We publish literary writing of the highest quality. We look for poetry and short fiction that startles and entertains us. Reviews, essays, memoir pieces and features should be erudite, lucid and incisive. We are obviously interested in writing that has a London focus, but not exclusively so, since London is a world city with international concerns.
Please refer to The London Magazine before you submit work, so that you can see the type of material we publish.
Submissions will not be read if they stray over the word limits, or if they are not presented according to our submission guidelines.
All submissions sent to The London Magazine must never have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed (as in 2nd, 3rd, runner up etc) in any competition.
Due to the volume of submissions, it may take some time before you receive a response. We do read and reply to every submission. Please allow up to 12 weeks.
We will be open for free submissions during the following periods:
1 – 30 September
1 – 30 November
1 – 31 January
1 – 31 March
1 – 31 May
1 – 31 July
We charge a fee of £3.00 for submissions outside of those windows but if you are a low-income writer and would like to apply for free entry, please contact us at info@thelondonmagazine.org. During periods in which our prizes are live, we will be closed for any other submissions in that genre
The London Magazine is the UK’s oldest literary magazine, proud to have published some of the biggest names in poetry including T. S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath and Philip Larkin. Past winners include Kathryn Bevis, Jay Gao and Isabelle Baafi.
Now, continuing that tradition, we launch our 2025 Poetry Prize. We are delighted to announce that entries will be judged by: Fiona Benson, Jason Allen-Paisant and Mai Serhan.
Established to encourage emerging literary talent, the award provides an opportunity for publication and recognition. While there is no criteria as to theme, form or style, judges are looking for resonant and accomplished work.
Poems must be previously unpublished and no longer than 40 lines. Submissions are open for international entries.
All three prize winners will appear in a print issue of The London Magazine. Prize winners will also receive cash prizes, and will be celebrated at a prize-giving event in the summer.
This year, in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, all profits from the entry fees will be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians.
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Information
Entry fee: £10 per poem
Subsequent entries: £5 per poem
Student/Low Income Entry: £5 per poem (Must be submitted with a valid university email address)
Note: There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit.
Opening date: 23rd December 2024
Closing date: 31st March 2025
First Prize: £500
Second Prize: £300
Third Prize: £200
- The London Magazine will have the unrestricted right to publish winning submissions (including runners-up) in the magazine and online.
- Subsequent entries should be submitted separately in individual entry forms through Submittable and not in the same document.
- Make sure to include your completed entry form with your submission if submitting by any means other than Submittable. This can be downloaded from our website and sent to us by email or post.
- Please read our competition rules carefully before entering. If you have any questions, please contact Zadie at zadie.loft@thelondonmagazine.org
Short fiction should address mature and sophisticated themes. Moreover, it should have an elegance of style, structure and characterisation.
We do not normally publish science fiction, fantasy writing or erotica.
We will consider short stories of up to 4,000 words in length.
Non-fiction pieces should be between 800 and 2,000 words. Single inverted commas should be used for all quotes/speech. Titles of works including books, plays, film and paintings should be in italics.