FAQ
We know submitting can be a nerve-racking process, so we want to make it as easy as possible for you. Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions about submitting with us. We hope you find these helpful and handy!
Q: How many times can I submit?
You may submit to us as many times as you wish, although we do suggest sending us your most polished work each time. For New Voices, please wait until you hear back from us with a decision before submitting again. For contests, you may submit as many times as you wish.
If you have won first place in a contest, we ask that you not submit to the same contest again.
If you have been published by us before, please wait a full calendar year before submitting to us again.
Q: Can I submit to multiple categories, i.e. New Voices and a contest, with the same poems?
Yes, we allow both multiple and simultaneous submissions. Just let us know if your work is accepted by another publication so we can remove it from our consideration. To let us know, please message us from the "messages" tab of your submission in Submittable.
Q: Can I send you my work via email? Can I send submissions in the mail?
We do not accept submissions via email - please exclusively use Submittable to submit your work. If electronic submission is not possible for any reason, you may send your work via USPS with a US check or money order for any applicable entry fees to our mailing address at: 70 SW Century Drive Suite 100442 Bend, Oregon 97702
Q: Do you accept international submissions?
We absolutely accept international submissions!
Q: Do you accept translations?
Yes, we do! As long as the translations are unpublished and you make clear that they are translated pieces in your cover letter.
Q: What is Submittable?
Submittable is the platform we use to collect, read, and accept work for our publication. An account is free to set up, and if you do not already have one, you may create one at www.submittable.com.
Q: I lost my Submittable password / am having issues submitting / having my payment go through. Can you help?
The best thing to do for technical issues is contact Submittable directly, as they handle all the back end support for us regarding payments and passwords. Their email is: support@submittable.com.
Q: I don’t see a line limit. My poem is seventeen pages long. Can I still submit?
For New Voices, a submission may include up to five poems in a single document that total no more than then pages. For contests, this number can vary. Check the specific contest's guidelines for more information.
Q: How do I submit multiple poems in one file?
If the call for submission allows for multiple submissions, you will still only see one “Upload” button in Submittable, allowing for one file. Please place ALL POEMS IN ONE DOCUMENT and upload that single file. In other words, open a program such as Microsoft Word, add one poem, add a page break, add your second poem, add a page break, etc. This is how you submit multiple poems in one file.
Q: What am I supposed to title my submission if it contains four poems? Should I list all four titles or create a collective title, or just put “Submission 2017” or something like that?
If you are submitting multiple poems, you may title the submission something like “Four Poems for…” or "Frontier Submission." Or, you may give it a collective title, totally up to you. You do not need to try to squeeze all four poem titles into it unless you want to.
Q: Do you accept self-published works or works that have been posted on a Facebook or Instagram page? What about works that have a small publication?
Please send us only unpublished work for featured poetry. We do not accept self-published or previously published work. Work published on social media is also ineligible (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Medium, etc...). If you have questions about eligibility for a contest as a writer with self-published collections, please see the question below.
Q: Your contest guidelines state "no more than two full-length published works forthcoming at the time of submission." Do published works in other genres count towards this guideline? Do self-published works count towards this guideline?
Regarding genre, only published poetry collections count towards this guideline. If you have published works of non-fiction or other genres, those will not be counted towards your publication history. We are talking about poetry only.
Regarding self-published works and published works, we don't include these, so long as they have had a print circulation of LESS than five hundred copies.
Q: I don’t have any money for the contest fee, can you waive it for me?
Very limited fee waivers are available for contests, and we prioritize writers of marginalized identities. During the first week of each contest window, we now offer free submissions to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) writers. After we reach our fee waiver cap of fifty free submissions, we are unable to offer any additional waivers. If you don't see the portal open for this, it means we've reached our cap.
However, our New Voices category is open year round, is always FREE to enter, and every author published is paid for their work! Please feel welcome to submit there!
Q: What are your guidelines about format, i.e Times New Roman, double-spaced, etc.?
We don't have specific requirements, but please submit in a standard, readable font and size— Times New Roman and twelve point font is always a safe option. Please avoid excessive visual embellishment and cursive fonts. We only ask that you be considerate of your reader and their experience of the work.
Q: What am I supposed to write in the cover letter?
Typically, cover letters are brief intros that acknowledge the editorial team engaging with your work and include a brief bio that gives a bit of insight into your publication history (if any) and optionally, your personal history. Short and sweet works very well for these! Don’t overthink it, we just want to know a little about you! You should also include a note about simultaneous submissions. Please also use this space to include any content warnings about the piece that would help a reader keep themselves safe. NOTE: this is where you may include personal / identifying information.
An example:
Dear readers,
Thank you for taking the time to read my poetry! I'm excited to participate in this opportunity.
Content warning: the second poem contains scenes of domestic violence.
This is a simultaneous submission, and I'll let you know immediately if it's accepted elsewhere.
Best,
Josh
Bio: Joshua Roark is the editor and founder of the magazines Palette Poetry and Frontier Poetry. He received his MFA from Antioch University LA, and published his 2018 chapbook, Put One Hand Up, Lean Back, with Unsolicited Press.
Q: What do you mean by "no personal / identifying information" on my submission?
Please do not put your name or any identifying information on the actual file that you upload. Identifying information can be listed in your cover letter as mentioned above. Additionally, for contests, our judges read "blind", so it's easier for us if you make sure to keep it out of your document from the start.
Q: My name is in the poem because it is autobiographical. Do I need to remove it because you say no identifying information?
You do not if it is part of the poem.
Q: I submitted my poems, but I need to make revisions. What do I do?
We fully understand that at times, errors are noticed after submission. Please do your best to upload your most complete version of your work and avoid this if possible. If your submission was free, we encourage you to withdraw and resubmit if needed. However, if there is a significant error, please email us via the MESSAGES tab in Submittable in the event you need to make changes to your submission. You will be notified via email when your submission is open to editing. You will not be able to edit an attachment, so you may re-upload a new document if necessary.
PLEASE NOTE: If your submission is marked "In-Progress," it is already under review and cannot be opened for editing.
Q: Can I get feedback on my work from one of your editors?
General submissions to New Voices or contests/awards do not receive personalized feedback; however, our Editorial Letter category is designed for just that: one to two pages of feedback on your work. Check our submissions page and / or submittable for Editorial Letter availability.
Q: Do I maintain ownership and first serial rights if my work is accepted for publication?
You do maintain ownership of your work when you submit to our platform, whether it is chosen or not for publication. If published, our platform retains first publication rights of the work for the first three months. First serial rights mean that can't publish the poem anywhere else in those first three months. After that, we ask that you give us credit wherever your poem goes on to be published (for example: "this poem first appeared in Frontier Poetry").
Q: I submitted to your New Voices, contest, or award awhile ago. When can I expect to hear back?
Regardless of acceptance or decline, you will hear back from us. For New Voices, you will hear back within two to three months after you submit. For contests and awards, the time frame is similar but can run a bit longer, depending on the contest. We frequently post information about announcement dates for finalists and winners online, via our newsletter and social media. Please do not email us inquiring about the status of your submission unless more than four months have passed or you submitted to a Fast Response category.
Q: Do my poems have to have a particular theme depending on the contest?
No. We are not looking for any specific themes, unless contest guidelines say otherwise. Please share your favorite pieces with us without reservation!
Q: Can I use curse words or questionable language in my submission?
A: You may use curse words in your poetry, but note that if it is chosen for publication and it contains extremely sensitive language, we may ask for some edits. We will not accept work with language that is harmful or derogatory. If work contains language that violates our values, it will be declined.
Still have questions? Email us at contact@frontierpoetry.com.
