The Raw Art Review

 

 

UnCollected Press is seeking manuscripts of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, comix and visual art portfolios for its UNCOLLECT PRESS 2026 BOOK PUBLICATION CONTEST. 

NOTE: All manuscripts are eligible for publication. If you would like us to look at a manuscript that doesn't fit any of the listed categories do not hesitate to submit your manuscript.   We are open to all potential publications.  (Last year’s books included a “skin art and poetry “publication.)

Email your questions to editor@therawartreview.com.

To see a sample of over 70 books published by UnCollected Press, please follow this URL:

https://therawartreview.com/books-for-sale/

CONTEST TERMS:

1. A minimum of ten (10) manuscripts will be accepted for book publication in 2026. UnCollected Press will partner with the author/artist to plan, design, develop and print a book that strives to achieve a high standard of production and to meet the author/artist's expectation.   

2. Selection of winning manuscripts will be "rolling". Announcement does not wait for the end of the year or the end of the contest. We will select winners on an ongoing basis and add the manuscript to the production queue as soon as a manuscript has been selected as a winner.  

3. Publication with UnCollected Press may include eligibility for royalties from sellers. Publication may also include help in establishing global distribution to online retail sales platforms, including but not limited to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, Lulu, Indie Books (network of hundreds of small book sellers), Google books and others. (Participation in the global selling network is optional and entirely up to the author.)  UnCollected Press may also make recommendations to the author for book contest and award submissions and submissions to reviewers like Kirkus and Publishers weekly.  Terms of publication, compensation, book distribution & sales, and advisement will be negotiated in a contract with the author.

4. There are no rules of form and content. The sole criterion for selecting manuscripts is the power of the emotional/psychological/physiological /spiritual/ impact on editors reading a manuscript. 

5. There are no trade-craft requirements for the draft you submit.

6. GOOD ENOUGH IS PERFECT.  UCP editors will not reject a manuscript based solely on typos, grammatical errors, or other errors of form.  We understand it is difficult to catch all typos. NOTE: we will presume a typo is volitional, so for the purpose of maintaining your intent for the writing or artwork, it is in your best interest to review carefully, get help from other readers, and use a professional editor to prepare your manuscript. NOTE:  Authors will be required to submit a “publication ready manuscript” by the start of production (if the manuscript is accepted.)  UnCollected Press offers development, copy and line editing services at $50 per hour. An estimate to copy/line edit your book will be provided in advance upon request.

7. Acceptable formats for submitting a manuscript include Word, Google Docs, PDF, and other Word Processors.

8. Review of books is blind. Please do not put your name or any other identifying information on your pages.

9. Simultaneous submission is fine.

10. Reading fee for the contest is $40. RAR is offering an expedite fee of $25. Manuscripts that are submitted with the payment of an expedite fee will receive a decision within 30 days.

11. Previously published writing or artwork can be included in the book provided the submitter owns the rights to re-publish.  We are happy to recognize the original publisher on the back-matter page as acknowledgements or at other summary locations in the book. Previously published books may be eligible as a new edition re-publication - with the appropriate permissions from previous publishers.

12. 1st Quarter Deadline is DECEMBER 31, 2025 - REMINDER - Acceptance is rolling and does not wait until the contest is over.

13. Submissions are read and considered in the order that they are received unless expedited. Expedited submissions are queued at the front of the list.

14. Please use Submittable for submissions. Submittable accounts are free to submitters, and the tool is great for organizing and tracking submissions. If this presents a hardship, please email us at editor@therawartreview.com.

15. UnCollected Press is NOT a vanity or self-publication press.  We select manuscripts on merit - based on criteria of both content and form.  We are looking for manuscripts that are beautiful and moving.  

16. UnCollected Press will reject all manuscripts that in the opinion of the editors intend to promote racist, homophobic, misogynist, and other idealogies that target  hate speech toward any persons of any race, creed, color, and religion.

NOTE:  UnCollected Press offers limited Financial Aid to Authors who have pressing financial needs.  Please contact us at editor@therawartreview.com to inquire about financial aid.

 GUIDELINES (NOT RULES):

NOTE - Follow us on our website to stay current on all journal submissions and contests.  See follow button at the top of the righthand sidebar on our homepage:  therawartreview.com

1. RAR is looking for short stories, poems and artwork (all media) that use content and form to express powerful emotions, aesthetics, ideas and/or revelations.  We do not discriminate against any genre.  NOTE:  This issue of RAR will include the artwork of the COVER ART CONTEST winner on front cover of RAR 2026 volume 1 and the artwork of the COVER ART CONTEST runner-up on the back cover of RAR 2026 volume.  (See details of contest forthcoming on Submittable)
2. The RAW ART REVIEW 2026 VOLUME 1 will appear In Print and as an Online Publication. Artwork and Writing also may be posted to RAR's home page as a Featured Work of Art.   The In-Print version of the journal is a high quality, perfect-bound, full color cover and interior production.  We use coated paper to present the artwork in the best possible way.  Author BIOs, which may include web and social media channel addresses, appear in both versions of the book.  NOTE:  - The Raw Art Review is no longer offering a contributor's copy for works published in this book.  The cost of producing this book is very high and sales of the book are typically low.   We will offer all contributors a free electronic version of the journal, and will offer the printed version of the journal for sale to contributors at a discount.
3. Submissions may also result in the artist/writer being selected as a Featured Artist in a dedicated gallery or library accessible from the RAR home page.  (See Featured Artist Page).
4. Artists whose work generates particular interest among our editors may be invited to submit a manuscript for book publication of poetry, prose (fiction or non-fiction), and artwork.
5. There are no rules of form and content.  The sole criteria for acceptance is the power of the emotional/psychological/spiritual/physiological impact on editors reading the poem.  A piece of writing or artwork can be tightly wrought and organized or wild, unruly and improvisational.
6. There are no particular trade-craft requirements.  Single or double space, left-center-right justification, long lines/short lines, standard use of punctuation or use of line breaks to set a poem's rhythm, etc.  NOTE: we attempt to maintain as much of your formatting as we can in the book production.
7. GOOD ENOUGH IS PERFECT - TYPOS - we understand it is difficult to catch all typos and other "errors".  NOTE: we will presume a typo or error is volitional, so for the purpose of maintaining your intent for the writing or artwork it is in your best interest to review carefully, get help from others, etc.  NOTE: If you need line/copy editing for this submission or any other manuscripts, RAR Editors are available.  Email us at editor@therawartreview.com for details and an estimate.  
8. Review of writing and artwork is blind. Please do not put your name or any other identifying information on your manuscript pages.
9. BIO  is not required at this time.   You can include a BIO and publication history in the cover letter if you want, or you can use the cover letter space provided on the submission form to tell us about your artwork.  Feel free to skip the cover letter entirely by putting something like "No COVER LETTER" in the field or by leaving the field blank.   NOTE:  We do read and enjoy cover letters, but never before  selections have been made.  
10. Editors are prohibited from rejecting writing or artwork on first review.  All writing and artwork gets at least 2 reviews before a decision is made.  
11. Editors assume you are smarter than we are.  We will strive to understand your intention, stay open-minded and try to avoid imposing our presumptions on your work.  We will never use irresponsible, misguided and self-aggrandizing slurs to describe your work like "purple writing" or "that technique is a gimmick".
12. We may use writing and artwork that has been accepted on a revolving basis during the submission period as blog posts on The Raw Art Review's home page.
13. There is a $20 reading Fee for submission.  We are also offering a $10 expedite fee.  Expedited work is reviewed and a response given within one week.   We recognize that the fee may be a deterrent for some submitters who are challenged by financial hardship.  We consider a limited number of requests for financial aid in covering part or all of the fee.  Please send an email to editor@therawartreview.com to make a request for financial aid.  PLEASE NOTE:  UCP/RAR has its own financial challenges, so please do not request financial aid unless it is absolutely necessary.  Thank you.
14. We value the slush pile.  (Not a derogatory term among our editors).  Writing or Artwork is not rejected as much as it is "completed" and saved, with your permission, in the slush pile for future consideration.  We will of course seek your permission before anything is shelved in the slush pile and before it is published from the slush pile.
15. 3 poems or 1 short story or 5 photos of artwork per entry.  You may enter as many times as you like but an additional $10.00 fee applies to each additional entry.   NOTE:  We generally can not publish stories that are more than 4000 words.  This is not a strict limit but is a guideline.  If the story is too long for the journal but we like it, we may ask for you to submit an alternative and, occasionally, will publish a story longer than 4000 words.  It also could lead to book publication.
16. Simultaneous submission is fine.  
17. Previously published writing or artwork is fine as long as you own re-publication rights.  We are happy to credit the original publisher upon your request.
18. Deadline for submission is WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2023.
19. Please use Submittable for submissions.  Submittable accounts are free to submitters, and the tool is great for organizing and tracking submissions.  If this presents a hardship, please email us at editor@therawartreview.com.
20. We recognize that the fee may be a deterrent for some submitters who are challenged by financial hardship.  We consider a limited number of requests for financial aid in covering part or all of the fee.  Please send an email to editor@therawartreview.com to make a request for financial aid.  PLEASE NOTE:  UCP/RAR has its own financial challenges, so please do not request financial aid unless it is absolutely necessary.  Thank you.
21. RAR has implemented a "3 Strikes and WE are out" rule.  If you have been declined for publication in 3 OR MORE SEPARATE SUBMISSIONS, please notify us at our email address - editor@therawartreview.com.  Your next submission to any RAR Journal Issue or Contest will be free, and all of our editors will be notified to pay particular attention to your submission.  NOTE - This is 3 separate submissions - not 3 works submitted as part of a single submission.
22. UnCollected Press will reject all manuscripts that in the opinion of the editors intends to promote racist, homophobic, misogynist, and other idealogies that target  hate speech toward any persons of any race, creed, color, and religion.