Submission details
The Prairie Light Review is accepting submissions for the Spring 2026 journal. All entries must be the original work of the artist; no GenAI images or text. Only works emailed and in a digital format will be considered. Artists and writers must live in, work in, or otherwise have a strong connection to District 502 in Illinois and/or College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Send submissions to prairielightreviewsubmissions@gmail.com
Please do not send a .pdf. All literary work should be submitted as a .doc, .docx, or rtf. All visual art must be submitted as a high resolution .jpg.
While we encourage creative and tasteful expression, we discourage submissions of art and photography containing the following:
violent/criminal acts
gratuitous images of self-harm/mutilation
photographs of minors (without model release form or parental consent)
advertising or endorsement of real products and/or brand names
extreme gore
Likewise, we discourage literature submissions with the following content:
discrimination/inflammatory rhetoric toward marginalized communities
hate speech
fan fiction
extreme gore
Additional guidelines:
Do not submit work that was previously published in PLR.
Artworks and writing must be completely original. We will not consider drawings, paintings, or other media if made from photos or other images not created by the artist (unless secured by the submitting artist and also included in your submission email). Collages are, of course, acceptable with substantial changes made to the original images being used.
Title all entries
Enter up to four creative works per entrant per issue of original fiction, creative nonfiction essays, and drama of 1,600 words or less; poetry of 62 lines or less; graphic essays of 12 panels or less
Compose copy in Times New Roman 12 point only, without special effects. Follow MLA 8 guidelines
All entries must be the original work of the artist
Only works emailed and in a digital format will be considered
Indicate if you are a College of DuPage student
Email Guidelines:
Include the following information in the subject line of the email: first name and last name.
Include in the body of the email: your full address with zip code; contact telephone number; an alternate email address.
Provide the title, genre, and word count of each entry.
Remove your name and any other identifying information from all headers.
Attach files as a .doc, .docx, rtf, or high resolution.jpg.
Along with your submission, provide a one sentence statement describing either what your piece is about, who you are, or how you came to create your submission. Be sure to identify your affiliation with District 502 (COD student, faculty, staff, community member, work in the district, alumni, etc.) Thank you.
Submissions deadline for the Spring 2026 issue: 2/26! Send us your work!
Send submissions to prairielightreviewsubmissions@gmail.com
Written Submission Guidelines
Enter written subject matter that is appropriate for an audience of the District 502 community. Title all entries. Enter up to four creative works per entrant per issue of original fiction, creative nonfiction essays, and drama of 1,600 words or less; poetry of 62 lines or less; graphic essays of 12 panels or less. Compose copy in Times New Roman 12 point only, without special effects.
Foreign Language Poetry
Prairie Light Review welcomes poetry in an author’s native language as long as an English language translation accompanies the entry. Although grammar and punctuation of foreign language poetry will not be judged, PLR editors will judge the English language translation the same as any entry. At their discretion, the PLR editors may verify the content of the entry with foreign language experts.
In addition to the Submission Guidelines for all written work, foreign language poetry must adhere to the following rules:
An author may enter only one foreign language poem per issue.
The language of the poem must be indicated.
All characters and diacritical marks must be features available in standard computer fonts.
A full and accurate English translation must accompany all foreign language poems; otherwise, the work will not be considered.
Written Submission Email Instructions
Include the following information in the subject line of the email: first name and last name.
Include in the body of the email: your full address with zip code; contact telephone number; an alternate email address.
Provide the title, genre, and word count of each entry
Remove your name and any other identifying information from all headers.
Attach files.
Along with your submission, please provide a one sentence statement describing either what your piece is about, who you are, or how you came to create your submission. Tell us your affiliation with College of DuPage and/or the District 502. Thank you.
Send to prairielightreviewsubmissions@gmail.com
Visual Submissions Guidelines
Enter visual subject matter that is appropriate for an audience of the District 502 community. Submissions must come from a member of the District 502 community, located in Illinois. Enter up to four creative works per entrant per issue of drawings, cartoons, graphics, charcoal drawings, etchings, paintings, murals, collages, sculptures, ceramics, fashion, jewelry, and all new media. Title all entries. Remove your name and any other identifying information from all entries. Photograph all physical art as you want it to appear in the magazine. Prairie Light Review reserves the right to digitally crop, enlarge, or reduce photographs to accommodate the magazine’s page size limitations. Entrants maintain the rights to their work and may subsequently offer their work to any publication.
Visual Submission Email Instructions
Best sizes are 8”x11” or larger at 300 dpi or at least 2550x3300 resolution
Scanned art is preferred.
Include the following information in the subject line of the email: first name and last name
Include in the body of the email: your full address with zip code; contact telephone number; an alternate email address.
Title all entries.
Use only .jpeg, .jpg, .tif, .png, or .gif file types.
Name the file: title.filetype. ex: WheatfieldWithCrows.jpeg
Describe the medium
Along with your submission, please provide a one sentence statement describing either what your piece is about, who you are, or how you came to create your submission. Tell us your affiliation with College of DuPage and/or the District 502. Thank you.
Send to prairielightreviewsubmissions@gmail.com
Join: To join the PLR editorial team, enroll in English 2210. Use the Search for Classes link on COD.edu.
Questions:
Trina Sotirakopulos, Faculty Advisor
sotirakopulost@cod.edu