The average response time for submissions is between 1 and 6 months. If you have not received a response after 6 months, please check on the status of your submission in Submittable. If you encounter any problems, email us at blackwarriorreview@gmail.com
We do not consider previously published work.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please tell us if it is a simultaneous submission, and notify us immediately if the work is accepted elsewhere.
Please do not mix genres in the same submission. Our online issue is currently an exception to this rule.
Past contributors and contest winners, please wait three years from the date of your publication to resubmit work.
Past contributors and contest winners to the print journal may submit after waiting only one year to the online journal. Past contributors to the online journal should also wait a year before submitting to the print journal. We view these journals as separate creatures, having meaningful conversations late into the night.
You may submit to both the online and the print journal.
Students, faculty, staff, and administrators currently or formerly (within four years) affiliated with the University of Alabama are ineligible for consideration or publication.
We especially strive to magnify voices that are traditionally and systemically silenced. Writers of color, queer and trans writers, disabled writers, immigrant writers, fat writers and femmes: you are welcome and wanted here.
We offer a limited number of fee waivers for writers whom the submission fee would present financial hardship, and we offer free submissions for incarcerated writers. Please email feewaiver.bwr@gmail.com to request a fee waiver.
We encourage you to read Black Warrior Review before submitting. Sample issues are available for $15; one-year subscriptions for $25.
The entry fee covers one prose submission of up to 6,000 words. This category is for both domestic and international submissions.
- Cover letters are welcome.
- Please do not include identifying information in your submission document. We will use your Submittable information to contact you, so make sure your contact information is accurate and up-to-date.
- Multiple submissions are welcome, as are simultaneous submissions. We ask that you notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere. You can message us through Submittable or reach out to us at blackwarriorreview@gmail.com. Include the title of your submission in the subject line.
- We accept only previously unpublished work for publication.
- The winner will receive a cash prize and publication in BWR 52.2. The first runner-up in each genre receives monetary compensation, acknowledgment in the print issue, and online publication.
- The contest is open until August 16th, 2025.
Additional Information:
- We welcome international submissions.
- Our commitment to diversity is reflected in both the writers we support and the stories we publish.
- AI-generated work is not accepted.
- We offer an optional fee waiver for anyone who needs it, which can be requested whenever we are open for submissions by emailing us at feewaiver.bwr@gmail.com.
The entry fee covers one submission of up to 6,000 words. This category is for both domestic and international submissions.
- Cover letters are welcome.
- Please do not include identifying information in your submission document. We will use your Submittable information to contact you, so make sure your contact information is accurate and up-to-date.
- Multiple submissions are welcome, as are simultaneous submissions. We ask that you notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere. You can message us through Submittable or reach out to us at blackwarriorreview@gmail.com. Include the title of your submission in the subject line.
- We accept only previously unpublished work for publication.
- The winner will receive a cash prize and publication in BWR 52.2, our 2026 Spring/Summer issue. The first runner-up in each genre receives monetary compensation, acknowledgment in the print issue, and online publication.
- The contest is open until August 16th, 2025.
Additional Information:
- We welcome international submissions.
- Our commitment to diversity is reflected in both the writers we support and the stories we publish.
- AI-generated work is not accepted.
- We offer an optional fee waiver for anyone who needs it, which can be requested whenever we are open for submissions by emailing us at feewaiver.bwr@gmail.com.
Submit a packet of up to 5 poems, all in one file (.docx or .PDF preferred). This category is for both domestic and international submissions.
- Cover letters are welcome.
- Please do not include identifying information in your submission document. We will use your Submittable information to contact you, so make sure your contact information is accurate and up-to-date.
- Multiple submissions are welcome, as are simultaneous submissions. We ask that you notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere. You can message us through Submittable or reach out to us at blackwarriorreview@gmail.com. Include the title of your submission in the subject line.
- We accept only previously unpublished work for publication.
- The winner of our Poetry category will receive a cash prize and print publication in BWR 52.2, our 2026 Spring/Summer issue. The first runner-up in each genre (Nonfiction, Poetry, Fiction, and Flash) receives monetary compensation, acknowledgment in the print issue, and online publication.
- The contest is open until August 16th, 2025. A shortlist of ten pieces will be notified in September of 2025, and we’ll announce the winners & runners-up for each category in October.
Additional Information:
- We welcome international submissions.
- Our commitment to diversity is reflected in both the writers we support and the stories we publish.
- AI-generated work is not accepted.
- We offer an optional fee waiver for anyone who needs it, which can be requested whenever we are open for submissions by emailing us at feewaiver.bwr@gmail.com.
Black Warrior Review is deeply grateful for your generosity. Donations help sustain our magazine and support our contributors and artists. Please note:
- Donations made through this portal are not tax-deductible.
- To make a tax-deductible donation, you can contact the Office of Student Media when they reopen in mid-January 2025.
This portal is for donations only. To submit work to BWR, please visit our submissions page.
Thank you for supporting BWR and our literary community!