Black Fox is accepting submissions for our fall writing prize. The theme for this round is “Fragments of Time.” We are open to loose interpretations of the theme in any genre, as always.

When we think of time, we often think of a ticking clock. But time is more than merely seconds, minutes, hours, or measurements. Time also has the power to shape our lives. It can be a fleeting moment, a seemingly endless stretch, or a loop. Time can be a guardian of memories, the signal for change, and the constant that connects us to the world around us.

For this contest, we're looking for writers to explore the intricacies of time: How does it mold us, ruin us, or set us free? Is time a friend or an enemy? Does time heal or wound? Whether it’s traveling through centuries, racing against the clock, or pausing in a single, spectacular moment, we want work that investigates the mysteries, difficulties, joy, or wonder of time.

Please submit your strongest fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, and we will choose one winner that we feel interprets the theme best. The prize is $325 and publication in the Winter 2025 issue. All submissions are considered for publication in the Winter 2025 issue. The contest entry fee is $12, and submissions must be submitted before midnight (EST) on December 1, 2024.

Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12-point font. Submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. For poetry, send up to three poems in the same document. For flash fiction, send up to two stories in the same document. Author’s name and page number should appear in the top right-hand corner of every page. We also ask that you specify the category/genre of your work in the cover letter. Please see our Submission Guidelines before submitting. 

We will select a winner by the end of January 2025, and each entrant will receive a response.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

***Writers, please note that entry fees are non-refundable, and payment to the winner is awarded via PayPal. We reserve the right to extend the contest deadline if necessary.***

The Black Fox team looks forward to reading your wonderful submissions!

A response time of 2 weeks is guaranteed. Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman font. Fiction submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. Poetry submissions should be no more than 3 poems (poetry does not need to be double-spaced). Author's name, and page number should appear in the top right-hand corner of every page. Please visit our submission guidelines underneath the "Submit" section of our website for more details.

This category is for consideration in our print issue. Accepted contributors to our issues are paid $20 each.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

A response time of 4 weeks is guaranteed. Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman font. Fiction submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. Poetry submissions should be no more than 3 poems (poetry does not need to be double-spaced). Author's name, and page number should appear in the top right-hand corner of every page. Please visit our submission guidelines underneath the "Submit" section of our website for more details.

This category is for consideration in our print issue. Accepted contributors to our issues are paid $20 each.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

Donations help us with administration costs and with paying contributors. We are also hoping to make it to AWP each year, and donations can help with this. You may submit fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and blog posts to this category. Donations cannot be refunded. This is entirely optional and writers can still submit their work at no cost. Thank you for continuing to support Black Fox.

Make sure to read our submission guidelines before submitting. We expect a clean copy formatted with 12 pt Times New Roman font. Fiction and nonfiction should be double-spaced. Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

This category is for consideration in our print issue. Accepted contributors to our issues are paid $20 each.

Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman font. Submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. Author's name, and page number should appear in the top right hand corner of every page. Please visit our submission guidelines underneath the "Submit" section of our website for more details. 

This category is for consideration in our print issue. Accepted contributors to our issues are paid $20 each.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman font. Submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. Author's name, and page number should appear in the top right hand corner of every page. Please visit our submission guidelines underneath the "Submit" section of our website for more details. 

This category is for consideration in our print issue. Accepted contributors to our issues are paid $20 each.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

We are looking for quality poetry. We don’t have many requirements for poetry, but please send only three poems at a time in one document. Poems do not have to be double spaced, but poets should still use Times New Roman, 12 pt. font and the poet’s last name/page number should still appear in the top right-hand corner of every page. If submitting multiple poems, submit them in one document. Poets, please keep in mind that our issue pages are 6x9. For this reason, poems with particularly long lines often don't work well. Please also review our general submission guidelines on the Black Fox website. 

This category is for consideration in our print issue. Accepted contributors to our issues are paid $20 each.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

We are looking for quality flash fiction. We love flash fiction that makes every word count! Stories should be 1,000 words or less. If your story is over 1,000 words, please submit it to the general fiction category. Please submit a double-spaced document with 12 pt Times New Roman font. Please read our submission guidelines before submitting. 

This category is for consideration in our print issue. Accepted contributors to our issues are paid $20 each.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

We're looking for personal essays and creative nonfiction. We tend to resonate more with nonfiction pieces that read more like fiction. There is no submission fee, but please prepare your manuscript according to our guidelines.

Preparing your Manuscript:

Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman font. Submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. Author's name, and page number should appear in the top right hand corner of every page. Please visit our submission guidelines underneath the "Submit" section of our website. 

This category is for consideration in our print issue. Accepted contributors to our issues are paid $20 each.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

We are looking for artwork to be featured on the covers of our issues. Please send your best artwork, including drawings, photographs etc. Please do not send more than five pieces of art at a time. If submitting multiple pieces, we prefer images to be in one document. Review previous covers to get a feel for our tastes. Artists are paid $30 for cover art.

The Black Fox blog is always looking for contributors. We are particularly interested in articles on the craft of writing, book reviews, book news, and publishing news. If it's writing, book, or publishing-related then this is the place for it. If we like your article, we'll publish it on our blog.

Blog posts should meet our general submission guidelines and be 1500 words or less. Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

Black Fox Literary Magazine is on the hunt for a few good readers! Readers can expect to spend 4-5 hours per week on submissions. More specifically, we assign 10 submissions per week to prose readers and 15 submissions per week to poetry readers. Our reading team positions are voluntary at this time. Black Fox readers are sometimes invited to select classes through the Black Fox Writing Academy or our sister company, Writer’s Atelier.
Black Fox readers are responsible for reading submissions in their entirety, analyzing them from a craft standpoint, and assessing if they’re a good fit for Black Fox. We place much trust in our readers, as they essentially make recommendations to our editors for publication.

A few notes: Readers from historically marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply. Please also note that readers cannot have submissions under consideration while reading for Black Fox. If you have a submission under consideration, please withdraw it or wait until a later date to apply.

Potential readers should fill out our application and attach a resume/CV, cover letter, and a writing sample, preferably in the same category you wish to read. We will close applications once positions have been filled.
Thank you so much for considering Black Fox as a magazine worthy of your time. We can’t wait to hear from you!