New Orleans, LA — March 29 - April 1, 2026

Sigma Tau Delta 2026 Convention

Paper Submission

Deadline: Monday, October 27, 2025, 11:59 p.m. CDT.

Eligibility

Eligible student and alumni members are invited to submit one (1) original critical essay OR one (1) creative work (creative nonfiction, poetry, fiction, flash fiction, drama, or screenplay) to be considered for presentation at the annual convention. Critical essays on any topic of interest in the discipline are welcome; papers on the works of our featured speakers or on the Convention theme are especially encouraged.

This year’s theme, “Second Lines & New Beginnings”, stems from the ideas of inclusion and resilience that are embodied in the tradition of the Second Line and offers a place where one can find a new beginning. While submissions will be accepted in a wide range of categories, those wishing to engage with the convention theme might consider the following:

  • Featured convention speakers and their works, themes, or genres
  • A writer’s place in society or in the literary canon
  • “Belonging” to a particular group or culture
  • Identity
  • Physical space and place in literature
  • Banned books / Threats to literature and education

Submissions for Common Reader

In addition to a submission on any other topic, individuals may submit one (1) critical or creative work on the Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward to be considered for presentation at the annual convention. This second submission will follow the guidelines for Critical Essays or Creative Works; it must include an explanation of fewer than 100 words, which will not count against your word count total, clarifying the connection between the submitter’s own work and the Common Reader.

For more information, review the additional rules regarding the maximum number of academic submissions allowed.

Stemmler/Dennis LGBT& Awards

To be considered for the Stemmler/Dennis LGBT& Awards, any work with LGBTQIA+ themes must select “LGBTQIA+” as one of up to three themes, and any work that applies Queer Theory / LGBTQIA+ Theory must select “Queer Theory / LGBTQIA+ Theory.”

Hispanic Heritage Awards

To be considered for Hispanic Heritage Awards, any work with Hispanic/Latine themes must select “Hispanic/Latine” as one of up to three themes.

Paper Submission Guidelines

  • Submissions should not exceed the word limit or the 15-minute time limit. Longer works or collections may be disqualified and will be ineligible for any awards.
    • Prose submissions should not exceed 2,000 words (excluding the title, footnotes, and/or bibliography/Works Cited) and should take no longer than 15 minutes to read.
    • Poetry submissions should take no more than 15 minutes to present, including introductions to individual poems, which should be kept at a minimum or avoided entirely. Poets may present only those poems submitted and accepted. A poetry collection (two or more works) should have a title.
    • Collections of flash fiction will be considered, provided that the total length of the submission does not exceed the 2,000 word limit. The collection should have a title in addition to the titles for the individual pieces within.
    • Very short prose submissions, single poems, or very short poetry collections will be evaluated but will not be privileged over longer submissions. (We define “very short submissions” as those works that take fewer than 8 minutes to present.)
  • Because very long titles may be abbreviated or condensed for the program and app, we strongly encourage you to limit your title 
  • Members will be asked to describe their works in more detail using keywords provided during the submission process:
    • a topic to characterize your creative work or the genre your critical work discusses;
    • up to three theme keywords;
    • for critical essays, a methodology for your submission; and
    • primarily for critical essays, up to two author keywords to identify the primary author(s) whose works you discuss.
  • Submitters should submit only unpublished critical or creative works for consideration.
  • Submissions remain anonymous for the evaluators who judge them. Acceptance is based on the merit of the works alone and on the space constraints of our venue.
  • Members must remove any identifying information on submitted documents, including their name, the name of their institution, or the name of the faculty member to whom the work was originally submitted. No work that includes identifying information about the author will be considered for an award.
  • Decisions of the judges are final. No opportunity for revision and resubmission of a denied work will be provided for critical essay or creative submissions.
  • Members must be present at the convention to read their own submissions. Essays or creative works will not be presented on the author’s behalf.
  • Members whose works are accepted for presentation must be available to present anytime between Sunday, March 29, and Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Exceptions will be made only for students who, for religious reasons, are unable to present on a particular day.
  • All works accepted for and presented at the convention will automatically be considered for convention awards.

Formatting for Submissions

Use a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman or Arial recommended). Though you may italicize the titles of primary works within your title, avoid bold letters or underlining in titles, and do not put quotation marks around your own title(s). Remove any identifying material such as headers.

Poetry

  1. A collection of poems must be contained in one document file saved as a doc, docx, or PDF. Each piece within the document should begin on a new page.
  2. File Name: Use an abbreviated version of your collection title as your file name. Do not use your name in the file name.
  3. Though formatting should be appropriate to the poem, most poems will be single-spaced, and both the title and individual lines or stanzas will be left justified, that is, aligned on the left-hand margin.
  4. Polish: Submitted work should be free of grammatical errors and mechanical mistakes.

Prose (Critical Essays, Creative Works)

  1. Essays should follow appropriate and updated style guidelines, such as MLA or APA. Work must be submitted as a document file saved as a doc, docx, or PDF.
  2. Use an abbreviated version of your title as your file name. Do not use your name in your file name.
  3. Submissions should be double-spaced with one-inch margins. Titles should be centered at the top of the first page, rather than in a running header or on a separate cover page.
  4. Flash fiction: In addition to adhering to all other guidelines for prose, a flash fiction collection must include a title; each new piece should begin on a separate page. Also, be sure to use the phrase “flash fiction” when prompted to provide keywords in the submission process.
  5. Polish: Submitted work should be free of typographical and grammatical errors. Titles of primary or secondary works identified within essays should be properly formatted.

Helpful Suggestions

Read these hints for successful paper submissions and begin your submission process early. You may start your submission, save it, and go back to finish it before the 11:59 p.m. CDT deadline on Monday, October 27, 2025.

Convention Submissions Portal

The Convention Submissions Portal will be added when submission open on September 22, 2025.

To gain access to the Submissions Portal for the 2026 Convention, you must first verify your membership status. Follow the link below to the Membership Verification screen, where you will be prompted to enter information about your affiliation with Sigma Tau Delta before you submit a critical or creative paper, roundtable proposal, or Research in the Round table host proposal.

Important Dates

Submitters will receive confirmation, acceptance, and registration information via the email addresses provided at the time of submission. Therefore, it is vital that members use email addresses that they check regularly and that will be active through April 3, 2026.

Submission Portal opens

September 22, 2025

Submission Deadline

October 27, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.

Acceptance and Denial Decisions

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Presenter Registration/RSVP Deadline

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Questions regarding the online submission process? Please email englishconvention@niu.edu.