Career Builder - Best Lit Mags of 2025

Out of 1,762 votes, these lit mags came out on top in 2025 as the best lit mags for advancing writers' careers.

Basically what it says in the title. Our top most bookmarked fee-free lit mags that nominate for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize (and Don’t Charge Fees)

Story-focused publications with works chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Less than 5% of nominated fiction typically makes the anthology.

Fiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

A targeted resource for short story placements with potential for Pushcart recognition.

Fiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Specialized publications that recognize exceptional brief fiction through Pushcart nominations.

Publications with pieces chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Recognition of exceptional quality across poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Lit Mags Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

A comprehensive guide to journals that regularly nominate work for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

All-time most competitive literary magazines. Getting published in these is a significant achievement for any writer.

Most Competitive Literary Magazines of All Time

Discover the all-time most competitive poetry literary magazines. These legendary publications are where only the best poetry gets through.

Most Competitive Poetry-Only Literary Magazines of All Time

Explore the most popular literary magazines of all time. These long-established publications are a staple in the literary world for writers of all genres.

Most Popular Literary Magazines of All Time

Discover the all-time most popular poetry literary magazines. These outlets have maintained a significant presence in the world of poetry.

Most Popular Poetry-Only Literary Magazines of All Time

Discover the all-time most submitted-to poetry literary magazines. These publications have consistently attracted a high volume of poetry submissions.

Most Submitted-To Poetry-Only Literary Magazines of All Time

Essay-focused publications with works selected for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have repeatedly identified nonfiction that resonates with Pushcart editors and readers.

Nonfiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Highlights publications that regularly put forward essays, memoirs, and other creative nonfiction for Pushcart consideration.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Verse-centered publications with poems chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have consistently identified poems that stand out in this intensely competitive field.

Poetry Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Focuses specifically on poetry journals with established histories of Pushcart nominations.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

RHINO Poetry

General call

Submit to Rhino's Founders' Prize!
We are open August 1 – October 1 for submissions for our annual Founders' Prize Poetry Contest.
** Please note: in order to allow our team of editors to read each submission with care, we cap our submissions for each month that our reading window is open.  Once we’ve reached our submission cap, the window will remain closed until the first day of the following calendar month. If we've not yet met our cap by October 1, we may elect to keep the contest open longer.
Our 2026 guest judge, Allison Joseph, lives in Carbondale, Illinois, where she is on the faculty at Southern Illinois University. Her most recent collections of poems are  Dwelling (Red Hen Press, 2025), Blue Streak (Glass Lyre Press, 2025) Lexicon (Red Hen Press, 2021, PBTS Best Book Award winner), Any Proper Weave (Kelsay Books, 2022), Speak and Spell (Glass Lyre Press, 2022), and Confessions of a Barefaced Woman (Red Hen Press, 2018). Confessions of a Barefaced Woman won the 2019 Feathered Quill Book Award and was a finalist for the 2019 NAACP Image Award. She was named Illinois Author of the Year for 2022 by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. Her poems have appeared in the New York Times and in the Best American Poetry Series. She is the widow of beloved poet and editor Jon Tribble.
The winner will receive $500.00, publication in the next issue and on a featured spot on our website, and a nomination for a Pushcart Prize. Two runners up will receive $100.00, as well as publication in the next issue and on a featured spot on our website. We occasionally nominate a runner-up for a Pushcart Prize. All contest submissions are considered for publication and the Ralph Hamilton Editors’ Prize.
What to send:
· 3-5 poems or lyric prose pieces (500 words or fewer), totaling no more than 5 pages, in a single, typed document (doc, docx, or pdf).
· a copy of the work in its original language if you are sending a translation; the translator is responsible for obtaining the author’s permission to use their material.
· your best version. Although we don't accept edits or revisions once you submit, we don't reject work on the basis of minor errors.
· unpublished work, which includes work that has appeared online, or work already accepted for publication in a chapbook, book, or elsewhere.
Withdrawal Procedures:
If you wish to withdraw part of your submission, contact us via the MESSAGE function on Submittable. (A note won't reach us, but a message will.)
If you use the withdraw button in Submittable, your entire submission is withdrawn.
We assume you are submitting simultaneously, but trust that you will withdraw your poem or packet promptly if accepted elsewhere. Please be a good citizen of the poetry community and notify us as soon as possible of a withdrawal.
No Artificial Intelligence (AI) Content:
We do not accept any writing or translations created with AI software because our publication is an outlet for human creativity. If your work consciously and purposefully quotes lines generated by AI software, as with an allusion to another text or publication, you must cite your sources.

RHINO Poetry

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