The Headlight Review Presents:
The Anthony Grooms Prize in Short Fiction
A literary award honoring the work and literary contributions of former Kennesaw State MAPW Director, Anthony Grooms.
Winning entry will receive $250 and 25 copies of their story (5.5" x7.5", saddle-stitch binding).
Runners-up will be offered publication in The Headlight Review.
The winner and runners-up will also receive a signed copy of Grooms' book, The Vain Conversation.
Guidelines:
Stories must be 5000 words or less. The manuscript should be titled and should not include the name of the author or any contact information. Multiple submissions are acceptable, though each entry requires a separate fee. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. The submission must be an original work and cannot have been published in any previous form. Entries must be written in English.
The preliminary round of judging will be conducted by the fiction editors at The Headlight Review. The finalist judge will be acclaimed author and editor, Anna Schachner.
Any present or former students or faculty from Kennesaw State are not eligible to participate.
We want to read your work! We value and encourage the work of both emerging and experienced creators who show us authentic, indefinable, and raw artistry. Our goal is to engage readers and create a space for great art to be realized. Through it all, we want to publish exemplary art that brings us closer.
The Headlight Review is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity amongst the staff and its contributors. We value varying editorial experience levels of applicants and consider aspects of your identity including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability status a pivotal part of your artistry. We encourage submissions from marginalized and underrepresented communities and perspectives including emergent creators of color and those from the LGBTQIA+ community.
We are open to submissions in all genres for publication in our quarterly issues. Please submit your manuscript with a short (1-3 sentences) third-person bio in the comment section. For all submissions, please ensure that you do not include your name or other identifying information on your submission attachment. We reserve First North American electronic serial rights only; all rights revert back to the author upon publication. We ask that any reprints include the author's acknowledgment of the first publication in The Headlight Review.
Current students and recent graduates of Kennesaw State University, contest judges, and masthead members are not eligible to submit. KSU graduates become eligible to submit once 5 years have passed since graduation.
PLEASE NOTE
As of February 2023, we will begin charging a $3 submission fee. We accept submissions via Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are accepted when noted in your cover letter. Thank you for your interest in The Headlight Review!
FICTION
Please send only one story per submission. Manuscripts should be no longer than 5,000 words, double-spaced, and in standard MLA manuscript format. All genres are welcome except erotica, gore, and violence.
We want to read your work! We value and encourage the work of both emerging and experienced creators who show us authentic, indefinable, and raw artistry. Our goal is to engage readers and create a space for great art to be realized. Through it all, we want to publish exemplary art that brings us closer.
The Headlight Review is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity amongst the staff and its contributors. We value varying editorial experience levels of applicants and consider aspects of your identity including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability status a pivotal part of your artistry. We encourage submissions from marginalized and underrepresented communities and perspectives including emergent creators of color and those from the LGBTQIA+ community.
We are open to submissions in all genres for publication in our quarterly issues. Please submit your manuscript with a short (1-3 sentences) third-person bio in the comment section. For all submissions, please ensure that you do not include your name or other identifying information on your submission attachment. We reserve First North American electronic serial rights only; all rights revert back to the author upon publication. We ask that any reprints include the author's acknowledgment of the first publication in The Headlight Review.
Current students and recent graduates of Kennesaw State University, contest judges, and masthead members are not eligible to submit. KSU graduates become eligible to submit once 5 years have passed since graduation.
PLEASE NOTE
As of February 2023, we will begin charging a $3 submission fee. We accept submissions via Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are accepted when noted in your cover letter. Thank you for your interest in The Headlight Review!
POETRY
Our journal prefers work that pushes the envelope conceptually, technically, or visually, challenges our perspectives, and meets us at the intersections of genres, artistic disciplines, and modes of thought. From subtle to paradoxical, we want to publish work that captures and reimagines the world in ways that move us down to our bones. Please send only three poems maximum per submission, formatted however the poem needs to be formatted to achieve the effect you desire. We’ll do our best to reproduce it, or we will work with you to readjust the format for our platform. All genres welcome.
We want to read your work! We value and encourage the work of both emerging and experienced creators who show us authentic, indefinable, and raw artistry. Our goal is to engage readers and create a space for great art to be realized. Through it all, we want to publish exemplary art that brings us closer.
The Headlight Review is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity amongst the staff and its contributors. We value varying editorial experience levels of applicants and consider aspects of your identity including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability status a pivotal part of your artistry. We encourage submissions from marginalized and underrepresented communities and perspectives including emergent creators of color and those from the LGBTQIA+ community.
We are open to submissions in all genres for publication in our quarterly issues. Please submit your manuscript with a short (1-3 sentences) third-person bio in the comment section. For all submissions, please ensure that you do not include your name or other identifying information on your submission attachment. We reserve First North American electronic serial rights only; all rights revert back to the author upon publication. We ask that any reprints include the author's acknowledgment of the first publication in The Headlight Review.
Current students and recent graduates of Kennesaw State University, contest judges, and masthead members are not eligible to submit. KSU graduates become eligible to submit once 5 years have passed since graduation.
PLEASE NOTE
As of February 2023, we will begin charging a $3 submission fee. We accept submissions via Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are accepted when noted in your cover letter. Thank you for your interest in The Headlight Review!
VISUAL ART
We’re looking for artwork that tells a story that includes emotional texture and character. We accept up to 6 images of photography, comics, digital artwork, or scanned images of traditional artwork such as paintings, drawings, or sketches.
Submissions must have a minimum of 300 dpi resolution, regardless of format. Three-dimensional artwork requires a minimum of two photos taken from different angles, taken in front of a neutral background (black, white, or gray preferred). Artwork must include the name of the artist, the title, the medium, the size of the work, and the year created to be considered.
We want to read your work! We value and encourage the work of both emerging and experienced creators who show us authentic, indefinable, and raw artistry. Our goal is to engage readers and create a space for great art to be realized. Through it all, we want to publish exemplary art that brings us closer.
The Headlight Review is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity amongst the staff and its contributors. We value varying editorial experience levels of applicants and consider aspects of your identity including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability status a pivotal part of your artistry. We encourage submissions from marginalized and underrepresented communities and perspectives including emergent creators of color and those from the LGBTQIA+ community.
We are open to submissions in all genres for publication in our quarterly issues. Please submit your manuscript with a short (1-3 sentences) third-person bio in the comment section. For all submissions, please ensure that you do not include your name or other identifying information on your submission attachment. We reserve First North American electronic serial rights only; all rights revert back to the author upon publication. We ask that any reprints include the author's acknowledgment of the first publication in The Headlight Review.
Current students and recent graduates of Kennesaw State University, contest judges, and masthead members are not eligible to submit. KSU graduates become eligible to submit once 5 years have passed since graduation.
PLEASE NOTE
As of February 2023, we will begin charging a $3 submission fee. We accept submissions via Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are accepted when noted in your cover letter. Thank you for your interest in The Headlight Review!
CREATIVE NONFICTION
We welcome literary nonfiction stories or essays that have a distinctive personal voice, attentiveness to language, rich details, and lyrical phrasing. We want to read a story that introduces us to a fresh perspective. Please send one story or essay per submission. Manuscripts should be no longer than 5,000 words, double-spaced, and in standard MLA manuscript format. All genres welcome.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants to the Georgia Writers Registry (GWR) must be residents of Georgia and must also earn a minimum of 12 publication points based on the following point system:
12 Points
- Each book of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, or creative non-fiction
- Each play produced by a professional theatre (equity contract)
6 Points
- Each chapbook
- Staged readings of plays by professional theatres or professional playwright’s organizations
3 Points
- Each work of fiction, non-fiction, or creative non-fiction published in a literary journal, anthology, or edited Web publication
- Each poem published in a literary journal, anthology, or edited Web publication
Ineligible Publications
- Publications from vanity presses
- Self-published work
- Work from presses that do not offer authors standard book contracts
- Work published by a journal or anthology for which one makes editorial decisions
- Translations
This form should be filled out by the sponsoring organization prior to the event.
Applications will not be considered unless all information is provided. Please keep a copy for your records. Sponsors are required to submit all promotional materials, including print copies of webpages and e-mails, that highlight the logos of the Georgia Writers Association, the Georgia Council of the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Proof of verbal acknowledgement made at the event must be submitted if there are no written promotional materials.
This form should be filled out by the sponsoring organization after the event has taken place.
The event director is to complete this form within 15 days of the completion of the event. Sponsors are required to submit all promotional materials along with this form, including screenshots of webpages and e-mails, that highlight the logos of the Georgia Writers Association, the Georgia Council for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Proof of verbal acknowledgement made at the event must be submitted if there are no written promotional materials.
- This form should be filled out by the writer after the event has taken place and within 15 days of the completion of the event.
- Please cash your check within 90 days of issuance.
- If there are any discrepencies between the amount you agreed to be paid for the even and the actual amount of the check, please contact Terri Dudenhoeffer at terri@georgiawriters.org