Élan is a literary magazine publishing the best writing and art from high school students around the world. This page has all the information you need to submit your writing and art to Élan. Fall/Winter submissions are open! Poetry Poems can be any length and style, but must be single-spaced and in 12-point Times New Roman. Creative Non-Fiction Essays up to 3,000 words may be submitted with excerpt, 1,200 words or under, clearly noted. As with fiction, if a piece is selected and over 1,200 words, the excerpted section is the only portion that will receive publication. Must be 12 point double-spaced Times New Roman. Plays & Screenplays Submit full manuscripts with potential excerpts clearly noted. Pieces over 1,200 words must have a marked excerpt. All excerpted submissions should include the full manuscript with the selected portion clearly marked. If a piece is selected and over 1,200 words, only the excerpted portion will receive publication. We ask that all plays and screenplays be submitted as Word documents. You may use sites such as WriterDuet, Final Draft, Word, or Celtx. However, we ask that you convert your PDF scripts to Word documents. Some sites that are available for you to use are Smallpdf or Simplepdf Convertor. GET NOTIFIED WHEN THEY OPEN We welcome student produced visual art including photography, drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, mixed media, and printmaking. All art pieces must be submitted as a jpeg or a png. Please provide a high quality image (at least 300 dpi and 2MB.) We are looking for diverse artwork which seeks to tell a story. Take a look at our recent issues to see the kind of work we are publishing. Art GET NOTIFIED WHEN THEY OPEN Hybrid Hybrid pieces written on a Word document should be submitted under Writing Submissions while pieces containing artwork should be submitted under Art Submissions. "Bloom" by Hannah Botella View More General Guidelines Élan accepts original fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting, plays, and art of all mediums from students ages fourteen to eighteen anywhere in the world. We produce two online editions a year, one in the Fall/Winter and another in the Spring/Summer. The two editions are combined into a single p rint edition each s ummer. All writers and artists who have their work chosen for the Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer Edition will be mailed a free copy of the print edition in which their piece appears. Élan holds first serial rights for material that we publish. The copyright automatically reverts to the author upon publication. We will not accept any art or writing pieces that are graphically sexual or gratuitously violent. Minor profanity is acceptable so long as it’s not excessive. We only accept original work. If you submit work that is not your own, we will not publish it. After we have reviewed all submissions, accepted submissions will be sent a confirmation email. This email will confirm the title, spelling of first & last name, along with serial rights (full right to publish and use work for marketing/ social media purposes) from the submitter. Upon being sent this email we give seven calendar days to receive confirmation. All submissions should be sent to elanlitmagazine@gmail.com . All submitters may only send three pieces. Fiction Poetry Creative Nonfiction Plays & Screenplays Art Hybrid Email Submission Guidelines : Writing (Required) The subject of the email should be the writer’s full name and then “Writing Submission.” (For example: Sara Rodgers Writing Submission) In the body of the email, please include the writer's name, age, primary email, school, city, and home address, followed by the titles and the genre (ie, poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, etc.) of each piece being submitted. If applicable, include a sponsoring teacher’s name and email address. Include a professional biography (150 words maximum, in 3rd person). Example: Sara Rodgers is a sophomore at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. They love writing poetry, and riding horses in their free time. Each piece must be attached as a separate WORD DOCUMENT and the file MUST be named the title of the piece. Élan only accepts editable WORD DOCUMENTS at this time. Élan only accepts original work, and fanfictions will not be considered for publication. Do not include your name in the body of the document, as all submissions go through a blind reading process by our staff. Make sure your piece title is included at the top of the document. If you want to submit work to Élan that has been rejected from a previous edition, the piece must have first gone through major revisions or else it will not be considered for publication. Any piece submitted that uses any form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be considered for publication and the submitted will be blacklisted from submitting in the future Douglas Anderson students will submit through the forms posted around campus—not through email. You may not submit more than three pieces in a single submission period. Email Submission Guidelines: Art (Required) The subject of the email should be the artist’s full name and then “Art Submission.” (For example: Sara Rodgers Art Submission) In the body of the email, please include the artist’s name, age, primary email, school, city, and home address, followed by the titles and the medium (ie, oil on canvas, charcoal, photograph, print, etc.) of each piece being submitted. If applicable, include a sponsoring teacher’s name and email address. Include a professional biography (150 words maximum, in 3rd person). Example: Sara Rodgers is a sophomore at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Their favorite medium to use is acrylic paint, though their watercolor paintings have also won awards. Name each art file “Piece Title (Full Name)”—example, “Water (Sara Rodgers).” The art pieces must be a jpeg or png file. Submit the highest resolution quality format that can be sent as an attachment – 300 dpi or higher, and at least 2 MB. If your art does not meet the dpi requirement, there is no guarantee your art can be published. Ensure that the photo of your art is clear and taken from a straight angle so that all aspects of the piece are visible with minimal glare. Élan only accepts original work, and fan art will not be considered for publication. If you want to submit work to Élan that has been rejected from a previous edition, the piece must have first gone through major revisions or else it will not be considered for publication. Any piece submitted that uses any form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be considered for publication and the submitted will be blacklisted from submitting in the future Douglas Anderson students will submit through the forms posted around campus—not through email. You may not submit more than three pieces in a single submission period. Fiction Poetry Creative Nonfiction Plays & Screenplays Art Fiction Micro-fiction, short-stories and excerpts of larger stories up to 5,000 words are acceptable. Pieces over 1,200 words must have a marked excerpt. All excerpted submissions should include the full manuscript with selected portion clearly marked. If a piece is selected and over 1,200 words, only the excerpted portion will receive publication. Must be 12 point double-spaced Times New Roman.

Élan is a literary magazine publishing the best writing and art from high school students around the world. Banner SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN! Fall/Winter Submissions Close October 1st Submit Recent Issues SEE MORE Anchor 1 Spring/Summer 2026 Fall/Winter 2025 Volume 39

Read Past Winners 2024 Resilience Arianna Shaprow Read More 2021 2019 2020 I’m Safe Now. I Think. Mercedes Schwartz Read More 2021 2019 2020 Another Day in the Sanctuary Declan Koe Read More 2021 2019 2020 Synesthetia Anoushka Dugar Read More 2021 2019 2020 Patient Flowers Khloe Klopfer Read More 2021 2019 2020 Syrup Ty'ana Pope Read More 2021 2019 2020 The Burning Light of the Clock Jamari Weaver Read More 2021 2019 2020 Barbarous Verdure Kalliope Gonos Read More 2021 2019 2020 No Fresh Air Ana Rosenthal Read More 2021 2019 2020 Our Cafeteria Dimitria Banov Russo Read More 2021 2019 2020 The Blue and Yellow Lila Hartley Read More 2021 2019 2020 Oblivion Greta Reis Read More 2021 2019 2020 We Still Have a Heart in Ourselves Indie Pascal Read More 2021 2019 2020 We Just Want to be Loved Riayn Smith Read More 2021 2019 2020 Blank Page Cecelia Richardson Read More 2021 2019 2020 How Lucky we Are Meredith Anglin Read More 2021 2019 2020 Dear Linh Kate Kim Read More 2021 2019 2020 on your name Cloris Shi Read More 2021 2019 2020 Untitled John Walker Read More 2021 2019 2020 The Roaring Himalayas Rehan Sheikh Read More 2021 2019 2020 Questions of Youth Erion P. Sanders Read More 2021 2019 2020 Grief Janna Tannous Read More 2021 2019 2020 Becoming One Amelia Elder Read More 2021 2019 2020 Toby Georgia Witt Read More 2021 2019 2020 The Castle Isabella Bolger Read More 2021 2019 2020 The Curious Murder of Lilliane Baldwin Hannah G. Klenck Read More 2021 2019 2020 Fading Marlo Herndon Read More 2021 2019 2020 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019

On March 7 th , Creative Writing Department upperclassmen flew back from Baltimore, Maryland, concluding our trip to AWP. At the conference, we made connections with many literary magazines across the country, learned about the art of writing from experts in their field, and saw the sights of Baltimore. The field trip was an absolute success, and we’re hoping we can go next year when AWP is stationed in Chicago.  One of the highlights of the trip for the whole group was the book fair that stretched farther than the eyes could see. In this incredibly large room were hundreds of booths representing different literary magazines, journals, authors, colleges, and other writing programs. It was not only the perfect place to buy new books and merchandise, but it was also great for networking.  Élan  traded books with eight other magazines, and we’re hoping to be able to run our own booth next year.  There were countless sessions to attend at AWP, but out of the ones we attended, some of the most notable were “Words from the Deep, Dark Woods; Using Fairy Tales as Foil & Fuse” led by Jess Stark, a UNF Professor; “Debut Poets Speak: Five Writers on Bringing their first Book into the World” featuring Isabella DeSendi, a Douglas Anderson alum; and “Screenwriting Unlocked: The Smarter (Not Harder) Method for Writing Your Script” led by Adrienne Carter and Taylor Vaughn Lasley. In these sessions and others, we received so much great instruction on how to make a career out of writing and how to improve our craft.   The trip was what we had hoped for and more. We want to thank the Creative Writing teachers, Ms. Flores and Mrs. Roland, and the Writers’ Guild Booster Association for all the hard work, time, and money they put into this trip. We wouldn’t have had this incredible experience otherwise.  Signed, Olivia Sheftall, Junior Layout and Design Editor

Photo courtesy of AWP's website On March 3rd, 2026, members of Douglas Anderson’s Creative Writing Department are attending a field trip to Baltimore, Maryland to experience the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) ’s annual Conference and Bookfair. This trip is a big deal for the department, as it will be the largest field trip we have taken since the COVID pandemic. AWP is a nonprofit that supports creative writers and different writing programs, but it is most known for hosting North America’s largest literary conference and book fair. Attending the conference is an incredible opportunity that most writers don’t receive until they’re deep into their careers. To say that we are excited would be an understatement. The students going on this field trip are juniors and seniors in the CW program, many of whom are staff members of Élan . Our ultimate goal is to make connections that will expand Élan’s reach, but the AWP conference will also be packed with inspiring panels from a variety of gifted writers that we cannot wait to take part in. AWP’s 2026 Keynote Speaker is John Waters, screenwriter and director of Hairspray, among other films, as well as an author of various books. On March 5 th , from 8pm to 10pm, the Douglas Anderson Creative Writing department will sit down to listen to him speak about his experience as a writer and how he found success while staying true to his creative vision. Other featured panels that Élan staff have specifically mentioned as ones they’re looking forward to are “Writing the Things We Don’t Talk About: A Lecture By Ramona Emerson,” “Toward a Liberatory Literature: Palestinian Writers in Conversation,” and “Rewriting the Archive: Poetic Voices on Who Defines History.” But truthfully, there are too many to name. In order to give every student the chance to experience the panels they are most drawn to, we are going to split up into different groups based on what panels each of us have selected to attend at various times. Getting to experience the culture of a new city is already very captivating to us, but to also be surrounded by passionate writers from all over the country is a dream field trip. Creative Writing instructors, as well as the Writers’ Guild Booster Association, have put in countless hours of planning and lots of money to give us this opportunity. The hope is that AWP will become a tradition for this department, opening up countless doors for us in the future.   Signed, Olivia Sheftall, Junior Layout and Design Editor

On January 22 nd ,  Élan  celebrated our third year in a row receiving a First-Class distinction from the NCTE REALM Awards. If you’re unfamiliar, NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) is an organization designed to support teachers and students, and REALM is one of the awards they offer centered around student-run literary magazines throughout the country. REALM stands for “Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.” They score each submitted magazine by a specific rubric, and First-Class is the highest honor they award.  Élan's 2025 REALM Award Certificate A literary magazine is awarded First-Class if it scores 93-100 points, a Superior if it gets 86-100, an Excellent for a 71-85, and a Merit award for 0-70.  Élan  has been submitting to REALM for about ten years, and every year we’ve received some form of recognition, but in the past 3 years, we’ve consistently made top scores. It is unbelievably satisfying to see our hard work recognized by such a prestigious organization.  The rubric is divided into different categories, and each category awards a different number of points. A First-Class magazine must score high in Content and Quality, Rhetorical Variety, Editing and Proofreading, Artistic Quality, and Front Matter, Credits, and Pagination. A Superior or Excellent might excel in certain categories but fall short in others. Every year,  Élan  has tried to improve their magazines based on REALM standards, meaning that we’ve prioritized including a variety of genres and perspectives as well as changing our design style.  However, now that  Élan  staff knows we reach the standards REALM asks for, the new question is “Do we want to continue striving for REALM Awards, or do we want to start experimenting at the risk that we might not score as high?” There are certain qualifications REALM asks of literary magazines that have the potential to limit what we can do. For example, recently REALM has made it a rule that at least 50% of featured pieces must be from students who belong to the host school. For a magazine like  Élan,  who invites and encourages submissions globally, that rule doesn’t work in our favor. There are also layout and design choices we can’t make because it would subtract from our points.   The question is one that only staff members can answer, and the answer might change as different staff members come and go.  Élan  will always strive for excellence, but our exact definition of excellence may shift in the coming years.    Élan's past three volumes that have won First-Class Signed,  Olivia Sheftall, Junior Layout and Design Editor