(IMPORTANT NOTE! The authors with the top three submissions for each issue as determined by the editors will receive a $50 cash award. This includes a "Spotlight Author" and two runners up. If the Spotlight goes to a fiction author, the runners up will be chosen from the other two general categories of poetry and nonfiction (to include travel, miscellany, reviews, interviews, and the Salon). If the Spotlight goes to a nonfiction author, the runners up awards will go to a fiction and a poetry author, and so on. See guidelines for more details.)   We pride ourselves on giving everyone (high schoolers, convicts, movie executives, etc.) an equal shot at publication, based solely on the quality of their work. Because we like eclecticism, we tend to favor the varied perspectives that often characterize the work of international authors, people of color, women, alternative lifestylists, and straight white men—but others who don't fit into these categories sometimes do surprise us.   To have the best chance of surprising us, please take a few minutes to read our complete guidelines before you submit. We also recommend reading a few issues to get a sense of what we like—although we're always looking for something we haven't seen before, so doing so may or may not actually be helpful.   Note how each category has a few additional guidelines. These categories, by the way, are not meant to be exclusive or exact. Some Nonfiction, for example, might also be described as Travel, Humor, or Miscellany. Pick the category you feel works best, and if the piece is accepted, the editor(s) will work with you to find the best fit.   If you are a former contributor or Spotlight Author, be sure to check out the abovementioned guidelines for special submission conditions that may apply to you.   Finally, we here at Eclectica have struggled with how to handle simultaneous submissions. Now that we're using this tool (Submittable), we are accepting them, but we still ask that authors notify u