$25 Cash Prize ($15 Runner-Up Prize). Two Pieces of Art.

Emerge with us!

In Fall 2020, Touchstone transformed into what you see today: a fully digital magazine, open to all writers and artists nationally and internationally, with an annual issue series that is FREE and available digitally; an open platform that shares and celebrates our favorite works with all of our readers, old and new.

We are immensely proud of our debut online issues, but as we continue to grow, we also understand how hard it is for an emerging creators to enter the publishing world for the first time. If you have never published piece of visual art with a magazine, we’d like to invite you to emerge with us. Let us be the first home for your art!

The Debut Prize is set to usher artists into the gate and celebrate their debut in the literary community (yes, art is indeed part of the literary tradition). The Debut Prize in Art recognizes two pieces of art, and their outstanding creators, with a $25 cash award and $15 runner-up award. In addition to paid publication, the winner will be celebrated on our website and social media. Due to the selective nature of this contest, we might not be able to accept all the strong submissions we adore. With artists’ permission, we will gladly consider such works for publication in our annual issue.

Touchstone Literary Magazine seeks art that provides touchstones for discovery. Who are we? And what is this strange world we find ourselves in? And, most important of all, how do we make sense of any of it? We're looking for art that teases out the truths of life. Art that expresses what words have failed to define. Art that helps us understand and makes discovery possible

Send us your best. We can't wait to discover.

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Submission Guidelines

• Submissions period: September 28th, 2026 - October 12th, 2026.
• $3 donation per submission. Multiple paid submissions are allowed. 100% of your donation will go toward supporting our magazine (Submittable and website fees, paying our future contributors, etc.).
• You may submit 1-5 pieces
• We will accept all mediums: painting, digital art, photography, experimental, sculpture, multimedia, etc. We do not accept AI generated art, and all AI generated submissions will be disqualified.
• Submissions are open to all new artists who have not had their work published before. 
• One art piece should appear on a single page with the following information at the bottom right: title, media, dimension, & date of completion
• Each new piece should start on a new page. The artist’s name and personal information should not appear on the submission itself.
• Your work may be in any style or subject. We simply want to see your best work. Surprise us. Move us. Expand our understanding of art. Remind us what great art can do.
• Please include a cover letter with your submission. Your cover letter should include the title of your pieces and a 25-100 word bio in third person. It can be about anything. Commonly, the bio contains such things as pronouns, education history, state of residence, current occupation (if applicable), hobbies/interests, etc.
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please inform us at once when it becomes unavailable.

We look forward to receiving your work!

$25 Cash Prize ($15 Runner-Up Prize). One Poem. 

Emerge with us!  As a literary magazine that supports and amplifies new voices, we understand how hard it is for an emerging poet to enter the publishing world for the first time. The Debut Prize is set to usher writers into the gate and celebrate their debut in the literary community.  

The Debut Prize in Poetry recognizes two poems, two never-published poets, with a $25 and $15 (respectively) cash award. In addition to paid publication, the winner will be celebrated on our website and social media. Due to the selective nature of this contest, we might not be able to accept all the strong poems we adore. With poets’ permission, we will gladly consider such poems for publication in our regular online series.

For an example, click here to read 2020's Debut Prize in Poetry winner: "unplugged" by Ayaz Siddiqui. ________________________________________________________________  

Submission Guidelines 

• Submissions period: September 28th, 2026 - October 12th, 2026
• $3 donation per submission. Multiple paid submissions are allowed. 100% of your donation will go toward supporting our magazine (Submittable and website fees, paying our future contributors, etc.).
• Submissions are open to all poets who have never been published by a literary magazine before. Self-published poets are welcome if the work you are submitting has not been published on personal platforms (social media, blog post, etc).
• At the moment, we accept poems primarily written in English. 
• Poems may be any style, format, or subject. We simply want to see your best work. Surprise us. Move us. Expand our understanding of poetry. Remind us what a good poem can do. 
• 1-3 poems or 5 pages max per submission, whichever comes first. 
• Please consistently keep the font 12pt, single-spaced, Times New Roman or Garamond, unless a poem demands weird spacing and wonky fonts.
• Include all poems in one document, each new poem starting on a separate page. Your name or other identifying information should not appear anywhere in your submission unless it’s part of the theme of the poem.
• Please include a brief cover letter and a third-person author bio (25-75 words for the bio) in the submittable portion. A paragraph or two will suffice--just tell us a bit about you beyond your work.
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please inform us at once when a current submission becomes unavailable. 

Have you ever imagined your words as blocks of clay, moldable to your hands? Have you ever wanted to take something once created and reshape it, turn it anew? The resistance of solid form, transformations abound, the revolution of thoughts and ideas. Consider reform as the seed of improvement, hope's beckoning call--in life, in art, in structure. Change for the better, reform asks us to constantly resist the temptation of stagnation. We invite you to submit your best fiction works surrounding these ideas of reformation, transformation, revolution, hope, and change. Feel free to bring this theme to life with your creativity!  

Send Touchstone your best story or stories fulfilling the theme of Reform and show us your creativity! This project has a two-week submission window, and the selected story for this project will enjoy digital publication on Touchstone's website. Please make sure to follow the guidelines below for your submission.

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Submission Guidelines

• Stories may be about any topic, setting, or character. Genre fiction is welcome! Stories should be polished, and ready for print, though editors might reach out to make some editorial adjustments as they see fit. Writers will have a chance to review edits before they are published.
• We accept short stories (6,000 words max) or flash fiction (less than 1,000 words). Novel excerpts and stories that exceed the maximum word count will not be read. You may submit up to two stories, each of at least 1,000 words per piece. Please include both stories in the same document before uploading to Submittable.
• Please consistently keep the font 12pt, single-spaced, Times New Roman or Garamond, and the pages numbered.
• Your name or other identifying information should not appear anywhere in your document submission.
• Please include a brief cover letter and a third-person author bio (25-75 words for the bio) on the Submittable form. A paragraph or two will suffice--just tell us a bit about you.
• Simultaneous submissions to other journals are fine, but please do let us know immediately if your piece is no longer available.
• At the moment, we accept stories primarily written in English.
• $3 donation per submission. 100% of your donation will go toward supporting our magazine (Submittable fees, website domain, etc). We'd also love to continue paying our debut contributors. Your donation help us to do just that!
• To protect our readers, please provide a content warning if your work contains anything potentially triggering such as sexual assault, animal abuse, or anything else graphic or violent.

How far can you push something, until there is no give left? How do we define ourselves, and what effect does that have on us? When considering boundaries, we often think of restriction. The walls we put up in defense of our self, the cages that the world fits us in. Yet boundaries are oft artificial, demarcated lines of us vs. them. Boundaries are also our way of keeping ourselves safe, happy. We need boundaries to navigate the terrain of others. What do boundaries mean to you? Are they constrictive prisons? Something that does not allow others to see the real you? Or are boundaries a lifeline? A means of comfort? Consider this idea of boundaries, these borders, walls, and cages that make up the framework of your life. We invite you to submit your best nonfiction pieces that relate to these concepts of boundaries, both the good and the bad. 

This nonfiction publication opportunity has a short submission window of two weeks, which will allow us to get back to you in a few short weeks. Pieces selected for publication will be digitally published by Touchstone.

Submission Guidelines:

• Submission period: September 28th-October 12th.
• Pieces submitted should be between 1500-5000 words, with a maximum of two pieces submitted per person. 
• 12-point font, preferably in Times New Roman or Garamond. Please do not include your name or title in the header line of your piece. Unless needed for emphasis, nonfiction pieces should be double-spaced and adhere to general fiction formatting.
• Include a brief cover letter and a third-person bio of between 25-75 words in the cover letter box. A paragraph or two will suffice--just tell us a bit about you beyond your work.
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please let us know in advance if your work has been accepted elsewhere.
• If your piece contains sensitive material (i.e. sexual or mental abuse, violence, sexual assault, self-harm, etc.), please establish a content warning, either in the cover letter box or before the piece itself. Pieces that explore these topics in problematic ways (celebratory or otherwise) will be rejected.
• At the moment, we accept stories primarily written in English.
• $3 donation per submission. 100% of your donation will go toward supporting our magazine (Submittable fees, website domain, etc).