Interested in becoming an editor for Polyphony Lit? Take our editorial training course and join the staff!
Note on Volume 22
For Poetry and Prose:
Between May 1st 2026 and May 1st 2027, we'll be holding open calls for General Submissions for Volume 22!
These open calls will come in three submission windows, which will each have a limit of 200 submissions.
The first submission window opens May 1st 2026 and closes when we reach 200 submissions.
The second submission window opens October 1st 2026 and closes when we reach 200 submissions.
The third submission window opens March 1st 2027 and closes when we reach 200 submissions.
All submissions to these Volume 22 General Submissions windows will receive feedback.
We will also hold a series of seasonal contests, for writers who are itching to submit between the Volume 22 General Submissions windows!
For the Latin and Native American Heritage Contest, Black History Contest, Asian and Pacific Islander Contest, and Pride Contest, all submissions will be free to submit. Please note that we will close each contest window whenever we reach the submission cap. This means that contests may close before the stated deadline if we receive a large number of submissions. As such, we recommend submitting early to ensure your work is considered.
For the Summer Contest, Fall Contest, and Winter Contest, the first 200 submissions will be free to submit. After we reach 200 submissions, we will not close the contest altogether; instead, there will be a $4 submission fee for additional submissions. Only the top three winners for each contest will receive feedback from our editorial staff. The remaining contest submissions will not receive feedback.
Please see individual contest guidelines for most information on contest themes and eligibility.
For Cover Art:
Cover Art submissions will remain open on a rolling basis.
Submission Guidelines
Submission Cap
For many submission calls, there are a limited number of submissions, so out of respect for other submitters:
- Please submit no more than three submissions per contest.
- For the non-contest submission category, please submit no more than three submissions annually and please submit no more than one submission per submission window.
- Please ensure that your submission follows all guidelines, including word/line limits and guidelines for creative nonfiction (submissions that do not follow guidelines will be withdrawn).
- Please submit only if you are aged 14-18 (submissions from writers outside the age limit will be withdrawn).
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). Submit no more than one piece per submission window.
- 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
Length
- Poetry must be 80 lines or less.
- Fiction and creative nonfiction must be 1800 words or less.
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.
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:
- My Grandpa is a burst of Cyan Rain
- Mother, Tongue
- Scoville Scale
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).
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 the following categories: (1) Cover Art (which will appear both on the website and in print) and (2) Promotional Art (which will appear on social media, on our website, and in our online workshops).
- Images must be at least 2700 x 1800 pixels. Images with low resolution will not be eligible for cover art.
- Images must have a resolution of at least 300 DPI (dots per inch).
- Portrait orientation (6 x 9 inches or equivalent dimensions) is preferred.
- 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
- Submissions 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.
Polyphony Lit Fall Contest 2026:
Nostalgia
An old sweater tucked away in the back of a closet. A song you haven’t heard in years. The smell of rain on a familiar street or the rust-stained, creaking swing you remember from your childhood. Nostalgia has a way of finding us when we least expect it. It can comfort us, haunt us, or remind us of people and places we thought we had left behind. It helps us understand who we were, and who we are becoming. The moments we return to are rarely unchanged. Instead, they grow alongside us, carrying new meanings each time we look back. In remembering the past, we often discover something unexpected about the present. This Fall, we invite you to explore the many faces of nostalgia. What memories do we choose to preserve, and which ones do we reshape with time? Is nostalgia a refuge, a burden, or something in between? Whether you write about a childhood home, a forgotten friendship, a future you already miss, or a world that exists only in memory, we encourage you to uncover the emotions that linger long after a moment has passed. Share what nostalgia means to you, what weight memory and remembrance hold for you. Have fun with your story and don't be afraid to experiment. Nostalgia doesn't have to be sentimental—it can be joyful, bittersweet, unsettling, or even hopeful. Follow the memories that call to you, question the ones that don't, and discover what they reveal about the people who carry them. After all, nostalgia lives in the stories we choose to remember, and we can't wait to read yours. Interested in becoming an editor for Polyphony Lit? Take our editorial training course and join the staff!
Fall Contest Guidelines
- Submissions will open on September 1st and will remain open until November 30th. The first 200 submissions to the contest are free, but the contest will not close entirely after we reach 200 submissions. Once the contest collects 200 submissions, there will be a $4 submission fee for additional submissions, but the contest category will remain open.
- Please note that this is a separate submission category from Polyphony Lit Volume 22. Submissions that were submitted to Polyphony Lit Volume 22 will receive feedback from the editors, but for the seasonal contests, only the winning submissions will receive feedback from the judge.
- If you have already submitted your work to the Volume 22 category, then please do not send the same submission to the contest category.
- If you submit to the contest category first and your work is declined, then you may submit it to the Volume 22 category or future contests after this contest is finished.
Writer Qualifications
- High school students (aged 14-18) from anywhere in the world are eligible to submit.
- We do not accept submissions from any editors who currently serve on the staff of Polyphony Lit.
- Submit a maximum of three pieces.
- If submitting multiple pieces, please upload as separate submissions. Multiple pieces submitted in a single document may 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
Length
- Poetry must be 80 lines or less.
- Fiction and creative nonfiction must be 1,800 words or less.
Formatting
- Do not put your name on the piece, as 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
- 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.
Using Submittable
- 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.
- The first 200 submissions for this contest are free. Once the contest collects 200 submissions, there will be a $4 submission fee for additional submissions, but the contest category will remain open. For this reason, we recommend submitting early.
Prize
There will be one winner and two finalists. The winners/finalists will receive:
- Publication in Polyphony Lit Volume 22
- Eligibility for the Claudia Ann Seaman Awards (if work is previously unpublished)
- Editorial feedback from the Contest Judge
- A full scholarship for Polyphony Lit’s "How to be a Literary Editor" course. Upon completion of the course, students will be eligible to join the editorial staff of Polyphony Lit!
- Please note that only the three winners will receive feedback from the Judge.
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
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 the following categories: (1) Cover Art (which will appear both on the website and in print), and (2) Promotional Art (which will appear on social media, on our website, and in our online workshops).
- 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.
- Images must have a resolution of at least 300 DPI (dots per inch).
- Portrait orientation (6 x 9 inches or equivalent dimensions) is preferred.
- 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.
- Please note that submissions will remain open until May 31st 2026 and selections will be made around June 2026.
- 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.
Latin & Heritage Contest 2026
September 1st - November 30th 2026
In celebration of Latin Heritage Month, Polyphony Lit is hosting a special contest for submitters with Latino/a/e background. The theme for this contest is “Repeating History.” For more details on the contest prize, see below.
In ancient Mesoamerica, time was not viewed as linear but instead as a cyclical pattern. Aztec mythology proposes that the current world as we know it is the fifth iteration, following three cycles of creation, death, and rebirth. Cyclical patterns are also a common theme in the literary world: in One Hundred Years of Solitude, for example, Gabriel García Márquez tells the story of a multigenerational family, where each new generation forges onward, believing they possess free will, only to make the same mistakes as their ancestors
With this in mind, we ask you to consider how history repeats itself, how history shapes you and the choices you make, and how we may be susceptible to falling into the same cyclical patterns of behavior or thought. Have fun with your writing, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Feel free to add your own unique interpretation or take on the prompt!
Interested in becoming an editor for Polyphony Lit? Take our editorial training course and join the staff!
Latin Heritage Contest Guidelines
- Submissions will open on September 1st and will remain open until November 30th or until we reach our submission cap of 200 submissions.
- Please note that this is a separate submission category from Polyphony Lit Volume 22. Submissions to Polyphony Lit Volume 22 will receive feedback from the editors, but for the seasonal contests, only the winning submissions will receive feedback from the judge.
- If you have already submitted your work to the Volume 22 category, then please do not send the same submission to the contest category.
- If you submit to the contest category first and your work is declined, then you may submit it to the Volume 22 category after the contest is finished.
Writer Qualifications
- High school students (age 14-18) who identify as Latinx or Native American are eligible to submit. For ease of reference, we roughly define this as writers of Hispanic, Latinx, or Spanish origin (for example: Mexican or Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Salvadoran, Dominican, Colombian, etc), writers who identify as Central / South America Indigenous Peoples (for example: Amerindian, K’iche’, Yucatec, Miskitos, Quechua, Chibcha, etc), and writers who identify as North American Indigenous Peoples (Eg: Navajo nation, Blackfeet tribe, Native Village, Nome Eskimo Community, First Nations, etc). However, we understand that people of Latin American and Indigenous descent often come from many different backgrounds, so we hope that you will not be limited in any way by these categories.
- We do not accept submissions from editors who currently serve on the staff of Polyphony Lit.
- Works may be written in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. If your piece is written primarily in one of these languages, but also features brief words or phrases written in another language, then we will certainly consider multilingual pieces like this, but please keep in mind that our contest readers will only be able to provide English translations for the languages listed above. For multilingual words and phrases, you are welcome to provide English translations of your own as footnotes or as part of the context in the piece.
- We do not accept submissions from editors who currently serve on the staff of Polyphony Lit.
- Submit a maximum of three pieces.
- 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.
Length
- Poetry must be 80 lines or less.
- Fiction and creative nonfiction must be 1,800 words or less.
Formatting
- Do not put your name on the piece, as all work is blind juried.
- Submissions longer than one page should have the page number inserted at the top (right or left side) of every page, as it would help our Judge specify the location for their commentary.
- 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
- 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.
Using Submittable
- 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.
- Submissions for this contest are free.
- There is a submission cap of 200 submissions, so we may close submissions for the contest before the deadline if we receive 200 submissions. We recommend submitting early, to ensure that you do not miss the deadline.
Prize
There will be one winner and two finalists. The winners/finalists will receive:
- Publication in Polyphony Lit Volume 22
- Eligibility for the Claudia Ann Seaman Awards
- Editorial feedback from the Contest Judge
- A full scholarship for Polyphony Lit’s "How to be a Literary Editor" course. Upon completion of the course, students will be eligible to join the editorial staff of Polyphony Lit!
- Please note that only the three winners will receive feedback from the Judge.
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:
- responses to love
- Holiday in a Burning City
Voices Blog: Piecing Together Indigenous Identity Series for 2027
June 10th-September 30th
Polyphony Lit is now open to submissions for a Voices Blog series centered around indigenous creators called "Piecing Together Indigenous Identity"
Indigenous identity is not a rigid monolith, but a vibrant mosaic. It is shaped by a variety of sources, whether that is a geographic affinity, a community tradition, or a fragment of a story passed down throughout generations. Historically, colonialism has acted as a force of disruption, scattering our traditions and fragmenting our histories. Yet, indigenous people hold the power to gather these scattered pieces and weave them back together. This blog series invites indigenous creators to reflect on the small moments, memories, and fragments of daily life that contribute to their understanding of native identity. Whether you are reflecting on traditional indigenous myths, history and geography, or your own personal experiences, we would love to hear from indigenous youth who are passionate about art as a medium for decolonization and cultural resistance.
This is an open call for poetry, fiction, CNF, nonfiction articles, and visual art. We are seeking work created by indigenous youth age 12-25.
Selected works will be featured in the blog series, which we plan to launch in 2027, if we receive enough submissions.
This submission opportunity is separate from Polyphony Lit's seasonal issues. Submissions for this category will be considered for blog publication and not for publication in our seasonal issues. Constructive critique will not be provided for submission to this blog series.
To read some works from our previous blog series, please check out "Love in the Time of Banned Books" and "Wake Up, the War Is Here."
Blog Series Submission Guidelines
- Submissions will open on June 10th 2026 and will remain open until at least September 30th 2026 or until we reach our submission cap of 200 submissions.
- Please note that this is a separate submission category from Polyphony Lit's Volume 20 and Polyphony Lit's seasonal contests. Constructive critique will not be provided for submission to this blog series.
Writer Qualifications
- We are seeking work created by indigenous youth age 12-25. For ease of reference, we roughly define this as writers who identify as North American Indigenous Peoples (Eg: Navajo nation, Blackfeet tribe, Native Village, Nome Eskimo Community, First Nations, etc). and writers who identify as Central / South America Indigenous Peoples (for example: Amerindian, K’iche’, Yucatec, Miskitos, Quechua, Chibcha, etc). However, we understand that people of Indigenous descent often come from many different backgrounds, so we hope that you will not be limited in any way by these categories.
- Works may be written in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. If your piece is written primarily in one of these languages, but also features brief words or phrases written in another language, then we will certainly consider multilingual pieces like this, but please keep in mind that our contest readers will only be able to provide English translations for the languages listed above. For multilingual words and phrases, you are welcome to provide English translations of your own as footnotes or as part of the context in the piece. If you would like to submit a piece written entirely in another language, then please email julian@polyphonylit.org to inquire if any our editors would be open to provide translations in another language.
- If you are fluent in an indigenous language and interested in volunteering as a translator in order to open up this opportunity to even more indigenous submitters, please also email julian@polyphonylit.org.
- Submit a maximum of three pieces.
- If submitting multiple pieces, please upload as separate submissions. Multiple pieces submitted in a single document may be withdrawn, and you may 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.
- Submissions for the blog series are not eligible for the Claudia Ann Seaman Awards.
Length
- Poetry must be 80 lines or less.
- Prose must be 1,800 words or less.
Formatting
- Do not put your name on the piece, as all work is blind juried.
- Submissions longer than one page should have the page number inserted at the top (right or left side) of every page, as it would help our Judge specify the location for their commentary.
- 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
- 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.
Using Submittable
- 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.
- Submissions are free.
- There is a submission cap of 200 submissions, so we may close submissions for the opportunity before the deadline if we receive 200 submissions. We recommend submitting early, to ensure that you do not miss the deadline.
Polyphony Lit Fall Contest 2026:
Nostalgia
An old sweater tucked away in the back of a closet. A song you haven’t heard in years. The smell of rain on a familiar street or the rust-stained, creaking swing you remember from your childhood. Nostalgia has a way of finding us when we least expect it. It can comfort us, haunt us, or remind us of people and places we thought we had left behind. It helps us understand who we were, and who we are becoming. The moments we return to are rarely unchanged. Instead, they grow alongside us, carrying new meanings each time we look back. In remembering the past, we often discover something unexpected about the present.
This Fall, we invite you to explore the many faces of nostalgia. What memories do we choose to preserve, and which ones do we reshape with time? Is nostalgia a refuge, a burden, or something in between? Whether you write about a childhood home, a forgotten friendship, a future you already miss, or a world that exists only in memory, we encourage you to uncover the emotions that linger long after a moment has passed. Share what nostalgia means to you, what weight memory and remembrance hold for you.
Have fun with your story and don't be afraid to experiment. Nostalgia doesn't have to be sentimental—it can be joyful, bittersweet, unsettling, or even hopeful. Follow the memories that call to you, question the ones that don't, and discover what they reveal about the people who carry them. After all, nostalgia lives in the stories we choose to remember, and we can't wait to read yours.
Interested in becoming an editor for Polyphony Lit? Take our editorial training course and join the staff!
Summer Contest Guidelines
- Submissions will open on September 1st and will remain open until November 30th. The first 200 submissions to the contest are free, but the contest will not close entirely after we reach 200 submissions. Once the contest collects 200 submissions, there will be a $4 submission fee for additional submissions, but the contest category will remain open.
- Please note that this is a separate submission category from Polyphony Lit Volume 22. Submissions that were submitted to Polyphony Lit Volume 22 will receive feedback from the editors, but for the seasonal contests, only the winning submissions will receive feedback from the judge.
- If you have already submitted your work to the Volume 22 category, then please do not send the same submission to the contest category.
- If you submit to the contest category first and your work is declined, then you may submit it to the Volume 22 category or future contests after this contest is finished.
Writer Qualifications
- High school students (aged 14-18) from anywhere in the world are eligible to submit.
- We do not accept submissions from any editors who currently serve on the staff of Polyphony Lit.
- Submit a maximum of three pieces.
- If submitting multiple pieces, please upload as separate submissions. Multiple pieces submitted in a single document may 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
Length
- Poetry must be 80 lines or less.
- Fiction and creative nonfiction must be 1,800 words or less.
Formatting
- Do not put your name on the piece, as 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
- 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.
Using Submittable
- 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.
- The first 200 submissions for this contest are free. Once the contest collects 200 submissions, there will be a $4 submission fee for additional submissions, but the contest category will remain open. For this reason, we recommend submitting early.
Prize
There will be one winner and two finalists. The winners/finalists will receive:
- Publication in Polyphony Lit Volume 22
- Eligibility for the Claudia Ann Seaman Awards (if work is previously unpublished)
- Editorial feedback from the Contest Judge
- A full scholarship for Polyphony Lit’s "How to be a Literary Editor" course. Upon completion of the course, students will be eligible to join the editorial staff of Polyphony Lit!
- Please note that only the three winners will receive feedback from the Judge.
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
Poetry / Prose Guidelines
Submission Cap
Please note that we will be closing each window for Volume 21 whenever we reach the submission cap. We recommend submitting early to ensure your work is considered. What does this mean?
- The submission window for May 2026 - June 2026 may close before the end of June.
- The submission window for October 2026 - November 2026 may close before the end of November.
- The submission window for March 2027 - April 2027 may close before the end of April.
There will be a limited number of submissions, so out of respect for other submitters:
- Please submit no more than three submissions per volume.
- Please ensure your submission follows all guidelines, including word/line limits and guidelines for creative nonfiction (submissions that do not follow guidelines will be withdrawn).
- Please submit only if you are aged 14-18 (submissions from writers outside the age limit will be withdrawn).
Volume 22
Submissions for this category:
- will receive in-depth editorial feedback from our editors.
- will be evaluated for publication in our annual volume.
- are eligible for the Claudia Ann Seaman Awards.
- Submissions are free.
Writing Guidelines
Writer Qualifications
- High school students (aged 14-18) from anywhere in the world are eligible to submit.
- Editors on Polyphony Lit's staff 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 May and ends the following April). We have three submission windows each year, and you will be limited to one submission per window.
- If submitting multiple pieces, please upload them 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
Length
- Poetry must be 80 lines or less.
- Fiction and creative nonfiction must be 1800 words or less.
Formatting
- Do not put your name on the piece, as all work is blind juried.
- Poetry should be formatted flush left unless another format, such as centering, is an integral part of the piece's meaning.
- 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
- 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.
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 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:
- My Grandpa is a burst of Cyan Rain
- Mother, Tongue
- Scoville Scale
Additional Opportunities for Writers
- Interested in becoming an editor for Polyphony Lit? Take our editorial training course and join the staff!
