Submissions

Mountain Ash Press is thrilled to announce our first publishing contest.

WHAT: Original, previously unpublished manuscripts. Please take note of the contest rules below.

WHO: The competition is open internationally; however, work must be written in English.

WHEN: The competition is open from April 15th, 2024 to October 1, 2024* (or until we have reached our submission limit) with winners announced in December 2024.

ENTRY FEE: $40 (USD)

HOW: Please submit using the form below.

CONTEST RULES

In order to avoid disqualification, please take note of the following contest rules:

1. The contest will be judged blind so please DO NOT put your name (first and/or last) or contact information anywhere on the attached submission file.
2. Submit work that is entirely your own. We strongly discourage even including the creative work of another (poems, songs, quotes) unless it is essential to the creative element of the submission. We are looking for high quality literary fiction, genre fiction (no erotica please), and nonfiction (including memoir and essay collections). At this time, we are not accepting poetry collections, kidlit or YA.
3. As a general guide, we are looking for manuscripts that explore the stories of a place, that start conversations about identity, instill in us a sense of adventure or wonder, and create bridges to the places we call home.
4. Entries must not have been previously published, either in print or online, or been accepted for publication elsewhere. We do, however, understand that some work may have previously appeared on personal blogs, as essays or as part of other pieces, we can accept that. If, roughly, 10% or less of your work is already out in the world please feel free to submit.
5. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please advise us immediately should your work be accepted elsewhere.
6. Multiple entries are allowed; however, each entry must be accompanied by its own $40 (USD) entry fee.
7. Must be 18 years or older to submit.
8. Please take note of the word count and ENSURE that your entry is no more than 80,000 words (excluding the title). Include the word count in the top right corner of the first page of your entry (e.g., Word count: 55,000).
9. Proper formatting is required. Please ENSURE that your entry is double-spaced, with no less than 1-inch margins, using standard 12-point fonts such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Arial, and submitted in one of the following file formats: .doc, .docx, .txt, or PDF. 

As a press, we honour diversity and inclusivity without discrimination. We are keen to empower viewpoints from communities that include but are not limited to multiple dimensions of diversity such as race, ethnicity, religion, age, ability, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, class, socio-economic status, and neurodiversity. We do not consider manuscripts that celebrate racist, homophobic, or misogynistic viewpoints, and those manuscripts will go unread. Submissions written by AI will be rejected.

We are accepting submissions as of April 15th, 2024. If we have received fewer than 25 submissions by August 31, 2024, the contest will be cancelled and all submission fees returned.

Note – submission to the contest indicates your intention to publish with Mountain Ash Press. Contest Prize will be awarded upon signing of the publication contract. You can find a sample of our contract here.