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Submit to Ruminate
A mindful literary arts magazine that respects
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.

CONTESTS

William Van Dyke Short Story Prize
is open!
Each year we award $1000 and publication to the winning writer. Short Story must be between 1000 and 5,500 words. Entry fee is $20 (includes a digital copy of Ruminate). Deadline is Feb. 1st

Submit
VanderMey Nonfiction Prize
is closed.

Each year we award $1000 and publication to the winning writer. Essay/short memoir must be 5,500 words or less. Entry fee is $20 (includes a digital copy of Ruminate). Deadline is Oct. 15th.
Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize
is closed.
Each year we award $1000 and publication to the winning poet. Entry fee is $20 (includes a digital copy of Ruminate featuring the winning pieces). Deadline is May 1st (plus 3-day grace period).

Sign up for our emails, and we'll send you deadline reminders and updates.
Ruminate Broadside Poetry Prize
is closed.
Two poems per entry; 10 to 30 lines each. Entry fee is $12 (includes a digital copy of Ruminate). Deadline is August 1st.

Sign up for our emails, and we'll send you deadline reminders and updates.

Flash Prize - Fiction
is closed.

Each year we award $500 and publication to the winning flash fiction piece. Entry fee is $6.30. Deadline is June 28th (plus 3-day grace period).

Sign up for our emails, and we'll send you deadline reminders and updates.

Flash Prize - Nonfiction
is closed.

Each year we award $500 and publication to the winning flash nonfiction piece. Entry fee is $6.30. Deadline is June 28th (plus 3-day grace period).

Sign up for our emails, and we'll send you deadline reminders and updates.

GENERAL SUBMISSIONS

Short Prose - Fiction/Nonfiction

General Submission to The Waking for both flash fiction and flash nonfiction work are open from August 1, 2021- December 1, 2021 & January 1, 2022 - April 30, 2022.

Sign up for our emails, and we'll send you deadline reminders and updates.
Submit

Image-Text/Hybrid Work

General Submission to The Waking for both flash fiction and flash nonfiction/hybrid work are open from August 1, 2021- December 1, 2021 & January 1, 2022 - April 30, 2022.

Sign up for our emails, and we'll send you deadline reminders and updates.
Submit
Readers Ruminate
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.
Poetry is open!
General Magazine Submissions Reading period is open now through February 28. The first two weeks of the reading period is free, after that we will charge a reading fee for $3.50/submission. (Between March 1st-May 1st we will only accept poetry submissions to our Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize.) You may submit up to five poems/submission (we prefer 3-5), with a maximum of 10 pages per submission.
Submit
Nonfiction is closed.
We've closed the queue for now and will let you know when it's reopened!
(Between August 15 and October 15 we will only accept nonfiction submissions to our VanderMey Nonfiction Prize.) We accept pieces that are 5,500 words or less.
Visual Art is closed.
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 1st - December 15. (Between December 15 - February 1 we will only accept fiction submissions to our William Van Dyke Short Story Prize). We accept pieces that are between 1000 and 5,500 words.

Submission FAQs
We know that sharing your art is a brave act–
we look forward to seeing your work!

  • General magazine submissions are free the first 2 weeks of our open period.
  • 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.
  • 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.

"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

Recognized by

Sign up for Ruminate Emails
and receive a FREE PDF of our 10th Anniversary Issue
Read an entire issue:
Subscribe to Ruminate:
Submit to Ruminate
A mindful literary arts magazine that respects
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 but rather a sign for all—a sign that points us toward hospitality, welcome, and care for one another's stories.

CONTESTS

William Van Dyke Short Story Prize
is open!
Enter Now
Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize
is currently closed.
Learn More
VanderMey Nonfiction Prize
is currently closed.
Learn More
Kalos Visual Art Prize
is closed.
Learn More

Recognized by

GENERAL SUBMISSIONS
Blog is open.
Ruminate is looking for guest bloggers to write for the Ruminate Blog, and we accept submissions year-round.
SUBMIT
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.
SUBMIT
Nonfiction is closed.
General Magazine Submissions Reading period: November 19th-June 30th. (Between July 1-November 18th we will only accept nonfiction submissions to our VanderMey Nonfiction Prize). We accept pieces that are 5,500 words or less.
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.
SUBMIT
Readers Ruminate
column is closed.
Each issue of Ruminate includes personal notes, 300 words or less, from our readers on a particular topic. If the column is open, click submit below to learn more about this issue's topic. If it's closed, 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.
Fiction is open.
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.
SUBMIT

"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
Sign up for Ruminate Emails
and receive a FREE PDF of our 10th Anniversary Issue

Call for Submissions
We know that sharing your art is a brave act–
we look forward to seeing your work!

FAQ's:
  • 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.
Read an entire issue:

Recognized by

"Ruminate is gorgeous and continues to forward
such profound work into the world."
—Shann Ray, winner of Ruminate's 2010 Short Story Prize and author of American Masculine (winner of the American Book Award) and American Copper (winner of the Foreword Book of the Year Readers' Choice Award)

Call for Submissions
We know that sharing your art is a brave act–
we look forward to seeing your work!

FAQ's:
  • 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.
As with all our submissions, we highly recommend reading a copy of the magazine to better understand the type of work we are looking for.

Download a free excerpt from our 10th anniversary issue.
Read an entire issue:
GENERAL SUBMISSIONS
Blog is open.
Ruminate is looking for guest bloggers to write for the Ruminate Blog, and we accept submissions year-round.
SUBMIT
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.
SUBMIT
Nonfiction is closed.
General Magazine Submissions Reading period: November 19th-May 31st. (Between June 1st-November 18th we will only accept nonfiction submissions to our VanderMey Nonfiction Prize). We accept pieces that are 5,500 words or less.
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.
SUBMIT
Readers Ruminate
column is closed.
Each issue of Ruminate includes personal notes, 300 words or less, from our readers on a particular topic. If the column is open, click submit below to learn more about this issue's topic. If it's closed, 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.
Fiction is open.
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.
SUBMIT

Recognized by

"Ruminate is gorgeous and continues to forward
such profound work into the world."
—Shann Ray, winner of Ruminate's 2010 Short Story Prize and author of American Masculine (winner of the American Book Award) and American Copper (winner of the Foreword Book of the Year Readers' Choice Award)
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