Milk Bag Magazine

Issue 2.1: The Green Issue

Green as in grass and leaves and money and greed and jealousy and new growth and old growth and mold and Kermit the frog and lights and go and envy and capitalism and environmentalism and hope and vitality and algae and pondscum and weed and weeds and peas and jolly giants and juice and renewal and spring buds and chlorophyll and inexperience and hope and avocados and forest and vegetal and arsenic and poison and green and green and green and green.

General submission guidelines

Milk Bag Magazine is excited to invite artists of all backgrounds and styles to submit their work for a chance to be featured in our next issue! We’re especially eager to spotlight fresh perspectives and unique ways of storytelling through art. Whether you’re new to publishing or just starting out, we’d love to see your work—and our editorial team is here to support you through the process.

• You will be asked for a brief bio in the submission process. Milk Bag Magazine encourages applications from artists with diverse identities and lived experiences, so get personal! You may choose to share how you identify here, get as specific as you’d like. A bio will be published in the final issue.
• Work must be original, and should reflect the issue theme.
• Work does not have to be created specifically for this contest but must be a recent work (created no earlier than 2020) and relate directly to the issue theme. The work should be previously unpublished.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but if your submitted work finds a home elsewhere, please notify us immediately.

Eligibility

• Open to all emerging* and established artists 18 years of age and older, living in Canada at time of submission.
• Milk Bag Magazine reserves the right to decline a contest entry deemed unsuitable for the issue.
  • Submissions must align with our values of equity and respect. Content that perpetuates racism or violence against marginalized genders and communities will not be accepted.

* Emerging creatives are defined as writers and artists in the early stages of their professional journeys, including those who are developing their practice and exploring their voice. Public exhibitions or previous publications are not required. Post-secondary students and early-career writers and artists are warmly encouraged to submit.

Fiction-Specific Guidelines

We welcome standalone short fiction submissions up to 2,500 words, and are open to all types of literary fiction, though we especially love pieces with a distinct voice that experiment with form and language:

• Submit your work in Docx format.

Please feel free to include up to three pieces per contest entry for our consideration.

Not Open

Issue 2.1: The Green Issue

Green as in grass and leaves and money and greed and jealousy and new growth and old growth and mold and Kermit the frog and lights and go and envy and capitalism and environmentalism and hope and vitality and algae and pondscum and weed and weeds and peas and jolly giants and juice and renewal and spring buds and chlorophyll and inexperience and hope and avocados and forest and vegetal and arsenic and poison and green and green and green and green.

General submission guidelines

Milk Bag Magazine is excited to invite artists of all backgrounds and styles to submit their work for a chance to be featured in our next issue! We’re especially eager to spotlight fresh perspectives and unique ways of storytelling through art. Whether you’re new to publishing or just starting out, we’d love to see your work—and our editorial team is here to support you through the process.

• You will be asked for a brief bio in the submission process. Milk Bag Magazine encourages applications from artists with diverse identities and lived experiences, so get personal! You may choose to share how you identify here, get as specific as you’d like. A bio will be published in the final issue.
• Work must be original, and should reflect the issue theme.
• Work does not have to be created specifically for this contest but must be a recent work (created no earlier than 2020) and relate directly to the issue theme. The work should be previously unpublished.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but if your submitted work finds a home elsewhere, please notify us immediately.

Eligibility

• Open to all emerging* and established artists 18 years of age and older, living in Canada at time of submission.
• Milk Bag Magazine reserves the right to decline a submission deemed unsuitable for the issue.
  • Submissions must align with our values of equity and respect. Content that perpetuates racism or violence against marginalized genders and communities will not be accepted.

* Emerging creatives are defined as writers and artists in the early stages of their professional journeys, including those who are developing their practice and exploring their voice. Public exhibitions or previous publications are not required. Post-secondary students and early-career writers and artists are warmly encouraged to submit.

Poetry-Specific Guidelines

We’re open to all types of poetry, and especially appreciate work that pushes boundaries with form and challenges traditional poetic devices.

For standard poetry:

• Submit your work as a Docx or PDF file, using size 12 Times New Roman font.

If your piece breaks traditional form:

• Submit a PDF file showing exactly how it should appear in print.
• For pieces longer than a single page, include titles and page numbers.

You may submit up to 4 pieces or a total of 6 pages per contest entry for us to review.

Not Open

Issue 2.1: The Green Issue

Green as in grass and leaves and money and greed and jealousy and new growth and old growth and mold and Kermit the frog and lights and go and envy and capitalism and environmentalism and hope and vitality and algae and pondscum and weed and weeds and peas and jolly giants and juice and renewal and spring buds and chlorophyll and inexperience and hope and avocados and forest and vegetal and arsenic and poison and green and green and green and green.

General submission guidelines

Milk Bag Magazine is excited to invite artists of all backgrounds and styles to submit their work for a chance to be featured in our next issue! We’re especially eager to spotlight fresh perspectives and unique ways of storytelling through art. Whether you’re new to publishing or just starting out, we’d love to see your work—and our editorial team is here to support you through the process.

• You will be asked for a brief bio in the submission process. Milk Bag Magazine encourages applications from artists with diverse identities and lived experiences, so get personal! You may choose to share how you identify here, get as specific as you’d like. A bio will be published in the final issue.
• Work must be original, and should reflect the issue theme.
• Work does not have to be created specifically for this contest but must be a recent work (created no earlier than 2020) and relate directly to the issue theme. The work should be previously unpublished.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but if your submitted work finds a home elsewhere, please notify us immediately.

Eligibility

• Open to all emerging* and established artists 18 years of age and older, living in Canada at time of submission.
• Milk Bag Magazine reserves the right to decline a submission deemed unsuitable for the issue.
  • Submissions must align with our values of equity and respect. Content that perpetuates racism or violence against marginalized genders and communities will not be accepted.

* Emerging creatives are defined as writers and artists in the early stages of their professional journeys, including those who are developing their practice and exploring their voice. Public exhibitions or previous publications are not required. Post-secondary students and early-career writers and artists are warmly encouraged to submit.

Art-Specific Guidelines

We’re open to a variety of visual art forms, including but not limited to painting, photography, digital art, illustrations, mixed media, and sculpture. If you’re working with a medium that’s hard to classify, don't let that limit you—we love discovering new forms! You may submit up to 3 works, but keep in mind we will adjudicate each piece individually. Also note that if more than one piece is selected, they may be split up depending on issue curation.

• Art submissions must also include an artist statement (no more than 200 words) that provides context on their practice and approach. This will be submitted in the form of a .pdf file alongside the art piece(s).
• In the same document, include specification for the submitted piece(s): Title, category/medium, size in inches (HxWxD: IN THIS ORDER), location, year.
• For each piece submitted, include a brief statement (100-200 words) specific to each submitted work, explaining the concept, medium, and any relevant themes or personal connections. If your submission includes multple pieces, please consolidate all statement into a single document.

Image requirements:

• The image must be in .JPG or .PNG format.
• If your piece is accepted for publication, we will contact you for a file that is 1500x2000 pixels.

If your artwork is chosen as the winner of our visual art contest it will be featured as the cover of the issue. we will contact you for a high res file. Please respond promptly!

Not Open