A press and annual journal devoted to finding the best in fiction, poetry, and experimental forms.

Driftwood Press is an independent publisher and literary magazine founded in Tampa, FL in 2013, then moved to Austin, TX in 2024; currently, we have staff members in Austin, Tallahassee, New York City, Broomfield, Attica, and West Chester. We publish a variety of genres including poetry, fiction, comics, visual art, and more. 

Driftwood Press

General call

We are excited to announce Driftwood Press' poem contest is open! This yearly contest will honor a single poem that stands out to our editors as truly exceptional. This year's contest has no theme, and is open to anyone. We want your most beautiful, most mind-bending, and most devastating poems. 


 
Below are the fully contest guidelines. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at editor@driftwoodpress.net. We cannot wait to read your work!
 
Timeline

  Submissions will be open from September 1st to January 31st.
  Winner will be announced in April or May.
  Winner & finalists will be published in our annual anthology.

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 Awards

  The winning poet will receive $300 USD, five copies of the anthology they appear in, and the opportunity to participate in a standout interview about their work.
  Up to five finalist will be selected as well. Finalists will receive $50 USD, publication in Driftwood Press' annual anthology, and a free copy of the anthology they appear in.

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Guidelines

  Submitters may send up to five poems in a single document for consideration.
  Each poem must not exceed sixty lines.
  Prose poetry, experimental poetry, and poetry with a visual element are all welcome. Collaborations are also welcome, just know that you will be required to evenly split the $300 USD reward money amongst however many contributors there are.
  We do not accept translations, and any submissions should be written primarily in English.
  We do not accept previously published poems.
  We read submissions anonymously, so please do not include your name, email, or any identifying characteristics on the manuscript itself.
  You may include a cover letter/biography, but these are not read by editors and hold no sway in our selection process.
  While AI may be a useful tool for research, we do not accept AI generated works.
  Submission fee is $25.00 USD. Each submitter will receive a free copy of a Driftwood Press poetry collection of their choosing in the mail.

Poetry  |  In-House Poem Contest

Poetry | Full Collection

Adrift Short Story Contest

We are excited to announce our fifth annual Adrift Chapbook Contest. We are consistently in awe of the fabulous manuscripts submitted to this contest, and we are looking forward to receiving your amazing poems!

Adrift Chapbook Contest

Fiction | Novella

This is the Premium Fiction submission category, where you can receive an extremely quick, roughly one-week response &amp; one of our books mailed to your U.S. home. <div><br></div><div>This category is only open two months per year, and unlike the other fiction categories, only one editor considers your submission (though this judge is almost always the Managing Fiction Editor). </div><div><br></div><div><div>We stray away from young adult, fantasy, romance, uncontained novel chapters, and mainstream mystery fiction. </div><div><br></div><div>While we're interested in experimentalism and stream of consciousness (not auto-writing), we do expect a story to have narrative momentum. Oftentimes, we're drawn to stories with a hint of surrealism, but we publish a little bit of every genre.</div><div><br></div><div>Please use single spacing and make sure the document is '.doc' or '.docx' file type. </div><div>Please do not submit PDFs. ​ </div><div>Normal submissions are open during the months of February and August; we pay $200 for stories accepted through this category. </div><div>You may submit to our short story contests Sept-Jan &amp; Mar-July. </div><div>We read submissions blind.</div></div>

Driftwood Press

Highlights

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Featured Call

Poetry | In-House Poem Contest