Submission Guidelines

General Submissions

Pleiades is open for regular submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and translations during the months of June and December. Please note that submissions sent outside the submission period will not be considered. Unsolicited poetry, fiction, translations, and nonfiction should be submitted via our online submissions manager, Duosuma.

Please do not submit more than once in a given genre during each reading period.

Unfortunately, we cannot consider paper submissions and emailed submissions, and mailed manuscripts will be recycled. An exception to this policy is made for incarcerated writers, who should mail submissions to

Pleiades Magazine, Editor-in-Chief
Martin 220 B, Department of English
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, Missouri, 64093

including an email address or self-addressed envelope for response.

Note that we are especially invested in reading manuscripts from writers from historically marginalized communities as part of our commitment to a deep representation of dynamic work.

Simultaneous submissions are accepted, please withdraw via our submission manager. For all queries, contact pleiades@ucmo.edu, and your email will be forwarded to the appropriate editor. Our current response time is 6-9 months, please wait to inquire about the status of your submission until 9 months have passed.

Please see our Duosuma page for genre specific guidelines.

Reviews and Interviews

We accept reviews of poetry and prose, fiction and nonfiction, as well as pitches for author interviews, via email only, at pleiadesreviews@gmail.com.

Annual Prizes

Kinder/Crump Prize for Short Fiction

Pleiades welcomes submissions to the Kinder/Crump Award for Short Fiction during the month of May. The winner will receive $1,000 and publication in Pleiades: Literature in Context. The 2027 award will be judged by Kenan Orhan.

The Kinder/Crump Award honors R. M. Kinder and Gail Bruce Crump, former editors of Pleiades and Professors Emeriti at the University of Central Missouri. We are grateful for their lasting contributions to the magazine and to generations of UCM students.

Submissions are open from May 1 through May 31 at 11:59 PM CST. Writers may submit one short story per entry fee.

Guidelines

  • Submit one short story of up to 6,000 words.
  • Upload your manuscript via our Duosuma submissions portal.
  • Do not include any identifying information on the manuscript.
  • Include your payment order number in your cover letter.
  • Multiple submissions are permitted, provided each entry includes a separate fee.
  • We do not accept submissions via email. For questions, please contact pleiades@ucmo.edu.
  • Work submitted outside the May submission window will not be considered.
  • All entrants will be notified by email. The winner will be announced in late summer.

Entry Fee

  • A $20 entry fee is required for each submission.
  • Payment must be completed separately through our Touchnet payment portal.
  • Submissions without a corresponding entry fee will not be considered.
  • Fee waivers are considered, please email pleaides@ucmo.edu. 

About the Judge

Kenan Orhan’s collection, I Am My Country and Other Stories, was a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and longlisted for The Story Prize. His fiction appears in The Atlantic, The Paris Review, The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Best American Short Stories. His first novel, The Renovation, is out now. He lives in Kansas.

Prufer Poetry Prize

Pleiades welcomes submissions to the Kevin Prufer Poetry Prize during the month of October. The winner will receive $1,000 and publication in Pleiades: Literature in Context. The 2026 award will be judged by Sadie Dupuis.

The Prufer Poetry Prize honors Kevin Prufer, founding editor of Pleiades and former University of Central Missouri professor. We are grateful for his contributions to the magazine and to generations of UCM students.

Submissions are open from October 1 through October 31 at 11:59 PM CST. Writers may submit 1–3 poems per entry fee.

Guidelines

  • Submit 1–3 poems in a single submission.
  • Upload your manuscript via our Duosuma submissions portal.
  • Do not include any identifying information on the manuscript.
  • Include your payment order number in your cover letter.
  • Multiple submissions are permitted, provided each entry includes a separate fee.
  • We do not accept submissions via email. For questions, please contact pleiades@ucmo.edu
  • Work submitted outside the October submission window will not be considered.
  • All entrants will be notified by email. The winner will be announced in late fall.

Entry Fee

  • A $20 entry fee is required for each submission.
  • Payment must be completed separately through our Touchnet payment portal.
  • Submissions without a corresponding entry fee will not be considered.
  • Fee waivers are considered; please email pleiades@ucmo.edu

.

About the Judge

Sadie Dupuis is the guitarist, songwriter & singer of rock band Speedy Ortiz, as well as the producer & multi-instrumentalist behind pop project Sad13. Sadie heads the record label Wax Nine, edits its poetry journal, and has contributed to Spin, Tape Op, Talkhouse, and more. She holds an MFA in poetry from UMass Amherst, where she also taught writing. Mouthguard, her first book, was published in 2018 (Gramma); Cry Perfume, a second poetry collection, was released in 2022 (Black Ocean). She is a founding organizer of United Musicians & Allied Workers and its local UMAW Philly.