Bayou Magazine is an annual literary magazine. We accept poetry, fiction, fine art images, and we publish the winner of the annual Tennessee Williams One-Act Play Contest. Our mission is to present exceptional, original writing by both established and emerging writers. For more information about the magazine, go to bayoumagazine.org  or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter

Open Submissions: September 15 - December 15

We are accepting submissions and purchases ONLY in the categories visible below.

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Submit to Fiction

Submission Guidelines:
 

  • We accept submissions ONLY via Submittable. All submissions received via snail mail or email will be recycled without review. 
  • *NOW WE PAY EVEN MORE!* For stories accepted after September 15, 2023, payment for fiction of 3000 or more words=$150, less than 3000 words=$100
  • Submissions must be 7,500 words or less, double spaced, 12pt Times New Roman. NO COURIER FONT. Ever. 
  • flash fiction and short-shorts are welcome, but we accept only 1 story per submission
  • Please notify us if a simultaneous submission is published elsewhere
  • Please include a cover page with title, author, contact information (including an email address) along with an author's BIO in 3rd person. This is the BIO we will use should your story be accepted.

If we decline any submission, we ask that you wait 3 months from the date you receive notice before submitting anything else. More frequent submissions will be declined. Sorry, y'all.
 

Students, faculty, and alumni of the University of New Orleans are not eligible to submit.

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Submit to Poetry

Poetry Submission Information     

  • Send only one submission of up to 5 poems at a time. Please wait until you receive our decision before submitting anything else.  
  • BAYOU accepts simultaneous submissions. If your work is accepted elsewhere, we ask that you immediately add a note to your submission specifying the poem/s no longer available.
  • We accept submissions ONLY via Submittable. All submissions received via snail mail or email will be recycled without review. 
  • We review open submissions from September 15- December 15.
  • We do not accept submissions from those who are current or former students or faculty of the University of New Orleans.
  • If after 5 months you have not received a response from us, feel free to contact us by email at bayoumagazine@gmail.com, and we will be happy to check on the status of your submission. 

Publication Rights and Payment
  After publication in Bayou Magazine, all rights revert to the author. Payment is one contributor’s copy unless otherwise specified by genre. All work published in Bayou Magazine is considered for Pushcart Prize nominations. All prose is sent annually to Best American Essays and Best American Short Stories for consideration. 

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Submit to Cover Art

Bayou Magazine accepts images of fine art in all media to feature on our cover, the trim size for which is 6" w x 9" h. 

Image Specifications: 300dpi and a minimum of 1800 pixels wide. Submit up to 5 .tiff or .jpg files that
   can be reproduced at 1,800 pixels wide.

Submissions that do not meet the specifications will be rejected without review.

Submission period: Sept 15 through April 1.

Current and former UNO students and faculty are not eligible to submit.

Submit to Purchase Current Issue (78)

Bayou Magazine produces one issue per year, so there are no subscriptions.

You can order a copy of our current issue for $15. 

Shipping inside the continental US is free, and shipping outside the continental US is an additional $7.

Submit to Purchase Past Issue

You can order a copy of any past issue for only $11.

Fill out the form below and specify which issue and how many you would like.

Shipping inside the continental US is free, and shipping outside the continental US is an additional $7.

Thank you for supporting the magazine!