Submissions Guidelines

Nova Submissions are OPEN! Submissions close November 21st.

Nova submissions are open annually from late August to the last Friday in November. Our annual issue releases in early April, at which point we publish it on our website and print 2,000 copies. If a piece of yours is selected for publication, we will mail you a copy free of charge, provided you are within the United States.

Nova Literary-Arts Magazine is a production of student staff at the Student Niner Media department of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Nova Submissions General Requirements

Include a cover letter introducing yourself and your work, containing a 30-70 word autobiographical statement written in third person. This should not be a list of previous publication credits. Content is otherwise subject to the writer’s discretion.

• Include your contact information (name, address, phone number, email) and word count, as well as the title and page number on every page of the manuscript or poem.

Accepted digital works (film production, music composition, and dance choreography) will be posted to the Nova website for the duration of one year. Additionally, accepted pieces will be shown at the magazine reveal in the Spring and in a screening in the Student Union theater.

Literary Works:

• Short stories and other works are limited to THREE (3) entries
• Stories should be typed, double-spaced, on 8 ½ x 11 inch paper or Word document
• Maximum 5,000 words
• Accepted formats: PDF, DOC/DOCX

Poetry:

• Limited to TEN (10) entries
• The poet’s printing of the work will be the assumed format, should the piece be accepted for publication
• Accepted formats: PDF, DOC/DOCX

Artwork:

• Limited to FIFTEEN (15) entries per person
• Highest-quality images available uploaded via our online form
• Each digital file clearly labeled (Title, medium, size, artist name)
• Accepted formats: JPG, PNG, TIFF

Note: Nova observes copyright laws and will not accept pieces of unoriginal design.

Film Production:

• Limited to FIVE (5) entries per person
• Narrative and documentary style accepted
• Maximum 15 minutes
• Accepted formats: MP4, WMV, MP3, and ACC

Music Composition:

• Limited to FIVE (5) entries per person
• All styles and instrument combinations accepted
• Maximum 5 minutes
• Accepted formats: MP4, WMV, MP3, and ACC

Dance Choreography:

• Limited to TEN (10) entries per person
• All styles accepted
• Maximum 7 minutes
• Accepted formats: MP4, WMV, MP3, and ACC

By submitting your work, contributors agree to the following:

• The work is their own intellectual property;
• Submissions can not have been previously published either digitally or in print;
• Nova Literary-Arts Magazine has the right to publish works submitted in the annual publication and to the novacharlotte.com website;
• Nova Literary-Arts Magazine also reserves the right to use submitted works in marketing and promotional materials for the publication;

We read every submission and our response time will vary accordingly.

Submission Deadline: November 21, 2025

If you have questions about the submission process, please email novamagazine@uncc.edu