediately.
  • Please do not send a second submission in the same genre until you have heard back from us considering the first one (Note: You may enter our contests and submit a regular submission at the same time so long as the materials are different.)

   _______


This form is for "Canadian writers." Please use this form if you live within Canadian territories and provinces, or are a Canadian resident who lives overseas. Since our eligibility for national and local grants depends on a majority of our published content being Canadian, we kindly request that only Canadian writers use this form.

Room Magazine invites unpublished poetry any theme for its unthemed issue 47.4. Before submitting, please read about us to see if your work fits within Room’s mandate.


 

This issue has a rolling submissions period. Submissions will close once our submission limit is reached, and will not open again until our next issue.

 

Guidelines:

  • Your entry must be original and unpublished (in print or online)
  • We accept upto 5 poems, submitted in a single file. Please start each poem on a new page. 
  • We gladly accept simultaneous submissions. If another publication accepts your work for publication, please notify us using Submittable's 'message' function (preferred) or at submissions@roommagazine.com.   
  • Please do not send a second submission in the same genre until you have heard back from us considering the first one (Note: You may enter our contests and submit a regular submission at the same time so long as the materials are different.)

 ________

This form is for "Canadian writers." Please use this form if you live within Canadian territories and provinces, or are a Canadian resident who lives overseas. Since our eligibility for national and local grants depends on a majority of our published content being Canadian, we kindly request that only Canadian writers use this form.

If this isn't you, please use the "Poetry (US and International)" form instead. Please note that this link will stop working when we hit our submission limit, and will not reopen until out next issue. 


 

Room