Poetry / Prose Guidelines

 Writer Qualifications ​

• High school students (aged 14-18) from anywhere in the world are eligible to submit.

• Polyphony Lit editors are not eligible to submit.

• Works must be written in English (unless contest guidelines specify otherwise).

• Original works only.

• Submit no more than three pieces per year (submission year begins in July and ends following April)

• If submitting multiple pieces, please upload as separate submissions. Multiple pieces submitted in a single document will be withdrawn, and you will be asked to resubmit your pieces separately.

• We accept simultaneous submissions and work that has been published elsewhere. If submitting previously published work, please send a message in Submittable noting where and when your work has been published, and if it is eligible for republication. If it is accepted for publication elsewhere after submitting to Polyphony Lit, please notify us immediately but do not withdraw your submission if you are still interested in publication at Polyphony Lit. If we accept a previously published submission for publication, we will acknowledge the place of the original publication.

• Previously published pieces are not eligible for the Claudia Ann Seaman Awards

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Length

• Poetry must be 80 lines or less.

• Fiction and creative nonfiction must be 1,800 words or less.

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Formatting​

• Do not put your name on the piece, because all work is blind juried.

• We accept submission in .doc, .docx or .rtf formats.

• We prefer common conventions:

  • Color: Black & white

  • Font Size: 12 pt throughout, including titles

  • Font Type: Times or Times New Roman

  • Poetry should be formatted flush left unless another format, such as centering, is an integral to the piece's meaning.

  • Margins: 1-inch at the top and bottom, and 1.25 inch at the left and right. One space after periods. There should be no extra returns after paragraphs unless you have a meaningful reason for the extra space.

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Using Submittable

• Please upload submissions through Submittable. We do not accept email submissions or hard copies via mail.

• If you submit a revision of a piece that we have already reviewed, type "(REV)" after the title.​

• There is no fee to submit.

• By submitting to Polyphony Lit you give us permission to publish your piece as outlined by Polyphony Lit's Copyright Policies.

Additional Guidelines for Creative Nonfiction​

• At Polyphony Lit, we look for creative nonfiction pieces that are written in the style of short personal memoirs. We are looking for pieces that are informal, flexible in form, and most importantly, personal. Personal discovery is the keystone of a personal essay. Self-revelation, human experiences, humor, and flexibility of form are all aspects that we look for in pieces we publish as creative non-fiction.

• We do not look for op-ed pieces, critical analyses, research papers, or academic essays.

• We would advise reading some samples of our work, in order to understand the material that we publish. Here are some samples of creative nonfiction that we have published:

• Memories of the Boy I Didn't Know

• responses to love

• Holiday in a Burning City

Guidelines on Hate Speech, Slurs, and Other Sensitive Language

• Any submissions that explicitly promote or support hate speech will not be considered for publication and will be removed.

• With that in mind, we are aware that some pieces may feature slurs or sensitive language if the author is exploring themes such as racial identity, sexual identity, gender identity, etc. and the author identifies with the marginalized community that has been the target of such slurs or sensitive language. Some authors may show characters who use hate speech in dialogue, for example, not because they support the message of said hate speech, but rather to criticize said hate speech and show how hate speech impacts the marginalized community they belong to. Pieces of this nature will not be removed from consideration, because we believe it is important for authors from marginalized communities to discuss these themes and issues candidly. However, we do encourage both authors and editors to be mindful of the history and connotations of slurs and sensitive language, regardless of whether or not they identify with the community towards whom that language has been directed.

• To clarify, we do not have any problem with publishing submissions that contain swear words or profanity (provided that the language aligns with the guidelines on hate speech / slurs provided above).

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Art Guidelines

Artist Qualifications​

• High school students (aged 14-18) from anywhere in the world are eligible to submit.

• For the art category, we welcome multiple submissions.

Artwork Guidelines​​

• Submitted artwork will be considered for any of the following categories: (1) Cover Art (which will appear both on the website and in print), (2) T-Shirt Art (which will appear in our online store), and (3) Promotional Art (which will appear on social media, on our website, and in our online workshops).

• The T-shirt art winner will receive $150 and a free t-shirt featuring their design.

• Images must be a .PNG or .JPG file.

• Images must be at least 2700 x 1800 pixels. Images with low resolution will not be eligible for cover art or t-shirt printing.

• Images must have a resolution of at least 300 DPI (dots per inch).

• Portrait orientation is preferred.

• For the purpose of t-shirt printing, your artwork may be edited to create a printer-friendly color palette.

• Polyphony means “many voices,” which you can use as inspiration for your design. You are not limited to that theme, as we are looking for the creativity and imagination of your visual art to be a match for the wide-ranging literary works contained in our annual volume.

• We accept simultaneous submissions but if the piece is accepted elsewhere, please notify us immediately. Only previously unpublished artwork is eligible.

• All submissions must be original and may include drawings, paintings, collages, photographs, or mixed media.

 

Using Submittable​

• In the submission form, please select "Cover Art" as the genre for your submission.

• Please upload submissions through Submittable. We do not accept email submissions or hard copies via mail.

• Upload only one piece per submission file. To submit more than one piece, make more than one submission file.

• There is no fee to submit.

• We do not provide feedback on cover art submissions. If your piece is accepted for publication, we will notify you at the close of our submission cycle.

• If you are submitting visual art, you give us permission to publish your work as cover art, t-shirt art, or promotional art on Polyphony Lit's platforms as outlined by Polyphony Lit's Copyright Policies.

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