About Plenitude Magazine
Plenitude's Summer Poetry Contest is now open! One grand prize of $500 will go to one winner, with all submissions considered for regular publication. Contest deadline September 21. Click the submission category below for more details.
Our Genre Bender category is only open to Canadian writers at this time.
Canadian and non-Canadian submissions of Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction will all re-open on September 1, 2026.
Plenitude Magazine is Canada's only queer literary magazine. We promote the growth and development of LGBTQ2S+ literature through online publication of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, book reviews, and interviews by both emerging and established LGBTQ2S+ writers. We especially encourage BIPOC, trans, and/or disabled writers to submit their work.
We define queer literature and arts as works created by LGBTQ2S+ people, rather than works which feature queer content alone. While we are an LGBTQ2S+ magazine, we welcome submissions that explore themes outside of sexuality and gender orientation.
At this time we are not interested in poems or stories on themes of first experience, first love, or coming out. Many of our recent submissions have focused on these common topics, and lately we are on the hunt for new and exciting perspectives.
All of Plenitude's poetry, prose, and book reviews are open sourced, free and available to read on our website. We highly recommend reading examples of previously published work in the genre you wish to submit to get a feel for our style.
- Genre Bender: Text-based submissions should be no longer than 2000 words, and can include images in the body of the text. Genre-bending poems should be no longer than 5 pages long. Standalone literary images/photographs such as collages or cut-and-paste poems can be uploaded as .jpg or .png files.
- Poetry: Up to five pages of poetry, single spaced, in a 12-point font. Each poem should appear on a new page. Submit one file per submission with all poems in the same document.
- Fiction: One story per submission, double spaced, paginated, in a 12-point font, maximum 5,000 words.
- Creative Nonfiction: One piece per submission, double spaced, paginated, in a 12-point font, maximum 5,000 words.
- Book Reviews: Query the reviews editor for reviews (up to 1000 words): reviews(at)plenitudemagazine.ca
- Articles: Query the reviews editor for articles (up to 3000 words): reviews(at)plenitudemagazine.ca
A cover letter in the document you upload is not necessary. Instead, please enter your name, mailing address, email address, title of submission, and a 50-word bio into the Cover Letter section of the form. Let us know if you self identify as BIPOC, trans, and/or disabled.
NEW: please submit work only once per calendar year (January 1 to December 31) in only one genre. Multiple submissions in the same calendar year by the same writer will be rejected.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed; however, in the event your work is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your fiction, creative nonfiction, or genre bender submission directly from Submittable. For poems, email our editors at poetry@plenitudemagazine.ca with the title of poem(s) you wish to withdraw. We do not accept previously published work.
We aim for a response time up to six months for poetry, and up to nine months for prose.
Paying writers for their work is vital! As a Canadian magazine, we pay writer fees in Canadian dollars (CAD). Here is our current pay model:
- Poetry - $60 per poem
- Prose (Fiction/Creative Nonfiction) - $125 per story
- Genre Bender - $100 per piece
- Book Reviews - $100 per review
- Interviews - $100 per interview
Plenitude Magazine buys first serial rights; copyright remains with the author/creator.
The gist
- Plenitude’s Summer Poetry Contest is open globally to members of the LGBTQ2S+ community only – we are a gay, lesbian, bi, trans, and queer magazine for writers who identify as such!
- The contest judge is Misha Solomon
- We welcome submissions from previous Plenitude writers and submitters. Even if you currently have a submission pending, or have recently published with us, we want to read your contest entries!
- One winner will receive $500, in Canadian funds, and their winning poem will be published on our website
- The contest runs August 1 until September 21
Entries and contest fee
- The contest entry fee is $15 (Canadian dollars) and lets you submit up to three poems
- Each entry should consist of no more than three poems; we will only consider the first three poems in the file you upload
- We have no limits on the number of times you can submit, but the $15 fee must be paid each time
- Each poem should be no more than 100 lines
- All entries must remain anonymous – don’t put your name in the document or submission title
- We choose one poem as the winner, not one batch of three poems, so please title each of your poems
What to submit
- There is no theme to this contest
- We are an LGBTQ2S+ magazine, but we welcome submissions of poems that explore themes outside of sexuality and gender orientation
- Poems of a homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, racist, or overly violent nature are not welcome
- Previously published poems in any form, or poems currently under consideration for publication with a literary magazine, are also not welcome
- AI-generated? Stay away!
How to submit
- Send your contest entries and $15 entry fee using Submittable only
- Poems with no entry fee, or poems emailed to our editor, will not be considered
- We are a digital magazine, so your entry should be digital, as well (we can’t accept mailed entries)
- Upload your file with one, two, or three poems together, as a Word or PDF document
Cover letter
- In the Submittable cover letter section of your submission, list your name, country of residence, and titles of poems
- The cover letter section should be the only identifying area of your submission, and will be separated from your entry to maintain anonymity
The poem document
- The only thing your uploaded document should contain are the poems! (No cover letter or name)
- We like 12-point fonts, single spaced
- Each poem must start on a new line with each poem title in bold
This call is for hybrid submissions from Canadian writers. This includes Canadian citizens living in Canada or abroad; those who identify as Indigenous; and/or residents of Canada (temporary residents or refugees).
Plenitude's genre bender submission is open to hybrid works that don't fit into standard categories of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. We're seeking new and exciting pieces that blur the lines between categories: literary blends of two or all three standard genres (poetry/fiction/nonfiction); cut-and-paste flash fiction; found poems from legal documents; erasure; conversations; collage text; you name it! Surprise us. We look forward to reading your cutting-edge submission.
Text-based submissions should be no longer than 2000 words, and can include images in the body of the text. Genre-bending poems should be no longer than 5 pages long. Standalone literary images/photographs such as collages or cut-and-paste poems can be uploaded as .jpg or .png files.
A cover letter in the document you upload is not necessary. Instead, please enter your name, mailing address, email address, titles of poems, and a 50-word bio into the Cover Letter section of the form. Let us know if you self identify as BIPOC, trans, or disabled.
Please submit work only once per calendar year per genre. Multiple submissions in the same calendar year by the same writer will be rejected.
Writers will be paid $100 CAD upon acceptance of their work.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed; however, in the event your hybrid work is accepted elsewhere, please let us know. We do not accept previously published work.
Plenitude Magazine buys first serial rights; copyright remains with the author/creator.