CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Theme

Through this issue, we dive into the collective work among peoples from diverse cultures, focusing on different expressions of grief, gratitude, and glory. It is by listening to each other’s vulnerable stories and responding with thoughtful creativity that we nurture trust and deepen cross-cultural understanding. When we share recognition and appreciation of each other’s cultural differences, values, and traditions, we lift each other up to imagine a better future together

Submission Guidelines

Literary Submissions: Your stories, essays, translations, or poems can be in any style and format, and in any language or mix of languages. All linguistic levels are welcome. We especially encourage submissions in, or featuring, underrepresented and endangered languages. Before submitting your work to The Polyglot, we strongly encourage those unfamiliar with our multilingual vision and mission to read one of our past issues. 

• Poetry - up to 3 pieces, 7 pages maximum, in one document

• Prose - 2000 words maximum. Please submit in 12 pt font and double-spaced format.

• Translated submissions of any genre should include the source text, and a letter of given rights from the source creator or their estate.

Art Submissions: You may submit up to 5 artworks in any media. For visual art, please submit high-resolution JPEG or PNG files. For video or music submissions, please submit MP3 or MP4 files. There is no guarantee that all artworks submitted will be accepted; editors may select up to 2 artworks to be featured.

Hybrid works: We encourage multimedia, collaborative, and cross-cultural collaborations. For example, hybrid storytelling, poetic interpretation of visual art, or a recipe supplemented by a background story. We love to publish art and writing by the same author, or hybrid works that combine words and images. Check out our past issues for examples.

Artist Statement: To accompany and weave together your works, we ask for a short 200-word artist statement reflecting on your process and connecting it to the theme and to the magazine’s vision/mission. You can find examples of artist statements in past issues (www.thepolyglotmagazine.com).

Biography: Please also provide a short biography of up to 200 words, including where others can find you on social media. 

File formats accepted: Please submit both a Word document (.docx) and a PDF document. For images: jpeg or png. 

Copyrights: If you are submitting a translation, unless the work you are translating has already entered public domain, we ask that you obtain a statement from the holder of the copyright for the work under translation verifying that the rights are available before you submit to this issue. We will ask you to furnish this statement if your work is selected. (Works enter the public domain generally 50 to 75 years after the author’s death,  depending on the country where the work was published. The onus is on you to verify if the work in question has indeed entered the public domain if it comes to that. We will not answer any queries with regard to the copyright status of a work.) 

AI: We do not accept works created by Artificial Intelligence.

Simultaneous Submissions: You are welcome to submit pieces that are simultaneously submitted elsewhere. Please notify us via email if it’s been accepted elsewhere.

Previous publication in The Polyglot: If you’ve been published in The Polyglot, you are still welcome to submit. However, please note that editors will be prioritizing submissions from individuals who have not been previously featured.

Payment: The Polyglot offers an honorarium of $100 CAD to each contributor. For collaborations, including translations, the honorarium will be shared between the contributing artists. Please note that we can only issue payments via Interac e-Transfer or PayPal.

Response time: Our guest editors will read/view each piece with care and attention. Expect an email response from The Polyglot within three months of our deadline.

Launch: Writers and artists based in Alberta may be invited to read at an in-person launch event in Edmonton in Spring 2026. 

Funding: This issue is supported by the Alberta Ethnocultural Grant, and is part of the PHIDEAS series on LIFT: Let us Imagine a Future Together.  

Please note that while we warmly welcome submissions from creators across Canada and around the world, our partnership with the Alberta Ethnocultural grant means that this issue may place particular emphasis on work from Alberta-based creators.

Questions? Please email The Polyglot (thepolyglotmagazine@gmail.com) if you have questions about this issue.

Need support? Writers and artists who are living with disabilities and/or for whom English is difficult are welcome to contact The Polyglot for support with the submission process, if needed. We can help with things like clarifying the submission guidelines, adding notes to or withdrawing submissions, and tailoring work to fit our guidelines. To request assistance, please email us at thepolyglotmagazine@gmail.com with the subject line “Polyglot Submission Assistance.”

*Art Credit (Issue 17 poster): Puno ng Pag-Ibig (Full of Love/Tree of Love), Ting Pimentel-Elger and the attendees of “HILOM: Healing Together” organized by PHIDEAS, August 2025, Acrylic, Alberta Legislature Grounds.

Issue 17 Submission Form

Guest Editors

Join The Polyglot’s Mission!

We invite writers, artists, and translators from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds to contribute their work.

You may submit your poetry, prose, art, and translations to our special biannual issues or contribute to Pensieri, our blog, by subscribing to our newsletter.