Submit

We are looking for submissions that capture what it feels like to be South Asian with authenticity and creativity. We love the personal and the unconventional, the abstract and the concrete, the literary and the genre-based. We accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, playwriting/screenwriting, visual arts, photography, and design.

Guidelines:

You must be between ages 13-25 to submit.

You must be of South Asian descent (Afghan, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Indian, Maldivian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan) to submit.

We accept submissions in the following categories:

Submission Formats:

We accept pieces that have been submitted elsewhere & concurrent submissions. Please indicate where it has been featured in the past, and please check their guidelines on copyright & submissions before submitting to us!

Please include a short author/artist bio (50-150 words) mentioning your hobbies and interests, along with a short explanation (up to 200 words) about how your piece connects with the themes of south asian culture, identity, and social justice. You can indicate whether or not you want this explanation to be shared.

We do allow submissions in another language. However, please include an English translation along with it - we do not have translators yet. If accepted, we will publish both versions to maintain the integrity of the original piece.

We do not accept plagiarized works and works generated by artificial intelligence (AI). If we suspect otherwise, we will contact you and you will have a chance to appeal by showing us your process.

While we are looking for mature works that explore taboo themes, please refrain from submitting NSFW work to our publication. The Lotus Paper is oriented towarss youth and young adults, features many youth staff members, and is for readers of all ages.

If you are portraying sensitive themes and historical events (such as border control, gender violence, and sensitive sociopolitical events like the India-Pakistan Partition), please handle all themes with respect. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards hate speech of any sort, unless the piece actively tries to subvert it/condemn it.

The main thing we're looking for in pieces is a personal & honest voice, potential, and a grasp of fundamental technical skill. We want submissions with details that could only be created by you. The lists below are just examples, and submissions do not be have to be limited to these topics.

Examples of what we are looking for:

- Creative works that illustrate a south asian historical event, or an alternate history portrayal of that event (ex. colonialism)

- Writing & art that portrays a speculative future based on real-world issues you have faced as a south asian (ex. dystopian border control, racism, and xenophobia)

- Works that portray a personal or familial experience being South Asian (ex. academic pressure, mental health stigma)

- Retellings of popular artworks and writing, such as Shakespeare's plays being subverted to explore themes faced by the South Asian community (ex. feminism in South Asia, decolonization) (P.S. our editor-in-chief is a sucker for Shakespeare retellings!!)

- Satirical writing or artworks addressing a real-world topic in the South Asian community

Examples of what we are NOT looking for:

- Works where Brown characters are figures are added just to make sure the story is "diverse"

- Writing & art that focuses on overused "lunchbox" tropes (ex. bringing ethnic food to school, wearing ethnic clothes for the first time, unless it is executed with nuance & depth)

- Works where South Asian characters are shallow and fit overused, harmful stereotypes (the “model minority” overachiever, exaggerated accents, hypersexualized female portrayals, etc.)

- Off-topic submissions

- Submissions that do not follow our guidelines

Know Your Rights:

The Lotus Paper is based in the State of Washington, USA, so we adhere to the State of Washington contract laws and frameworks. By signing this agreement, all international contributors agree that any disputes will be resolved under the State of Washington legal standards. South Asian creators aged 13-25 residing in any nation are permitted to submit.

By being accepted to The Lotus Paper, you confirm the work(s) you submitted are completely original, created solely by you, and do not infringe upon any third-party copyrights. If you are under 18 years of age and your work(s) has been accepted, you confirm that your parent or guardian co-signed the digital consent form to confirm their permission.

If any disputes arise because a submission belongs to someone else, you (and your parent/guardian if you are under 18) accept full responsibility for resolving that claim.

you also grant us non-exclusive archival and print rights, meaning that The Lotus Paper holds the right to store, preserve, and provide access to your published work(s).

You still retain full ownership of copyright over your work(s) and can republish your work anywhere else.

By submitting to The Lotus Paper, you also grant us non-exclusive worldwide serial and reprint rights, meaning we have the right to publish your work on our standard mediums, such as ncluding but not limited to social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, digital archives such as this website and Substack, and standard seasonal anthologies hosted on digital flipbooks such as HeyZine and/or on printed back-issues to be distributed physically. You can still submit previously published work.

The Lotus Paper respects intellectual property rights. If you are a contributor who wishes to have your accepted work removed from our social media or digital archives, please contact us at thelotuspaper.hello@gmail.com. We will review and remove the specified content within 5 business days.

However, in the case that a digital archive issue, physical issue, or print layout has entered production or printing, the publication and print rights for that specific issue are permanent and cannot be revoked, unless it is urgent.

All other rights remain with you upon publication.

Submit

Guidelines:

You must be between ages 13-25 to submit.

You must be of South Asian descent (Afghan, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Indian, Maldivian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan) to submit.

We accept submissions in the following categories:

Prose (fiction & creative nonfiction) : up to 2 pieces, each no more than 2,500 words (Note: pieces more than 1,250 words may be shortened on our social media posts, while the full version will be available on Substack & the issue it is accepted to)

Poetry: up to 5 poems, no more than 15 pages total

Playwriting/Screenwriting: up to 2 pieces, each no more than 15 pages (Note: pieces more than 5 pages may be shortened on our social media posts, while the full version will be available on Substack & the issue it is accepted to)

Visual arts (2D, 3D, photography, design, fashion): up to 5 pieces

If your submission is part of a larger novel, portfolio, or production, please include a short synopsis/description of the larger work at the start of the document, no more than 250 words.

Submission Formats:

Written: 12-point font size, times or times new roman, double-spaced, .pdf or .DOCX

Visual: high-resolution, proper lighting, .jpg or .png

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We accept pieces that have been submitted elsewhere & concurrent submissions. Please indicate where it has been featured in the past, and please check their guidelines on copyright & submissions before submitting to us!

We do allow submissions in another language. However, please include an English translation along with it - we do not have translators yet. If accepted, we will publish both versions to maintain the integrity of the original piece.

We do not accept plagiarized works and works generated by artificial intelligence (AI). If we suspect otherwise, we will contact you and you will have a chance to appeal by showing us your process.

While we are looking for mature works that explore taboo themes, please refrain from submitting NSFW work to our publication. The Lotus Paper is oriented towarss youth and young adults, features many youth staff members, and is for readers of all ages.

Examples of what we are looking for:

- Creative works that illustrate a south asian historical event, or an alternate history portrayal of that event (ex. colonialism)

- Writing & art that portrays a speculative future based on real-world issues you have faced as a south asian (ex. dystopian border control, racism, and xenophobia)

- Works that portray a personal or familial experience being South Asian (ex. academic pressure, mental health stigma)

- Retellings of popular artworks and writing, such as Shakespeare's plays being subverted to explore themes faced by the South Asian community (ex. feminism in South Asia, decolonization) (P.S. our editor-in-chief is a sucker for Shakespeare retellings!!)

- Satirical writing or artworks addressing a real-world topic in the South Asian community

Examples of what we are NOT looking for:

- Works where Brown characters are figures are added just to make sure the story is "diverse"

- Writing & art that focuses on overused "lunchbox" tropes (ex. bringing ethnic food to school, wearing ethnic clothes for the first time, unless it is executed with nuance & depth)

- Works where South Asian characters are shallow and fit overused, harmful stereotypes (the “model minority” overachiever, exaggerated accents, hypersexualized female portrayals, etc.)

- Off-topic submissions

- Submissions that do not follow our guidelines

Know Your Rights:

If any disputes arise because a submission belongs to someone else, you (and your parent/guardian if you are under 18) accept full responsibility for resolving that claim.

you also grant us non-exclusive archival and print rights, meaning that The Lotus Paper holds the right to store, preserve, and provide access to your published work(s).

You still retain full ownership of copyright over your work(s) and can republish your work anywhere else.

The Lotus Paper respects intellectual property rights. If you are a contributor who wishes to have your accepted work removed from our social media or digital archives, please contact us at thelotuspaper.hello@gmail.com. We will review and remove the specified content within 5 business days.

However, in the case that a digital archive issue, physical issue, or print layout has entered production or printing, the publication and print rights for that specific issue are permanent and cannot be revoked, unless it is urgent.

All other rights remain with you upon publication.

​