$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: October 17th, 2025 - October 31, 2025.
• $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. Already published artists may be considered, though, so long as the submission in question has not been published in another publication 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/publication 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. With Custom Broadside Art. 

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 cash award. In addition to paid publication, the winner and runner up will be celebrated on our website and social media and receive a digital broadside for their poem, which will be exclusively designed by our talented artist and available for download and sharing. 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: October 17, 2025 - October 31, 2025
• $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.
• We do not accept any work that was produced by generative AI. If we find that AI was used in your work, it will be disqualified. We value your words and creativity! 
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please inform us at once when a current submission becomes unavailable. 

Cycles refer to a recurrent round or course of events. Stories could cut across the passing of time, a recurrent series of events, motions or even life itself. You could also think of cycles in terms of temporality and permanence, continuities and discontinuities, completions or entire life spans. Feel free to bring the theme to life with your creativity!

Send Touchstone your best story or stories fulfilling the theme of Cycles and show us your creativity! This project has a one-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 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 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.
• We do not accept any work written by generative AI. If we find that AI was used to write your piece, it will be disqualified. 

How do things, places or people oscillate in time? Movement often has to do with change- of position or posture, the passage of time, passage through places. We invite you to submit your best nonfiction pieces as they relate to journeys, time travels, migrations or displacements of people, things or places!

This nonfiction publication opportunity has a short submission window of one week, 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: October 24- October 31
• 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).
• We do not accept any work written by generative AI. If we find that AI was used to write your piece, it will be disqualified.