SUBMIT TO REED MAGAZINE
Thank you for your interest in submitting to Reed Magazine. We publish one journal annually featuring fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. We host contests in each genre, and offer a special contest for high schoolers in Santa Clara County, California. We seek submissions that exhibit craft, complexity, and creativity while giving voice to a diverse array of artists at various stages in their careers. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about our submission process or guidelines. Submitters can expect to hear back from Reed Magazine by the end of December 2025.​​​
FICTION
CONTEST & GENERAL
SUBMISSIONS
JUNE 1 – OCTOBER 1
Writers may submit pieces of up to 5,000 words.  Aesthetically, Reed Magazine is open to most styles and approaches, including experimental and literary. All works should be stand-alone short stories, not chapters of longer works. ​
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Please be sure to:
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provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
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include a brief bio, up to 50 words
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save submissions as a Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) document
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double-space text, and use any readable 12-point typeface (such as Times New Roman)
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number pages
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include word count (5,000-word limit)
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check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date​​
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For paid contest entries, please refer to the guidelines listed at:​​
NONFICTION
CONTEST & GENERAL
SUBMISSIONS
JUNE 1 – OCTOBER 1
Reed Magazine seeks creative nonfiction, such as personal essays and narratives, not scholarly papers or book reviews. All works should be stand-alone essays, not chapters of longer works. Writers may submit pieces of up to 5,000 words. 
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Please be sure to:
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provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
-
include a brief bio, up to 50 words
-
save submissions as a Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) document
-
double-space text, and use an easily readable 12-point typeface (such as Times New Roman)
-
number pages
-
include word count (5,000-word limit)
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check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date
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For paid contest entries, please refer to the guidelines listed at:​​​
POETRY
CONTEST & GENERAL
SUBMISSIONS
JUNE 1 – OCTOBER 1
Our taste is eclectic and celebrates the wonderful diversity of forms, styles, and levels of diction available to the contemporary poet. Writers are welcome to submit up to five (5) poems per submission. ​
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Please be sure to:
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provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
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include a brief bio, up to 50 words
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save submissions as a Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) document
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single- or double-space text, and use an easily readable 12-point typeface (such as Times New Roman)
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number pages
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submit up to five (5) poems in a single document
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check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date
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For paid contest entries, please refer to the guidelines listed at:​​​
ART
CONTEST & GENERAL
SUBMISSIONS
JUNE 1 – NOVEMBER 1
Reed Magazine seeks artwork that reverberates beyond the page, with imagery that lingers in the minds and challenges viewers to think. Our pages are open to a variety of media and styles. Artists may submit up to five (5) pieces of studio art, including photography, per submission
Please be sure to:
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provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
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include a brief bio, up to 50 words
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include available art credits: title, medium, dimensions, year
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render submissions in an easily accessible format, such as .jpg
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size submissions to at least 300 dpi
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check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date
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General Art submissions may be considered for the cover. ​
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For paid contest entries, please refer to the guidelines listed at:​​
EMERGING
VOICES
CONTEST & GENERAL
SUBMISSIONS
JUNE 1 – NOVEMBER 1
Reed Magazine seeks to celebrate the young voices of the San Francisco South Bay region. Submit your original fiction, nonfiction, poetry, visual art, photography, and scholarly works to share your creativity with readers of California's oldest literary journal.
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This contest is for high school students of Santa Clara County, California, ONLY. Our Emerging Voices Contest requires proof of local high school attendance to win.​
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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
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Submission cap: Please limit your submission to our free categories to two (2) per person during each open reading period. There is no limit to the paid categories.
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Use of AI: Reed Magazine honors the complexity and diversity of human creativity. Submissions that appear to be the product of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools will be declined. However, if you have a piece that interrogates the use of AI, we welcome it. Reach out if you have questions on this.
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Formal-play and genre-blending work: We love and encourage work that is both formally and generically playful. If this describes your work and you’re unsure which category to submit it to, submit to the one it more closely aligns to. You can add an explanatory note in your cover letter if the context would help us in our consideration.
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Editorial process: Reed Magazine copy editors will review submissions accepted for publication to ensure consistency with our style conventions.
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We do not accept work that has been previously published (physically printed and distributed or digitally available to the public). We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us if your work is selected for publication elsewhere.