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, 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 New Gallery Residency
The New Gallery at Austin Peay State University offers space for a newly implemented summer artist-in-residence program. The purpose of the residency/exhibition is to bring outside contemporary artists to Clarksville and the TN Mid-state region and to provide studio space/time for experimentation with new ideas. The New Gallery is a 1,500 square foot white cube gallery with 120 linear feet of wall space with 36 feet of moveable wall space. The New Gallery is generously funded by the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) and the Department of Art + Design at Austin Peay State University.
The submission deadline is December 15, 2024, and works in all media will be considered.
Check out The New Gallery on Facebook and Instagram.
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.
The submission deadline is February 16, 2025, and students are allowed one submission per category.
Learn more about APSU's Creative Writing Program here.
Students should work with their English or Writing teachers on pieces they would like to submit to the contest in fiction, poetry, or personal essay.
Students in Grades 9 – 11:
Submissions should be formatted in standard MLA and proof-read.
Graduating Seniors:
Submissions should be formatted in standard MLA, proof-read, and submitted through the APSU Scholarship Portal found here: https://www.apsu.edu/scholarships/.
Submissions must include:
- A cover letter that introduces the submission and includes the student’s contact information, grade level, high school, and name of English/Writing teacher.
- The necessary document(s) as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf.
- Remove any personal identifying information from creative pieces and file names.
- Files should be named as the title of the submitted work. Example "the_purple_wren.docx."
- Students are limited to a maximum of one submission per category. For fiction or personal essays, we ask for a 2000-word limit.
Finalists and Winners will be announced in March 2025.
IMPORTANT: Entries that do not follow the above guidelines will not be considered. If you have any questions about the contest or festival, please reach out to Dr. Raymond Deeren deerenr@apsu.edu.