Saraba Magazine is open for submissions throughout the month of June. Deadline 30th June 2026
We are also accepting submissions for The Revival Project, a multi-phase archival and editorial initiative aimed at reclaiming, digitising, and celebrating significant African writing currently inaccessible to the modern digital reader.
General Submission Guidelines
Our publications and website reflect and represent the best of new writing from Africa. We are interested in writers whose work shows tremendous promise but has hardly been published in a major literary magazine.
Saraba’s staff is a small number of committed and enthusiastic but busy writers. As such, entries that do not keep to our guidelines would not be considered. Interested contributors should consider reading our recent publications.
During our open call, we ask prospective contributors to keep the following guidelines in mind:
- Send your unpublished work in any of our three broad categories: Fiction, Poetry and Nonfiction.
- Do not send in any material that has been published elsewhere in print or on the web, except specifically requested.
- Send no more than one work at a time, and wait for our response before you send another.
- All entries are read blind, so do not include your name anywhere in your submission file.
- The maximum word count for fiction works is 5,000, except otherwise announced.
- We will accept no more than 3 poems at a time, submitted in one document.
- The maximum word count for nonfiction is 5,000, and we accept a broad range of nonfiction: memoirs, interviews, personal essays, reviews, travel writing, creative journalism, etc.
- We are also open to visual art, including photography and illustrations. Send in high-resolution files.
- Send alongside a bio of not more than 200 words (in third person).
- After the submission deadline has expired, expect to hear from us within 3-4 months.
- We encourage contributors to send their work only when a call for submissions has been made on our announcements page.
- Chapbook: Unsolicited poetry will not be considered for the chapbooks. Publication of a chapbook is at the discretion of the publishers and the editors, who take into account previous publication in issues of the magazine and/or an author’s critical acclaim. Further enquiries should be directed to editor@sarabamag.com.
Our payment policy: Saraba magazine was founded and is run by writers, hence we value the time that goes into the process of making work. Although we aim to compensate our contributors in a manner commensurate with their labour, we are not able to offer any remuneration at this time. By submitting to Saraba, or agreeing to include your work in our publications, you agree to publish under these terms.
Call for Submissions: The Revival Project
Saraba Magazine is pleased to announce a new editorial initiative: The Revival Project.
In the rush of the digital age, what is “new” and “exciting” often takes centre stage. Exceptional African writing that lives in limited-run print journals, behind expensive paywalls, or on now-defunct websites has become “dark matter” – it exists but cannot be seen, especially by those on the continent.
We believe that tending to what has already been written is as vital as chasing the new. We are therefore seeking to reclaim these works and provide them with a permanent, open-access home. Hence, we are asking writers to help us “excavate” their own history, to help us give their work a second life.
What We Are Looking For
We are seeking submissions of previously published work (Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry) that is currently inaccessible online. We want the “hidden” gems: the essay from a 2009 print-only magazine issue, the short story tucked behind the paywall of a reputable literary journal, or the poem from a journal that has since folded.
Submission Categories
The project will be released in three distinct instalments:
- The Nonfiction Edition: Long-form essays, memoirs, and cultural criticism.
- The Fiction Edition: Short stories and novel excerpts.
- The Poetry Edition: Single poems or a packet.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for The Revival Project, your submission must meet the following criteria:
- Proof of Previous Publication: The work must have appeared in a recognised journal, magazine, or anthology.
- Digital Inaccessibility: The work must not be available via a direct, free-to-read web link. This includes work that was: published exclusively in print, published in a digital issue (PDF/Flipbook) without a standalone web version, or published on a website that is no longer active.
- Rights Status: You must currently hold the digital republication rights to the work. (Most standard contracts revert rights to the author after a specific period.)
Your submission must include:
1. A clean, digital copy of the work (Word or Google Doc preferred).
2. Original publication details (Name of publication, year, and format).
3. A short bio.
4. Confirmation that you hold the rights to republish the work.
Deadline: Submissions for the Saraba Revival Project close on 31st August 2026.
Guidelines...
- Send no more than one work at a time, and wait for our response before you send another.
- The maximum word count for fiction works is 5,000, except otherwise announced.
- Generally, we give attention to magazine entries that are based on our current theme. Please read the theme calendar for an idea of our forthcoming issues before submitting.
- Please send alongside a bio of not more than 50 words (in third person).
- Please only submit on www.saraba.submittable.com.
- Please send your unpublished work in any of our three broad categories: Fiction, Poetry and Nonfiction. Do not send in any material that has been published elsewhere in print or on the web.
- We will accept no more than 3 poems at a time.
- We are also open to digital art, mainly illustrations. Please send in high resolution jpeg files (not larger than 4 MB).
- Generally, we give attention to magazine entries that are based on our current theme. Please read the theme calendar for an idea of our forthcoming issues before submitting.
- Please send alongside a bio of not more than 200 words (in third person).
- Please send your unpublished work in any of our three broad categories: Fiction, Poetry and Non-Fiction. Do not send in any material that has been published elsewhere in print or on the web.
- Send no more than one work at a time, and wait for our response before you send another.
- We expect a broad range of new creative writing, including short memoirs, interviews, reviews, creative non-fiction, creative journalism, etc. The maximum count for this is 5,000 words.
- Generally, we give attention to magazine entries that are based on our current theme.
- Send alongside a bio of not more than 200 words (in third person).
- We are also open to visual art, including photography and illustrations. Send in low resolution jpeg files (not larger than 4 MB). If we like your work we will ask for larger resolution files.
- Generally, we give attention to magazine entries that are based on our current theme. See our announcements page for our open call.
- Please send alongside a bio of not more than 200 words (in third person).