The Spring Contest was our first, and we’re thrilled with how it went! It was so much fun to see what all of you took “current” to mean. Not only did we receive 395 submissions from 32 countries and 30 US states, but we were truly impressed with the caliber of work. And we were especially impressed by the winning poem “BREAKING NEWS: UNIVERSE, DEAD AT 13.8 BILLION YEARS OLD” by Emily Tong. Her piece explores ecological grief and generational memories, and you can read an interview with her here.

Lucile’s reflections:

It was incredible to see all the different ways submitters interpreted the theme. From a haunting poem set in a memory care facility (which is forthcoming in our next issue) to a delightful story about a bellyflopping competition, everyone took the theme and ran with it. Some of my favorites took the chance to meditate on a specific small experience, focusing on what it means to be in the current moment. It can be so easy to let life rush past, especially in the digital age and especially for our generation. Poems that marinated in the speaker’s emotions and zeroed in on minute details were a joy to read. And in reading them, I felt myself drawn closer to being in the current moment as well. At the risk of getting too pun-heavy, it’s easy to be swept up in the currents of my life, but pausing every day to read submissions from around the world has been an anchor for me. An anchor I am enormously grateful for. So if you submitted to our contest, and shared your perspective on our theme, thank you so much. I hope to read your work again.

Sierra’s reflections:

My favorite aspect of running our Spring Contest was absolutely getting to connect with youth writers across the globe. This was certainly true through reading your pieces—from perspectives I likely never would’ve gotten to hear from—but it was also lovely to connect with a growing community on social media! Some of my favorite pieces touched on the complexities of cultural identity whether that was through place, language, or family—it was beautiful to see all of your meditations on how those themes tie into the current moment and current events affecting us around the world. Another way I enjoyed connecting with the broader Marmalade Lit community was through social media—thank you for keeping up with us and for reaching out. We always love to hear from you!

Finally, we wanted to close on a few fun facts from our contest submissions!

• 31 pieces included the word “current” in some form in the title 

• Y’all are procrastinators! We received 38 submissions on the final day of the submission period, the highest volume of any day

• 11 titles included languages aside from English

Since our first contest went so well, we’re definitely going to be hosting more. Follow us on Instagram (@marmalade_lit) for updates on future contests, calls for submissions, and other opportunities!