Closing Soon: Publish your creative writing on this site (Colorado authors)

NOTE: Submissions have now closed for this first round. Thank you to everyone that sent us their work! The winners from the first round were ‘Desert Spirits’ by Claire Ibarra and ‘Remember the Milky Way’ by Elisa Kuriyagawa.

In October, we launched CVL Vox, the first opportunity in a series featuring creative writing by Colorado’s authors. This first round will close on November 30, 2024. It’s not too late to submit a piece for consideration! Here’s all you need to know.

What we are looking for

Submissions up to 2,000 words in any genre, such as short story, flash fiction, poetry, nonfiction, essay, script, excerpt from a larger work, etc.

• Submissions do not have to be set in or specifically about Colorado, but you must be based here.
• Please be sure to include a short bio and a link to your website if you have one.
• Bear in mind this is a state government website. We can’t publish anything explicit, inflammatory, or overtly political. Other than that, we are open to any type of content.

What’s in it for writers?

Your piece will be featured on the front page of the Colorado Virtual Library website. CVL receives several hundred thousand views yearly and many of our posts get hits for years after initial publication. There are no monetary prizes for being selected.

Timeline

Again, for this first round, all submissions must be received by November 30, 2024. Two pieces will be published on CVL in early December 2024. Once we have a good idea of the number of submissions we can expect to receive going forward, we will decide on future publishing dates.

Other guidelines

• There are no entrance fees.
• This opportunity is open to all ages.
• Please don’t submit any AI generated work.
• We may ask for evidence that you are based in Colorado before we can publish your piece. Evidence would include any official documentation that shows Colorado residency.
• An author can submit two pieces for consideration each round, but we will not publish a single author more than twice in any 12-month period.
• It is the author’s responsibility to ensure they have the copyright/permissions to publish their piece on our site, before submitting it for our consideration.
• If you are interested in submitting a piece that has already been published, you may need permission from the original publisher.
• Images are allowed but the focus must be on written work.

How to submit

Email your full piece, as well as your bio, and a link to your website (if you have one) to cvlvox@coloradovirtuallibrary.org.