The public is underrepresented in the field of public health. To foster public representation and voice, we need to hear from you. You have a story to share. In sharing your creative work, you can help in improving the communication between public health experts and the public and the dissemination of research to the public.
We welcome submissions from everyone—all ages, all ethnicities and races, and all geographic locations. However, at this time, submissions can only be accepted in English.
Please visit our guidelines / deadlines tab to review our guidelines and deadlines for submissions and to submit your work through Submittable.
We accept stories, both fiction and non-fiction, poetry, art, and letters. We aim to advance work that pushes the margins and transcends beyond the typical public health work.
No, submitting your work does not cost. We choose to provide credible, creative content that is accessible to the public. In doing so, we do not impose fees to submit.
We offer two themed calls for submissions each year. With the themed calls, we set deadlines for the submissions in order to review, judge, and edit accepted entries that will be included in our annual themed journal.
You are allowed to submit as many submissions as you wish.
Yes, you can, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere, as we will have to withdraw your submission.
If you submit to one of our themed open calls, you will receive the opportunity to win a prize in each of the four categories: art, letters, poems, and stories. The first-place prize is $500, the second-place prize is $375, and the third-place prize is $125. Each category has a first, second, and third place prize. All submissions will receive consideration for publication in the themed journal dependent on the number and quality of submissions. If you submit your work as a general submission, there is no prize money available to win. However, you can still receive recognition of your submission publicly through our social media platforms and the submission could potentially be published in our journal.
Your name will be published along with your submission, but we give you the option to include your photo.
LIGHT is just beginning, and we have high expectations and big goals, one being that the journal will be accessible to the public and their needs, in both a digital and print form.
We are a diverse team of public health researchers, artists, poets, and storytellers, but we are always looking to make connections, collaborate, and grow. Please contact us if you have interest in joining us in some capacity.
You are free to contact us via email at info@light4ph.org or through our social media: Instagram (@light4ph) and Twitter (@light4ph). We would be happy to answer any questions that you may have!
The glaring absence of the “public” in matters pertaining to the public’s health. LIGHT seeks to change this, to center the “public” in all things focused on their health.
