Ubwali Literary Magazine has opened its May submission window, calling on Zambian and African artists to submit original, unpublished work for the upcoming issue.
The magazine, known for championing diverse voices and rich storytelling, reads submissions three times a year — in January, May, and July.
Creatives are encouraged to read and follow the guidelines strictly, as submissions that don’t comply will be automatically rejected.
Submission Guidelines
Who Can Submit:
- Zambian artists living anywhere
- Non-Zambian African artists living on the continent
Eligible Work:
- Fiction: 3,000–6,000 words
- Essays: Up to 3,000 words
- Poetry: 1–3 poems in one document
- Visual Art: 5–10 images (5–10 MB each, must be unpublished)
Language:
- Work must be in English.
- Poetry and prose may include Zambian languages (Bemba, Nyanja, Lozi, Tonga, Luvale, Lunda, Kaonde).
Formatting:
- Submit in a Word document (no PDFs)
- Font: Arial, Book Antiqua, Georgia, Garamond, or Times New Roman
- Size: 12pt | Spacing: 1.5
- Images must be original, inclusive, and unpublished (including social media)
Other Requirements:
- No AI-generated work
- No co-authored or translated submissions
- One submission per category, per period
- No re-submission of previously rejected pieces
- Simultaneous submissions allowed — notify if accepted elsewhere
- Novel excerpts allowed if self-contained and within limits
Response Time:
- Within six weeks after the submission deadline
Rights & Payment:
- First serial rights requested; rights revert 90 days post-publication
- $10 payment per accepted artist
- No submission fees — donations are welcome to support artist compensation
If Accepted:
- Authors will work closely with editors on revisions
- Artists must wait two issues before submitting to the same genre again
- No wait required for switching genres
The deadline for entries is midnight CAT on May 31st.
Click here to submit your entry today!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
