Submissions — SWFL Writers and Creatives

A local anthology is a collaborative collection that celebrates the voices, perspectives, and creativity of a specific community. This anthology is dedicated exclusively to Southwest Florida, showcasing the incredible talent that calls our corner of the state home. We are currently accepting open submissions for short stories, poetry, photography, and visual art, with a separate open call for cover art to represent the finished collection.

To ensure every creator has an equal opportunity, all submissions will be reviewed blindly, meaning identifying information will be removed before the selection process begins. This allows each piece to be judged solely on its creativity, quality, and impact—creating a fair and unbiased selection process for every contributor. Please review the submission guidelines for your chosen category carefully before submitting, as entries that do not follow the listed requirements may not be considered. We are beyond excited to see the stories, artwork, and voices that make Southwest Florida such a vibrant creative community, and we can't wait to experience everything you have to share.

Writing Deadline:

October 15th, 2026

Art & Photography Deadline:

November 1st, 2026

Guidelines

Send us up to 3,000 words of your best fiction or creative nonfiction. Please send each piece as a separate document in .doc or .docx format, double-spaced and indented by paragraph. Flash is encouraged.
Send us up to five poems, within the same document. Please send each poem within one document in .doc or .docx format, single-spaced. Each poem should start on a new page. If using unique formatting as part of your poem, please know that however it appears in your submission is how it will be printed. The anthology will be printed on a 6.5”x9.5” book size with ½-inch margins, so please consider that when using specialized formatting.
Send us up to 3 original artworks that speak to your interpretation of the theme, and up to 10 files. Please include the title and medium of your work, at least two high-resolution images, dimensions, the sale price (or indicate if it’s not for sale), and an artist’s statement with all identifying personal information excluded. The anthology will be printed on a 6.5”x9.5” book size with ½-inch margins.
Have something weird or genre-bending you want to share with us? Get funky with it, and send us up to 2,000 words max and up to 5 files total. We accept .doc or .docx, PDF files, or image files. Please include a short artist statement explaining anything about your piece that we need to know. Hybrid submissions will not be considered without your artist statement. Please remember to leave your name and identifying information off of your submittal, including your artist’s statement! The anthology will be printed on a 6.5”x9.5” book size with ½-inch margins, so please consider that when using specialized formatting.

Please send us your best fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art, photography, or hybrid work. Submissions across multiple genres are welcome. If submitting to multiple genres, please submit a separate form for each genre.

We do not accept any work generated fully or in part by the use of AI. SWFL Writers & Creatives reserves the right to refuse or remove any work which uses AI in its creation.

We welcome submissions that explore challenging, complex, and difficult subject matter from a wide range of perspectives. However, Between the Mangroves is committed to fostering a creative community that is welcoming, respectful, and inclusive of all people. We do not accept work that promotes or advocates for discrimination, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, religious intolerance, or other forms of hatred or bigotry directed toward individuals or groups. SWFL Writers & Creatives reserves the sole right to decline or remove any submission that, in its judgment, conflicts with these standards.

Many powerful works of art engage with difficult experiences and sensitive topics. If your submission contains content that may be upsetting or distressing to readers, please include a brief content warning at the beginning of your submission document. We encourage contributors to use their best judgment and err on the side of caution when determining whether a content warning is appropriate. Content warnings are provided solely to assist our editorial team during the review process and will not affect the evaluation of your work.

Formatting:
Please submit your written work in .doc or .docx file format in 12-point font with one inch margins using a common professional font such as Times New Roman, Ariel, Calibri, or similar. Google doc links will not be considered. Specific formatting requirements by genre can be found below.

IMPORTANT: To prevent bias, SWFL Writers & Creatives will be reading and reviewing all submissions blind. Please ensure that your submitted documents DO NOT contain any identifying information like your name or email address on them to assist us in making the acceptance process as fair and equitable as possible.

How to submit:

Please submit your work using the submission form on our website, which you can access here, to ensure it will be received and read. Submissions sent via email or through the general “Contact Us” form on our website will not be considered.

Submissions must be previously unpublished. Previous sharing to personal social media accounts is acceptable and not considered to count as publication by SWFL Writers & Creatives. Simultaneous submissions are both allowed and encouraged. We want to see your work published! Please make sure you send us a message to let us know if a piece you have submitted to us has been accepted for publication elsewhere, so we can remove it from our consideration (and send our congratulations).