The Echo (Gold Star Program) Gold Star

Closes on Sunday, October 15, 2023 11:59 PM EDT (in 133 days)

Our theme for this year is dreams which means we are on the hunt for only the most crazy, mind-bending, utterly unique pieces your mind can conjure. We want to walk through your most creative worlds, based on reality or entirely made up with creatures both morbid and fantastical by our side. Give us poems of desire, stories of mischief, scripts of downfalls, and art of wonder or dread. Show us what hopes and fears lie in your imagination!

We are currently looking for pieces that fall under the theme of "Nightmares":

What monsters lurk beneath your bed or claw the edge of your mind?

Is your darkest fear that school project you've been procrastinating for weeks, or that your brother's spider will escape in the middle of the night and crawl into your mind, your eyes, your throat?

Or maybe it's finding yourself alone or betrayed by someone close.

Whatever it may be, let us share your terror. Submit to us!

"Nightmares" can be...

- scary thrillers with winding twists

- lucid dream adventures

- poems entailing your deepest desires

- dialogue with creeping creatures

- subconscious fears, horror stories

- vivid imagery of fantastical worlds

- mesmerize us with the color of your worlds, your minds, your monsters

- hypnotize us with complex and intricate art

- haunt us with memoirs of finally climbing that mountain or falling from the clouds

Do NOT send:

- Fanfiction or other derivative works

- Illegal confessions

- Unfinished pieces

- Previously published pieces (including self-published pieces)

- Work that intends to harm or shame a group

- Novel length work

Triggering/Vulgar Language:

- If a trigger warning is needed to make sure it is clearly stated before the piece

- Censor slurs if needed (when in doubt submit with censors)

- If a piece is explicitly vulgar, submit with caution

Author Expectations:

- Your work will be considered for one or more of the following: being posted on our website, made into a podcast, or considered for annual print in our magazine.

- Any work submitted in the same submission will be considered a collection. If that is not your intent, please submit each piece separately.

We welcome both simultaneous submissions, and multiple submissions from the same author. That's all!! Thank you for your interest in submitting to us. If you're having trouble, please email us at [email protected] or check our Instagram and socials for more (@echolitmag).