At this time, submissions will only be accepted if written in English. Submissions should not have been previously published and should be properly formatted with little to no grammatical errors. Submissions will be accepted via Submittable. Please do not include any identifying information in your uploaded file.
Letters should be between 250 to 500 words. Letter submissions should be typed in 12-point font, Arial or Calibri, and single-spaced. Acceptable file types include: .csv, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .wpd, and .wpf.
Poems should be between 250 to 500 words. Poetry submissions should be typed in 12-point font, Arial or Calibri, and single-spaced. Acceptable file types include: .csv, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .wpd, and .wpf.
Stories should be between 1000 to 2000 words. Story submissions should be typed in 12-point font, Arial or Calibri, and single-spaced. Acceptable file types include: .csv, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .wpd, and .wpf.
Artwork should be visual art and include a short narrative to briefly describe or introduce the illustration, painting, etc. Acceptable file types include: .csv, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .wpd, .wpf, .gif, .jpg, .png, .svg, and .tif.
While we ask for artwork, letters, poems, and stories, we know that people are very talented and have other ways of expressing themselves. If your submission does not fit into one of the other four categories, please submit it here. We will be happy to view whatever you surprise us with! Acceptable file types include those of text, images, audio, video, and others. Please email us at info@light4ph.org if your file is not accepted.
We include a form on Submittable that is entitled “Under 18 Submissions” where all individuals under the age of 18 can submit their creative work in any of our five categories (art, letters, poetry, stories, “surprise us”).
If you have questions about how or if your piece fits into our guidelines and answers the contest question, please view our “frequently asked questions” section below or contact us via email at info@light4ph.org. Please remember that public health encompasses a wide range of issues and topics such as mental health, alcohol and drug use/abuse, climate change, sexual health, COVID-19, disaster preparedness, and more.
Before submitting to LIGHT, you will be asked to acknowledge and agree to the following:
Confidentiality Kindly note the privacy of individuals should be protected. Public health practitioners who write about individuals and communities should alter identifying details and characteristics.
The deadline for all submissions in each category is Sunday, May 1, 2022, by 11:59pm CST. All submissions should follow LIGHT guidelines.
Contest launch: February 1, 2022
Contest deadline: May 1, 2022
Review, judging, and editing: May and June 2022
Finalist notifications: June 30, 2022
Journal production begins: July 2022
Expected journal release: Early 2023