Frequently Asked Questions

Collage accepts submissions of poetry, short stories, song lyrics, creative nonfiction, short plays, audio recordings, films and videos, photography, art, design.

Getting work published in Collage is a competitive process. Collage routinely receives approximately 350  submissions and cannot publish them all, but the competitive nature of the journal increases the prestige of having work selected for publication.

Collage utilizes a professional online submission system, Submittable, to accept student submissions. Staff members participate in a week-long, blind grading process to determine the highest rated submissions. Following the completed review process, staff members meet to discuss the merits of the top-rated work and to select the journal content.

The journal is sponsored by MTSU’s Honors College and is made available at no cost to interested students, faculty, university donors, and others.

Collage has been published by MTSU since 1968 and has won numerous national awards. It is the only campus creative journal that is printed as well as archived online on the Collage website, https://www.mtsu.edu/collage/issues.php  and on http://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu, Walker Library’s university repository.

Collage is for all MTSU students. Any student can submit their work to Collage, and any student with at least a 3.0 GPA can apply for staff membership. Collage has been sponsored by the Honors College since 2005, but it is meant to be a showcase of the best creative works from all MTSU students.

Video and film files are uploaded to the Collage YouTube page. An image from each project is printed in Collage along with the title and creator’s name and is linked to YouTube with a QR code.

Accepted audio submissions are uploaded to the Collage Soundcloud site. A QR code linking to the site is printed in Collage along with the name of the piece and writer/performer.

Email questions and comments to collage@mtsu.edu.

Any current MTSU student with at least a 3.0 GPA can apply to be on the Collage staff. Students may apply online at https://www.mtsu.edu/collage/staff.php. The staff is limited to 40 students per semester.

Staff applications are for one semester only. Students are welcome to reapply in subsequent semesters or to serve one semester only.

Graduate students are a welcome addition to the staff.

Staff members are selected from all majors as long as they have an interest and reasonable knowledge about one or more of the areas published in Collage.

Collage is designed to offer student participants hands-on experience related to peer review, copy editing, designing for print, and leadership. There are no paid positions, but students may register for UH 3001 course credit while on staff.

Staff members are allowed to submit their own work while on staff.

Any current MTSU student, whether graduate or undergraduate, can submit their original creative works to Collage. Recent alumni are also invited to submit.

Being published in a national award-winning journal is a valuable achievement that can improve one’s portfolio and/or resume. The submission process can provide insight to those desiring to be published elsewhere in the future, and being published can be beneficial for those seeking jobs in a related field.

Students may submit four submissions per major genre. The major genres accepted are visual, literature, audio, and video/film. Literature includes poetry, song lyrics, short stories, creative nonfiction, excerpts from longer stories, and short plays. Accepted visual work includes art, design, or photography.

The Collage staff is divided into a visual staff and a literature staff according to the staff members’ interests and experience, and members of each staff only review submissions from their area of knowledge. Some staff members choose to review audio and/or video/film submissions in addition to either visual arts or literary arts.