WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR                                                                                                                                              

We are looking for new poems in any form. 

ELIGIBILITY

Submissions will be considered from Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only.

You do not need to be a subscriber to submit. However, we believe that writers ought to be readers of the literary magazines in which their work is published, so for this reason, if your work is published in Island and you are not already a subscriber, your total payment will be less the cost of a 4-issue subscription. For a small not-for-profit literary magazine, this is a necessary step in a long-term strategy. For background information on our fee policy, see here.

TIMELINES & GUIDELINES 

Submissions close at 5pm AEDT, Friday 18 September.

Works in this round will be reviewed for Island 180 (out December 2026) and for Island Online, to be published progressively between September 2026 and February 2027.

You may submit a maximum of three poems in text, video or audio formats. 

You can submit a combination of the three formats, but please submit all poems in one submission.

If you are submitting more than one poem in text, please submit as one single document.  If you are submitting some or all of your poems in video or audio, please submit as separate files. 

Please consider line length when submitting your poems. While there is space to publish longer poems online, we do not typically publish poems of more than 50 lines in-print.

Submissions are via Submittable only 

Acceptable file types for text: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf.

Acceptable files types for audio: flac, m4a, mp3, ogg, wma.

Acceptable files types for video: avi, flv, m4v, mkv, mov, mp4, mpg, wmv.

We do not accept work previously published in print or online, including on blogs 

Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please withdraw your poem if it is accepted elsewhere.

 PROCESS

You will receive an automated acknowledgement of receipt of your submission. After that, you will generally not hear from the editorial team until after submissions have closed. 

After the closing date, we endeavour to provide a response to all submissions asap.

Once decisions are made, you will be contacted (either via Submittable or direct email) regarding the outcome. We are unable to provide individual feedback for submissions not selected.      The expectation is that the selected works will require little editing. However, any editing involved will be undertaken by Island’s Poetry Editor, in discussion with the author. The author will have final approval of the work.      

CONTRIBUTOR FEES

Island pays $175 per poem*

*Fees are less the cost of a print 4-issue subscription if you are not a current subscriber. For background information on this policy see here.

In addition to core funding from Arts Tasmania, contributor fees are supplemented by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body and the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.

We continually strive to increase author payment rates through grants and fundraising.         

TERMS & CONDITIONS

A licensing agreement outlining the contributor fee and full terms and conditions will be sent to the author prior to publication; however, please be aware of the following:

Please don't send us anything you've written, rewritten or otherwise created using AI. AI is destroying writers’ income and future careers, so as an organisation that supports writers we do not support its use. The point of writing is the process: please only send us things you've made yourself.

Copyright remains with the authors, but writers must give Island exclusive publication rights for the work for three months from publication. Any further reproduction must publicly acknowledge Island as the original publisher.

Writers must guarantee that their work is original, does not plagiarise or infringe the copyright of any other party, and does not breach any other law or ethical principle of publication (e.g. defamation, libel, obscenity).

A draft of the full agreement is available on request from admin@islandmag.com.

Thank you for your interest in publishing with Island!

What are we looking for? 

New essays of up to approximately 1500 words. These can be wide-ranging in theme – we will consider pieces reflecting on nature and the environment, the arts, society, current issues and culture. We love to see new approaches to form and content. Please send only one piece and make it your very best.

Pitches

Full submissions are preferred, however, if you have a particularly timely piece that warrants immediate attention, please send a pitch directly to jane@islandmag.com      

Eligibility 

Submissions will be considered from Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only.      

Timelines 

Submissions are now open and close at 5pm AEDT, Friday 18 September 2026.

Submissions selected in this round will be published from September 2026 to February 2027.

Guidelines

Please only submit one essay – your best! There will be another round next year, so if your piece still needs work, save it til then!

Please don’t submit work previously published in print or online, including on blogs.

Note that we aim for a general audience, and don’t tend to publish scholarly/academic works. Please only include endnotes/footnotes if absolutely necessary. (These do not need to be included in your word count.)

All submissions are via Submittable and your work must be attached as a text document (acceptable file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf).

We do not have specific formatting requirements; however, it makes reading easier for our editors if your submission uses generous line spacing and margins. (We prefer Australian spelling and punctuation conventions; single quotation marks; spaced en rules for dashes – however, all of this can be resolved during editing.)

We accept simultaneous submissions; however, if your work is selected for publication elsewhere, please withdraw it from Island Submittable.

Contributor fees

If your work is selected for publication, Island will pay a fee of $600*.

If you are not already a subscriber, your total payment will be less the cost of a 4-issue subscription. For background information on our fee policy see here.

*Increased contributor fees for this round have been made possible with the support of the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

Process

You will receive an automated acknowledgement of receipt of your submission. After that, you will generally not hear from the editorial team until after submissions have closed. 

Once decisions are made, you will be contacted (either via Submittable or direct email) regarding the outcome, whether or not your work is accepted. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to provide individual feedback on submissions that are not accepted. 

Although our expectation is that selected works are likely to require minimal editing, the Nonfiction Editor will edit/proofread the pieces for publication. You will be consulted on all changes and will have final approval of your work.      

Terms and conditions

Please don't send us anything you've written, rewritten or otherwise created using AI. AI is destroying writers’ income and future careers, so as an organisation that supports writers we do not support its use. The point of writing is the process: please only send us things you've made yourself.

Writers must guarantee that their work is original, does not plagiarise or infringe the copyright of any other party, and does not breach any other law or ethical principle of publication (e.g. defamation, libel, obscenity).       

Copyright remains with the authors; however, writers must give Island exclusive publication rights for the work for three months from publication. Any further reproduction must publicly acknowledge Island as the original publisher.

A draft of the full licencing agreement is available on request from admin@islandmag.com.     

Further information 

For more information about Island please visit islandmag.com  

Thank you for your interest in submitting your writing to Island Online. We are looking forward to reading it.

What are we looking for? 

New stories of up to approximately 1500 words. Please send only one submission, and make it your very best piece.

Eligibility 

Submissions will be considered from Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only.

Timelines 

Submissions are now open and close at 5pm AEDT, Friday 18 September 2026.

Submissions selected in this round will be published from September 2026 to February 2027.

Guidelines 

Please only submit one story – your best! Submissions will open again later in the year so if your story still needs work, you can always send it later.   

Please don’t submit work previously published in print or online, including on blogs.       

All submissions are via Submittable and your work must be attached as a text document (acceptable file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf).

We do not have specific formatting requirements; however, it makes reading easier for our editors if your submission uses generous line spacing and margins. (We prefer Australian spelling and punctuation conventions; single quotation marks; spaced en rules for dashes – however, all of this can be resolved during editing.)

We accept simultaneous submissions; however, if your work is selected for publication elsewhere, please withdraw it from Island Submittable.

Contributor fees

If your work is selected for publication, Island will pay a fee of $600*.

If you are not already a subscriber, your total payment will be less the cost of a 4-issue subscription. For background information on our fee policy see here.

*Increased contributor fees for this round have been made possible with the support of the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

Process

You will receive an automated acknowledgement of receipt of your submission. After that, you will generally not hear from the editorial team until after submissions have closed. 

Once decisions are made, you will be contacted (either via Submittable or direct email) regarding the outcome, whether or not your work is accepted. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to provide individual feedback on submissions that are not accepted.

Although our expectation is that selected works are likely to require minimal editing, the Fiction Editor will edit/proofread the pieces for publication. You will be consulted on all changes and will have final approval of your work.

Terms and conditions

Please don't send us anything you've written, rewritten or otherwise created using AI. AI is destroying writers’ income and future careers, so as an organisation that supports writers we do not support its use. The point of writing is the process: please only send us things you've made yourself.

Writers must guarantee that their work is original, does not plagiarise or infringe the copyright of any other party, and does not breach any other law or ethical principle of publication (e.g. defamation, libel, obscenity).       Copyright remains with the authors; however, writers must give Island exclusive publication rights for the work for three months from publication. Any further reproduction must publicly acknowledge Island as the original publisher.

A draft of the full licencing agreement is available on request from admin@islandmag.com.      

Further information 

For more information about Island please visit islandmag.com  

Thank you for your interest in submitting your writing to Island Online. We are looking forward to reading it.

lsland is offering five mentorships for Tasmanian residents.

These mentorship are free to apply for and participate in. Successful mentees will receive ten hours of tailored guidance, advice, and support from some of Tasmania’s most accomplished writers. 

This is a unique opportunity to gain insight, advice, and support from some of Tasmania’s most accomplished writers, tailored to your own creative goals and aspirations.

The mentors

Mentorships available are:

• Poetry: Esther Ottaway
• Short stories: Jennifer Kremmer
• Poetry & short fiction for First Nations writers: Julie Janson
• Personal essays: Jessie Cole
• Comics & graphic narratives: Leigh Rigozzi

To find out more about each mentor, visit https://islandmag.com/workshops-mentorships

Eligibility

• You must be a Tasmanian resident.
• If you are applying for the First Nations mentorship, you must be a First Nations person with a connection to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.
• Current Island magazine staff, interns and board members are not eligible.
•  You may apply for more than one mentorship.

How it works

Submit a short pitch outlining what you hope to achieve through mentorship.

Your pitch should include:

•  the mentor and/or categories you are interested in, and what you hope to achieve 
•  a brief summary of your relevant experience
•  a short sample of your creative work. If applying for a poetry mentorship, please send 6 poems
• if applying for the First Nations mentorship, a brief statement on your connection to Community.

EOIs will be assessed by the mentor in consultation with Island’s Editorial Manager, Jane Rawson.

Timeline

•  EOIs are open now and close at 5pm 18 September 2026
• We aim to complete mentor-mentee pairings by early October 2026; after that, the pace is up to you and your mentor.