2026 Anthology Submission Guidelines

Theme: Seaworthy
(This can be interpreted loosely.)

Prose/Poetry submission dates: June 1 through August 30 (midnight)
Photo/Cover art deadline: September 15 (midnight)​

Who can submit: Any member of the Mendocino branch of the California Writers Club, in good standing, at the time of submission


Prose/Poetry/Nonfiction entry rules:
What to Submit:
  • Prose (fiction, nonfiction) or poetry, two pieces maximum. The two pieces, combined, may not exceed 4000 words
  • Send only publishing-ready pieces. Edit yourself for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and development BEFORE you submit. THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR JUDGING.


Submission Guidelines:
  • The pages must have one-inch margins and the writer must use 12pt Times New Roman font
  • Double space prose pieces
  • The submission must arrive in .RTF, .DOC or DOCX format. It will be returned if sent in another format. (No .PDF, .ODT, .DAT or any others will be accepted.)
  • DO NOT put your name anywhere on the piece itself. That information arrives with the attached piece in your email.
  • Each piece sent must be in a separate email. Send the piece as an attachment in a cover letter that states the genre type, word count, and the title.
  • Include with your submission a separate attachment with a 50-word biography written in the third person.
  • Paginate prose pieces and add the title of the piece to each page, but, again, your name should not appear anywhere on the piece.
  • Do not include any audio or visual explanations with your piece: it must stand alone.
  • Only unpublished work will be accepted. Self-published books count as published.
  • Email the pieces with “Seaworthy Submission” in the subject line to the 2026 editor, Elizabeth Vrenios, at [email protected].




Photo Submission Guidelines:
  • The contributor must own the rights to reproduce the image
  • Only digital submissions will be accepted
  • Include with each submission a photo title or physical location
  • Watermarks or other labeling must be removed from the photo
  • Submit pieces in high resolution and portrait mode (300 dpi is adequate)
  • Photos must be appropriate to the anthology theme Seaworthy
  • Photos will be printed without color, but color submissions are accepted.
  • Please submit no more than 10 photos.




For Cover Photos:
  • We are looking for color photos with images/patterns that have good contrast and allow areas where text can be placed, like sky or water, etc.
  • Landscape orientation for continuous front and back cover
  • Portrait orientation for front cover photos under the anthology title
  • Send artwork entries to Elizabeth Vrenios at [email protected]