Submissions for the Peter Cowan Writers Centre Zine #003 are NOW OPEN for all WA writers!

Submissions must be short fiction or poetry with a speculative fiction or pop culture element. Submissions may be any genre or style, but prose MUST be 3000 words or less and poetry MUST be 3 pages or less. Please see further submission requirements below.

CATEGORIES

Prose & Poetry

WA submissions only (proof of WA residency may be requested)
Open to adults (18 years or older), all styles which meet speculative and pop culture elements. Please note: this is a competitive selection process and publication is not guaranteed. We are looking for engaging works that readers of popular culture & speculative fiction will enjoy.
A reading fee of $20 is payable at the time of submission for non-PCWC members, plus Humanitix's ticketing fee. PCWC members are free.
Membership details are available through our website membership page https://www.pcwc.org.au/membership

Please read the following information carefully in order to ensure your submission will be considered:

Formatting Guidelines

Include the title and author name on the first page (title not included in the word count), followed by your story or poem.
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font with double spacing.
Indent the first line of each paragraph – but not the first paragraph – and remove the space between paragraphs.
Once your reading fee has been paid (or you have registered as a PCWC member), email your submission as a Word document to creative@pcwc.org.au
3000 words (+10%) for prose and 3 pages maximum for poetry.
Submissions that are more than the allowable plus 10% over the 3000 words will be disqualified. We want your story to be the best it can be and sometimes those extra few words can make a difference but try to stick to the word count as much as possible.
For poets we are encouraging long form poetry but shorter submissions are welcome.

Please follow the above formatting guidelines to ensure your submission is accepted. Submissions that do not follow the guidelines will not be considered.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Once you have paid the reading fee through Humanitix (or registered your submission as a PCWC member), email your submission to creative@pcwc.org.au
Remember to add your submission title on Humanitix as this information creates our submission register.
Include your name, the title of the submission and the category (prose or poetry) you have submitted in the body of your email so you can be matched to our story register. Due to the rigorous selection process, only one submission is permitted per person.
PCWC follows Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property protocols. Please provide the text you would like to use if identifying as a First Nations writer, or if you have permission/have collaborated with First Nations peoples on their stories. Further information can be sourced here Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts - Creative Australia
In the subject heading of your email type Zine 003 2026.
When your submission has been received, you’ll receive an acknowledgment within 48 hours.
The panel will aim for the selection process to be completed by 30 March 2026. All entrants will be notified of the selection process outcome. Feedback is not provided for unsuccessful submissions.
PCWC membership does not guarantee inclusion in the publication. We encourage all entrants to put their best foot forward by meeting the submission requirements, seeking feedback from others, and editing their work prior to submission.
Late submissions will not be considered for inclusion. Decisions made by the selection panel are final.
Submissions selected for publication will undergo an editing process to ensure a high-quality publication. Editing can include structural editing, line editing and copyediting. All submissions will be edited to follow our house style.
All editing deadlines will be made known to the successful entrants at the time of selection. It is up to the entrant to ensure they meet editing deadlines to be included in the publication.
Entrants who fail to meet editing deadlines will be unable to be included in the publication and will need to follow the submission process again for any future editions.
Submissions which are not selected for this edition are invited for re-submission for any future publications.
The selection process is not “blind”; however, conflicts of interest will be managed appropriately by the selection panel, consisting of five different readers. Lobbying of selection panel members will cause an immediate exclusion from the publication.
Copies of the printed zine will be available for collection from the PCWC office by appointment. Digital copies will be posted on our website.
Our zine team is passionate about creating writing opportunities. Our time is given to this project gratis and fitted into our busy lives. Thank you in advance for your patience as we undertake this new publication for writing in WA. All queries can be emailed to: creative@pcwc.org.au

SUBMISSION RULES

Please ensure that your submission:

Has never been published previously (print, blogs, and internet).
Is not currently under submission elsewhere.
Has no copyright or print restrictions. Submissions which have been longlisted or shortlisted in competitions but have not been published are eligible for submission (it is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure they hold current print rights).
Is completely your own work and does not have any copyright infringements.
Has not utilised any form of AI technology for the generation of ideas or content.
Is 3000 words (with an allowance of + 10%) or less for prose and 3 pages or less for poetry.

Writers and poets in all stages of their career are invited to submit. Submission or payment of the reading fee does not guarantee inclusion in the publication.

About the Publication:

In 2025, Peter Cowan Writers Centre (PCWC) launched its inaugural Zine project; a collection of short stories, flash fiction and poetry from PCWC members. Our first edition was an A5 printed and bound book with line art illustrations and cover design. The first edition was released at the 2025 Festival of Fiction and received great praise from entrants and readers alike (digital copy available on our website). The second edition takes the form of a magazine and is planned for distribution as part of the Joondalup festival in March 2026. We’re taking another bold leap in the publishing space with our third edition, set for release at the Supanova Perth convention in June 2026. This time we’ve opened submissions to all writers in WA. This publication will see longer pieces curated into a publication with a focus on speculative fiction and pop culture.

We look forward to reading your imaginative submissions!

Contact the host of PCWC Zine Submissions #003 - Supanova