Skip to Content

CutBank Literary Magazine

See other projects related to this listing.

About

We’re proud of CutBank‘s forty years as Montana’s foremost literary magazine, founded in 1973 by the Creative Writing program at the University of Montana and helmed initially by favorite literary son William Kittredge. We publish issues of compelling poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction by established writers and new voices alike. We’re global in scope, but with a regional bias. Over the years, we’ve been privileged to feature work by Wendell Berry, Louise Erdrich, Richard Hugo, Seamus Heaney, James Welch, Patricia Goedicke, James Lee Burke, Chris Offutt, Aimee Bender, Steve Almond, and a number of other exciting up and coming writers whose work we’re fond of. That’s the joy, we think, of both publishing and reading a publication like CutBank: discovering and developing a fondness for new work.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions. The fee is USD $5.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 1973

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication
Published 2 x per year

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 15 September 2025* (approx. 60 days from now) through 01 February 2026.

2

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General.

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 7,500 words.
Novelette: 7,500 - 8,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

Unknown payment Unknown payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 15 September 2025* (approx. 60 days from now) through 01 February 2026.

2

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 8,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

Unknown payment Unknown payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 15 September 2025* (approx. 60 days from now) through 01 February 2026.

11

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General.

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 5 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

Unknown payment Unknown payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Visual Art Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 15 September 2025* (approx. 60 days from now) through 01 February 2026.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 5 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

Unknown payment Unknown payment.

Submissions:

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

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.

CutBank Literary Magazine Submission Statistics Free Preview!

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.

Accuracy:
We have received 105 reports from 101 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported:
1 min | 94.8 mean avg | 106.0 median | 204 max days (57.7 std dev)
Responses
94.28 %
Acceptances:
1.90 % of submissions accepted (56.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 1.98 % 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:
92.38 % (96.7 avg. days per rejection) | 44.3 % personal, 30.9 % form, 24.7 % unspecified
Non-Responses
5.71 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
-
Withdrawals:
5.71 % (70.3 avg. days per withdrawal)

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 150 days. (34.3 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 150 days.)
The most common submission fee paid: USD $5.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 09 Apr 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 Feb 2025.

Work submitted here was also submitted to...

This section is available to subscribers only. Sign up and start your free trial today!

Members accepted here also had work accepted by...

This section is available to subscribers only. Become a member and start your free trial today!

Your Submissions

This section is available to subscribers only. Join today!

All Accounts and Mixture BELIEVED DEFUNCT
Big Sky, Small Prose: A Flash Prose Exclusive CLOSED  Charges fees for all submissions
Big Sky, Small Prose: Flash Contest  Charges fees for all submissions
CutBank Chapbook Contest  Charges fees for all submissions
CutBank Online DNQ
Montana Prize in Creative Nonfiction  Charges fees for all submissions
Montana Prize in Fiction  Charges fees for all submissions
Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry  Charges fees for all submissions

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: 09 Jul 2025
Last Audited: 09 Jul 2025
Date Added: 11 Feb 2006

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