Submit your work
Everything you need to know about submitting your work to The Hummingbird
Submit only original, unpublished work
Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please notify us promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
We welcome submissions from both emerging and established creatives
Please submit to only one category per reading period
Submission Limits by Genre
Poetry
Up to 2 poems, submitted as a single document
Fiction (Prose)
1 story, maximum 3,500 words
Creative Nonfiction
1 essay or hybrid work, maximum 3,500 words
Art / Photography
Up to 3 images in high-resolution .jpg or .png format
For Text Submissions (Poetry, Fiction, CNF)
File format: .doc or .docx only
PDFs will not be reviewed for text submissions
Font: EB Garamond, 12 pt
Spacing: Double-spaced for prose, single-spaced for poetry
Include page numbers on prose documents
Submit all poems in one file, clearly separated by titles
Include your name, title of work, genre, and word count at the top of the document
For Art / Photography Submissions
File format: .jpg or .png
Resolution: High-resolution (minimum 300dpi preferred)
Title each image clearly in your file name
Optional: Include a brief description of the work if it enhances understanding
Contributor Bio
Please include a short third-person bio (100–200 words) with your submission. You may include your location, previous publications, and any relevant links (social media, website, etc.).
What We Encourage
We encourage bold, honest, and boundary-pushing work. That said, The Hummingbird does not publish work that includes hate speech, gratuitous violence, or explicit sexual content that lacks artistic or narrative purpose.
Submissions that dehumanise or target individuals or communities based on race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, or ability will not be considered.
Content Notes
If your piece contains potentially triggering material (e.g., self-harm, sexual violence, abuse), we encourage including a content note at the beginning of your submission. This is not mandatory, but it helps us handle the work with appropriate care.
Content That Cannot Be Published
Because of our narrative-shifting mandate, The Hummingbird cannot publish work that reinforces harmful stereotypes about Ghana or Africa, centres narratives of poverty, disease, corruption, or despair without nuance, or portrays the continent solely through a deficit lens.
However, narrative-shifting does not mean avoiding criticism. We welcome bold, honest examinations of social, cultural, and political issues — including those that expose human rights violations, hold leaders accountable, and question systems or practices that harm people.
Such work must be rigorous, evidence-based, and deeply authentic, rooted in a vision for progress, justice, and dignity.
What We Do Not Accept
Previously published work
Including blogs, self-published platforms, or any publication that retains public access
Work generated primarily or entirely by AI tools
Submissions that promote hate, misinformation, or discriminatory ideologies
Multiple submissions across genres during the same reading period
Response Time
We aim to respond within 4–6 weeks of the submission deadline. All contributors will receive a response, whether or not the work is accepted.
Submit Through Google Forms
Submissions are accepted exclusively through our Forms portal. Please do not email submissions unless explicitly instructed.
Rights
The Hummingbird requests first publication rights and the right to archive your work on our website. After publication, all rights revert to the author/artist. If the work is republished elsewhere, please acknowledge the first publication with The Hummingbird.
Compensation
At this time, The Hummingbird is a volunteer-run, unfunded journal, and we are not able to offer payment to contributors. We understand this may not be ideal, and we are actively seeking funding and partnerships that will allow us to offer honoraria in the future.
What we can promise: editorial care, thoughtful presentation of your work, social media features, and archiving on our website as part of a carefully curated issue.
Withdrawal Policy
If you need to withdraw your submission, either fully or partially (e.g., one of your poems has been accepted elsewhere), please email us at creativesprojectgh@gmail.com with the subject line: Withdrawal – [Your Name] – [Title of Work].
We appreciate your transparency and will acknowledge the withdrawal as soon as possible.
Accessibility & Support
We want The Hummingbird to be accessible to all. If you encounter any technical or access barriers when submitting via Google Forms, please do not hesitate to reach out. We're happy to assist or offer alternative submission methods where necessary.
Ready to Submit?
Now that you've reviewed our guidelines, you're ready to submit your work!