The Sublingua Prize for Poetry (1st Book Award) 

The Sublingua prize is dedicated to the discovery of an exceptional debut poetry collection written in English by a female-identifying writer of any citizenship residing in the United States who has not yet published or self-published a full-length manuscript in any genre nor a chapbook exceeding 30 pages. The poetry manuscript can be a hybrid, that is, it can intersect with any genre, including speculative prose and visual elements (note: we do not publish photographs and do not print in color); essentially, we are looking for work that celebrates hybridity and resists genre specificity.

Judged by the editors of Inverted Syntax*, one winner will be selected with the possibility of runners-up.     

Winner receives:

• Publication with Inverted Syntax Press (using Bookmobile for printing and Itasca Books for distribution).
• 25 author copies.
• $500 prize money.
• 5%-10% standard royalties on net receipts. 
• Assistance in planning a reading launch with other writers within the winner's state and elsewhere when possible.
• Inverted Syntax-hosted online reading launch
• Weeklong writing retreat to a historic Victorian home located in Leadville, Colorado, with up to four members of your writing community.

NOTE: Inverted Syntax may also offer a runner-up publication of another manuscript in addition to the winner. This runner-up author will receive everything listed above with the exception of the $500 prize.

• ​All other submission entries are also considered for publication and long-listing.                               
  • Any work published beyond the winner and runner-up will receive everything listed above with the exception of the prize money and the writing retreat.
     

Contest guidelines:

• The Sublingua Prize for Poetry (1st Book Award) is open to female-identifying emerging writers of any citizenship residing in the United States who have not yet published or self-published a full-length manuscript in any genre, nor a chapbook exceeding 30 pages. ​
• We encourage genre-breaking writing--hybrid, speculative, and experimental submissions.
• Inclusion of other languages/ code-switching/meshing is very much welcome as long as the book is largely written in English.
• We will accept submissions between June 6 and August 15. The winner will be announced 6 months after the submission window closes. 
• Please send a manuscript that is between 48-80 pages, not including front matter.
• The manuscript should be paginated and include a table of contents. 
• Do not put your name on any page within the manuscript or in the file name.
• Include an acknowledgements page, for example, list any previously published poems.
• We accept simultaneous submissions. Notify us immediately if your work is picked up elsewhere. 
• We accept multiple submissions, but each submission must be accompanied by its own fee.
• We will not accept changes to your manuscript during our review period. 
• Anyone affiliated with the editors or reading staff of Inverted Syntax is not eligible. 
• Any writer residing outside of the USA is not eligible.
• Submission Fee is $20 
• If the submission costs are a burden, please include an explanation of your situation and why you want to publish with Inverted Syntax, and we will send you a waiver for a reduced fee of $10.

Additional guidelines:

• Inverted Syntax strongly encourages diverse and inclusive voices, especially those from under-represented and vulnerable communities, to consider submitting work to Inverted Syntax.
• ​Manuscripts are screened carefully by our aesthetically diverse volunteer editorial staff. If you are interested in being a reader for the Prize, contact us at invertedsyntax@gmail.com 
• ​Before you submit, check that your work meets our standards. Work is automatically ignored, rejected, declined, dismissed if it contains any manner of abusive behavior and this extends to the creators of said work. To be clear: NO racism, NO misogyny, NO homophobia, NO sexism, NO transphobia, NO body-shaming, NO Islamophobia, NO Anti-semitism, NO xenophobia, absolutely no work that in any way perpetuate stereotypes. 

*​​​Inclusivity statement:

We value and respect all volunteers, readers, subscribers, submitters, and participants, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education, and/or disability. Inverted Syntax editors are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive, and welcoming environment where our community of contributors and supporters feel valued. 

Inverted Syntax stands in solidarity with the Palestinian plight for liberation. Read our October 2023 letter for more information. 

The Aggrey-Tabbikha Prize for Poetry:

The Aggrey Tabbikha Prize for Poetry (previously two separate prizes) is dedicated to the discovery of exceptional first- or second-poetry collections written in English by a writer who identifies as Black or as part of the S.W.A.N.A diaspora, residing within the United States, regardless of citizenship. Named after the Aggrey family of Ghana, and Tabbica/Tabbikha family of Lebanon, the prize honors and amplifies original poetry by Black and S.W.A.N.A writers whose communities remain underrepresented in contemporary literature. We seek work that reflects on intersectional perspectives, including those that delve into themes of identity, cultural heritage, social justice, resilience, and the complexities of these narratives, fostering solidarity and empowerment. While there is no set theme, we encourage genre-breaking, hybrid work (can intersect with any genre including original visuals, excluding photography), as well as speculative, and experimental writing. Inclusion of other languages/code-switching/meshing is very much welcome as long as the book is largely written in English. 

Judged by the editors of Inverted Syntax*, one winner will be selected with the possibility of runners-up.     

    Winner receives:

• Publication with Inverted Syntax Press (using Bookmobile for printing and Itasca Books for distribution).
• 25 author copies.
• $500 prize money.
• 5%-10% standard royalties on net receipts. 
• Assistance in planning a reading launch with other writers within the winner's state and elsewhere when possible.
• Inverted Syntax-hosted online reading launch
• Weeklong writing retreat to a historic Victorian home located in Leadville, Colorado, with up to four members of your writing community.

NOTE: Inverted Syntax may also offer a runner-up publication of another manuscript in addition to the winner. This runner-up author will receive everything listed above with the exception of the $500 prize.

• ​All other submission entries are also considered for publication and long-listing.                                                                  
  • Any work published beyond the winner and runner-up will receive everything listed above with the exception of the prize money and the writing retreat. 

    Contest guidelines:

• The Aggrey Tabbikha Prize for Poetry is open to writers who identify as Black and S.W.A.N.A, of any citizenship, residing in the United States who have published no more than one book in any genre.​
• Inclusion of other languages/ code-switching/meshing is very much welcome as long as the book is largely written in English.
• Theme:  We seek work that reflects on intersectional perspectives, including those that delve into themes of identity, cultural heritage, social justice, resilience, and the complexities of these narratives, fostering solidarity and empowerment. While there is no set theme, we encourage genre-breaking, hybrid work (can intersect with any genre including original visuals, excluding photography), as well as speculative, and experimental writing. Inclusion of other languages/code-switching/meshing is very much welcome as long as the book is largely written in English. 
• We will accept submissions between June 6 and August 15. The winner will be announced 6 months after the submission window closes. 
• Please send a manuscript that is between 50-80 pages, not including front matter.
• The manuscript should be paginated and include a table of contents. 
• Do not put your name on any page within the manuscript or in the file name.
• Include an acknowledgements page, for example, list any previously published poems.
• We accept simultaneous submissions. Notify us immediately if your work is picked up elsewhere. 
• We accept multiple submissions, but each submission must be accompanied by its own fee.
• We will not accept changes to your manuscript during our review period. 
• Anyone affiliated with the editors or reading staff of Inverted Syntax is not eligible. 
• Any writer residing outside of the USA is not eligible.
• Submission Fee is $20 
• If the submission costs are a burden, please include an explanation of your situation and why you want to publish with Inverted Syntax, and we will send you a waiver for a reduced fee of $10.

Additional guidelines:

• Inverted Syntax strongly encourages diverse and inclusive voices, especially those from under-represented and vulnerable communities, to consider submitting work to Inverted Syntax.
• ​Manuscripts are screened carefully by our aesthetically diverse volunteer editorial staff. If you are interested in being a reader for the Prize, contact us at invertedsyntax@gmail.com 
• ​Before you submit, check that your work meets our standards. Work is automatically ignored, rejected, declined, dismissed if it contains any manner of abusive behavior and this extends to the creators of said work. To be clear: NO racism, NO misogyny, NO homophobia, NO sexism, NO transphobia, NO body-shaming, NO Islamophobia, NO Anti-semitism, NO xenophobia, absolutely no work that in any way perpetuate stereotypes. 

*​​​Inclusivity statement:

We value and respect all volunteers, readers, subscribers, submitters, and participants, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education, and/or disability. Inverted Syntax editors are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive, and welcoming environment where our community of contributors and supporters feel valued. 

Inverted Syntax stands in solidarity with the Palestinian plight for liberation. Read our October 2023 letter for more information. 

What we are looking for in Fissured Tongue:

We seek to publish unorthodox approaches to form and aesthetics. We love work that is non genre, those that straddle multiple categories, and you may submit previously unpublished work to the following categories:  flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and poetry. We also publish visual art. Just keep in mind that we hesitate to offer concrete definitions, because we don’t like limits. We might not know we love something until we see it. Send us what you think is missing—it could be what we’ve been searching for.​ 

Fissured Tongue Series Guidelines for Poetry

• Please submit 6-8 poems in a single document. 
• Poems may be single-spaced. 
• Each new poem should begin on a new page.  

About Fissured Tongue Series:

Fissured Tongue Series is the online magazine imprint of Inverted Syntax Press. We seek to publish unorthodox approaches to form and aesthetics. We love work that is non genre, those that straddle multiple categories, however you may submit previously unpublished work to the following categories:  flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and poetry. We also publish visual art. To get a better sense of what we are looking for, check out ourStore for print issues 1-5 and our Fissured Tongue Volumes. We also suggest checking out our instagram, facebook, and twitter feeds and stories to see what's on our minds, what we are leaning towards or excited about. Most importantly,  get familiar with our mission and our masthead. Just keep in mind that we hesitate to offer concrete definitions of what we are looking for because we don’t like limits. We might not know we love something until we see it. Send us what you think is missing—it could be what we’ve been searching for. 

What we are looking for in Fissured Tongue:

We seek to publish unorthodox approaches to form and aesthetics. We love work that is non genre, those that straddle multiple categories, and you may submit previously unpublished work to the following categories:  flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and poetry. We also publish visual art. Just keep in mind that we hesitate to offer concrete definitions, because we don’t like limits. We might not know we love something until we see it. Send us what you think is missing—it could be what we’ve been searching for.​ 

Fissured Tongue Series Guidelines for Flash Fiction

• Flash Fiction Submit ONE piece (800 words) or no more than TWO pieces of flash fiction (400 words each) in one document.  No exceptions. 

About Fissured Tongue Series:

Fissured Tongue Series is the online magazine imprint of Inverted Syntax Press. We seek to publish unorthodox approaches to form and aesthetics. We love work that is non genre, those that straddle multiple categories, however you may submit previously unpublished work to the following categories:  flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and poetry. We also publish visual art. To get a better sense of what we are looking for, check out ourStore for print issues 1-5 and our Fissured Tongue Volumes. We also suggest checking out our instagram, facebook, and twitter feeds and stories to see what's on our minds, what we are leaning towards or excited about. Most importantly,  get familiar with our mission and our masthead. Just keep in mind that we hesitate to offer concrete definitions of what we are looking for because we don’t like limits. We might not know we love something until we see it. Send us what you think is missing—it could be what we’ve been searching for. 

What we are looking for in Fissured Tongue:

We seek to publish unorthodox approaches to form and aesthetics. We love work that is non genre, those that straddle multiple categories, and you may submit previously unpublished work to the following categories:  flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and poetry. We also publish visual art. Just keep in mind that we hesitate to offer concrete definitions, because we don’t like limits. We might not know we love something until we see it. Send us what you think is missing—it could be what we’ve been searching for.​ 

Fissured Tongue Series Guidelines for Flash NonFiction

• Flash Creative NonFiction Submit ONE piece (800 words) or no more than TWO pieces of flash fiction (400 words each) in one document.  No exceptions. 
• We are not interested in scholarly articles.

About Fissured Tongue Series:

Fissured Tongue Series is the online magazine imprint of Inverted Syntax Press. We seek to publish unorthodox approaches to form and aesthetics. We love work that is non genre, those that straddle multiple categories, however you may submit previously unpublished work to the following categories:  flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and poetry. We also publish visual art. To get a better sense of what we are looking for, check out ourStore for print issues 1-5 and our Fissured Tongue Volumes. We also suggest checking out our instagram, facebook, and twitter feeds and stories to see what's on our minds, what we are leaning towards or excited about. Most importantly,  get familiar with our mission and our masthead. Just keep in mind that we hesitate to offer concrete definitions of what we are looking for because we don’t like limits. We might not know we love something until we see it. Send us what you think is missing—it could be what we’ve been searching for. 

• Please submit 6-8 pieces of art in any medium. No photography.
• Please send a web-readable format (we prefer .jpeg). 
• Include title, medium, size and year for each piece
• Please compile your art into ONE PDF
• For sculptures, send photos of each piece as you would want them to appear.

Please note that we rarely decline art and your submission may remain in progress indefinitely. We may as needed, as it suits a current Fissured Volume, return to your submission for consideration.