College Resume Building: Submitting Works to be Published (List #1) Sarah O'Neill Chester County Supreme Editing Daily
Why You Should Submit Your Creative Works
The college admissions process is a time for students to showcase their individuality, talents, and aspirations. While academic achievements and extracurricular involvement are central components of any application, submitting creative works for publishing before applying to college can elevate a student’s profile, demonstrating initiative, creativity, and a commitment to their passions. Here’s why students should consider this valuable step.
1. It Highlights Originality and Dedication
Published works — whether essays, poetry, short stories, or visual art — illustrate a student’s ability to produce original content and share it with a wider audience. Colleges value applicants who demonstrate not just talent but also the initiative to take their work beyond the classroom. By getting creative works published, students signal that they are proactive and committed to their craft.
2. Adds Depth to Your College Application
In a sea of competitive applications, published creative works can help students stand out. They provide tangible evidence of skills and accomplishments that go beyond traditional metrics like grades and test scores. When admissions officers see a published piece attached to an application, they gain a clearer picture of the applicant’s unique voice, perspective, and potential contributions to their campus community.
3. Demonstrates Passion for a Chosen Field
For students pursuing majors in writing, the arts, or other creative disciplines, having published work aligns directly with their academic and career interests. It demonstrates a preexisting commitment to the field, reassuring admissions committees that the student’s passion is genuine and sustained. Even for students with non-creative career aspirations, published works can show well-roundedness and intellectual curiosity.
4. Teaches Valuable Skills
The process of submitting work for publication — revising, formatting, and meeting deadlines — teaches essential skills like attention to detail, perseverance, and how to handle constructive criticism. These skills are transferable to many aspects of college life, from academic research to group projects and internships.
5. Builds a Portfolio for Future Opportunities
Published works contribute to a growing portfolio that students can use when applying for internships, scholarships, or future publication opportunities. A strong portfolio showcases a student’s evolving talent and establishes credibility within their field of interest.
6. Provides a Sense of Accomplishment
Publication validates a student’s creative effort, instilling confidence and a sense of achievement. This recognition can be a powerful motivator, encouraging students to further pursue their passions. The confidence gained from publication often translates to stronger essays and interviews during the college admissions process.
7. Opens Doors to Scholarships and Honors Programs
Many colleges offer scholarships and honors programs that value demonstrated talent in writing and the arts. Published works can make students more competitive for these opportunities, increasing their chances of financial aid and academic enrichment.
How to Get Started
Students interested in publishing their creative works should begin by researching reputable platforms. Literary magazines, online journals, school publications, and even self-publishing platforms like Medium can provide a venue for showcasing work. Be prepared to revise and tailor submissions to fit the requirements of each platform, and don’t hesitate to seek feedback from mentors, teachers, or peers.
BELOW IS A LIST TO GET YOU STARTED!
★ The New York Times Learning Network
Daily writing prompts:
Our Student Opinion question and Picture Prompt offer anyone 13 to 19 years old a place to publicly post writing that is read by our editors and other students around the world. We are not looking for formal work here; instead, we encourage students to use these forums to hone their voices, ideas and opinions; show us their thinking; and participate in civil discussion about issues from politics to pop culture. Each week, we publish a roundup of favorite responses.
Annual contests:
Our annual contests are places to submit more formal work across genres. Here is what we are offering in the 2020–21 school year, but please visit our Contest Calendar to find details, related lesson plans, and links to the work of the winners for each as they are announced:
Personal Narrative Writing Contest
Vocabulary Video Contest
Review Contest
STEM Writing Contest
Editorial Contest
Podcast Challenge
Summer Reading Contest
★ Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
The nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teenagers in grades 7 to 12. In 2018, students submitted nearly 350,000 works of visual art and writing to the Scholastic Awards; more than 90,000 works were recognized at the regional level and celebrated in local exhibitions and ceremonies. The top art and writing at the regional level were moved onto the national stage, where more than 2,800 students earned National Medals. National Medalists and their educators were celebrated at the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Categories include: Critical Essay; Dramatic Script; Flash Fiction; Humor; Journalism; Novel Writing; Personal Essay & Memoir; Poetry; Science Fiction & Fantasy; Short Story; Writing Portfolio (graduating seniors only); Architecture & Industrial Design; Ceramics & Glass; Comic Art; Design; Digital Art; Drawing & Illustration; Editorial Cartoon; Fashion; Film & Animation; Jewelry; Mixed Media; Painting; Photography; Printmaking; Sculpture; Video Game Design; Art Portfolio (graduating seniors only) and Future New.
The journal has its eyes focused ahead, seeking to showcase what its global staff of emerging writers sees as the future of poetry, prose and art. We’re looking for work that’s bizarre, authentic, subtle, outrageous, indefinable, raw, paradoxical. We’ve got our eyes on the horizon.
The online publication is known for featuring quality, creative, thoughtful and often thought-provoking written and artistic work written and edited by children and teenagers. Accepts writing, art, photography or videography from young people who are 5 to 18 years old.
The best writing and illustrations from entries we receive each year from secondary schools throughout the United States and abroad. Every September we send copies printed by The Patriot News in Mechanicsburg, Pa., to approximately 3,000 schools. Susquehanna University and the Writers Institute invite high school students to submit fiction, memoir, personal essay, photography and/or poetry.
Publishes the work of high-school-age writers and artists from around the globe. All forms of original writing and art are accepted as submissions for our biannual journal.
elementia is a literary arts magazine published to represent and uplift young adults. We accept original poetry, fiction, nonfiction, graphic stories, photography and illustrations.
★ Kalopsia
Kalopsia is a literary and arts journal run by students from all over the world who aim to promote art and writing among (seemingly) ordinary people.
★ The Maze
An international teen anthology of poetry and art. In print for 20 years, we accept submissions from teenagers from around the world. Each year we publish the best of all entries received.
★ The NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO)
A yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students.
ACT-SO includes 32 competitions in STEM, humanities, business, and performing, visual and culinary arts. Almost 300,000 young people have participated from the program since its inception.
★ National Young Arts Competition
The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 to identify and nurture the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts, and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. YoungArts’ signature program is an annual application-based award for emerging artists ages 15 to 18 or in grades 10 to 12 from across the United States in categories that include cinematic arts; classical music; dance; design arts; jazz; photography; theater; visual arts; voice; and writing.
Parallax Literary Magazine has been published by the Creative Writing department of Idyllwild Arts Academy since 1997. Idyllwild Arts Academy is a college preparatory boarding high school dedicated to the passion of young artists. Created, designed, and run by students, Parallax has always championed the high school writer by publishing the best of Idyllwild students’ creative writing and visual art. In 2011 Parallax expanded by adding an online component, which accepts submissions from high school students worldwide. The website also showcases student book reviews and writer interviews for the first time.
A multilingual student-founded magazine for high schoolers living in the outer neighborhoods of cities across America.
★ River of Words: Youth Art and Poetry Inspired by the Natural World
Our free, annual, international youth poetry and art contest — the largest in the world — inspires children ages 5 to 19 to translate their observations into creative expression.
Sandpiper is a journal of literature and art devoted to uplifting the voices of those emerging and underrepresented in the literary scene, including but not limited to those of class, race, ability, gender, sexual orientation, and intersectional identity. However, all submissions, even minor, are welcome. Sandpiper accepts poetry, prose, art, and photography.
We are a nonprofit magazine for youth that encourages communication, cooperation, creativity and celebration of cultural and environmental richness. It provides a playful forum for sharing ideas and experiences among youth from different countries and cultures. We are an ad-free, ecologically-aware, literary magazine printed on recycled paper with soy ink. Accepts many kinds of writing, including essays, stories, letters to the editor, riddles and proverbs, as well as drawings, paintings and photos.
★ Teen Ink
A national teen magazine, book series, and website devoted entirely to teenage writing, art, photos, and forums. For over 25 years, Teen Ink has offered teenagers the opportunity to publish their creative work and opinions on issues that affect their lives — everything from love and family to school, current events, and self-esteem. We have no staff writers or artist; we depend completely on submissions from teenagers around the world for our content. Teen Ink has the largest distribution of any publication of its kind.
Students are invited to create public anti-hate messages in any media for their school communities. Our national challenge then amplifies student voices for a nationwide audience. You can submit 5 entries max per class, to each challenge! Our #USvsHate challenge deadlines are December 11 and March 12.
Thank you for reading!
Sarah O’Neill, Supreme Daily Mail Editing, The Editing Affair, Chester County, Coatesville, PA
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