The Broad River Review publishes high-quality literary works.
Writers have two avenues for submission.
We invite general submissions of original poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction, and we also encourage visual artists to submit samples for possible cover art. General submissions are open each year from February 1–April 1.
Because we have a small staff for the 2026 reading period, short fiction submissions are capped at 200, poetry submissions capped at 250, and creative nonfiction submissions are capped at 100.
We also invite entries to our contests, the Rash Awards, which offer $500 first prizes in both Fiction and Poetry. Entries for the Rash Awards are accepted each year from February 1–April 15. For complete details about the contest, please see our Contest Rules on our website. Rash Award entries are never capped.
Both general and contest poetry submissions are restricted to five poems, with no more ten pages total per submission. Fiction and creative nonfiction submissions must be no more than 5,000 words. Previously published work will not be considered. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, although works accepted elsewhere must be withdrawn immediately.
All general submissions and contest submissions received during the reading period will be considered for publication. However, only official entries for the Rash Awards and the $20 entry fee will be eligible for the prize awards.
Our Submittable platform allows 300 general submissions per month. If you see that one of the general submission links is not active or showing, wait until the first day of the next month to submit (this includes April 1 as the start of a new month).
We look forward to reading your submissions!
For pre-order of the 2025 issue of the Broad River Review (Volume 57), make sure to enter your current mailing address. Then, select the number of copies of the 2025 issue (Volume 57) you would like to pre-order from the menu under the payment area of the form.
The Foothills Writing Contest is sponsored by Gardner-Webb University's Department of English and its literary magazine, Broad River Review. The contest is for current high school students (9-12 grade) in the Foothills region surrounding Gardner-Webb University.
Entrants must be enrolled at a high school in the North Carolina counties of Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Polk, or Rutherford, or be a certified home school student residing in one of these counties.
A First Prize of a $100 gift card will be awarded, along with two Honorable Mention prizes of $50 each.
To enter, submit a poem (up to 40 lines), short story (up to 2,000 words), or creative nonfiction essay (up to 2,000) no later than Monday, April 27, 2026. You may enter once, regardless of genre. Winning entry may be considered for publication in Broad River Review.
The is no theme for this year's Foothills Writing Contest, so student writers are encouraged to offer their works on any theme.
Members of the Gardner-Webb University Department of English will review all entries and select the winner and finalists.
Foothills Writing Contest inquiries should be directed to Dr. Chris Davis, Chair, Department of English at Gardner-Webb University, at (704) 406-3224 or cdavis@gardner-webb.edu.
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