The Fiddlehead's regular submission period via Submittable is currently open! Our reading periods are January 1 - March 31 and September 15 - November 30. 

Due to overwhelming submission volume we will not be accepting poetry submissions from international authors during the January 15 - March 31 period. We will politely decline all international submissions received during this reading period. 

We accept poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Due to overwhelming submission volume, once your work has been submitted, we cannot process substitutions or modifications. Mailed submissions in any category are accepted and considered throughout the year. 

We have three writing contests: 

• Creative Nonfiction: opens March 1. 2024 Deadline June 3. Winning piece to be published in fall issue. 
• Short Fiction: opens June 1. 2024 Deadline September 2. Winning story to be published in winter issue.
• Poetry: opens September 1. 2024 Deadline December 2. Winning poem to be published in spring issue.

*Deadlines are midnight Pacific Time. Mailed submissions must be postmarked.

* * *

The Fiddlehead is open to good writing in English or translations into English from all over the world and in a variety of styles, including experimental genres. Our editors are always happy to see new unsolicited works in fiction, including excerpts from novels, creative nonfiction, and poetry. We also publish reviews, and occasionally other selected creative work such as excerpts from plays. Work is read on an ongoing basis; the acceptance rate is around 1-2% (we are, however, famous for our rejection notes!). Apart from our annual contest, we have no deadlines for submissions.

We particularly welcome submissions from Indigenous writers, writers of colour, writers with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ writers, and writers from other intersectional and under-represented communities. If you are comfortable identifying yourself as one or more of the above, please feel free to mention this in your cover letter.

The Fiddlehead does not publish work that is ableist, misogynistic, queer-phobic, or racist. Strong writing treats identity categories with nuance.

If you are serious about submitting to The Fiddlehead, you should read an issue or two to get a sense of the journal. Consider subscribing or contact us to order sample back issues ($12 or $16 for Summer Issues, plus postage). 

General Guidelines for Unsolicited Submissions
• As of 2024, pay is $65 CAD per published page, plus two complimentary copies of the issue with your work. Contributors may purchase additional copies of an issue at a discount.

• The Fiddlehead buys first serials rights; copyright is retained by the author at all times, and authors are free to resell the work, though we do ask for a 90-day exclusive from our first publication of the work.

• Writers may only submit once per calendar year per genre. (This does not include our contests).

• Please wait for an editorial response before submitting again. We try our best to respond in a timely matter, but due to volume of submissions, a response may take 6 months or more. Please wait 6 months before querying. 

• We only consider unpublished work. Please do not submit work that has been previously published or accepted for publication, including in anthologies, chapbooks, blogs, Facebook pages, or online journals.

• For online submissions, please submit one file containing your creative work (.doc, .docx, or .pdf). Log back in any time to check the status of your submission.

• For hard copy, mailed submissions, all submissions should be typed/word-processed, spell-checked, and paginated. Please use white paper, print on one side only, and put your name on every page of your submission.

• In Submittable, please copy and paste your cover letter and biographical statement in the appropriate fields. 

• Tell us in your cover letter whether your submission is exclusive to The Fiddlehead or whether you have submitted it to other magazines simultaneously. If another magazine accepts your work for publication that you have also submitted to us, then please advise us immediately.