Water~Stone Review Submission Guidelines
Frequently Asked Questions

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

All submissions should be original, unpublished work.

• Submissions accepted from October 1 through December 15, each year.

• Manuscripts must be typed or printed in proper format on white paper, in English, one side only, double-spaced for prose.
Cover letters should be brief. Author's name should not appear on the manuscript.

• Fiction and creative nonfiction manuscripts must be limited to 5,000 words. Novel and memoir excerpts are acceptable
as long as they stand on their own.

• Poetry submissions must be limited to five poems or less, twenty pages total.

• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but the writer must withdraw the manuscript immediately if it has been accepted
elsewhere.

• Entrants may submit only one submission per category.

• Please include a SASE for result. Manuscripts will be recycled, not returned.

• Payment is in two copies of the issue in which the author’s work appears.

Submissions should be sent to Water~Stone Review, Graduate School of Liberal Studies,
Hamline University, MS-A1730, 1536 Hewitt Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-1284.

In general, submissions are read between October 1st and December 15th. Please review the
Frequently Asked Questions for more detailed information.

CLICK TO print submission guidelines (.pdf)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I have to be a published writer to submit to Water~Stone Review?

No. Water~Stone Review publishes emerging as well as well-known writers.

What happens if I send my submission before or after the reading dates?

If you send your submission before October 1, Water~Stone Review will hold your submission
until that time. However, if you send your submission after December 15, we cannot accept it and will
have to recycle it.

If I submit to the Prose or Poetry Prize, does my work automatically get considered for
general Water~Stone Review submissions?

Yes. In making their final decisions on content, the editors and editorial board select from among the finalists
in both Prize and general submissions.

When will I be notified of a decision about my general submission to Water~Stone Review?
What about my entry to the Prose or Poetry Prize?

The editors begin their selection process in January. General submissions are notified from January through May,
when the last part of the process is completed. Prize submissions are notified in April or May, as soon as the final
judge has made his/her final decision.

What does my entry fee of $10 for the poetry or prose prize pay for?

The $10 entry fee pays for the prize money that is awarded to the contest winners, the judge's fee, and a copy of
the next Water~Stone Review issue. Any proceeds over that contribute to the cost of printing and distributing the review.

Who gets a complimentary copy of Water~Stone Review?

Everyone who enters the Prose or Poetry Prize contest receives a complimentary copy of Water~Stone Review.
All contributors receive two complimentary copies of that issue of Water~Stone Review.