Applause is an annual, full-online journal with a strong web platform allowing us to offer an immersive reading experience as we showcase in each issue the writing that moves us most during our reading period from undergraduate writers across the country and world. We acquire First North American Serial Rights. Work selected for publication will receive both publication and national exposure through our social media support systems. Our response time is approximately one to four months.
We are accepting submissions now until Feb 15th, 2025, but the earlier the better for submissions.
Genre Specific Guidelines
Poetry
Submit up to five poems for consideration.
All forms will be considered for publication.
Put the title(s) of the works submitted in the "Title Your Submission Box," separated by commas.
If submitting multiple poems in one submission, include them all in a single PDF file with one poem per page.
Fiction
Submit up to one piece for consideration.
We accept works up to 5,000 words.
Put the title of the works submitted in the "Title Your Submission Box."
Submit your story as a single PDF file.
Creative Nonfiction
Submit no more than one creative nonfiction piece for consideration.
We accept creative nonfiction up to 5,000 words.
Put the title of the works submitted in the "Title Your Submission Box."
Submit your essay as a single PDF file.
Art & Photography
Submit up to five pieces for consideration.
Please upload files in .pdf format.
Files must be uploaded in at least 300 dpi.
Put the title(s) of the works submitted in the "Title Your Submission Box." If submitting multiple pieces in one submission, include them all in a single PDF file with the pieces separated by title.
Enjoy Applause? Consider donating!
Your donations will be used to serve these needs and goals:
- To help Applause become a paying venue for our contributors. We believe artists should be compensated for their work.
- To help Applause expand our website content areas as well as pay for our annual hosting and maintenance needs.
- To help Applause keep submissions free for contributors and our content free for readers by upgrading our submission software to expand its capabilities.
- To help Applause increase the number of readings and craft classes by nationally recognized writers we are able to offer free and online via our Reading Series.
- To help us be less reliant on university monies so we can (eventually) establish an Applause scholarship, which would allow us to give directly back to The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, which has supported us for over thirty years.
Thanks so much for enjoying and supporting Applause!