Submissions for fiction, poetry and essays are now open for Issue 34 of Gutter (out August 2026). Deadline for submissions is 29th March 2026 at midnight.

Gutter is a magazine of new Scottish and international writing. During our two annual submission windows, we accept poetry, fiction and essays from writers in Scotland and beyond. 

We look for work that challenges, re-imagines or undermines the status quo, work that pushes at the boundaries of form and function, work that is striking and beautiful. We believe that great writing transcends boundaries, and we reject any distinction between literary and genre, high art and popular culture. 

Successful contributors will be paid a flat fee of £50 for work published in the magazine, regardless of length or style. Published authors will also receive a complimentary copy of the issue.

Gutter is operated by a small team and we receive a high volume of submissions. We aim to respond to all submissions, but if you haven’t heard from us within ten weeks of our submissions window closing, please feel free to submit elsewhere.

• Poetry submissions can consist of up to three poems, totalling no more than 100 lines. Please send all poems within a single text document.

• Work should be submitted as .docx or .rtf files.

• Submit your work using the file name format: firstname_surname_fiction, firstname_surname_essay or firstname_surname_poetry. Misnamed files won’t meet the automatic criteria for submission and may not be read. 

• Type your name and form (Fiction, Essay or Poetry) on the first page of your submission.

• All work must be previously unpublished both in print and online.

• We do not accept simultaneous submissions.