This submission includes a chapbook bundle of our three previous winning titles: Good Mother Lizard by Lisa Alletson, Someone Like Me by Anietie Isong, and The Vulture by Stuart Ziarnik.
The winner of The Headlight Review’s 2024 Poetry Chapbook Prize Contest will receive publication (a perfectly bound book with a full color or black/white cover), an award of $500, and 25 copies of the book.
A list of finalists will be announced sixty days after the close of submissions. All manuscripts will be judged blindly.
The finalists who make it through the first round will be judged by esteemed poet Valerie A. Smith. Smith’s poetry collection, Back to Alabama, is forthcoming from Sundress Publications in April 2024. She has a PhD from Georgia State University and a MA from Kennesaw State University where she teaches English. A Hambidge and Sewanee Writers Conference scholar, her poems have been published in Radix, Aunt Chloe, Weber, Spectrum, Obsidian, Crosswinds, Dogwood, Solstice, Oyster RiverPages, Wayne Literary Review and on her website www.valeriesmithwriter.com. Above all, she values spending quality time with her family.
The winning manuscript will be published within six months after the results of the competition are announced in April of 2024. Each judge’s favorite poem from their selected finalist will be highlighted at The Headlight Review.
Guidelines
Eligibility: Employees and students at Kennesaw State University, both former and current, are not eligible to enter. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or older.
Electronic submissions: The $18 entry fee is payable by debit/credit card via the KSU submission system, which you may find at the “Submit Your Manuscript” button at the bottom of this page. For $25 you can submit your manuscript and receive copies of the 3 previous winners.
Manuscript Submission Details
- Size: Manuscripts must be between 24-36 pages, including cover page, table of contents and any acknowledgements.
- Format: 12 pt. standard typeface, PDF only.
- Title page: Should include the title of the manuscript and nothing else. No. identifying name or address is permitted in the manuscript.
- Poems: Poems that have been published elsewhere must be acknowledged. Overall, the manuscript should be original and previously unpublished.
- Multiple submissions: Are acceptable. Each submission requires a separate entry fee.
- Simultaneous submissions: Are acceptable. Please inform us immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Entry fees are nonrefundable.
- Language: Entries must be written in the English language.
- Illustrations: Are discouraged.
- Translations: Are ineligible.
- Comments: Will not be provided to non-winning entrants.
- Editing: Will not be permitted once submitted.
Kennesaw State’s MA in Professional Writing Program (MAPW) endorses and abides by the Ethical Guidelines of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP). Our system for judging is transparent and blind. The first-round judges will receive and rate their choices in order, and this will create a list of finalists. The manuscript finalists will go to the finalist judge, who will then select the best among the finalists.
Georgia Writers Association's LGBTQIA+ Literary Success Grants are designed to encourage and amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth (18 - 24) in Georgia. At a time when the country possesses a record number of anti-LGBTQ legislation (400+ bills and counting), along with the dangerous rhetoric coming out of Florida, we believe it is our responsibility to promote positive stories of queer life in the South. As LGBTQIA+ organizations have long known, stories can be life-saving. We believe that by promoting these young queer voices state- and nationwide, we will offer models for success that all young queer people in the state of Georgia can aspire to.
The four LGBTQIA+ Literary Success Grants will be awarded annually, one each in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and screenwriting.
Deadline: January 12, 2024
Qualifications:
Applicants must be LGBTQIA+ writers (18 - 24 years of age) residing and/or studying in the state of Georgia for at least one year.
Be sure to read over the guidelines on our website.
Tell us your stories!
We publish annually each Spring. Submissions for each issue close on December 31st.
Follow us on social media to stay updated!
We welcome submissions from undergraduate students from the United States and its territories for a chance to be published! Our team promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion throughout the submission process. We especially encourage minorites to submit their works, as well as first generation students.
Waymark is a fully online literary magazine in html format. We publish fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.
Reach out to eic.waymark@gmail.com for any pressing concerns or questions.
Fiction
- We are seeking a variety of genres, a few examples being: romance, adventure, fantasy, etc.
- We do not publish erotica or fan fiction.
- We reject outright works with excessive violence, hate speech, and unnecessary gore.
- Word limit: 5,000 words
- Formatting: please submit Word documents in MLA format, with a cover letter, and no identifying information.
- One story per submission.
Creative Nonfiction
- We are seeking coming of age tales, memoirs, travel writing, etc.
- We do not publish academic essays.
- We reject outright works with excessive violence, hate speech, and unnecessary gore.
- Word limit: 5,000 words
- Formatting: please submit a Word document in MLA format, with a cover letter, and no identifying information
- One story per submission.
Poetry
- We are seeking new voices in formal and free verse poetry. Send us your spoken word, sonnets, rondels, etc.
- We reject outright works with excessive violence, hate speech, and unnecessary gore.
- Please submit up to 3 poems in a Word document with no identifying information. Please include a cover letter in a separate file.
Visual Art
- All mediums are welcome; however, AI art is not acceptable.
- We reject outright works with excessive violence, hate speech, or gore.
- Entry limit: no more than 3 photographed or scanned pieces per submission
- Must include the artist’s name, the title, the medium, the size of the work, and the year created. Can include a short description if needed.
The winner of The Headlight Review’s 2024 Poetry Chapbook Prize Contest will receive publication (a perfect bound book with a full color or black/white cover), an award of $500, and 25 copies of the book.
Submissions will be open from October 1st to December 31st, 2023.
A list of finalists will be announced sixty days after the close of submissions. All manuscripts will be judged blindly.
The finalists who make it through the first round will be judged by esteemed poet Valerie A. Smith. Smith’s poetry collection, Back to Alabama, is forthcoming from Sundress Publications in April 2024. She has a PhD from Georgia State University and a MA from Kennesaw State University where she teaches English. A Hambidge and Sewanee Writers Conference scholar, her poems have been published in Radix, Aunt Chloe, Weber, Spectrum, Obsidian, Crosswinds, Dogwood, Solstice, Oyster River Pages, Wayne Literary Review and on her website www.valeriesmithwriter.com. Above all, she values spending quality time with her family.
The winning manuscript will be published within six months after the results of the competition are announced in April of 2024. Each judge’s favorite poem from their selected finalist will be highlighted at The Headlight Review.
Guidelines:
Eligibility: Employees and students at Kennesaw State University, both former and current, are not eligible to enter. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or older.
Electronic submissions: The $18 entry fee is payable by debit/credit card via the KSU submission system, which you may find at the “Submit Your Manuscript” button at the bottom of this page.
Manuscript submission details:
- Size: Manuscripts must be between 24-36 pages, including cover page, table of contents and any acknowledgements.
- Format: 12 pt. standard typeface, PDF only.
- Title page: Should include the title of the manuscript and nothing else. No. identifying name or address is permitted in the manuscript.
- Poems: Poems that have been published elsewhere must be acknowledged. Overall, the manuscript should be original and previously unpublished.
- Multiple submissions: Are acceptable. Each submission requires a separate entry fee.
- Simultaneous submissions: Are acceptable. Please inform us immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Entry fees are nonrefundable.
- Language: Entries must be written in the English language.
- Illustrations: Are discouraged.
- Translations: Are ineligible.
- Comments: Will not be provided to non-winning entrants.
- Editing: Will not be permitted once submitted.
Kennesaw State’s MA in Professional Writing Program (MAPW) endorses and abides by the Ethical Guidelines of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP). Our system for judging is transparent and blind. The first-round judges will receive and rate their choices in order, and this will create a list of finalists. The manuscript finalists will go to the finalist judge, who will then select the best among the finalists.
We want to read your work! We value and encourage both emerging and experienced creators. Our goal is to engage readers and create a space for great art to bring us closer together.
The Headlight Review is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity amongst the staff and its contributors. We value varying editorial experience levels and consider aspects of identity, including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability status, a pivotal part of artistic work. 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 biannual 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 acknowledgment of 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 2 years have passed since graduation.
PLEASE NOTE
Submissions are open year-round. The Headlight Review staff reads for our Fall/Winter issue in August – November and the Spring/Summer edition in February – May of each year. Please expect responses to occur within those reading windows.
As of February 2023, we charge 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.
The Headlight Review is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity amongst the staff and its contributors. We value varying editorial experience levels and consider aspects of identity, including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability status, a pivotal part of artistic work. 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 biannual 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 acknowledgment of 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 2 years have passed since graduation.
PLEASE NOTE
Submissions are open year-round. The Headlight Review staff reads for our Fall/Winter issue in August – November and the Spring/Summer edition in February – May of each year. Please expect responses to occur within those reading windows.
As of February 2023, we charge 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.
The Headlight Review is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity amongst the staff and its contributors. We value varying editorial experience levels and consider aspects of identity, including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability status, a pivotal part of artistic work. 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 biannual 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 acknowledgment of 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 2 years have passed since graduation.
PLEASE NOTE
Submissions are open year-round. The Headlight Review staff reads for our Fall/Winter issue in August – November and the Spring/Summer edition in February – May of each year. Please expect responses to occur within those reading windows.
As of February 2023, we charge 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 both emerging and experienced creators. Our goal is to engage readers and create a space for great art to bring us closer together
The Headlight Review is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity amongst the staff and its contributors. We value varying editorial experience levels and consider aspects of identity, including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability status, a pivotal part of artistic work. 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 biannual 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 acknowledgment of 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 2 years have passed since graduation.
PLEASE NOTE
Submissions are open year-round. The Headlight Review staff reads for our Fall/Winter issue in August – November and the Spring/Summer edition in February – May of each year. Please expect responses to occur within those reading windows.
As of February 2023, we charge 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. We do not publish political rhetoric or academic essays.
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.
Georgia Writers is partnering with the Fine Arts Work Center (FAWC) in Provincetown, MA to award a scholarship to a Georgia Writers member to participate in a week-long summer workshop at FAWC in 2023. The scholarship winner will pay no tuition and be provided housing and a travel stipend to participate in a week-long workshop in creative writing.
Not a member? Sign up here today to become eligible.
The Fine Arts Work Center, a non-profit organization founded in 1968, is dedicated to encouraging the growth and development of emerging visual artists and writers and to enhancing the year-round vitality of the historic art community of Provincetown, MA.
The Work Center is internationally known for its acclaimed Fellowship program, which grants seven-month residencies to 20 emerging writers and artists every winter. FAWC Fellowships have provided sustained and crucial time and space to over 1,000 emerging artists and writers over the course of its 50+ year history.
The Fine Arts Work Center also offers open-enrollment educational programs that provide opportunities to artists of all levels to take strides in their artistic practice and become part of a rich creative community, in addition to helping preserve Provincetown as a cultural destination.
FAWC’s Summer Workshop Program offers over 60 week-long workshops in visual arts and creative writing for more than 500 students over the course of 9 weeks every summer. They bring nationally recognized artists and writers to Provincetown to teach workshops and to participate in readings and artist talks that are open to the public and enjoyed by hundreds in the community.
Georgia Writers members can apply here by March 17, 2023.
Requirements:
- Must be a Georgia Writers member
- C.V./Resume
- Cover Letter (details below)
- Portfolio (details below)
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
Please carefully review these guidelines before submitting a nomination. Please note that you must have a Submittable account prior to filling out the nomination form. You may create a free account here.
Nomination Fee
$60 per nomination
Deadline
February 16, 2024
Eligibility
-Books and chapbooks published within the 2023 calendar year (January 1 to December 31). Reprints and second editions are not eligible.
-Books will not be considered nominated if any of these guidelines are not met and materials and payment are not postmarked by February 16, 2024.
Required Materials
The following required materials must be received by February 16, 2024 (postmarked).
-Nomination form
-$60 nomination fee
-A digital copy of the book (strongly preferred; if digital copy is not available, please see instructions on form.)
Definition of a Georgia Author for the 60th GAYA
To be considered a Georgia author and thus eligible for nomination for GAYA, an author must meet one of the following criteria: -The author must have been a resident of Georgia when the nominated book was written, though they may have since moved out of state; or -The author must currently live in Georgia when the book is nominated.
Definitions of GAYA Categories for the 60th GAYA
A book may be nominated in only one category and is selected by the nominator.
Categories (in alphabetical order):
- Children’s Book—Books written for ages 9 and younger. A children’s book includes picture books and can be fiction or nonfiction.
- Cookbook—Books that contain a collection of recipes, techniques, or focus on the exploration of food, cooking, and culture of food.
- Essay—A collection by a single author that sustains a single topic or theme. It may not be an anthology of essays by multiple authors
- Fiction (subcategories)
- Detective/Mystery—A novel by a single author featuring a crime or crimes
- First Novel—First published novel by a single author (any genre)
- Literary Fiction—A non-genre novel by a single author
- Romance—A novel by a single author intended for the mass-market and involving a primary focus on relationships
- Science Fiction— A novel by a single author that is grounded in the science or technology of the future
- Graphic Novel—A narrative work where the story is told not only through words, but also sequential art and can be fiction or nonfiction.
- Nonfiction (subcategories)
- Biography—A life history that is a fact-based, referenced life story of a person, a group of people, or a family. This category does not include autobiography, which should be nominated under memoir.
- History—Research-based books which use narratives to examine and analyze past events
- Inspirational—Books on topics in self-help, life improvement, motivational, religious, or spiritual.
- Memoir—A book that is an account of one’s personal life and experiences.
- Poetry (subcategories)
- Chapbook—By a single poet and generally no more than 40 pages
- Full-Length Book—By a single poet
- Short Story Collection—By a single author
- Specialty Book—Anthologies of poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction, and books that include a visual element such as art or photography.
- Young Adult—Books written for ages 10 and older and are either fiction or nonfiction.
In the Event a Category Has Fewer than Four Nominees
If a category has fewer than four nominees, authors will have the opportunity to move their books to the next best category. For example, if there are only two books in the Romance category, authors will be notified and may choose to place the book in the Literary Fiction category.
In the Event an Award Is Not Made in a Category
Georgia Writers Association reserves the right to not award a winner in a category if it is determined that none of the nominations should win. If no winner is selected due to a lack of sufficient nominations in a category, the nomination fee will be refunded. However, if the category judge determines that a category has no first– or second–place winner, the nomination fee will not be refunded.
Please carefully review these guidelines before submitting a nomination. Please note that you must have a Submittable account prior to filling out the nomination form. You may create a free account here.
Nomination Fee
$60 per nomination
Deadline
February 16, 2024
Eligibility
-Books and chapbooks published within the 2023 calendar year (January 1 to December 31). Reprints and second editions are not eligible.
-Books will not be considered nominated if any of these guidelines are not met and materials and payment are not postmarked by February 16, 2024.
Required Materials
The following required materials must be received by February 16, 2023 (postmarked).
-Nomination form
-$60 nomination fee
-A digital copy of the book (strongly preferred; if digital copy is not available, please see instructions on form.)
Definition of a Georgia Author for the 60th GAYA
To be considered a Georgia author and thus eligible for nomination for GAYA, an author must meet one of the following criteria: -The author must have been a resident of Georgia when the nominated book was written, though they may have since moved out of state; or -The author must currently live in Georgia when the book is nominated.
Definitions of GAYA Categories for the 60th GAYA
A book may be nominated in only one category and is selected by the nominator.
Categories (in alphabetical order):
- Children’s Book—Books written for ages 9 and younger. A children’s book includes picture books and can be fiction or nonfiction.
- Cookbook—Books that contain a collection of recipes, techniques, or focus on the exploration of food, cooking, and culture of food.
- Essay—A collection by a single author that sustains a single topic or theme. It may not be an anthology of essays by multiple authors
- Fiction (subcategories)
- Detective/Mystery—A novel by a single author featuring a crime or crimes
- First Novel—First published novel by a single author (any genre)
- Literary Fiction—A non-genre novel by a single author
- Romance—A novel by a single author intended for the mass-market and involving a primary focus on relationships
- Science Fiction— A novel by a single author that is grounded in the science or technology of the future
- Graphic Novel—A narrative work where the story is told not only through words, but also sequential art and can be fiction or nonfiction.
- Nonfiction (subcategories)
- Biography—A life history that is a fact-based, referenced life story of a person, a group of people, or a family. This category does not include autobiography, which should be nominated under memoir.
- History—Research-based books which use narratives to examine and analyze past events
- Inspirational—Books on topics in self-help, life improvement, motivational, religious, or spiritual.
- Memoir—A book that is an account of one’s personal life and experiences.
- Poetry (subcategories)
- Chapbook—By a single poet and generally no more than 40 pages
- Full-Length Book—By a single poet
- Short Story Collection—By a single author
- Specialty Book—Anthologies of poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction, and books that include a visual element such as art or photography.
- Young Adult—Books written for ages 10 and older and are either fiction or nonfiction.
In the Event a Category Has Fewer than Four Nominees
If a category has fewer than four nominees, authors will have the opportunity to move their books to the next best category. For example, if there are only two books in the Romance category, authors will be notified and may choose to place the book in the Literary Fiction category.
In the Event an Award Is Not Made in a Category
Georgia Writers Association reserves the right to not award a winner in a category if it is determined that none of the nominations should win. If no winner is selected due to a lack of sufficient nominations in a category, the nomination fee will be refunded. However, if the category judge determines that a category has no first– or second–place winner, the nomination fee will not be refunded.