Longleaf

A literary magazine · Alabama · Issue No. 1

Longleaf

New writing from Alabama. Deep roots, new voices.

Issue No. 1  ·  Open to Alabama writers in grades 9–12 & undergraduates
Over $1,000 in cash awards  ·  Free to submit  ·  Every selected writer is published
Submissions open July 13, close August 30  ·  Issue launches Sept 26

Submit your work What we publish

§ 01 · About Longleaf

Named for the pine that once covered this land and is slowly being planted back across it, Longleaf gives Alabama's emerging writers a serious place to be read. Like the tree, the work here grows slowly and is built to last.

Longleaf is an independent literary magazine for Alabama's emerging writers, published once a year. As the state's contests and journals for young and unpublished writers have quietly closed, there are fewer places left for new Alabama voices to be read, judged fairly, and taken seriously. Longleaf exists to change that.

Each issue is open to Alabama writers in grades 9 through undergraduate. It's free to enter, and every submission is read blind and chosen with a guest judge, so the work stands on its own and nothing rides on a name. Selected writers are published, the strongest pieces earn cash awards, and every contributor keeps the rights to their own writing. It's a place to be published, held to a standard, and it's made for writers near the start of things rather than the end.

Founded by Lily Shah, Longleaf is fully independent, built to run on local sponsors and readers who think Alabama's next generation of writers deserves somewhere to begin. Issue No. 1 launches in September 2026, the first of what will be a yearly edition.

A note from the founder

I started Longleaf because over the last few years I noticed there were fewer places for young Alabama writers to be read, and I wanted to help fill that gap. I wanted to make something that treats writing by people my age like it actually matters, not like practice for the real thing later. If you've got something true to say, we want to read it.

Lily ShahFounding Editor

Who may submit
Alabama writersGrades 9–12 and undergraduates (≈ ages 14–22)
Cost to enter
FreeNo submission fee, ever
Optional theme
“Roots”Respond to it, or send us anything true

§ 02 · What we read

Five ways into the issue

Send original, previously unpublished work. One piece per category. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Just tell us if it's taken elsewhere.

Verse

Poetry

Poems that echo after the page. Imagery, music, and a voice we couldn't mistake for anyone else's.

↳ up to 3 poems, 1 page each
Prose · brief

Flash fiction

A whole world in a small frame. Complete pieces, not excerpts.

↳ one piece, ≤ 1,000 words
Prose

Short fiction

Character and voice first. Surprise us with where it goes.

↳ one piece, ≤ 3,000 words
True

Creative nonfiction

Essay, memoir, the lived and remembered, told with craft.

↳ one piece, ≤ 3,000 words
Image

Cover & section art

One image for the cover or the section breaks. Any medium, any vision, so long as it's seen through Alabama eyes. Sent as a high-resolution file.

↳ one image, 300 dpi or larger

§ 03 · The season

From open call to launch

July 13
Submissions open
The reading period begins.
August 30
Submissions close
Seven weeks to send your best work.
Sept 1 – 14
Blind judging
Every piece is read blind; our guest judge selects the winners.
Mid-September
Acceptances & editing
Everyone hears back. Selected work is edited and laid out.
September 26
Issue No. 1 launches
Longleaf goes live, free to read.

§ 04 · Awards

Over $1,000 in cash awards

Free to enter. Every selected writer is published, and a guest judge names the issue's strongest work.

$500
The Longleaf Prize
Best in issue, across all categories, chosen by our guest judge.
$150
Poetry award
$150
Fiction award*
$150
Nonfiction award
$150
Cover art award

* The Fiction award is open to both flash and short fiction, judged together.

Daniel Wallace

Our guest judge

Daniel Wallace

Daniel Wallace is author of six novels, including Big Fish (1998), Ray in Reverse (2000), The Watermelon King (2003), Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician (2007), The Kings and Queens of Roam (2013), Extraordinary Adventures (2017), and a memoir, This Isn't Going to End Well (2023). His first collection of short stories, Beneath the Moon and Long Dead Stars, was published by Bull City Press in 2025.

A Birmingham native and winner of the 2019 Harper Lee Award, he will select the Longleaf Prize and category winners from our finalists.

§ 05 · How to submit

Send us your work

Three steps, about ten minutes. Writers under 18 will be asked for a parent or guardian's consent before publication.

1

Ready your piece

One document per submission: .doc, .docx, or .pdf. Put the title on the work, but leave your name off the manuscript so judging stays blind.

2

Fill the form

Tell us your name, school, county, and category, then upload your file. No bio needed to enter; if your work is selected, we'll ask for a short one then.

3

Hear back after judging

Every submitter gets a reply, an acceptance or a kind decline, soon after judging wraps. Selected work appears in Issue No. 1.

Open the submission form

§ 06 · Questions, answered

Good questions

What writers and supporters most want to know: straight answers, no fine print.

Is Longleaf really free to enter?
Yes, completely. There is no submission fee, and there never will be. Anyone eligible can submit at no cost.
Where does the money go? Who gets paid?
Straight to the writers. Longleaf is run entirely by volunteers. No one involved, including the founder, takes any pay. Every dollar from sponsors and donors goes to the cash awards and the cost of producing the issue. Our one paid expense is a small honorarium for the guest judge, in thanks for their time.
Who can submit?
Alabama writers in grades 9 through undergraduate (roughly ages 14 to 22). You may submit one piece per category.
How is the work judged?
Blind. Our editorial team reads every submission with names removed, so each piece is judged on its own merits. A guest judge then selects the award winners from the finalists.
What rights do I keep to my work?
All of them. Longleaf requests first-publication rights only; once your work appears in the issue, all rights revert to you, and you hold your copyright throughout.
Can I submit more than once, or send work that's out elsewhere?
Yes to both: one piece per category, and simultaneous submissions are welcome. Just let us know promptly if a piece is accepted somewhere else.
Can I submit if I'm under 18?
Absolutely. Writers under 18 will be asked for a parent or guardian's consent before their work is published. It's a quick step built right into the submission form.
When will I hear back?
Every submitter receives a reply, an acceptance or a kind decline, soon after judging finishes in September. Selected work is published when Issue No. 1 launches on September 26.
How can I support Longleaf?
You can sponsor the awards or make a small gift. Every dollar reaches a young writer. Or simply share the call for submissions with a writer who should see it. Questions? hello@readlongleaf.org.

§ 08 · The team

Made by readers, for readers

Longleaf is a student-led magazine, guided by faculty advisors and built by a growing founding team.

Founding Editor
Lily Shah
Student readers
We're building a small team for our first issue. If that's you, say hello.

Faculty advisors

Dr. Alanna Frost
Associate Professor of English, University of Alabama in Huntsville
Dr. Frost is Associate Professor of English at UAH and a former chair of the department. A scholar of literacy and writing studies with a Ph.D. from the University of Louisville, she has co-edited books on the teaching of writing and brings deep experience mentoring student writers and building writing communities.
Dr. Samantha Moe
Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, University of Alabama in Huntsville
Dr. Moe is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at UAH, where she teaches fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Her work appears in South Dakota Review, Brink Literary, and many other journals, and has earned residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and Château d'Orquevaux in France, along with multiple Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations. She has eight books forthcoming, including her first short story collection.

Want to help build Longleaf? → hello@readlongleaf.org