SUBMISSIONS
OPEN UNTIL 1 OCTOBER
***MAGAZINE SUBS CLOSED FOR POETRY, FICTION, FLASH***
BLOG SUBMISSIONS STILL OPEN FOR ALL CATEGORIES
We're based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, however our focus is global and we welcome contributors from around the world. Please read this page in full and refer to our format guidelines (below) and our "No-AI" policy before submitting. Our bi-annual magazine debuts January, 2024. We also plan to have a bi-monthly blog, starting February, 2024.
Please only submit once. Do not submit to multiple times or to multiple categories.
We respond in 1 month after submissions close (first week of November).
We do not charge submission fees.
If we reach submission caps for the magazine, you have a second chance at publication in our blog (Feb 2024).
We encourage submissions from emerging artists and writers, LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC.
We accept REPRINTS (see below) and EXCERPTS of longer works.
CONTRIBUTOR PAY:
At present, we cannot pay contributors. This will change as we secure funding.
WE ACCEPT:
fiction, non fiction, essays, evergreen reviews & interviews, flash fiction, original scripts (theatre and film), art, photography, song lyrics, hybrid works (however you define it), and poetry. There is no restriction on genre.
Please do not send NSFW, AI generated or plagiarised content, erotica, body horror/gore, pornography, violence against protected groups (this includes violence against women, LGBTQIA+, racial/ethnic/cultural or religious groups, or other groups not explicitly defined here). Inappropriate submissions will be rejected and submitters will be banned.
SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS OKAY
Please notify as soon as your work is accepted elsewhere.
TRANSLATED WORKS OKAY
Must include an English translation, to be published alongside it.
CATEGORIES & WORD COUNTS:
FICTION max 6K
NON FICTION* max 6K
FLASH FICTION max 1K
PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS max 20 pages
POETRY & SONGS max 3 pieces (up to 3 pages total)
ART/PHOTOGRAPHY max 5 images
*NON FICTION: can include interviews, cultural essays, humour, memoir, travel writing, creative non fiction, hybrid, art criticism, and reviews. Please note: reviews should be evergreen due to our publication schedule.
*REPRINTS: If you retain all rights and it has been 6 months (or longer - please check the publication agreement with original mag) since your piece was published, we'd love to consider it. In your cover letter, please indicate the name of the previous publication, date of publication, and links (if available).
TERMS & CONDITIONS. By submitting content for publication, it is assumed you have both read and agree.
Please review our No-AI POLICY and HOW TO SUBMIT guidelines (scroll down).
Additional services (paid):
Options for Expedited Response and Editorial Feedback starting from £3.00 can be purchased in our Ko-fi shop.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Format Guidelines
To help us process your submissions in a timely manner, please follow the guidelines below:
1 - Email submissions to thebelfastreview@gmail.com
2 - Subject line: SUBMISSION: CATEGORY - TITLE OF WORK
(ex, “Submission: Play – The Exiles ”).
3 - Include cover letter:
In body of email, please include a brief cover letter stating:
-the TITLE OF WORK
-WORD COUNT (or number of pages/images, as applies)
-indicate if the work has been PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED (with name of publication, date, and links)
-ARTIST BIO (to be published) must be 3rd person and max 50 words. Include the name you wish to be published under, where you're from, a couple recent/important publications (if applicable), anything else of interest.
-Social media handles (optional)
NOTE RE: PRONOUNS AND IDENTIFIERS
We certainly encourage self-identification, neurodivergence, disability, and inclusion of pronouns, but we understand not everyone has the safe option of making that information public. Please don't “out” yourself just to get published! Do whatever is comfortable and safe for you. You matter, either way.
4 - We prefer files in DOC or DOCX. Do not send PDFs. Send images as JPEG or PNG.
5 - File names - must include Category (ex, poetry) and Title (or the first title, if submitting multiple works). For example, "Art - Venus de Milo" or "Poetry - The Wasteland". Any other format makes it difficult for our readers and admin.
NOTE RE: AUTHOR NAME
We prefer to read submissions blind, so author names are not necessary to include in body of work or in file names.
THANK YOU FOR READING!