Submission Guidelines

For our second digital edition, the Visible Ink team are accepting submissions for fiction, flash fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry under the theme Here and then. We are accepting submissions from all Victorian university and TAFE students.  Submissions are open from Monday 28 April 2025 to Monday 19 May 11:59 pm. 

Theme

This year we’re exploring time and space, and everything in between with our theme Here and then. 

We exist in a present that is only understood through the past. Knowledge and experience are the lenses we use to understand the now. Here and then is a dive into how these states of past and present co-exist. The time layers we live in with family, friends, strangers, nature. How something as grounding as home can shift. All the conclusions we’ve come to, right or wrong, based on what has happened to us or someone we know. Our here is continually informed by our then. 

Who can submit?

For this issue, Visible Ink is open to all students enrolled at a Victorian university or TAFE and aged 18 and over.  

Not a Victorian student? Don’t worry − we have plans to expand our submissions pool to the wider Australian literary community in 2026. See you then! 

What kind of work are we looking for?  

The Visible Ink team are accepting submissions that reflect your unique voice and vision for this year’s theme. 

We’re accepting submissions in these categories:  

  • Fiction up to 3,000 words 

  • Creative Nonfiction up to 3,000 words 

  • Flash Fiction up to 1,000 words  

  • Poetry up to 100 lines. 

Sorry, we aren’t looking for graphics and visual submissions for this issue.  

Can I submit more than one piece of work?

Yes! We’ll accept up to two submissions in two separate categories (e.g. one fiction and one flash fiction) but we’ll only publish one piece per successful contributor. 

What if I’ve taken a leave of absence? 

Visible Ink is also accepting Victorian university and TAFE students who are on a leave of absence. As long as you have access to your student email you can submit to us. 

Is there anything else I need to know? 

Names and identifying information will be removed from your submission before we read your work. All submissions are anonymous until they’ve been selected for publication.  

If your submission is successful, the Visible Ink team will work with you to edit your submission.  

Submissions may not have been previously published elsewhere.  

Submissions may not contain copyrighted material, unless you have written permission to use that material.  

The first printing rights of successful submissions will belong to Visible Ink. You’re free to publish your work elsewhere after being published in Visible Ink. We ask you include the following statement: ‘This work was first published in the 2025 issue of Visible Ink.’ 

The Visible Ink team aren’t able to offer payment or compensation for successful submissions in this issue. 

Contact

Any questions? Email us at visibleink.pwe@gmail.com 
For updates, follow us on Instagram @vis.ink 

PRIVACY NOTICE

You have the right to know exactly what is happening with the information you provide alongside your submission.

Your name, email address, phone number and writing will be held on file at Submittable. All rights remain with you. We will hold your data for ten years or for the duration of the Visible Ink project — whichever comes first. This information will be used exclusively by the editors at Visible Ink for the sole purpose of editing and producing the anthology, and will not be shared with third-parties or collaborators.

If you require us to remove any personal information we have collected about you, please email your request to visibleink.pwe@gmail.com and your data will be permanently removed.

Be aware that as your data will be stored with Submittable, you will also be working under their privacy policy, which can be seen at submittable.com/privacy.