Salvation South (Gold Star Program) Gold Star Salvation South accepts stories, in all mediums, that reckon with the history and celebrate the culture of the American South. We invite journalists, essayists, poets, fiction writers, photographers, and filmmakers to tell their stories on our platform. Sending simultaneous separate submissions is fine, but please do not submit pieces that have been published elsewhere. For poets, we ask that you submit at least three and no more than five poems in every submission.We do our best to respond to all submissions within three months. Your patience is appreciated. Our crew is small. You will hear back from our editor-in-chief, Chuck Reece, or our poetry editor, Andy Fogle.In each of our submissions calls, you will see a "Tip Jar" option. While we do not charge a submission fee, we do appreciate tips, because the income helps us keep Salvation South alive.Quick Links to Open Calls:EssaysFictionJournalismLove Louder SeriesNew Poets Prize (closing in 3 days, 5 hours)PhotographyPoetryVideo/film: short docsVideo/film: short narratives Essays Free Tip Jar OptionOpenSalvation South publishes personal essays that would appeal to an audience of people living in, or with roots in, the American South.We have published essays and creative non-fiction pieces from 300 words up to several thousand. We care more about the quality of your story and your writing than its length. Submissions of any reasonable size are welcome. SubmitFiction Free Tip Jar OptionOpenSalvation South frequently publishes fictional short stories provided they are set in the American South or driven by Southern characters.SubmitJournalism Free Tip Jar OptionOpenSalvation South frequently publishes journalism. Our stories typically take one of the following forms:Reported feature pieces about issues of concern facing the American SouthReported profiles of figures from the American South, ranging from people who are widely known figures to people who are not famous but whose work and/or life should be celebratedIn-depth interviews with notable Southern figures, structured with an introduction of 500 to 1,000 words, followed by an edited Q&AThere is no required word count for journalism. Our sweet spot seems to be within the range of 1,500 to 4,000 words, but if a story needs more room to unfold, that's fine by us.To pitch us a story, please attach a document that explains what kind of story you are proposing, why you believe the story merits publication in Salvation South, how you plan to approach your reporting on the story, and proof of your ability to do the work. Please make your pitch in 500 words or fewer via a written document. Please provide proof of your writing ability by sending us links to previously published works, or, if the piece does not exist on the internet, you may attach PDF files.SubmitLove Louder Series Free Tip Jar OptionOpen“Love Louder” is a Salvation South series where we lift up the good work being done by people across the region working to build inclusive and beloved communities where all people can be safe, supported, and cared for—from the high peaks of Appalachia to the beaches of the Gulf Coast.These stories are Q&As with organizers or activists who lead organizations. At the core, we hope your interviews answer three questions: How are the interview subjects building a more nuanced understanding of the people people and needs of their communities—and of the broader region?Who are the people being helped by your subjects and their organizations?What do these organizations and leaders need to build build greater support for their work?Please do not submit finished pieces. Instead, write a proposal of 500 words or fewer about the organizations/individuals you would focus on, and how they are building the kinds of communities described above. If we accept your proposal, your final “Love Louder” story should be an edited Q&As with leaders of organizations that fit the mold just described, preceded by an introduction where you explain what drew you to the organization and its work why their work matters to the Salvation South community. If the work requires some building of background knowledge/context for readers, this should also happen in the introduction. Intros can range from 250 to 1,000 words, and the entire piece should come in between 1,500 and 3,5000 words. Your questions for your interviewee should help us understand what brings the person into this work, what the nature of the work is, how their work resonates with you and others, what challenges they face, and what opportunities they see moving forward.You will also need to provide photographs of your interview subject(s) and photos or other digital artifacts that represent the organization’s work.We encourage you to conduct your interview(s) in person or on a recorded Zoom or Google Meet call, because we’d prefer to publish conversations that feel...well..conversational and human. If circumstances warrant, interviews can be conducted via email exchanges. If we accept your proposal, an editor will discuss your approach with you before you begin.For more information on Love Louder, and for examples of previous “Love Louder” features, please check out our website: https://www.salvationsouth.com/love-louder-editors-corner/SubmitNew Poets Prize Fee: usd $10.00OpenCloses on Sunday, February 9, 2025 11:59 PM US Eastern Standard Time (in 3 days, 5 hours).Salvation South invites poets who have not yet published a full-length book of poetry to submit to the 2025 Salvation South New Poets Prize in celebration of National Poetry Month. We will open submissions of 3-5 unpublished poems (no more than 10 pages total) on January 10 and close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, February 9. There is an entry fee of $10. The winner, selected by a jury of poets, will receive a prize of $100, publication of their poems, and a feature interview to appear in April 2025. Two finalists will also receive publication of their work that same week. The winner and finalists will be notified by March 10.SubmitPhotography Free Tip Jar OptionOpenSalvation South publishes the work of documentary photographers—ideally combinations of photographs and words that tell stories about the American South.We present documentary photo projects with a written introduction to the project—typically 500 to 750 words—followed by a series of at least a dozen photographs. We can give individual photos and/or groupings of photos captions that could range in length from a single sentence to a paragraph. To submit a documentary photography project, please submit a sample of at least ten images, as well as a written (in docx or PDF format) first draft of your introduction. SubmitPoetry Free Tip Jar OptionOpenSalvation South runs individual poems or collections of 2-5 poems. We strongly prefer poets submit 3-5 poems at a time, in a single document. This gives us a broader idea of poets' style and subject matter, whereas a single poem offers us a more restricted view of your work.One other note: unusual formats can sometimes be problematic. We are aesthetically open to indents, the use of white space, justified margins, or other unconventional uses of the page, but we can't necessarily recreate such moves in a way that appears exactly as intended on the various devices our readers use. This is NOT to say only submit left-justified poetry; in fact, we have published quite a bit that departs from that convention. We are just informing you that sometimes, for purely technological/layout reasons, we can't accept a poem, even if we love it. We appreciate your understanding. SubmitVideo/film: short docs Free Tip Jar OptionOpenSalvation South runs short documentary films (up to thirty minutes) that are set in the South or address issues facing the South.SubmitVideo/film: short narratives Free Tip Jar OptionOpenSalvation South runs short narrative films that are either set in the South or driven by Southern characters. We will consider finished or in-progress works of 30 minutes or shorter. Submit