Thank you for your interest in contributing to Cream City Review. We are devoted to publishing memorable and energetic fiction, nonfiction, poetry, hybrid texts, and artwork that represent a broad range of creators with diverse, unique backgrounds. General submissions are accepted for our print magazine and/or online feature from August 2 to November 2 and from January 2 to April 2nd. Submissions are considered for issues one year in advance. Contributors are given a one-year subscription to CCR beginning with the issue in which their work appears. Works from current UWM students(and Alumni from the past two years) are not eligible for submission.
Please only upload one submission per genre (up to five pieces per submission for poetry and visual art). Multiple submissions in a single genre will be ignored.
Reading Fee: $2.50
cream city review does not accept any work, under any conditions, that was generated using Language Learning Models (LLMs) or generative AI.
Note: Submissions from current UWM students and alumni who graduated in the past two years are not eligibl
CCR Summer Prize in Poetry – 2026
Submission period: 05/15/25-08/01/25
Submissions for the contest will be open from June 1st to August 1st, 2026, 11:59 PM CDT and judged by Heid Erdrich!
The winner will receive $500, publication in the Spring 2027 issue of cream city review, and an online feature on our website. One runner up will receive publication in an upcoming issue of cream city review.
Entry:
- Cost of submissions: $15 per entry.
One entry fee includes one free issue to our journal, which is normally $14. If you submit more than one entry, we’ll upgrade you to a one-year subscription, normally $26.
- You may submit multiple times if there is a payment for each entry. All submitted work must be previously unpublished.
- Four readers, including the editorial team, from cream city review will read through your submission, the 7-10 finalists will be forwarded to the judges for final decision.
- If you require a fee waiver, please email us at infoccr00@gmail.com. One waiver per genre per person.
Eligibility:
Any writer of any age, denomination or location is eligible to enter except:
- Current students, faculty, and staff of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin System are not eligible to enter the contest. If you have been affiliated with the university in the past, please wait three years after the affiliation to submit to the CCR Summer Prizes.
- Past CCR Contributors, please wait at least 2 years from date of publication before submitting to the contest.
- Previous winners and runner-ups may not submit to the prize.
Submission Guidelines:
- You may send up to four poems in a single document. (.doc, .docx, & .pdf are acceptable)
- Please do not include your name anywhere in the submission
- You may include a brief, 3rd person bio in the appropriate box in Submittable
- Each entrant will receive a one-year subscription to CCR, beginning with the issue featuring the contest winners
For more information please consult our website: https://uwm.edu/creamcityreview/summer-contest
CCR Summer Prize in Fiction – 2026
Submissions for the fiction contest will be open from June 1st to August 1st, 2026, 11:59 PM CDT and judged by Aimee Bender!
The winner will receive $500, publication in the Spring 2026 issue of cream city review, and an online feature on our website. One runner up will receive publication in an upcoming issue of cream city review.
Entry:
- Cost of submissions: $15 per entry.
One entry fee includes one free issue to our journal, which is normally $14. If you submit more than one entry, we’ll upgrade you to a one-year subscription, normally $26.
- You may submit multiple times if there is a payment for each entry. All submitted work must be previously unpublished.
- Four readers, including the editorial staff, from cream city review will read through your submission, the 7-10 finalists will be forwarded to the judges for final decision.
- If you require a fee waiver, please email us at infoccr00@gmail.com. One waiver per genre per person.
Eligibility:
Any writer of any age, denomination or location is eligible to enter except:
- Current students, faculty, and staff of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin System are not eligible to enter the contest. If you have been affiliated with the university in the past, please wait three years after the affiliation to submit to the CCR Summer Prizes.
- Past CCR Contributors, please wait at least 2 years from date of publication before submitting to the contest.
- Previous winners and runner-ups may not submit to the prize.
Submission Guidelines:
- Please send us one short story of up to 6,000 words in a single document (.doc, .docx, & .pdf are acceptable)
- Please do not include your name anywhere in the submission
- You may include a brief, 3rd person bio in the appropriate box in Submittable
- Each entrant will receive a one-year subscription to CCR, beginning with the issue featuring the contest winners
For more information please consult our website: https://uwm.edu/creamcityreview/summer-contest/
cream city review is dedicated to uplifting the work of writers who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. We seek to create a space where underrepresented stories and experiences can thrive. By providing a platform for BIPOC creators, we aim to amplify the rich, multifaceted narratives that are often overlooked in mainstream literary circles.From July 1st to July 31st, any writer who identifies as BIPOC can submit to CCR for free.
CCR does not accept any work that was generated using Language Learning Models (LLMs) or generative AI at any point in the creative process.
Fiction submission guidelines:
- Number of pieces: Please send one story at a time.
- Number of pages per piece: Manuscripts should be no longer than 20 double-spaced pages. Please use Times New Roman font.
- Format: .doc, .docx or PDF.
- From the editors: What makes a story memorable? We want lingering, emotional stories that rattle our rib cages long past the last line. We want stories that are sticky in our brains for their excellent imagery choices and their smart constructions. We are always in search of stories that bypass obvious shock tactics—graphic violence, in particular—and instead surprise the reader with their insight, their generosity of spirit, and their bravery of expression. And what makes a story energetic? We’re looking for fiction that’s tightly written and well-crafted. We love stories that know exactly why they’re making the decisions they make in form and experimentation, instead of stories that strive for oddness as an end goal. The way you tell the story should be best and only way to tell that story. We can't wait to read; thanks for trusting us with your words.
- NOTE: While we admire and welcome stories that borrow from commercial genres like science fiction and mystery, traditional works in these genres are unlikely to find a home with us.
CNF, Pedagogy, and Essays submission guidelines:
- Number of pieces: Please send one piece at a time.
- Number of pages per piece: Manuscripts should be no longer than 20 double-spaced pages. Please use Times New Roman or equivalent font.
- Format: .doc and .docx preferred, PDF accepted.
- Creative Nonfiction: We are open to the full range of creative nonfiction, from the lyric essay through the personal to more topical forms. It is first and foremost language and voice that will draw us in.
- Essays and Pedagogy: We accept essays on the craft of creative writing; the teaching of poetry, prose and/or essays; and academic writing on all things literary. Please note if your work is an essay in the title of the piece and in your cover letter.
Poetry submission guidelines:
- Number of pieces: 5 poems at a time in a single file format. Please use Times New Roman font.
- Number of pages per piece: No length restrictions.
- Format: .doc, .docx or PDF.
- From the editors: We aim to elevate and represent a wide variety of authors and poetics at CCR, and as such especially encourage submissions from poets of color, Indigenous poets, LGBTQ2S+ poets, and poets with disabilities, in addition to whatever other world-views you bring to your life and work. We like strong, vivid images and language that moves the poem and the poet somewhere and take us with them. We like poems that don’t shy away from feelings, or that work towards an understanding of why we shy away from feelings at all. We like energy in our poems, kinetic and potential, and sometimes both at once. We like and encourage experimentation, and poems whose form enriches the content, not only visually, but aurally as well, so send us your weird ways of thinking, feeling, and being in the world—whether that’s a sonnet or an erasure or a form we haven’t even seen yet.
Visual art submission guidelines:
- Number of pieces: Please submit up to 4 works of unpublished art (work that has not been published in print or selected through a juried process, such as contests). Our artists are often published portfolio-style—if your work is advanced for publication, we may showcase more than one of your pieces.
- Format: Image files (JPG, TIFF or PDF), high resolution (300 dpi or better).
- From the editor: Please visit our Instagram account to get a sense of the type of work we have published before. In addition to 2D works, we are also interested in documentations of installations, social practice projects, earth art, light art, street art, and maker work. We like text art and asemic writing. We’re open to showcasing artists from anywhere in the world, but be sure to let us know if your work has connections to Milwaukee.
We accept simultaneous submissions, but please leave us a note in Submittable indicating which works of art you are withdrawing if accepted elsewhere.
One issue of cream city review is $14
A one-year subscription is $26
A two-year subscription $41
Back issues (any issues older than 2 years) are $7
Please note: issue orders are non-refundable. In summer months, we operate virtually, so please allot 2-4 months for your first issue to be mailed. We appreciate your patience!