SUBMIT

Submission Guidelines

Spring Print Edition 2024 Submissions will be open January 15 to February 15.

Please adhere to the following guidelines. If you fail to do so, we will not accept your submission.

Before uploading your file, please make sure that your file is named properly (title of the piece) and that the content of the file does not include your name. If your name is on your submission it will not be reviewed. (Media is the only exception to the blind judging rule, as we recognize it’s difficult to remove the credits from the introductions of some short films.)

Proper file formats are as follows:

Poetry, Nonfiction, Fiction, Scripts: Must be submitted in either pdf, doc, docx*, or rtf. If submitting multiple works, please submit each work in a separate file.

*If you used track changes or other editing software make sure you have resolved the edits or they will appear in your submission.

Scripts originally written in celtx.: Must be submitted in pdf form.

Art:

Two-dimensional work

Scan the work if possible and submit the image.
If you cannot scan the work, take a quality photo of the work that accurately represents the original.
The photo must be 72 ppi or more for the online edition, and 300 dpi or more for the print edition.
- EX: You want your image to print 3 X 5 inches, your image needs to be 900 X 1500 pixels to print at 300 dpi.
- EX: Image width in pixels / 300 = max printed image width in inches
Light the artwork evenly so that there are no shadows or light beams on the surface of the work.
Crop the photo around the work so that nothing but the artwork is in the photo.

Three-dimensional work

Submit 2-3 photos of the work from different angles.
Photograph the work the way you intend to present it. For example, on a pedestal or hung from the ceiling, etc.
In the photograph, include the space that the work occupies.
Do not include objects in the photo other than the work.

FAQs

What can I submit?

Vortex magazine accepts 2D art (of all kinds), photographed sculpture, graphic design, photography, comics, illustrated narratives, hybrid work, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, lyric essays, screenplays, stageplays, recorded original music compositions (online editions only), and short films (online only) to be considered for publication.

Who is eligible for publication in Vortex?

Any student currently enrolled at the University of Central Arkansas is eligible to submit. If a student graduated in December 2023, he or she is still eligible for publication in the 2023 – 2024 hard copy magazine published in April.

Are there limits on what I can and cannot submit?

There are very few limitations on what and how many works one may submit. You must be a student in the 2023 – 2024 school year to submit your work. You can submit anything you would like as long as it is original. There are no limitations on content or word count.

How many pieces can I submit?

Please submit no more than five pieces per section per submission period.

How are submissions judged?

All pieces are judged “blind.” Judges and Section Editors will only find out who submitted a piece after it has been selected for publication. Each piece will receive a vote of yes or no. Only pieces with majority approval from the judges and managing editors will be published.

If I submit to the Vortex can I get published somewhere else?

The Vortex holds First Rights for any piece published in our online editions. Any work previously submitted to other publications, or published elsewhere (including self-published work), WILL NOT be accepted to any edition.

Spring Print Edition 2024 Submissions will be open Jan. 15 to Feb. 15.

Click here to submit.