The Mukoli Contest
We are open for submissions! As always, we do not charge any submission fee. Please read this page carefully before sending us your entries.
Categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Multimedia Art
Prizes per category:
- 1st place winner: $100 + Publication
- 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th place runners-up: Publication
Contest Timeline
- Submissions Open: October 1, 2025
- Submissions Close: November 15, 2025
- Winners Notified: January 2025
Eligibility Criteria
- Open to all writers and artists worldwide, age 18+
- Past contributors to the magazine may enter the contest.
- Submitters from outside the United States of America must have a valid bank account that can accept international wire transfers. This is a Kennesaw State University payment requirement. First prize winners must be willing to complete all documentation required by the university for payment and tax purposes.
Submission Guidelines
- Submit original, previously unpublished work only.
- No AI generated/assisted content.
- Simultaneous submissions are welcome but notify us at editorial@mukoli.net immediately if accepted elsewhere.
- As a magazine serving a global Anglophone audience, we accept submissions in English only. We are not accepting translated works for the current contest.
- Do not submit to more than one category/genre. We will not read multiple submissions. Multiple submissions are grounds for disqualification.
- Do not include any identifying information in the body – or filename – of your submission. The submission form will capture your individual information which will not be forwarded to our judges who will read each submission anonymously. Including identifying information is grounds for disqualification.
Category-Specific Guidelines
Poetry
- Submit a single document with no less than 3 – and no more than 5 – poems at a time.
- Each document will be counted as a single entry and judged on the basis of overall merit of the poems.
- If you send us 3-5 poems in one document, it will be read as a single entry.
- We reserve the right to publish one or all of your poems in the single entry document.
- If you submit 3-5 poems in separate documents, we will not read any of your poems as they will be considered multiple submissions.
- You cannot withdraw part of your submission. If any of your poems is accepted elsewhere, you will need to withdraw the entire submission.
- No length limit, but our judges will probably not read a novel in verse.
- Only .doc and .docx files are accepted. We do not accept .pdf files of poetry.
Fiction
- Send us your short fiction, including flash.
- Submit up to 3 pieces of fiction under a total of 10,000 words in one document.
- Each document will be counted as a single entry and judged on the basis of overall merit.
- If you send us two or more stories in one document, it will be read as a single entry.
- We reserve the right to publish one or all of your stories in the single entry document.
- If you submit two or more stories in two or more separate documents, we will not read any of your stories as they will be considered multiple submissions.
- You cannot withdraw part of your submission. If any of your stories is accepted elsewhere, you will need to withdraw the entire submission.
- Only .doc and .docx files are accepted.
Nonfiction
- Send us up to 5000 words of your creative non-fiction.
- Only one essay at a time.
- Submit .doc and .docx files only.
Art & New Media
We are interested in artwork that transgresses across genres, pushes conceptual boundaries, and uses different mediums (textual and/or non-textual) to highlight a relevant issue or tell an engaging story.
- We accept independently produced short films, video essays, and cinepoetry that have a run time of 10 mins or less. Submit .avi, mp4, and .mov files.
- We also welcome illustrations, photographs, paintings, drawings, and other non-textual creations. Send us a single file of no more than 10 individual artworks that are tied together by a story or a narrative arc. Only .jpg, .jpeg, and .png files are accepted.
- Each file will be counted as a single entry and judged on the basis of overall merit of the submitted artwork.
- If you send us 2-10 artworks in one file, it will be judged as a single entry.
- We reserve the right to publish one or all of your artwork in the single entry document.
- If you submit 2-10 artworks in two or more separate documents, we will consider that as multiple submissions.
- You cannot withdraw part of your submission. If any of your artwork is accepted elsewhere, you will need to withdraw the entire submission.
- Submit your comics and graphic narratives (fiction and non-fiction) of up to 10 pages in a single .jpeg, .jpg, or .png file. We prefer 850-900px wide landscapes.
- Finally, we want your sound poetry and spoken word poetry. We also invite you to take our readers on an exploration of traditional oral storytelling art forms from across the globe, or tell them your own. Send us your .mp3, .wav, or .mp4 audio recordings with not more than 10 minutes of content.
- If you have ideas for submission beyond the ones listed above, write to us at editorial@mukoli.net.