Submissions currently closed


Submissions are currently closed. They will reopen in mid 2026. If you are considering a future submission, the following information may be helpful.

We believe diverse and intersectional voices make for a better publication and warmly invite submissions in English (or in other languages with English translation) from writers across Australia and the world. 

Splinter is always looking for writing that considers how reality is made and how it can be broken. We are particularly keen on writing that acknowledges that existence is silly and absurd and also, somehow, really serious. 

Our long-term goal is to mill around in the endless circles of these questions:

  • How did we get here, into the middle of this chaos?
  • Where are we? What does this place and time mean?
  • And where do we go from here?

You don’t need to address these questions directly in your writing, but please think about how your idea brushes up against these prompts. 



Submission guidelines


We only accept one submission per writer, with the exception of poetry. We will accept three stand-alone poems per writer, or one collection comprising up to four poems. 

Please only submit new work that has not been published before. 

Submissions will only be accepted via the Writers SA Submittable page. Before submitting, please read the full submission guidelines found there, which include additional information about what we’re looking for, terms for commissioning, and detail on the formats.

If you still have questions, please contact us on hello@splinterjournal.com


We pay writers


These are the formats we are looking for and their associated pay rates: 

  • Profiles - $900
  • Essays - $900
  • Memoir - $600
  • Criticism - $700
  • Fiction - $900
  • Poetry - $250/poem
  • Poetry collection - $450/collection
  • Writing about writing - $500
  • Experimental work - Paid (rates dependent on the nature of the work)

For profiles, essays, writing about writing, and criticism, we are looking for pitches of ideas (rather than completed works). 

For memoir, poetry, and fiction we are looking for submission of completed works.