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Since 1982, Inscape Journal has curated pieces that are both peculiar and gorgeous without compromising craftsmanship and excellence. Averse to gratuitous violence, language and sex, we look for pieces that treat sensitive subjects with maturity and respect. Our favorite submissions explore refreshing takes on both the fantastic and the everyday. As a staff firmly rooted in following Jesus Christ and His teachings, we hope for submissions from people of all religious perspectives, countries, cultures, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders, backgrounds, and experiences. To anyone who wanders into our journal, we welcome you to Inscape, home of the bizarre, believing, and beautiful.

Inscape publishes well–crafted fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art that embodies one or more of our five defining identities: smart, believing, peculiar, refreshing, and excellent.

Submission Guidelines:

  1. Inscape curates fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual arts pieces. You may submit the following number of submissions per category: 
    1. Poetry: 5
    2. Visual Arts: 5
    3. Fiction: 2
    4. Creative Nonfiction: 2
    5. Flash Fiction: 2
    6. Flash Nonfiction: 2
  2. If submitting multiple pieces, please submit them in one document.
  3. Literary submissions must be written in English and may not exceed 4,000 words. For the flash fiction and flash nonfiction categories, submissions must not exceed 1,000 words.
  4. Please submit literary works as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.
  5. Visual arts submissions must be scanned at 300 DPI or higher and saved as a .jpeg or .tiff image. Art submissions may include photography, paintings, drawings, digital art, sculpture, textile, etc. Performance art and musical scores will not be considered for publication.
  6. Do not include your name in any of the attachments.
  7. Do not submit previously published work unless you are submitting to the Alumni issue. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please let us know if your piece has been accepted somewhere else. We will accept previously published work if the writer retains publishing rights for ONLY our alumni issue. 
  8. Current Inscape staff members may not be considered for publication. Staff members may submit their work in order to get blind workshop feedback; however, you must talk to the chief editors prior to doing so.
  9. We do not accept pieces that invoke the name of deity as an expletive.
  10. We do not accept unsolicited craft essays, but we do accept inquiries from professionals in the arts. Contact our editors at inscape.editors@byu.edu. 
  11. Any submission that does not follow these guidelines will not be considered.

All submissions should be submitted at https://inscapejournalbyu.submittable.com/submit?fbclid=IwAR3pNxJB3VDi1rPtAQcbUaklGLpa6XfnTBn0EQzQwBtO5Nj-veWKYDMcIvY

Reading Period

Reading Period: We accept submissions year-round. However, to be considered for a particular edition, please follow the deadlines below.

Fall 2025 Issue: Submissions close February 20th, 2025

We carefully review every submission; this process often takes several months. For the Winter 2025 Issue, you can expect to hear back by December 20th, 2024.

Inscape observes US Fair Use copyright doctrine which states that 

  1. authors must own the copyright of their submitted work and have full power to enter into a publication agreement with Inscape and to convey any rights they may grant to Inscape. 
  2. the author’s submitted work constitutes their own original work or gives credit for ideas or material not their own, and does not in any way violate copyright. 
  3. the author’s submitted work may not defame, invade the privacy of, violate the civil rights of, or infringe upon the rights of any individuals or third parties.
  4. the author has permission to submit a particular work to Inscape on behalf of all other authors in the event the submitted work has more than one author.