Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Work must be previously unpublished. Contributors will receive two copies of the issue in which they are published, an opportunity to purchase additional copies at half-price, and a one-year subscription. We do not offer any monetary remuneration for publication.
Note: Current NYU students and recent (within last 3 years) graduates are not eligible to submit to Washington Square.
The Spring 2027 New Voices Award will be open to poetry submissions. The NYU MFA faculty judge will be Catherine Barnett. The winner will receive $1,500 and publication in the journal (in print and online). For more information, go to our website here.
No contact or identifying information may appear anywhere on the submission.
Submissions should be no more than 5 poems or 10 pages of poems, with each new poem appearing on a new page.
Submissions must be previously unpublished. If this is a simultaneous submission, please notify us via Submittable if your work is selected for publication elsewhere.
Eligibility
This contest is for emerging writers. You are NOT eligible if you:
- Have published a book or have a book forthcoming before March 1, 2026. (Not included: chapbooks with a print run of less than 300.)
- Are affiliated with NYU as a student or faculty member or could be affiliated with NYU in the coming year.
- Are a graduate of the NYU MFA program or recent (within the last five years) NYU MFA affiliate.
- Are a previous winner or finalist
Fees & Fee Waivers
The submission fee includes a three-issue subscription to Washington Square Review.
We would like to extend fee waivers to writers who are Black, Indigenous, of Palestinian descent, other writers of color, and those for whom the fee presents a financial hardship. Please email us at wsr@nyu.edu for a waiver.
Fiction submissions should not exceed 5,000 words. One story per submission, and only one submission per author, per submission period. See the rest of our guidelines here. Submissions for Issue 57 will close on September 15th.
We aim to respond to all submissions within three months. Please do not query about the status of your submission before December 2026.
Creative nonfiction submissions should not exceed 5,000 words. One piece per submission, and only one submission per author, per submission period. You can read the rest of our guidelines here.
We aim to respond to all submissions within three months. Please do not query the status of your submission before December 2026.
We publish poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction in translation. Please submit both the original and the translation whenever possible. Translators are expected to have identified the original copyright holder and obtained confirmation that the translation rights are available before submitting, and, if accepted, are responsible for securing those rights. Poetry submissions should not exceed five poems and prose submissions should not exceed 5,000 words.
We aim to respond to submissions within three months. Please do not query the status of your submission before December 2026. Submissions for Issue 57 will close on September 15, 2026.