submissions now open

by The Editors

We are thrilled to announce that sneaker wave magazine is officially open for submissions! We publish compelling true stories, and we want to read about your real life in your real words. You can submit a true story to us via our submission portal on Submittable.

sneaker wave submissions guidelines

sneaker wave magazine’s mission is to be a leading online home for compelling nonfiction storytelling. If you have written a compelling true story, submit it to us!

Submissions will be responded to on a rolling basis. Our submission window will be open through April 30, 2025, or until our cap of 300 submissions is reached.

We only publish nonfiction. No fiction or poetry, please. All submissions must be between 2,000 and 4,000 words. Standard formatting is expected: twelve-point font, double spacing, and page numbers, please.

Stories must be original, previously unpublished work. We acquire first serial rights in English and non-exclusive anthology rights. All submissions must come through Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are welcome! Please let us know if your submission has been accepted elsewhere.

We are a weekly nonfiction magazine and have an extensive editorial process that includes both developmental and polishing edits, via multiple rounds of revision with multiple editors in order to present your piece in the best possible light.

We offer three different types of submissions. All submissions will be considered for publication at sneaker wave magazine. Since our magazine prioritizes intensive developmental editing, we offer line-level essay feedback. If you would like a full essay markup with margin notes by one of our editors, select the “individual developmental edit” option ($150). For a full essay markup with margin notes by three of our editors, select “collective developmental edit” ($250). All edits are done by the editors on our masthead.

These fees go toward paying our writers and staff. Should your piece be accepted, the magazine will pay you a small honorarium the week after publication. We recognize this is just a token and not the true value of your work, and we hope to pay more in the future.

We look forward to reading your story. Thank you for considering sneaker wave magazine as a home for your writing!

The Editors