Publication in the Spring Magazine and fall chapbooks are only open to writers enrolled at Otterbein University (full- or part-time) at the time of submission. All submissions are blind, meaning that only the faculty advisor of Quiz & Quill knows the identities of writers and artists until after final selections are made by staff and editors. In order to maintain your anonymity during this part of the process, please do not include your name on the file containing your submission. 

Stories must be fictional narratives and may deal with any subject. Submissions for the podcast or spring magazine must be under 12 pages double spaced. Submissions for the Spring Writing Awards must be under 30 pages double spaced. You must be a current Otterbein student to submit. Each writer may submit up to two stories in this category. One story per submission, please. 

Please note that we have an endowed award for fiction. It's called the Walter Barnes prize for Historical Fiction. If your story takes place at any point in the past, it qualifies for this award, so check the box!

We accept poems of any length and subject for our spring magazine and our podcast.  You must be a current Otterbein student to submit. Each writer may submit up to three poems in this category. One poem per submission please. 

Please note that we have an endowed prize in poetry. It's called the Roy Burkhart Prize for Religious Poetry. If your poem, involves any religious themes, it qualifies for this award, so please check the box. 

Personal essays must relate to personal responses or experiences and be written in familiar style. This category includes but is not limited to essayistic approaches to memoir, literary journalism, travel writing, nature writing, etc. Strictly academic or scholarly essays should be submitted to Aegis instead of Quiz & Quill. Submissions for the podcast or spring magazine must be under 12 pages double spaced. Submissions for the Spring Writing Awards must be under 30 pages double spaced. You must be a current Otterbein student to submit. Each writer may submit up to two essays in this category. One essay per submission, please. 


Plays may deal with any topic, but must be in a coherent script format. Questions about format should be directed to our faculty advisor, Jeremy Llorence at jllorence@otterbein.edu

Submissions for the spring magazine must be under 12 pages. Submissions for the Spring Writing Awards must be under 30 pages. You must be a current Otterbein student to submit. Each writer may submit up to two plays in this category. One play per submission, please. 

Graphic Narratives may deal with any subject. Submissions for the spring magazine must be under 10 pages. Submissions for the Spring Writing Awards must be under 30 pages. You must be a current Otterbein student to submit. Each writer may submit up to two pieces in this category. One piece per submission, please. 

This contest is your opportunity to design an entire cover for the magazine. We're looking for bold, eye catching designs that fit with the general vibe of our literary magazine. Take a look at our archives for inspiration!


General guidelines:

  • Artist must be a current Otterbein student.
  • Submission must be in .png format.


Content guidelines:

  • Art must include all of the following text:

               - Quiz & Quill

               - Spring Magazine 2025

               - Vol. 109

  • Art should be appropriately sized for an 8.5" x 5.5" cover. 


Deadline: January 30th by 11:59pm 

Submit photographs and high-res scans of other art forms as jpg files. Please note that images may be cropped to fit the dimensions of the page design. We only accept submissions from current Otterbein students; each artist may submit up to three entries. One piece per submission, please. 

Quiz & Quill