Issue 04 - Poetry, Visual Art, Fiction, CNF, & Hybrid

Rawhead is OPEN to submissions of Poetry, Visual Art, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Hybrid works.

Submissions will be considered for Issue 04 & may also be considered for Issues 05 of Rawhead.

Pease review our submissions guidlines before sending us your work. Thank you!

Editor’s Spotlight

Rawhead will select at least one outstanding artist and one standout writer each regular issue to receive a $100 award. Each accepted piece will be considered for this prize.  

Free to Submit 

We believe financial reasons should never be a barrier to sharing creative work and are fully committed to always offering free submissions.

We do, however, offer paid submission options in the form of Supporter, Expedited, and Priority response submissions. Expedited submissions will receive a guaranteed response within one week ($10) or two weeks ($5). Priority subs will hear from us within 72 hours ($15). 

Note: Submitting work gets expensive quickly, so we've lowered our expedited fees to make a fast turnaround more gentle on your budget. Your words and artwork deserve thoughtful and timely consideration without added financial stress. Our team is ready to review your submissions with the same care as always!

Rawhead is actively seeking funding to help support operational costs, produce print issues, offer payment to each contributor, and expand our reach. If you'd like to help us reach those goals, please consider selecting a paid submission option or donating to our journal here: Support Rawhead on Ko-fi

Donations are appreciated but do not influence our editorial decisions. 

 Submission Guidelines 

Poetry

Submit 3 to 7 poems in a single document, totaling no more than 15 pages (.doc or .docx is preferred). Use 12pt Times New Roman or Arial fonts. Format one poem per page unless part of a sequence. Indicate stanza breaks if a poem spans multiple pages.

Prose

We accept one to two fiction and nonfiction pieces up to 3,000 words each. For flash or experimental works (under 1,000 words), submit up to three pieces. Double space all prose pieces. Use 12pt Times New Roman or Arial fonts. Note: If submitting a piece that relies on non-standard font and/or spacing, please submit it to the Hybrid category. 

Visual Art

Submit 3 to 10 pieces in any medium—illustration, photography, digital collage, mixed media, painting, sculpture, etc.  Upload high-quality images (min 1500px, .jpg/.png/.tiff). 

Hybrid

We welcome work that crosses or blends forms such as prose/poetry hybrids, lyric essays with embedded images, comics, sound pieces, etc. You may submit one larger hybrid work up to 3,000 words, 5 shorter pieces (provided they total no more than the limits above), or up to 10 images. Please provide a brief description of your mixed-genre piece. 

We do not accept AI-generated content. Submissions must be original, human-made, and free of AI assistance.

AI Policy

We do not accept AI-generated content. Submissions must be original, human-made, and free of AI assistance.

Simultaneous & Previously Published Work

We accept simultaneous submissions because we believe that powerful work deserves more than a single appearance. Too often, published pieces reach only a limited audience before slipping into obscurity. At Rawhead, we’re committed to giving exceptional writing and art a second life where it can continue to resonate, provoke, and endure. Please ensure that you credit the original publication in your submission note, retain the rights to your previously published work, and wait at least 6 months after its publication before submitting again. 

Cover Letters 

Include a third-person bio, previous publications (if applicable), and any personal sites or social media handles you’d like us to share.

Ethical Standards 

We do not accept work that promotes hate or dehumanization. That includes racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or any form of bigotry.

Response Time 

We aim to respond to submissions within a 3-6 months, though often will reply much sooner.

Rights & Reprinting 

By accepting publication, authors grant Rawhead First Serial Rights, Non-Exclusive Reprint Rights, Electronic Rights, Archival Rights, and Non-Exclusive Anthology Rights. Authors retain all other rights.

Additional Info

Follow us on Instagram @rawheadjournal and Bluesky @rawheadjournal.bsky.social. 

Please consider donating to our journal here: Support Rawhead on Ko-fi.

Check out our sister journal, The Glacier, and read the latest issue.