The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or "seek-ah") supports various arts experiences through the Art + Design, Creative Writing, Music, and Theatre & Dance programs at Austin Peay State University. Through Submittable, CECA accepts submissions for Zone 3, a literary journal, the Zone 3 Press First Book Award, The New Gallery Residency, the 57th Annual Juried Student Show, and Tennessee's Emerging Creative Writers Contest.

Zone 3, a literary journal 

Zone 3, a literary journal is an annual online magazine dedicated to publishing emerging and established writers. Our journal is run by a wonderful team of students guided by a senior editing team.

All contributors will receive payment for their accepted works. If you have any questions or extenuating circumstances, please contact us at zone3@apsu.edu.

Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry submissions will open August 15 - November 1, 2025. 

Zone 3 Press First Book Award

Zone 3 Press facilitates a First Book Award contest every year, alternating between the genres of poetry and creative nonfiction. This contest is dedicated to emerging writers, and the prize includes $1,000 and publication.

The Zone 3 Press Book Award is currently on hiatus.

Check out Zone 3 on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

The 57th Annual Juried Student Show

Hosted by the Department of Art + Design, this competitive juried show honors outstanding student artists for their hard work and creativity. The show is professionally juried from outside Austin Peay State University, emulating the practice of real-world art shows. The exhibition showcases the array of artwork produced by APSU students during the past academic year and allows students to participate in a professional exhibition where a qualified juror selects artwork and awards artistic merit awards.

Eligibility: Open to all APSU students. Entrants must have been enrolled during the 2024-2025 academic years at Austin Peay State University. Works must have been produced between January 2024 and March 2025 and not exhibited in previous juried student exhibitions at APSU. All media are eligible for submission but must be completed by the entry date; no work may be changed or altered after entering.

Please see the full Prospectus / FAQ page for more information. 

Submissions are currently closed.

Tennessee's Emerging Creative Writers Contest

Zone 3 Press and the Creative Writing Program at Austin Peay State University are pleased to announce the inaugural Tennessee's Emerging Creative Writers Contest. This contest is designed to encourage high school creative writers from across the state and foster their growing literary voices.  

Recognition of skill and talent is given at every grade level (9th - 12th). For each 9th, 10th, and 11th grade levels, three Winners across poetry, fiction, and personal essay will be selected. For those in 12th grade, five Finalists will be recognized with two Winners each receiving a $1,500 APSU scholarship! 

All Finalists and Winners will have their works published in Red Mud Review—an anthology of student creative work—and be invited to read at the Zone 3 Writers’ Festival held on the APSU campus April 12, 2025. This year, festival attendees have the opportunity to attend craft talks and readings led by professional writers, participate in generative writing workshops, and meet with APSU creative writing faculty. 

Submissions are currently closed.

Zone 3 Writers' Festival

Zone 3 Press and the Creative Writing Program at Austin Peay State University are pleased to present the Zone 3 Writers' Festival.

We invite proposals for individual papers, panels, workshops, and readings of creative work that investigate the human experience. Festival attendees have the opportunity to attend craft talks and readings led by professional writers, participate in generative writing workshops, attend informational panels on writing and the writing industry, and meet with APSU creative writing faculty.

This event is free to attend, though donations to the APSU SOS Food Pantry and the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts are gladly accepted. 

Submissions are currently closed.

Learn more about APSU's Creative Writing Program here.