Emerging Voices Contest 2027: $100 prize (Santa Clara, CA High School Students Only)

Reed Magazine invites original fiction, nonfiction, poetry, visual art, photography, and scholarly works from high school students of Santa Clara County, California. The winner receives a $100 prize, publication, and a free copy of the latest issue. Entries not selected for final judging may still be considered for publication in the journal or online. Submitters can expect a response by the end of January 2027.

Only high school students of Santa Clara County, California may enter; proof of local high school attendance is required to win. Submit original work. Previously published work, whether physically printed and distributed or digitally available to the public, is not accepted. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify Reed Magazine if the work is selected for publication elsewhere. Submissions appearing to be products of generative AI tools will be declined; work interrogating the use of AI is welcomed. Include a cover letter with preferred first and given last names, high school name, and submission genre; exclude this identifying information from the works themselves. Include a bio of up to 50 words and keep the Submittable profile current. Fiction and nonfiction must be .docx, .doc, or .pdf, double-spaced in an easily readable 12-point typeface, with numbered pages and a word count; the limit is 1,000 words. Poetry must be .docx, .doc, or .pdf, single- or double-spaced in an easily readable 12-point typeface, with numbered pages; submit up to two poems in one file. Visual art and photography must include available credits for title, medium, dimensions, and year, use an easily accessible format such as .jpg, be at least 300 dpi, and contain up to two works. Up to two multiple submissions are accepted as separate contest entries. Magazine-wide guidelines limit submissions to free categories to two per person per open reading period, with no limit for paid categories; this contest's fee is not explicitly stated. Formally playful and genre-blending work is encouraged; choose the most closely aligned category and optionally explain the context in the cover letter. Accepted work is reviewed by copy editors for consistency with the magazine's style conventions. The winner receives the advertised $100 monetary prize, publication, and a free copy of the latest issue; submissions not selected for final judging may still be considered for journal or online publication.