Submit to Ruminate
A mindful literary arts magazine that respects
what you do and why you do it.
what you do and why you do it.
Ruminate receives over 5,000 general submissions and contest submissions each year. We can't publish every story or poem, and we seek not to be a solution for all but rather a sign for all—a sign that points us toward hospitality, welcome, and care for one another's stories. We are particularly excited about sharing stories, poems, and art from voices that aren't often heard.
Due to a high volume of Fiction and Nonfiction General Submissions we are behind in our response time. We are working hard to get caught up, and we appreciate your patience!
CONTESTS
William Van Dyke Short Story Prize
is open!
is open!
Ruminate Broadside Poetry Prize
is closed.
is closed.
Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize
is closed.
is closed.
VanderMey Nonfiction Prize
is closed.
is closed.
Recognized by
"I wrote my essay with Ruminate in mind and am just thrilled to have it appear in such a great magazine."
- Tony Lusvardi, 2016 VanderMey Nonfiction Prize recipient
" It is encouraging and uplifting to be supported and recognized for one’s passion and effort as an artist."
- Eloisa Guanloa, 2018 Kalos Visual Art Prize recipient
GENERAL SUBMISSIONS
Blog is open.
Ruminate is looking for guest bloggers to write for the Ruminate Blog, and we accept submissions year-round.
Poetry is open.
General Magazine Submissions Reading period: June 1st- January 15th. (Between Jan. 16th-May 18th we will only accept poetry submissions to our Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize.) You may submit up to five poems (we prefer 3-5), with a maximum of 10 pages per submission.
Visual Art is open.
General Magazine Submissions period: September 19th-April 14th. (Between April. 16th-September 18th we will only accept art submissions to our Kalos Visual Art Prize.) Images must be professional quality digital images in TIFF or JPG formats and must be PC and Mac compatible.
Fiction is closed.
General Magazine Submissions Reading period: February 19th-August 14th. (Between August 15th-February 18th we will only accept fiction submissions to our William Van Dyke Short Story Prize). We accept pieces that are 5,500 words or less.
Nonfiction is open.
General Magazine Submissions Reading period: November 1st-June 30th. (Between July 1-October 30th we will only accept nonfiction submissions to our VanderMey Nonfiction Prize). We accept pieces that are 5,500 words or less.
Readers Ruminate
column is closed.
column is closed.
Each issue of Ruminate includes personal notes, 300 words or less, from our readers on a particular topic. We notify our readers of the topic for each issue's Readers Ruminate column via our email newsletter and social media. To be notified of the topic, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page.
Submission FAQs
We know that sharing your art is a brave act–
we look forward to seeing your work!
we look forward to seeing your work!
- General magazine submissions are always free—there is no entry fee.
- We currently pay $20/page of poetry (with a maximum of $80 per poem), $20/page for visual art pieces, and $20/400 words for prose. Ruminate firmly believes in paying our contributors, and we are working hard to increase the amount we pay them.
- We only accept submissions that are previously unpublished.
- We do accept simultaneous submissions, however, please notify us right away if your work is accepted elsewhere.
- Poets, if you are interested in receiving writing feedback from our poetry editor, please review our writing critique sessions.
- If you agree to allow Ruminate to publish your work, we will receive first serial rights and all rights revert back to you upon publication.
- We only accept online submissions, as our readers are spread across the country. Any submissions made by postal mail or email will not be considered.
- Our response time is 3-4 months. Please wait 3-4 months before inquiring about the status of your submission.
- Please wait for a response to your submission before sending us more work.
- We highly recommend reading a copy of the magazine to better understand the type of work we are looking for.
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