The editors of Deep Wild Journal: Writing from the Backcountry are currently accepting submissions of artwork for Volume 4, to be published in June 2022. The mission of Deep Wild Journal is to provide a home for creative work inspired by journeys to places where there are no roads. Thus, the artwork we are interested in will focus on the natural world, not the human one. The human element, if present, should be minor.

“Birdsong,” ink, watercolor, gouache, and sap on paper, © by Andie Thrams
“NE Corner Yellowstone National Park,” watercolor on paper, © by Susan Marsh

“Trail to the Light,” oil on canvas, © by Mary Lewis Sheehan

Specifically, we need a reproduction of a color painting for our cover, and eight to ten black and white drawings for a single-artist portfolio. For this issue, we are especially interested in cover art that depicts a desert landscape; however, we welcome depictions of any wild places. The b&w drawings may focus on any aspect of the natural world, animal, vegetable or mineral. Submit up to five color images for the cover and up to eight black and white images for the interior pages. Please note: At this time we are not considering photographs or digitally altered photographs.​ 

The deadline for submitting artwork is February 15, 2022. Send work using our Submittable portal, at https://deepwildjournal.submittable.com/submit

“Desert Scorpion,” from the Anasazi Artwork portfolio © by Kat Manton-Jones, Deep Wild 202
“Ovenbird,” from the Wild Birds portfolio
© by Jon Janosik, Deep Wild 2021

Artwork must be a high resolution image of at least 300 dpi, formatted in JPEG, TIFF, SVG, GIF, PNG, or PDF. Whatever image format, the resolution must be high enough to ensure accurate representation of the artwork in print.

Before submitting, be sure to familiarize yourself with the artwork published in our first three issues. Our website has images of the covers from our first three issues. Our blog and archive also has images of the black and white portfolios we have featured within the journal. Find us at deepwildjournal.com

Consider purchasing an issue to get the truest look at what we do. Our Winter Sale is in progress at deepwildjournal.com/subscribe. Our student and faculty discounts can be found at deepwildjournal.com/studentsandteachers.

Previously published work is welcome, so long as the rights are yours. Please identify as such in your cover letter. If your work is selected, we ask for the right to publish it in our print journal and also possibly on-line. You retain all rights to your work.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know at once, via Submittable, if your work is accepted elsewhere and is no longer available.

Response time: We will strive to respond to all submissions within a month after our submissions window closes (and often much sooner). If you do not hear from us after that time, feel free to query us.

Payment: Contributing artists will receive an honorarium of $50, five copies of the journal in which their artwork appears, and a 50% discount on additional copies. We look forward to seeing your work!