When to Submit
Submissions are accepted and read year-round, and we aim to consider all submissions with 4 months of receipt . Our Issues are published in October and April; work submitted from August 1st will usually be considered for the Fall/Winter Issue, and work submitted from February 1st will usually be considered for the Spring/Summer Issue.

How to Submit
Please do not submit by e-mail: formatting problems often occur, leading to us not being able to fairly consider your submission. Submissions must be mailed. Please address your submission to the respective editors: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry or Art.

What to Submit
COLUMBIA prides itself on including work in a variety of styles. Since our staff necessarily changes every two years, there is a refreshing flexibility to the type of work each Issue contains, from the experimental to the surreal, from open forms to metered verse, from personal essays to creative nonfiction, from prose poetry and short shorts to narrative fiction. What we’re interested in is exciting writing, the sort of writing that instantly makes a reader want to read the piece again. Our Current Issue and Back Issues pages will give you an idea of the writers we’ve featured recently; if you wish to purchase a recent issue click here.

Submissions should include: a brief cover letter; up to 5 poems or 1 short story / nonfiction piece of no more than 20 pages. Due to the high level of submissions it is rare for us to be able to comment on manuscripts received. Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please state this in your cover letter. Previously published work is only accepted in rare circumstances and most be noted in your cover letter.

*Please note: COLUMBIA does not accept any submissions from Columbia Univeristy MFA candidates, nor from those who have graduated within the previous five years.

ART and PHOTOGRAPHY submissions
These should consist of no more than ten prints or images. Submissions of slides are acceptable, providing the proper return packaging is included. We consider both works-in-a-series and individual pieces. For detailed information on how to submit, please contact the Art Editor or Assistant Art Editor.

When Will I Hear Back?
We aim to respond to submissions within 4 months. Please do not contact us regarding the status of your submissions before this time.

All contributors receive two copies of the issue in which they feature.
In return, COLUMBIA buys First Serial Rights to the piece.

CONTESTS IN POETRY, FICTION & NONFICTION

$500.00 will be awarded to the best entry
in each category

Winning entries will be published
in Issue 41 (Spring | Summer 2005)

DEADLINE: (usually) received by December 31

JUDGES:
poetry Lucie Brock-Broido · fiction Rick Moody · nonfiction Phillip Lopate

Contest entry fee: $12.00

Poetry should submit up to 5 poems
Fiction & Nonfiction should submit up to 20 pages DS

All entrants receive one copy of Issue 41

GUIDELINES:

The Judges’ decisions are final. The Judges reserve the right to commend runners-up and to decide to award no winner.