We are currently closed for submissions.

General Requirements:

Fiction: Original fiction must be previously unpublished in print or online. Fiction must be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) file. We are currently accepting fiction with a maximum word count of 2,000 words. Only one fiction submission from an author will be accepted for review.

**Submissions over 2,000 words will not be considered.**

Nonfiction: Original nonfiction must be previously unpublished in print or online. Nonfiction must be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) file. We are currently accepting nonfiction with a maximum word count of 2,000 words. Only one nonfiction submission from an author will be accepted for review.

**Submissions over 2,000 words will not be considered.**

Poetry: Original poetry must be previously unpublished in print or online. Poems must be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) file. Only one poetry submission from an author will be accepted for review. No individual poem should exceed 2,000 words.

**Any submission containing multiple poems or additional submissions after the first will not be considered.**

Art: Original artwork must be previously unpublished in print or online. Artists of any level – professional, student, amateur – are welcome to submit. Original photography, paintings, illustrations, digital art, and graphic design will be considered. We do not accept AI art submissions. Submissions may include up to 5 image files in .jpeg format with a  minimum resolution of 300 dpi and a minimum of 1,024 pixels on the longest side. Files should be no larger than 7MB. Artists must include the title of the work and medium(s) used. Please submit each file separately. Some files may not come through if the size limit is exceeded.

**Files over 7MB will not be considered.**

Additional Requirements: 

• Documents should be sent in 12-pt Times New Roman font & double-spaced
• Please include a print-ready bio, written in the third person
• Submissions not formatted per requirements will be automatically deleted
• Pieces that depict gratuitous violence, hate, or excess gore will not be accepted
• AI policy: No submissions created with AI (either partially or totally) may be submitted for consideration
• We cannot accept submissions from individuals currently affiliated with Paper Dragon or Drexel University as a volunteer screener, intern, student, staff member, or faculty member.

Simultaneous Submissions: It is acceptable if you are submitting your work to other publications, but please let us know if it has been accepted elsewhere as soon as possible.

Rights: If your work is accepted for publication on Paper Dragon, we ask for the following rights:

• The right to edit the work
• 90-day exclusivity to publish the work on Paper Dragon
• The right to archive the work and host the work on Paper Dragon in perpetuity
• The right to publish the work in different media in the future, such as in an anthology and/or PDF/epub files
• The right to use the work for purposes of publicity and promotion

Accepted Work:

When work is accepted for publication, we will send a congratulatory email with a contract attached to be signed and returned to Paper Dragon by the date listed in the email. Instructions in the email must be followed so we can produce the journal on time. Contracts will not be accepted after the due date. If we do not receive your signed contract by the listed due date, your work will not be published and you will have to resubmit during the next submission call.

FINAL NOTE: Submissions must adhere to all stated requirements. Any requirement not satisfied will be considered an automatic rejection. If you have questions not covered here, please contact paperdragon@drexel.edu with “Paper Dragon” and the submission category in the subject line. You will hear back about the publication status of your submission within 90 days of receipt.