The Fabulist accepts submissions across multiple creative forms by invitation only or during periodic open calls.
- If we have an open call running, you can access the submissions portal by clicking the button at the bottom of this page. (No button=no open call.)
- Guidelines & open calls: You can access details about current open calls, submissions guidelines, our AI policy (hint: NO), details on payments, contracts and more by visiting our submissions page on our website: https://fabulistmagazine.com/about/submissions/
- Follow us: For updates on current and forthcoming open calls, our latest publications, and other Fabulist news, follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Facebook, or subscribe to our email newsletter.
What we’re looking for: The Fabulist is widely interested in the possibilities of speculative and fantastical literature, poetry, visual art and related nonfiction. We love genre, though genre should not be considered a constraint. We do not publish mainstream or realist creative works — some element of the fantastic or speculative must be present to be a good fit for our pages. In particular, we’re concerned with art as a means toward liberation, though this can express itself in a myriad ways. The bottom line for us is creative work that tells us something about what it means to be human. This is a broad mandate for creators to reach for the proverbial brass ring …
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK: Click the submissions button that appears below during open calls. No button, no open call.
THIS CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS OPENS APRIL 17, AND RUNS THROUGH MAY 17
The Fabulist Magazine welcomes visual art submissions in a fantastical vein for our 2026 publishing cycle.
Please review the following guidelines, and use the Submittable button at the bottom of this page to submit your work.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
The Fabulist publishes art with a fantastical inclination, and welcomes flavors of the absurd, surreal, magic realist, and strange/bizarre. Artworks can invoke fantasy and science fiction, myth, folklore/fairy-stories, dreams, and comics; and can explore symbolism, the subconscious, human nature, identity, horror, mystery, and the unknown/unknowable. Regardless of the foregoing, some fantastical element is what makes the difference.
We love genre work, but please do not consider genre a constraint! As long as your work reaches beyond the traditionally realist, we would love to see it.
- Selected works may be used on the cover and interiors of our print edition, and will be available on our website following print publication.
- To get a sense of the work we’ve published so far, please review our art galleries and archives.
MEDIUM
Any form of visual art will be considered, including, but not limited to:
- Painting
- Illustration
- Comics
- Mixed Media
- Photography
- Film & Video — up to five (5) minutes
- Documentation (Performance/Music/Dance/Theater)
AI/LLM POLICY
The Fabulist does not accept works generated or influenced in any way by AI/LLM systems of any sort. By submitting your work for consideration for our pages, you affirm that you have not used AI/LLM systems in any way.
ACCEPTANCE & PAYMENT
- We pay $100 per selected set of work, paid upon publication.
- Our standard visual-art contract affirms your ownership of the work, grants us permission to publish it on our site and in print, and affirms the originality of the work and that no AI/LLM systems were used in the creation of the work in any way.
PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING WITH YOUR SUBMISSION
- 10-15 images of your work (JPG format)
- A brief artist statement and bio (250 words average each)
- A square format photo or image to use for the artist bio
- Any links to relevant websites or social media about your work that you want to include