Symposia offers two submission categories: academic essay and creative writing
Academic Essay
Symposia's academic essay category is open to any topic within the classical world– history, literature, philosophy, art, or archaeology. For example, students may write on Caesar’s military campaigns, the architecture of Roman Britain, or any other subject of interest.
The following are the Academic Essay specific rules. Refer to the overall Submission Rules for more detailed information.
There is a word minimum of 1500 words, no maximum
No prompt: students may write on any aspect of the classical world
Chicago style bibliography required; footnotes are welcome but not required
No prior knowledge of Latin or Greek is necessary. If you reference primary texts, translations are perfectly acceptable
Creative Writing
Symposia’s creative writing category invites students to engage with the classical world through original creative work rather than analysis. We accept work in any written medium, including poetry, fiction, screenplay, or any other creative work.
The following are the Written Creative Work specific rules. Refer to the overall Submission Rules for more detailed information.
No word minimum or maximum
No prompt: students may write on any aspect of the classical world
Chicago style bibliography required only if your work references outside sources explicitly
No prior knowledge of Latin or Greek is necessary. If you reference primary texts, translations are perfectly acceptable
1. SUBMISSION rules
In addition to the aforementioned prompt-specific rules, a Symposia author must abide by these rules to be considered for publication.
You may submit Symposia if you completed the work before finishing secondary school.
You must be the sole author.
You must write in English (although you may use Latin/Ancient Greek to supplement your work). We welcome applicants from all countries.
Please refer to the contest-specific rules for more information regarding our two individual categories.
You must not include any graphics, charts, photos, etc that are NOT produced by you.
You may submit to either category, but not resubmit the same work. Each submission must be an original work.
You may not use any generative AI tools to write prose for your submission. We do know, however, that AI is practically unavoidable, and that it’s a surprisingly a good resource for early research— but only that.
Once you’ve confirmed both these and the prompt-specific rules, create an author account and pay the submission fee.
Academic Essay
Argument: the essay advances a clear, defensible claim rather than summarizing existing scholarship
Evidence: sources, whether primary or secondary, are used accurately and support the argument
Originality: the essay engages a genuine question rather than restating consensus
Clarity: the argument is organized and easy to follow
Written Creative Work
Engagement: the classical material is integral to the piece, not incidental
Craft: the piece is well-executed in its chosen form
Originality: the piece offers a distinct perspective on its source material
II. Evaluation process
Author submissions are read and evaluated in a double-blind review process. We do not require a specific structure, thesis type, or stylistic approach– both categories are intentionally open. That said, the following criteria guide our evaluation.
III. Publication
Selected essays (five total between the two categories) will be published in the cycle they are submitted. We have no preference for either category. For example, one cycle may consist of only academic essays, vice versa, or a mix of the two categories. We aim to select the best works across each cycle, regardless of prompt. Whether your paper is selected for publication or not, we will inform you of our decision approximately one to two months later— refer to our timeline on our home page for more details. If published, your piece will be displayed on Symposia’s website under our Editions page (to be released with our first edition). Since we are an early-stage journal, we hope to eventually expand into print and provide authors with a physical copy of their writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. You can write about anything related to the classical world, from ancient history and philosophy to mythology, art, or classical reception (connecting classics to later eras). If you're unsure whether your topic fits, feel free to to email us with questions regarding your topic.
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No. Classics is the study of the ancient world at large. We do not limit students to just Greece and Rome. Writing about Egypt, Phoenicia, or the Etruscans is just as eligible for publication.
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All secondary school students. We welcome submissions from all regions, countries, and territories.
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Yes! In fact, we especially encourage students without formal Latin or Greek training to submit. We know that access to classical languages is unequal and is often determined by what your school can afford, not by your curiosity or ability. You do not need to have read a single word of the original Latin or Greek to write a compelling essay or create meaningful work about the ancient world. All primary sources may be engaged with in translation, and we evaluate submissions on the strength of your ideas, not your access to the original text. If you've encountered the classical world through a world history class, a mythology unit, a favorite book, or your own independent reading — that's more than enough to start.