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Vestal Review

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About

Launched in 2000, Vestal Review is the longest-running flash fiction magazine on Earth—and perhaps the Milky Way. Past contributors include Steve Almond, Aimee Bender, Sam Lipsyte, Judith Cofer, Robert Boswell, Bruce Holland Rogers, Stuart Dybek, Robert Olen Butler, Pamela Painter, and many others. Our stories have been reprinted in numerous anthologies and selected for Wigleaf Top 50 many times.

We encourage underrepresented writers to send us their stories. We're eclectic in style and open to all genres.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for some submissions. Look for the fees icon.
The fee is USD $3 (average for magazines that charge).
Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 2000

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

Faster
Vestal Review's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Challenging
Vestal Review's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive
Vestal Review's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Collapse section Fiction Open Fee-based

Dates:

Open to fee-based fiction submissions through 15 November 2026* (approx. 68 days from now).

7

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All ethnic groups/populations, All genders, All sexual identities.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General
Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres
Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $75.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All ethnic groups/populations, All genders, All sexual identities.

Lengths:

Interview: Up to 500 words.
Review: Up to 500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Critical, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Literature/Books.

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $75.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Expand section Visual Art Closed

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Vestal Review Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:
Accuracy
We have received 114 reports from 78 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
0 min | 12.1 mean avg | 12.0 median | 27 max days (389.0 std dev)
Responses
93.86 %
Acceptances:
4.39 % of submissions accepted (13.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 6.41 % of submitters accepted Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most publishers have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here.
Rejections:
89.47 % (12.3 avg. days per rejection) | 76.5 % personal, 9.8 % form, 13.7 % unspecified
Non-Responses
0.00 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
-
Withdrawals
6.14 % (6.7 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending
8 responses are pending (6 min | 54.1 mean avg | 11.0 median | 298 max days waiting | 1,813.2 std dev) from 8 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 30 days.
The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00. (56.4 % of reports specified whether they paid a fee; of those, 100.0 % paid fees.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 05 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 26 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 08 Sep 2026 09:29 UTC (less than a minute ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
  • Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
  • Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 27 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.

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