Cape Fear Community College

Submission Guidelines

Deadline for submission: November 28, 2012

Poetry, Creative Non-Fiction, Short Fiction, 2-D Visual Art

Cash prizes include a $350 Louise McColl Award for Literary Excellence, as well as prizes of $100, $50, and $25 for 1st through 3rd Place in all three writing categories. A $100 Art Prize and $100 Faculty/Staff Literary Award also will be awarded.

Writing Submission Requirements
Submit up to two Poems and one piece of Short Fiction or Creative Non-Fiction.

  1. Submit only well-edited copies that would be ready for publication. Use or omission of punctuation will be considered intentional, or part of style, and will not be “corrected” by editors. Submissions that do not adhere to guidelines will not be considered.
  2. Writing entries must be electronically submitted as .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .txt files.
  3. Writing entries must be formatted using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
  4. For Short Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction, indent each new paragraph by 5 spaces using the tab button (not space bar). Follow conventions for punctuating dialogue.
  5. Single space all writing entries unless part of style.
  6. The title of each work and author's name, address, telephone number, and email address must be completed on the online submission form.
  7. The author's name must not appear anywhere on the work itself.
  8. Entries should be labeled as Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, or Poetry. (ON THE SUBMISSION FORM)
  9. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but no more than two poems and one piece of fiction or creative nonfiction may be submitted per submission period.
  10. Portals acquires First North American Serial Rights. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
  11. Previously unpublished submissions only.

Submit your writing.


Submissions that do not adhere to all of the submission guidelines will not be considered for publication. We are unable to send confirmation on whether submission guidelines have been met for each entry, so please submit carefully.

Art Submission Requirements
Submit up to two entries

Prints, Photographs, Computer Art, Drawings, Paintings

  1. All art entries must be submitted electronically as .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .tiff, or .psd files with a target dpi of 300 and a minimum image width of 4 inches.
  2. All entries should be submitted in black and white.
  3. The title of each work and author's name, address, telephone number, and email address must be completed on the online submission form.
  4. The author's name must not appear anywhere on the work itself.
  5. Entries should be labeled as 2-D Art Visual Art. (ON THE SUBMISSION FORM)
  6. All entries must be technically proficient.
  7. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but no more than a total of two pieces of art may be submitted.
  8. Portals acquires First North American Serial Rights. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
  9. Previously unpublished submissions only.

Submit your art.


Submissions that do not adhere to all of the submission guidelines will not be considered for publication. We are unable to send confirmation on whether submission guidelines have been met for each entry, so please submit carefully.

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