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Hunger Mountain

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About

Hunger Mountain is created by the faculty and students in the Writing Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

The editors share VCFA’s belief that the arts are central to the human experience and have the ability not only to reflect reality but also to create it. Our masthead changes annually, and our revolving list of faculty editors and contest judges reach into their diverse literary communities to help make them part of ours. This allows for aesthetic flexibility, guided by our steady ethics: promoting voices that have gone unheard, expanding our representation and scope,and critically examining our contemporary culture and our field.

We value vulnerability, adventure, and accessibility. Our student readers are the future of the literary world, and all of us take great pride in discovering new voices, as well as publishing the freshest work from established artists.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions, and they do not offer monetary payment for accepted submissions. (Note: About 8% of magazines always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $3 (average for magazines that charge).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 2002

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

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

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

We look for work that is beautifully crafted and tells a good story, with characters that are alive and kicking, storylines that stay with us long after we’ve finished reading, and sentences that slay us with their precision.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All ages, Children, Middle grades, Young adults.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: No specific word count limits known (our definition: up to 1000 words); Up to 3 pieces.
Short Story: 1,000 - 4,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

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

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

We welcome an array of traditional and experimental work, including, but not limited to, personal, lyrical, and meditative essays, memoirs, collages, rants, and humor. The only requirements are recognition of truth, a unique voice with a firm command of language, and an engaging story with multiple pressure points. We agree with Joy Williams that a “good piece of writing startles the reader back into Life. . . . It can and should enchant while it explodes in the reader’s face.”

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All ages, Children, Middle grades, Young adults.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 4,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 4,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

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

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

We look for poetry that is as much about the world as about the self, that’s an invitation, an opening out, a hand beckoning. We like poems that name or identify something essential that we may have overlooked. We like poetry with acute, precise attention to both content and diction.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All ages, Children, Middle grades, Young adults.

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: Experimental, Humorous, Literary.

Topics:

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

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
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.

Hunger Mountain 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 77 reports from 74 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
3 min | 35.6 mean avg | 7.0 median | 138 max days (51.3 std dev)
Responses
94.80 %
Acceptances:
5.19 % of submissions accepted (53.5 avg. days per acceptance) | 5.41 % 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:
89.61 % (29.9 avg. days per rejection) | 15.9 % personal, 58.0 % form, 26.1 % unspecified | 1.3 % shortlisted
Non-Responses
0.00 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
-
Withdrawals
5.19 % (60.8 avg. days per withdrawal)

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 24 Mar 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 Dec 2025.
Date compiled: 14 Sep 2026 21:32 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Your Submissions

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Hunger Mountain Prize for Young Writers BELIEVED DEFUNCT  Charges fees for all submissions
The Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing DNQ  Charges fees for all submissions
May Day Mountain Chapbook Series DNQ  Charges fees for all submissions
The Ruth Stone Poetry Prize DNQ  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: 13 Sep 2026

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

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