Dear Contributors, We typically have two open submissions periods, one in the Fall and one in the Spring. Some of this depends on our workload as we try, as much as possible to process submissions efficiently and carefully.
At the moment, due to a backlog of submissions, we are currently closed for submissions in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Please consult Submittable and our Instagram feed for announcements regarding our submission period. Because of our small staff we will have to close when we reach our maximum threshold.
Thank you for being Normal!
-- Editors
Please Note: Generative AI Submission Policy
The Normal School publishes work created by humans. We do not accept writing, visual art, audio, or multimedia submissions that contain any content generated or substantially rewritten/supplemented by the use of generative AI.
Assistive technologies are welcome, including tools used for disability access, communication, and transcription. Their use does not disqualify a submission when its creative language, imagery, and artistic decisions remain the contributor’s own.
By submitting, you confirm that you accept this policy, and your work follows this and all the above guidelines for submission. The Normal School reserves the right to decline any creative submission or retroactively withdraw any accepted creative work for failing to adhere to our AI policy.
The Normal School seeks original fine art, digital art, and photography to feature in our online magazine. Our goal is to celebrate visual artists and provide a space for them to get some exposure. We especially encourage submissions from Black and Indigenous artists, artists of color, artists with disabilities, artists from LGBTQIA+ communities, and voices that have been historically under-represented and minoritized in the art world.
Please limit the number of submissions to 3 maximum
Formatting:
- images should be “landscape” only
- image width should be between 1500 and 2500 pixels
- File sizes should be limited to 20 MB (but 1.5 MB or less
will have the best quality)
- Please make sure the file type for images is .jpg, .gif,
or .png only
- There is a 120 megapixel (MP) limit on resolution
- Lastly, please note that images posted on the Normal School magazine are downloadable. We cannot provide a watermark to protect against this, but we’re happy to use one provided by the artist.
We seek submissions that use more than one medium to tell a story. This includes but is not limited to comics, graphic fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, photo and video essays, spoken word pieces, and audio prose and poetry. We especially encourage submissions from Black and Indigenous writers, writers of color, writers with disabilities, writers from LGBTQIA+ communities, and voices that have been historically under-represented and minoritized in the publishing world.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but let us know immediately if the piece is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept previously published or displayed multi-media work.