Submissions

sneaker wave magazine is a leading online home for compelling nonfiction storytelling. If you have written a compelling true story, submit it to us!

*SUBMISSIONS WILL OPEN ON SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2025.*
Submissions will be responded to on a rolling basis. Our submission window will be open through April 30, 2025, or until our cap of 300 submissions is reached.

We only publish nonfiction. No fiction or poetry, please. All submissions must be under 4,000 words and over 2,000 words. Standard formatting is expected: standard twelve-point font, double spacing, and page numbers, please.

Stories must be original, previously unpublished work. We acquire first serial rights in English and non-exclusive anthology rights. All submissions must come through Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are welcome! Please let us know if your submission has been accepted elsewhere.

Please note that we have an extensive editorial process. Accepted pieces will undergo multiple rounds of editing with multiple editors in order to present your piece in the best possible light.

We offer three different types of submissions. All submissions will be considered for publication at sneaker wave magazine. Our regular fee for submissions with no feedback is $5. Since our magazine prioritizes intensive developmental editing, we also offer line-level essay feedback. If you would like a full essay markup with margin notes by one of our editors, select the “individual developmental edit” option ($150). For a full essay markup with margin notes by three of our editors, select “collective developmental edit” ($250). All edits are done by the editors on our masthead.

These fees go toward paying our writers and staff. Should your piece be accepted, the magazine will pay you a small honorarium ($20) the week after publication. We recognize this is just a token and not the true value of your work, and we hope to pay more in the future.

We look forward to reading your story. Thank you for considering sneaker wave magazine as a home for your writing!

Thank you so much for your interest and support.

The Editors