Poetry / Prose Guidelines

Please note that since we have received a significant number of submissions and are currently working to catch up on providing reviews, we will be closing each window for Volume 20 whenever we reach 200 submissions.

What does this mean?

• The submission window for July 2023 - September 2023 may close before the end of September, so we recommend submitting early to ensure your work is considered.
• The submission window for November 2023 - January 2024 may close before the end of January, so we recommend submitting early to ensure your work is considered.
• The submission window for March 2024 - April 2024 may close before the end of April, so we recommend submitting early to ensure your work is considered.

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 that your submission follows all of the 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including word/line limits and guidelines for creative nonfiction (submissions that do not follow guidelines will be withdrawn).
• Please submit only if you are a student aged 14-18 (submissions from writers outside the age limit will be withdrawn).
  

Writer Qualifications​

• High school students (aged 14-18) from anywhere in the world are eligible to submit.
• Students who are currently editors on Polyphony Lit's staff are not eligible to submit.
• Works must be written in English.
• Original works only.
• Submit a maximum of three pieces altogether.
• If you are submitting multiple pieces then please upload them as separate submissions. If you submit multiple pieces in a single document, then your work will be withdrawn and you will be asked to resubmit your pieces separately.
• We accept simultaneous submissions and work that has been published elsewhere. When you submit previously published work, please note that the work was previously published, where and when it is being published, and if it is eligible for republication. If it is accepted for publication elsewhere after submitting to Polyphony Lit, you must notify us immediately... but if you are still interested in publication at Polyphony Lit, then please do not withdraw your submission. If we choose to accept a previously published submission for publication, we will acknowledge the site of the original publication.
• Pieces that have been published elsewhere are not eligible for the Claudia Ann Seaman Award for Young Writers..

Length

• Poetry must be 80 lines or less.
• Fiction and creative nonfiction must be 1,800 words or less.
• Submissions that exceed limits will not be accepted.

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 that has already been returned to you, type the abbreviation (REV), in parentheses, after the title you enter.​
• There is no fee to submit.
• By submitting my Work to Polyphony Lit, I, the AUTHOR of this Work, agree to the terms and conditions outlined in our https://www.polyphonylit.org/privacy-policy.

Additional Guidelines for Creative Nonfiction​

• Because of the flexibility of form that marks much of Creative Nonfiction, the genre is not easily defined; at Polyphony Lit, we look for creative nonfiction pieces that are written in the style of personal essays or short 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 (unless the academic essay in question takes a creative approach and is written as a personal reflection).
• We would advise reading some samples of our work, in order to understand the type of material that we publish. Here are some samples of creative nonfiction that we have published recently:
• 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 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 in order to create a color palette that works for printing.
• 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 works are 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.
• By submitting my Work to Polyphony Lit, I, the AUTHOR of this Work, agree to the terms and conditions outlined in our https://www.polyphonylit.org/privacy-policy.

Interested in becoming an editor for Polyphony Lit? Take our editorial training course and join the staff!

Interested in learning more about poetry from the best high school / college-aged writers and editors around the globe? Hone your poetry skills, learn about cultural perspectives on poetry, and receive detailed feedback from experienced Teaching Assistants in our poetry workshop.

Polyphony Lit’s feature blog, Voices, is working on an upcoming series centering on LGBTQ+ voices. The goal of the series is to feature reviews on LGBTQ+ books that have been banned and share reflections on the significance of LGBTQ+ literature in a CNF format. We also welcome additional content suggestions for the feature if you have additional ideas as to what you would like to see within the series.

If you identify as LGBTQ+ and would be interested in creating content for this feature, we welcome you to apply to become a guest writer for the series. We will begin compiling content for the series in September and aim to release content monthly around December.

We hope that you choose to join us in this new blog feature and look forward to hearing your ideas! If you are interested in joining, we recommend you complete the application below by August 31st, but we will be keeping it open for interested writers throughout the year.