Submissions are now OPEN for the 2025-2026 edition of Polaris.

Note: Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. Polaris will only accept work from undergraduates.

Submitting AI generated work to Polaris Literacy Magazine will not be considered for publications. Staff members withhold the right to evaluate any submissions for usage of AI. For any further questions or clarifications contact: onupolaris@gmail.com

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Prizes awarded in each genre:

1^st Place – $50
2^nd Place – $25

Prizes are awarded by genre editors.

Winners will be published in Polaris and all contest entries will be considered for publication.

There is no monetary compensation for general acceptances. Only prize winners will receive the previously mentioned amounts.

Submission Guidlines:

• Fiction: Up to 2,500 words, open to anything with an interesting voice including absurdist, experimental, flash, et cetera. Multiple submissions of fiction will be accepted if all works together meet or are under the word count.
  
• Poetry: Submit 1-3 poems, free verse, experimental, prose poetry, et cetera.
  • If you do not include at least one poem in your submission, it will automatically be rejected.
    
• Nonfiction: Up to 2,500 words, humor, travel narrative, et cetera. Multiple submissions of nonfiction will be accepted if all works together meet or are under the word count.
  
• Visual Art: Up to 3 works per artist, .TIFF or .JPEG files, all media are acceptable. Artists should also include a Microsoft Word document containing their name, the titles and media of works submitted, and a brief artist’s statement.
  • Keep in mind, if you want to be considered for the cover, our journal is horizontal.
  • Due to our magazine being only print, we cannot accept videos or media alike.
  • Please only submit the art piece. There shouldn’t be anything in the background unless the piece is a photograph.
  • If you photograph a sculpture, please have the background be neutral in color. 

*Please do not attach any media in your nonfiction, fiction, or poetry submissions. Any other media besides the submission will not be published.

*Please keep your nonfiction, fiction, or poetry submissions single spaced.

Please attach a cover letter to the beginning of your work. For Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction place the cover letter at the beginning of your submission. A cover letter should include the following:

• Author’s name (should not appear anywhere else on the document)
• Brief author biography
• Genre & Title of Work(s)
• Permanent Mailing Address
• E-mail Address
• Phone Number
• Affiliated Undergraduate Institution

Here’s an example of a potential cover sheet for reference.

Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but the author must notify us immediately if his/her work is accepted for publication elsewhere. Contributors will be notified if their submissions were accepted by Polaris via e-mail.

Authors may submit to no more than two genres at a time.

Again, only previously unpublished work will be accepted. Submissions without cover sheets or from non-undergraduate students WILL NOT be accepted.

Tips For Success

Our aesthetic changes from year to year as our editorial staff turns over. However, we love fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and visual art of many kinds. We are open to traditional and experimental work. We also firmly believe that all aspects of the complex experience of being human are available to artists. However, we ask that you not submit work that glorifies sexism, homophobia, racism, transphobia, or sexual violence.

Fiction: Please feel free to submit fiction of all kinds, from literary realism, to mystery, horror, fantasy, science fiction, or experimental work, as long as it fulfills our other requirements.

Poetry: Please feel free to submit both free verse and formal poetry, as long as it fulfills our other requirements. We also note that our magazine is shaped like a postcard, so poems that rely on a form that is laid out over a whole standard page are not a good fit for our magazine.

Non-fiction: Please feel free to submit non-fiction of all kinds, as long as it fulfills our other requirements, with the caveat that we are not a research journal, so this isn’t an appropriate venue for an academic paper.

Visual art: Please feel free to submit visual art of all kinds, as long as it fulfills our other requirements.

Send questions to:
Fiction: polarisfiction@gmail.com
Poetry: polarispoetry@gmail.com
Creative Nonfiction: polarisnonfiction@gmail.com
Visual Art: polarisvisualart@gmail.com

For general questions, contact us at: onupolaris@gmail.com