Submissions are OPEN for our Fall/Winter 2026 Issue, and will remain open until September 15, 2026. Send us your flash prose, your poetry, your multimedia and visual art! We are looking for work that moves us, that makes us think, that speaks to our moment.
Genres Considered
Prose
Submit 1 flash prose piece (up to 1,500 words in total). Both fiction and creative nonfiction (CNF) will be accepted, so please indicate which genre you are submitting.
Poetry
Submit up to 5 poems (no more than 10 pages in total).
Visual Art
Submit up to 3 pieces of visual art. We consider visual art submissions for issue covers as well as supplementary visuals throughout the issue.
Submission Guidelines
We only accept submissions via Submittable; any submissions received via email or otherwise will not be considered. Please review the submission guidelines below, as submissions that do not follow these guidelines will not be considered:
- Acceptable Formats: Text submissions will only be accepted in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Please use 12-point Times New Roman (or a similar, easy-to-read font) and include page numbers in text submissions. Image submissions will only be accepted in .jpg, .jpeg, or .png format.
- Cover Letters: Appreciated, but not necessary. If included, letters should contain a brief biography written in the third person, as well as publishing credits if you have them.
- Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions: We welcome simultaneous submissions but ask that you notify us ASAP if your work is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept multiple submissions; we ask that you please wait until the next submission period before submitting again. For those who work in multiple genres, during each call for submissions, you may submit one compliant piece of work in each of our four accepted genre categories (i.e., one flash fiction piece, one flash CNF piece, up to 3 poems, and up to 3 visual artworks).
- Publication Rights: Submitted work must be unpublished. Hellbender Magazine will take first North American Serial Rights, which revert to the author upon publication. We ask that you credit us if the work is published again elsewhere.
- Sensitive Content Warnings: For the safety of our team and our readers, please include a content warning either at the top of your submission or in your cover letter if your work includes any sensitive or potentially triggering content.
Mail-in Submissions
If submitting online is not possible, please send your submission to the following address along with a valid return address (and stamped envelope if possible):
Hellbender Magazine
c/o West Virginia University
Department of English
1503 University Ave
Morgantown, WV 26505
Submission Window: June 20, 2026 - September 15, 2026 (or until our cap is reached)
**NOTE: THIS IS OUR SUBMISSION MODULE FOR POETRY SUBMISSIONS. For fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art, return to Submittable and/or our website (hellbendermag.com).**
Poetry
Submit up to 5 poems in one document (no more than 10 pages in total).
Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions: We welcome simultaneous submissions but ask that you notify us ASAP if your work is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept multiple submissions; we ask that you please wait until the next submission period before submitting again. However, you can submit in all 4 categories (Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Visual Art) during our call for submissions.
Publication Rights: Submitted work must be unpublished. Hellbender Magazine will take first North American Serial Rights, which will revert to the author upon publication. We ask that you credit us if the work is published again elsewhere.
Cover Letters: Appreciated, but not necessary. Letters should include a brief, third-person bio, as well as publishing credits if you have them.
Formatting: Text submissions should be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Image submissions should be in .jpg, .jpeg, or .png format. Please submit text piece(s) in 12-point Times New Roman (or a similar, easy-to-read font) with page numbers.
Content Warnings: For the safety of our team and readers, please include a content warning either at the top of your submission or in your cover letter if your work includes any potentially triggering content.
Send us your best fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or visual art that isn’t afraid to share its tone of resilience with the world!
We accept submissions via Submittable only. Submissions received via email or otherwise will not be considered. Submissions that do not follow submission guidelines will not be considered.
Submission Window: June 20, 2026 - September 15, 2026 (or until our cap is reached)
**NOTE: THIS IS OUR SUBMISSION MODULE FOR CREATIVE NONFICTION SUBMISSIONS. For fiction, poetry and visual art, return to Submittable and/or our website (hellbendermag.com).**
Creative Nonfiction
Submit one flash CNF piece (up to 1,500 words).
Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions: We welcome simultaneous submissions but ask that you notify us ASAP if your work is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept multiple submissions; we ask that you please wait until the next submission period before submitting again. However, you can submit in all 4 categories (Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Visual Art) during our call for submissions.
Publication Rights: Submitted work must be unpublished. Hellbender Magazine will take first North American Serial Rights, which will revert to the author upon publication. We ask that you credit us if the work is published again elsewhere.
Cover Letters: Appreciated, but not necessary. Letters should include a brief, third-person bio, as well as publishing credits if you have them.
Formatting: Text submissions should be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Image submissions should be in .jpg, .jpeg, or .png format. Please submit text piece(s) in 12-point Times New Roman (or a similar, easy-to-read font) with page numbers.
Content Warnings: For the safety of our team and readers, please include a content warning either at the top of your submission or in your cover letter if your work includes any potentially triggering content.
Send us your best fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or visual art that isn’t afraid to share its tone of resilience with the world!
We accept submissions via Submittable only. Submissions received via email or otherwise will not be considered. Submissions that do not follow submission guidelines will not be considered.
Submission Window: June 20, 2026 - September 15, 2026 (or until our cap is reached)
**NOTE: THIS IS OUR SUBMISSION MODULE FOR FICTION SUBMISSIONS. For Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, and Visual Art, return to Submittable and/or our website (hellbendermag.com).**
Prose (Fiction)
Submit 1 piece of flash prose up to 1,500 words of fiction.
Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions: We welcome simultaneous submissions but ask that you notify us ASAP if your work is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept multiple submissions; we ask that you please wait until the next submission period before submitting again. However, you can submit in all 4 categories (Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Visual Art) during our call for submissions.
Publication Rights: Submitted work must be unpublished. Hellbender Magazine will take first North American Serial Rights, which will revert to the author upon publication. We ask that you credit us if the work is published again elsewhere.
Cover Letters: Appreciated, but not necessary. Letters should include a brief, third-person bio, as well as publishing credits if you have them.
Formatting: Text submissions should be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Image submissions should be in .jpg, .jpeg, or .png format. Please submit text piece(s) in 12-point Times New Roman (or a similar, easy-to-read font) with page numbers.
Content Warnings: For the safety of our team and readers, please include a content warning either at the top of your submission or in your cover letter if your work includes any potentially triggering content.
Send us your best fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or visual art that isn’t afraid to share its tone of resilience with the world!
We accept submissions via Submittable only. Submissions received via email or otherwise will not be considered. Submissions that do not follow submission guidelines will not be considered.
Submission Window: June 20, 2026 - September 15, 2026 (or until our cap is reached)
**NOTE: THIS IS OUR SUBMISSION MODULE FOR VISUAL ART SUBMISSIONS. For fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, return to Submittable and/or our website (hellbendermag.com).**
Visual Art
Submit up to 3 pieces of visual art. We consider visual art submissions for issue covers as well as supplementary visuals throughout the issue.
Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions: We welcome simultaneous submissions but ask that you notify us ASAP if your work is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept multiple submissions; we ask that you please wait until the next submission period before submitting again. However, you can submit in all 4 categories (Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Visual Art) during our call for submissions.
Publication Rights: Submitted work must be unpublished. Hellbender Magazine will take first North American Serial Rights, which will revert to the author upon publication. We ask that you credit us if the work is published again elsewhere.
Cover Letters: Appreciated, but not necessary. Letters should include a brief, third-person bio, as well as publishing credits if you have them.
Formatting: Text submissions should be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Image submissions should be in .jpg, .jpeg, or .png format. Please submit text piece(s) in 12-point Times New Roman (or a similar, easy-to-read font) with page numbers.
Content Warnings: For the safety of our team and readers, please include a content warning either at the top of your submission or in your cover letter if your work includes any potentially triggering content.
Send us your best fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or visual art that isn’t afraid to share its tone of resilience with the world!
We accept submissions via Submittable only. Submissions received via email or otherwise will not be considered. Submissions that do not follow submission guidelines will not be considered.