Call for Papers: Ephebeia Spring 2026 Issue

Submit an essay to the Paideia Institute's online academic journal for high school writers.

The Paideia Institute is pleased to launch the call for submissions to the Spring 2026 issue of Ephebeia: A Youth Classics Journal, our online journal showcasing the best academic writing on Classics by high school students.

Since the inception of Paideia's online magazine, our editorial team has been delighted to receive an overwhelming number of essay submissions from high school writers eager to share their passion for the Classics. Ephebeia is a sister publication to In Medias Res, offering a new venue to celebrate the wide array of original and interesting work being produced by high school students as they begin to write about Classical Antiquity.

We invite you to read the Fall 2025 issue here!

Submission Guidelines 

The content and tenor of Ephebeia is intended to emulate the format of scholarly publications such as the American Journal of Philology, the Journal of Hellenic Studies, Acta Classica, and the like. To be considered for publication, submissions must exhibit a mature and lucid style of writing, relevant citation of primary and secondary sources, rigorous attention to bibliographic standards, and, above all, evidence of original, creative thought.   

We will consider essay submissions on Greco-Roman and broader Mediterranean antiquity, literature, history, art, as well as on any modern aspects of literature and culture that owe a crucial debt to ancient sources. Citation of texts in their original language is not required, but we encourage writers who have Latin and/or Ancient Greek to include their own original translations when citing primary sources. (We also welcome submissions from students who have not yet had the opportunity to study Latin and/or Ancient Greek.) 

High school students in 9th through 12th grade, including graduating seniors, are eligible to be featured in the journal. Essays must not exceed 3,000 words in length and we will only accept one submission per student per issue. Past contributors are welcome to submit new work for consideration. 

The deadline to submit an essay to the Spring 2026 issue is Sunday, April 19th. 

Formatting & Citation Requirements

• Quotations should be carefully transcribed, punctuated, and attributed. For bibliographic conventions, use MLA style.

• Use 1.0-inch margins on all sides

• Double-space

• 12-point Times New Roman font

• Number all pages

• Proofread carefully; proofreading by teachers and peers is allowed

SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY HERE

We will notify all writers of the status of their submission by Friday, May 1st, so we ask that students (and their teachers and parents) please refrain from contacting us about it before that date. For other questions and clarifications, reach out to IMR Editor Mark Buchan at [email protected].