Submissions Wanted

The Shako publishes creative work by current and past students of the institution.  All submissions are compiled, edited, and published annually in the spring by current cadets for distribution throughout The Citadel community on Corps Day.

Submissions to The Shako are accepted year-round, with a rolling mid-January deadline for each issue, and all members of The Citadel's student body are encouraged to submit their creative productions, whether they take the form of poetry, fiction, photography, art, or comedic doodles.

Potential contributors are reminded that The Shako is an official Citadel publication and that publication is selective.  We are simply unable to publish all submissions we receive.  All decisions of the editorial staff in this regard are final.

Michael Livingston
Department of English
Faculty Advisor to The Shako

Annual Creative Writing Awards

Every eligible author and poet published in The Shako is provided with a 24-hour pass in addition to the honor of their inclusion in the magazine.  Even more, our contributors are eligible to receive one of our two annual creative writing awards:

Pat Conroy Award

Pat Conroy is one of America's best-loved writers, the author of numerous best-selling novels, including The Great Santini, The Prince of Tides, and, of course, The Lords of Discipline.  He is a proud Citadel graduate (class of 1967) and former staff member of The Shako.  Each year The Shako honors his numerous contributions by according the Pat Conroy Award to the best published work of general fiction in the magazine.   This prestigious award carries with it a monetary award of $250, a 48-hour pass, and an invitation to the annual English Department Awards Banquet.

Robert Jordan / James O. Rigney, Jr. Award

James O. Rigney, Jr., Citadel graduate of 1974, is the author of numerous novels, including the expansive and worldwide bestselling Wheel of Time series of Fantasy novels, written under the pseudonym Robert Jordan.  The Shako is privileged to honor the best published work of genre fiction or poetry in the magazine with an award in his name.  This prestigious award carries with it a monetary award of $250, a 48-hour pass, and an invitation to the annual English Department Awards Banquet.