Our Commitment

We publish every piece submitted through a school.

We do not assess, grade, rank, or reject student writing. We believe the act of writing and the experience of being published are themselves the education, more valuable at this stage than any editorial judgement we could offer. The school is the editor. We are the publisher.

What this means in practice:

  • No rejection letters — ever. Every piece from a school is published.
  • No comparison between students. No rankings, no prizes within Young Voices, no winners and losers.
  • Every published student receives a Published Young Writer certificate signed by the Afflatus Team, delivered digitally to the school for printing and formal presentation.

Publication cycle:

Submissions to Young Voices are accepted year-round. Published work appears in the quarterly issue of Afflatus Creations as a dedicated Young Voices PDF with its own index and issue date. The four publication windows are:

Issue 1

January – March

Issue 2

April – June

Issue 3

July – September

Issue 4

October – December

Submission rules:

  • All submissions must come through a school principal or a verifiable school teacher. Direct submissions from students or parents will not be accepted.
  • Each school may submit up to three poems and up to three short stories or essays per quarterly issue
  • Poems: Maximum 20 lines (no minimum). Short stories and essays: Minimum 500 words, maximum 1,000 words.
  • All submissions must be in English.
  • Work should be edited and finalised by the school before submission. Afflatus Creations publishes as received.
  • The student’s full name, age, class, and school name must accompany each piece.
  • By submitting, the school confirms that the student and their parent or guardian have consented to publication.
  • Submission is free. There is no charge of any kind.