Nonfiction Fall 2026

Nonfiction submissions should represent the truth. But what does that mean? At Atlantis, we believe nonfiction should be honest—to both emotional and eventful truths—that the author must use their best judgment to distinguish the lines between fact and fallacy. While we are inclined to both memoir and new-journalism pieces, we ask that submitters keep in mind that their works will be marketed as nonfiction and do not write to deceive. With that being said, we still welcome experimental forms of nonfiction work if the writer's vision is clear and present. In fact, we encourage experimentation. But please refrain from submitting academic-style pieces (e.g. argumentative essays). We will not accept papers written to objectively argue a point. Research is crucial. But it shouldn't just be facts and no plot. We want our work to be creative, subjective, and personal. One rule of thumb is: does it tell a story? Applicants may submit up to 10 submissions (total, in all categories). Prose submissions should be fewer than 1,000 words (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font).

Submissions are only open to all students attending college in North Carolina: graduate, undergrad, public, private, or community college. Please leave your name off the document so your submission(s) will be anonymous. Additionally, Atlantis does not accept work created with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence, so please do not submit work to our magazine if you utilized AI to make it.