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Submissions are closed. Issue 6: SLIP is currently incubating. If you shared work with us for our next issue, SLIP, we will get back to you shortly! Read below for more information.

What is swim meet lit mag, anyway?

swim meet lit mag is an online literary publication based in Meanjin (Brisbane, Australia). We accept all kinds of creative work.

Swim meets bring people together; swim meet lit mag offers an accessible space to read and publish all kinds of creative work from around the world, with a particular focus on local emerging writers.

Our mission is to provide an approachable avenue for publication, especially for early-career creatives, but we accept submissions from anyone (as long as written works are predominantly in English or translated to English). That’s why our general submissions are free, and our response time is usually swift. Likewise, our catalogue is, and always will be, free to read.

While our themes aren’t strict, our editor is particularly interested in submissions from swimmers (current or former), or about swimming – whatever that means to you. If your work has nothing to do with swimming, that doesn’t mean we don’t want to see it! Send us something you’d be proud to see published.

Because we’re a volunteer-run publication committed to paying our contributors, we offer a Tip Jar Submission option with a fee of $3.00 (AUD), which will move your submission to the top of the queue and allow you to submit extra material. We also accept donations all year round. Your support means we can continue paying artists.

Donations: As a volunteer-run publication, we are always open to donations that help support our operational costs and allow us to pay writers. The amount is automatically set to a one-off payment of $5.00 (AUD).

The nitty-gritty

Who can submit? Anyone! We love supporting local creatives, but we accept submissions from anywhere in the world.

Formatting: Please include all pieces in one document (.doc or .docx where possible) for written submissions. PDF, JPEG, and PNG files are acceptable for visual and hybrid work. If submitting multiple pieces, please include them in a single submission (no need to start a new Google Form for each submission). You will be able to upload multiple files in one submission. If these formats aren’t suitable, please upload a file with a link to your work (wherever you see fit, as long as the editor can access it – but make sure it isn’t publicly available).

Poetry: Up to 3 poems, up to 50 lines each, in one document. Please begin each poem on a new page. ✨ Tip Jar submissions can include up to 5 poems! ✨

Prose submissions: One piece of up to 2000 words. Flash pieces are also welcome! Please include the word count in the submitted document. If you have something longer, please email us with a pitch (it doesn’t have to be formal – just communicate how long the piece is, what it’s about, and why it might be a good fit for us). ✨ Tip Jar submissions can be up to 3000 words (longer pieces can be pitched first!) ✨

Visual Art and Photography: Up to 10 pages/pieces in one submission. If your work doesn’t fit into this category or you have any questions, please contact us. Visual submissions may be considered for cover art (feel free to specify if you have a particular preference in this regard).

Oddlings, etc: We’re keen to expand our catalogue to include forms not mentioned here! Videos, GIFs, hybrids, etc. all welcome! Please kindly pitch these first 🙂

Multiple submissions? Just once per genre (i.e. one poetry packet, one piece of fiction, one art packet). Please avoid re-submitting a piece that we have declined (unless directly requested).

Payment: At this time, we are only able to pay Australian contributors (via PayPal where possible). Payment is minimum $30 for poems, flash prose, and visual art. $50 minimum for longer prose, cover art, or suites of poetry and visual work.

Rights and reprints? All rights remain with the author, regardless of submission outcome. If your work has appeared elsewhere and you have the rights to it, we will consider it. Please make a note of where the piece has appeared previously in your cover letter if this is the case. If a piece published by swim meet lit mag is accepted for publication elsewhere, please let us know! We’ll give our blessing, but we’d like to stay informed.

Simultaneous submissions? Sure! Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere. (Congrats, by the way!)

What happens upon acceptance? If the editor sees fit, written work may undergo a collaborative editing process, using email communication and Track Changes in Word/Pages. The work we usually accept is of high quality and does not require major structural or stylistic editing; some pieces don’t require editing at all. The purpose of the editing process is to polish and retain the integrity of the work, to bring out the best in each piece to help it shine. We always listen to the artist and want to hear your suggestions during the editing phase!

Any other questions? Send them our way over at our contact page!

Issue 6: SLIP

Thank you for submitting work for consideration in our forthcoming issue, SLIP. We’ll get back to you ASAP!

Find more updates on our social media pages.

Thank you for supporting swim meet lit mag!

Meet the editor