Personal essays, Essays
The Lagos Review
The Lagos Review is paying $250 per published essay (up to 1,500 words) on loss and grief. Rolling submissions June–December 2026. AI-produced essays and fiction are not considered.
🟢 Rolling submissions Verified 2026-08
The docket
The nine things that decide whether a pitch is worth sending. Every answer below is either taken from the publication’s own guideline or computed by BRYME from the 304-publication desk. Where the publication does not say, the docket says so instead of filling the gap in.
- Payment
- $250 per published essayBRYME records 1 other records based in Nigeria that state a flat-fee figure — too few to rank this one against without over-reading 1 data point. Paid one month after publication.
- Length
- Up to 1,500 words
- Who can submit
- Not statedThe official call does not state a nationality restriction. It is framed around personal experience of loss and grief.
- Reading period
- Rolling, June–December 2026
- Response time
- Not statedNo response time recorded. A follow-up after two to three weeks is reasonable; silence past that is a soft no, not a rejection.
- Simultaneous submissions
- Not statedThe guideline does not address simultaneous submissions. BRYME records that as silence rather than assuming a yes: if you are sending the same piece to several publications, say so in your cover letter and withdraw it everywhere the moment it is taken.
- AI policy
- AI-assisted work is prohibitedThe guideline forbids AI-generated or AI-assisted writing.
- Rights
- Not statedBRYME records that 162 of the 304 publications on this desk state their terms. This one does not. Ask what rights you are assigning, for how long and for what territory, before you sign anything.
- Experience
- Not statedThe guideline sets no experience requirement. BRYME records that as silence, not as a welcome — a first-time writer is not excluded, but nor are they invited.
What this record does not tell you
This publication leaves 5 of the nine questions unanswered. BRYME publishes that gap instead of filling it — a generated answer would look complete and cost you a pitch.
- Who can submit — the guideline leaves this open, so ask before you spend an evening on the pitch rather than assuming a yes.
- Response time — expect to wait blind, and keep other pitches live.
- Simultaneous submissions — the guideline leaves this open, so declare it in your cover letter rather than assuming.
- Rights — you may be asked to assign more than you expect. Get the terms in writing.
- Experience — look at what kind of writer this publication normally publishes before you pitch; its guideline does not say.
Record last human-checked 2026-08-19. Sources listed at the foot of this page. Figures are compared only against other records based in Nigeria quoted the same way, so a per-word rate is never ranked against a flat fee.
Quick facts
- Payment
- $250 per published essay
- Word count
- Up to 1,500 words
- Submission
- International writers
- Yes
- Status
- 🟢 Rolling submissions
- Last verified
- 2026-08
BRYME experience
Status (as recorded): Submitted · Payment: Pending / Not confirmed
This is BRYME's own firsthand record. Payment is only marked confirmed once it actually lands — never assumed. Dates, where shown, are when each step happened.
- Pitch submitted
What this publication wants
This is BRYME's summary of the publication's focus — not a copy of their website. Type of writing: Personal essays, Essays. Official guideline: The Lagos Review guidelines.
Topics, themes and styles they look for
- Essays up to 1,500 words on loss and grief in all their forms — not only death.
- Official examples include: loss of freedom through incarceration, kidnapping or injustice; migration and losing or searching for home; missed opportunities and vanished dreams; pregnancy loss; domestic or intimate partner violence; discrimination by race, tribe or ethnicity; losing a parent, child, partner, friend, or a stranger whose story pierced you.
- First-person, honest, specific lived experience.
Subjects they avoid
- AI-produced essays will not be considered.
- Fiction will not be considered for this call.
Key requirements
- Essay, maximum 1,500 words
- Email to submissions@thelagosreview.ng
Who can submit
The official call does not state a nationality restriction. It is framed around personal experience of loss and grief.
Rights
Not fully stated. The call notes that the top 12 published essays may be compiled into a book collection with a one-off $500 royalty. Broader rights terms are not on the call page.
AI policy
Prohibited
How to write for them
Official requirement: always follow the publication's own guideline exactly.
BRYME's practical advice: write for the publication's audience, use a clear structure, keep paragraphs short, lead with a specific angle, and confirm the word count before submitting. These are practical suggestions — they are not the publication's official rules.
How to pitch
Where a pitch is required, this is the general pattern BRYME recommends — always adapt it to the publication's guideline.
- Research the publication and read several recent pieces.
- Choose a specific idea that fits their beat and audience.
- Write a concise subject line naming your idea.
- Introduce yourself in one or two lines (who you are, where you publish).
- Explain the proposed piece in a short paragraph — angle, structure, length.
- Say why it fits this publication.
- Include 2–3 relevant clips or links.
- Close professionally and thank them for their time.
- Send through the official channel only.
Reads year-round; no submission window to wait for.
How to submit
Apply through the official channel below. BRYME only records submission destinations it has verified.
- Official guideline: opens the publication guideline (new tab)
- Submission: Email
- Submission email: submissions@thelagosreview.ng
What the guideline asks you to prepare
- Email your essay to submissions@thelagosreview.ng.
- Submissions are received on a rolling basis from June to December 2026.
What happens after submission
Expected response: Not publicly stated
If the publication does not state a response time, BRYME records that it is unknown. A follow-up is generally reasonable after a couple of weeks; if there is still no response, treat that as a likely non-acceptance rather than a rejection. Acceptance is normally communicated by the publication. If they accept, they will tell you exactly how to submit the final piece and, for most, how and when payment is made.
Check, question or correct this record
BRYME publishes its working, not just its conclusions. Last human check: 2026-08.