Nimrod International Journal welcomes submissions of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. We publish two issues annually. Our spring issue is thematic, with the theme announced the preceding fall. Previous themes have included Writers of Age; Range of Light: The Americas; Australia; Who We Are; Islands of the Sea and of the Mind; The Arabic Nations; Mexico/USA; and Crossing Borders. The fall issue features the winners and finalists of our annual Literary Awards. In most cases, both issues also contain work accepted as general submissions throughout the year.
Format
Each issue is approximately 200 pages, perfect bound with a four-color cover.
General Submissions
Accepted from January 1st to October 1st each year. Nimrod is closed to general submissions in November and December. Turn-around time for general submissions is one to five months. Online general submissions have a $3 fee associated with them.
Prose: Work must be previously unpublished. 7,500 words maximum. Double-spaced. We seek vigorous writing with characters that are well developed and dialogue that is realistic without being banal.
Poetry: Work must be previously unpublished. 3-7 pages. One poem per page. Poetry is open to all styles and subjects. We seek poems that go beyond one word or image, honor the impulse to reveal a truth about, or persuasive version of, the inner and outer worlds.
We recommend reading a sample issue before submitting a manuscript.
Thematic Submissions
Each fall Nimrod announces a theme for the following spring issue. The guidelines for thematic submissions are the same as for general submissions, except that thematic submissions are sometimes accepted in December. (Very occasionally we may choose a theme from previously accepted manuscripts, and then will not announce one for that year.) Online thematic submissions have a $3 fee associated with them.
For the most up-to-date announcements on themes and other submission information, you can subscribe to our email newsletter or join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Why is there a $3 fee for online general and thematic submissions?
Our $3 fee is not a reading fee, but a fee to cover the administrative costs associated with our online submission system. We believe that it is similar to what you might spend on a paper submission, once you factor in paper, ink, mailing, return envelopes, and postage. If you do not wish to pay the $3, you may submit via postal mail, as we have no fees associated with postal general and thematic submissions. However, we also offer this alternative as a way to conveniently upload material directly from your computer, as well as to check the status of your submission online.
Payment
We pay $10/page, with a maximum payment of $200. Visual artists whose work appears internally will also be compensated at a rate of $10 per image used; front cover artists will be paid $100 for their work. All contributors will also receive two copies of the issue in which their work appears. Work selected for publication through our two annual contests, the Nimrod Literary Awards and the Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers, will also receive this payment ($2,000 and $1,000 for the Literary Awards; $500 for the Francine Ringold Awards).
Nimrod Literary Awards
Annual contest begins January 1 and ends April 1.
Fiction: 7,500 words maximum (one short story or a self-contained excerpt from a novel)
Poetry: 3-10 pages. One long poem or several shorter poems.
No previously published works or works accepted for publication elsewhere. Author's name must not appear on the manuscript. Include a cover sheet with title, author's name, full address, phone & email.
Submissions are open internationally.
All finalists will be considered for publication. In addition to publication and the prize money, winners will also be brought to Tulsa for the Awards Ceremony in October (or, in 2022, will take part in a virtual Awards Ceremony and Reading with our final judges).
The Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers
Annual contest begins May 1 and ends July 15.
Eligibility: The Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers honor the work of writers at the beginning of their careers. They are open only to writers whose work has not appeared or is not scheduled to appear in more than 2 publications. (Self-published works, works with a distribution of less than 100 copies, and journalistic articles are not considered toward the count of 2 publications.)
Prizes: $500 prizes will be awarded in both the fiction and poetry categories, and the winning manuscripts will appear in the spring issue of Nimrod. Winners will have the chance to work with the Nimrod board of editors to refine and edit their manuscripts before publication.
Contest Rules
Fiction: 5,000 words maximum (one short story or a self-contained excerpt from a novel)
Poetry: Up to 5 pages. One long poem or several shorter poems.
No previously published works or works accepted for publication elsewhere. Author's name must not appear on the manuscript. Include a cover sheet with title, author's name, full address, phone & email.
The Francine Ringold Awards are open internationally.
For more information, visit our website or join us on Facebook or Twitter.
The Nimrod Literary Awards: The Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction
First Prize: $2,000 and publication
Second Prize: $1,000 and publication
The winners will also take part in a virtual Awards Ceremony and reading in the autumn of 2023. All finalists will be published and paid at our standard publication rate.
The final judge for the 2023 Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction is Shobha Rao.
Contest Rules
Contest begins: January 1, 2023
Postmark Deadline: April 1, 2023
Fiction: 7,500 words maximum (one short story or a self-contained excerpt from a novel)
No previously published works or works accepted for publication elsewhere. Author’s name must not appear on the manuscript. Include a cover sheet containing titles, author’s name, full address, phone number, and email.
The Nimrod Literary Awards are open internationally. Multiple submissions are acceptable.
Online Entry Fee: Each entry must each be accompanied by an entry fee of $23, which includes both entry fee & a one-year subscription (two issues). Writers may submit multiple entries and/or in multiple categories, but each entry must include its own fee.
Postal Submissions: Submissions are also accepted by post. “Contest Entry” should be clearly indicated on both the outer envelope and the cover sheet. Manuscripts should be stapled, if possible; if not, please bind with a heavy clip. Manuscripts will not be returned. Include SASE for results only. If no SASE is sent, no contest results will be sent; however, the results will be posted on Nimrod’s website. Postal submissions have an entry fee of $20 per entry.
Mail to:
Nimrod International Journal
Literary Contest–Fiction or Poetry (indicate the appropriate category)
The University of Tulsa
800 S. Tucker Dr.
Tulsa, OK 74104
Questions: nimrod@utulsa.edu
Please note: We do not provide fee waivers for either of our contests. We do provide them for general and thematic submissions if the Submittable fee or postage would pose a substantial burden to the author.
The Nimrod Literary Awards: The Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry
First Prize: $2,000 and publication
Second Prize: $1,000 and publication
The winners will also take part in a virtual Awards Ceremony and reading in the autumn of 2023. Work by all finalists will be published and paid at our standard publication rate. In the poetry category, work by semi-finalists will also be published and paid at our standard publication rate.
The final judge for the 2023 Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry is Tarfia Faizullah.
Contest Rules
Contest begins: January 1, 2023
Postmark Deadline: April 1, 2023
Poetry: 3-10 pages of poetry (one long poem or several short poems)
No previously published works or works accepted for publication elsewhere. Author’s name must not appear on the manuscript. Include a cover sheet containing titles, author’s name, full address, phone number, and email.
The Nimrod Literary Awards are open internationally. Multiple submissions are acceptable.
Online Entry Fee: Each entry must each be accompanied by an entry fee of $23, which includes both entry fee & a one-year subscription (two issues). Writers may submit multiple entries and/or in multiple categories, but each entry must include its own fee.
Postal Submissions: Submissions are also accepted by post. “Contest Entry” should be clearly indicated on both the outer envelope and the cover sheet. Manuscripts should be stapled, if possible; if not, please bind with a heavy clip. Manuscripts will not be returned. Include SASE for results only. If no SASE is sent, no contest results will be sent; however, the results will be posted on Nimrod’s website. Postal submissions have an entry fee of $20 per entry.
Mail to:
Nimrod International Journal
Literary Contest–Fiction or Poetry (indicate the appropriate category)
The University of Tulsa
800 S. Tucker Dr.
Tulsa, OK 74104
Questions: nimrod@utulsa.edu
Please note: We do not provide fee waivers for either of our contest. We do provide them for general and thematic submissions if the Submittable fee or postage would pose a substantial burden for the author.
Order a one- or two-year digital subscription to Nimrod International Journal.
Digital subscriptions will be sent by email as PDFs.
Order a one- or two-year domestic print subscription to Nimrod International Journal.
If you live outside the U.S. and would like to subscribe to Nimrod, please email nimrod@utulsa.edu with your mailing address. We will then send you specific information about the shipping cost for your subscription and a link to subscribe.
Order a digital sample issue to acquaint yourself with the journal or a specific back issue of interest to you. All digital issues are in PDF format.
Currently available digital issues:
What Now?: The Future We Make, Vol. 65, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2022
Awards 43, Vol. 65., No 1, Fall/Winter 2021
Endings and Beginnings, Vol 64, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2021
Awards 42, Vol. 64, No. 1, Fall/Winter 2020
Words on Play, Vol. 63, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2020
Awards 41, Vol. 63, No. 1, Fall/Winter 2019
Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, Vol. 62, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2019
Order sample print issue(s) to acquaint yourself with the journal or specific back issues of interest to you.
Please note that the availability of specific back issues is variable. You may email us at nimrod@utulsa.edu to check the availability of specific back issues, and we recommend doing so for back issues that are more than 5 years old.
Orders requiring international shipping require addition postage fees. If your order would require international shipping, please email us at nimrod@utulsa.edu with your name and full address. We will then respond with the total cost and a link to our international shipping form.
Our Back Issue Grab Bag contains two random back issues of Nimrod for just $2.00 each plus shipping. It's a great way to familiarize yourself with the magazine and see a range of what we've published!
Please note that our most recent issue is not included in the Back Issue Grab Bag. To receive our most recent issue, you must order a single digital or print issue using the appropriate order form.
- 7,500 words maximum
- Prose should be double-spaced
- Previously unpublished stories only
- Please include your name in the body of the manuscript for general submissions
- 7,500 words maximum
- Stories should be double-spaced
- Previously unpublished stories only
- Please include your name in the body of your manuscript
- Up to 7 pages of poetry
- All poems should be included in a single file, no more than one poem per page
- Previously unpublished poems only
- Please include your name in the body of your manuscript