Ecotone Magazine

About

Ecotone, the award-winning literary magazine published at UNC Wilmington, is known for emphasizing the deep importance of place in contemporary writing. We aim to reimagine place-based literature, and to publish writing and art that cross genres and seek out edges. An ecotone is a transition zone between two adjacent ecological communities, containing the characteristic species of each. Our contributors embrace these places of danger and opportunity, exploring the ecotones between landscapes, literary genres, scientific and artistic disciplines, modes of thought. In our tenth year, Ecotone's work continues to receive accolades and awards from the Best American, O. Henry, PEN, and Pushcart Prize series, among others. We also continue to encourage work that extends beyond the themes of traditional nature writing, offering provocative and complex literature and art to challenge readers of all backgrounds and literary predilections.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for some submissions. They charge fees for electronic submissions, except for one annual free submission window and submissions by subscribers (date restrictions may apply).
The fee is USD $3 (average for magazines that charge).

Important: Demographic restrictions may vary.

Submission Caps: They may close to submissions early if they reach their quota.

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2005

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

1,329 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Ecotone Magazine's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.
More Challenging: Ecotone Magazine's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
Less Responsive: Ecotone Magazine's overall rate of non-response is higher than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Short Story: 2,000 - 7,500 words.
Novel Excerpt: 2,000 - 10,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Nature/Environment: General, See guidelines.
Place/Regions: General, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

Unknown payment to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Provides free copy/copies Pay ranges from Unknown payment to Professional payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $200 minimum.

Submissions:

Methods: Submittable submission manager (fees apply). Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: 2,000 - 10,000 words.
Book Excerpt: 2,000 - 10,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Nature/Environment: General, See guidelines.
Place/Regions: General, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

Submissions:

Methods: Submittable submission manager (fees apply). Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

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:

Nature/Environment: General, See guidelines.
Place/Regions: General, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Provides free copy/copies Professional payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $100 minimum.

Submissions:

Methods: Submittable submission manager (fees apply). Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Ecotone Magazine

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Social:
Bluesky @ecotonemagazine.bsky.social
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Support this Publisher:
Make a Donation
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For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Duosuma Submission Manager
Link to Duotrope

Ecotone Magazine 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.

This project ranks among the 25 Slowest Fiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the 25 Slowest Nonfiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the 25 Slowest Poetry Publishers in our database.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 132 reports from 125 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

4 min | 331.6 mean avg | 415.0 median | 631 max days (267.6 std dev)

Responses

85.61 %

Acceptances:

1.52 % of submissions accepted (416.5 avg. days per acceptance) | 1.60 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

84.09 % (346.2 avg. days per rejection) | 2.7 % personal, 73.9 % form, 23.4 % unspecified

Non-Responses

5.30 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

5.30 % (435.5 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

9.09 % (91.1 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

48 responses are pending (9 min | 233.0 mean avg | 224.0 median | 378 max days waiting | 987.2 std dev) from 47 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 270 days. (60.6 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 270 days.)
The editors request that you don't query on the status of your submission.
The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00. (37.7 % of reports specified whether they paid a fee; of those, 78.1 % paid fees.)
Submissions are acknowledged within 5 days on average.
Most recent response reported was received on 03 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 19 Feb 2026.
Date compiled: 14 Sep 2026 19:09 UTC (2 hours, 19 minutes ago).

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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: 15 Jul 2026

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