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 1 to October 1 and from January 2 to April 1st. 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.

Submissions for our summer contest open May 1st.

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.

Submit to Current Issue, Back Issues and Subscriptions
Ends on $15.00
$15.00
Submit to Summer Prize Poetry

CCR Summer Prize in Poetry – 2025 

Submission period: 05/15/25-08/01/25

Submissions for the contest will be open from May 1st to August 1st, 2025, 11:59 PM CDT and judged by MICHAEL CHANG!

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 a one-year subscription to our journal, which is normally $22. If you submit more than one entry, we’ll upgrade you to a two-year subscription, normally $41. 

  • 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 All submitted work must be previously unpublished.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.

 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/contests/

Ends on $15.00
$15.00
Submit to Summer Prize Fiction

CCR Summer Prize in Fiction – 2025 

Submissions for the fiction contest will be open from May 1st to August 1st, 2025, 11:59 PM CDT and judged by Deesha Philyaw!

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 a one-year subscription to our journal, which is normally $22. If you submit more than one entry, we’ll upgrade you to a two-year subscription, normally $41. 

  • 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.

 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 9,000 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/contests/

Cream City Review