Submit Your Entry by March 15!
Get inspired by the theme of our next issue — “America’s 250th Anniversary” — and submit your creative work by March 15 for a chance to have your creative writing published in USC Dornsife Magazine.
Open to alumni and students of USC Dornsife, the contest is judged by:
- Dana Johnson, chair of English and Florence R. Scott Professor of English
- David Ulin, professor of the practice of English and editor of USC Dornsife’s literary magazine Air/Light
- Susan Bell, editor-in-chief of USC Dornsife Magazine.
The recipient of more than 50 awards for excellence, the magazine is distributed to 60,000 alumni, faculty, staff, parents and friends of USC Dornsife.
Rules
- The contest is open to USC Dornsife alumni and students (undergraduates and graduates) — except those whose primary source of income is from writing.
- Deadline to submit entries is March 15, 2026.
- You may enter creative writing in any of the following genres: fiction, poetry, memoir or essay.
- All entries must be original, previously unpublished work, in print or online, have not been broadcast or won a prize.
- Your entry must be inspired by the theme of the Spring / Summer 2026 issue of USC Dornsife Magazine — “America’s 250th Anniversary.” (Please feel free to be creative in your interpretation of the theme — you may explore it from any angle.)
- Entries must not exceed 500 words.
Good luck! We look forward to reading your entries.