ECTC Students
Are you a student at ECTC who enjoys writing poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction? If so, you are in the right place.
OPEN CALL FOR ECTC STUDENTS
DEADLINE: You can submit any time. We'll be glad to hold your work for consideration in the future. We do most of our reading in summer and early fall for publication the following Spring.
Cost to enter: This is a free open call. Submit for free.
Payment: Because we do not charge for submission, there is not a monetary payment for this contest. Those selected for publication will receive a hard copy of the journal in the mail. In addition we hope that you will consider attending and reading at our April Literary Reading on campus.
What to submit:
Submit your original poetry, fictional short stories and creative nonfiction. We do NOT read or accept fantasy, medieval, sci-fi, vampire novels, paranormal romance, fan fiction, or children's stories.
- Dr. Matthews' ENG101 students often submit in the creative nonfiction category. Matthews' Intro to Creative Writing students have work in any category.
- Mrs. LaPerle's students often submit poetry or fictional short stories.
- Mrs. Lilygren's students often submit their fiction stories.
- Personal essays such as those in Dr. Matthews' ENG102 and Mrs. Fox's ENG101 are examples of creative nonfiction.
Citations and References Matter: We expect any and all sources to be cited properly in MLA or APA; in-text citations and reference pages which do not follow the guidelines of MLA or APA will be automatically disqualified. This is the number one cause of rejected entries in student work.
All entries must be original works by the entrant, in English. Plagiarism, which includes the use of third-party poetry, song lyrics, characters, or another person’s universe, without written permission, will result in disqualification.
Excessive violence or sex and the use of profane, vulgar, racist or offensive words, determined by the judges, will result in the story being rejected.
Any and all use of AI must be acknowledged. It must be cited where appropriate but also must be disclosed.
Formatting Guidelines
All entries must go through Submittable. This means students must create a free account with Submittable, which is how we will communicate with you.
Submissions must be in a Word compatible file (.docx, .doc, and .rtf). PDFs will not be read.
Fiction and Creative Nonfiction: The Word file must be double spaced uniformly in MLA format. Single spaced entries will not be read. Do not put in extra spaces or have double with single spacing. Do not insert your own "enters" at the end of each line. Ensure Word wraps the text automatically. Use left align, not justification. Include an AI statement about your usage. Include a Works Cited page if appropriate. Do not exceed 5000 words.
Poetry: It still must be a Word file. You may single space but do not insert your own "enters" at the end of each line. Ensure Word wraps the text automatically. We do not publish word art or visual imagery poems. You may submit up to 3 poems but they must be in 1 file. Include an AI statement about your usage.
Submittable will request authors to compose a short biography. The bio can be 30-40 words, but simple is also good. Do not include your address. Entries without biographies will be disqualified. Your bio can also include your AI statement. Here's an example: First Name Last Name is a student at ECTC and hopes to become a large animal vet. ChatGPT was used for grammar, mechanics, and punctuation.
Submittable will request a cover letter, but 2-3 sentences is sufficient: Dear Editor, please consider my (insert type of piece) for publication. I am in x professor's class. Regards, your name.
The file name should include the date (year and month) and the author’s name. For example, 2018_6_John Smith. This helps us keep the files organized. Do not label the files with our name; we know who we are.
Authors under the age of 18: We can not print your work unless you obtain the form below and have it notarized. Therefore, fill out the below form and you will be sent the form requiring a notary. Your parent/guardian must have the form notarized and then you need to send it back to us. We recommend that you bring it in person or mail it. The form includes the specific instructions.
Permission to Publish Work by a Minor Form
Revised: 15 Oct 2026
