Youth First Justice Collaborative is taking a major step in amplifying the voices of those affected by incarceration as a youth! We are thrilled to announce the open call for submissions for our first-ever #NoKidsInPrison Magazine, a visually beautiful, impeccably designed, abolitionist publication calling for the end of youth incarceration. This magazine is an archive, a rally cry, a manifesto and a love letter to young people and the communities who support them.
Our Vision
This magazine is a platform for the raw visionary spirit of directly-impacted youth artists, writers, and organizers to reshape the national narrative around justice. We believe in community-based solutions, truth-telling, and visionary leadership. We are committed to documenting successful, community-driven solutions, advancing a nuanced narrative and challenging the harmful stereotypes that contribute to youth incarceration.
The #NoKidsInPrison Magazine will:
- Highlight the unique strengths and perspectives of youth
- Chronicle the impact of youth incarceration on families, schools, and neighborhoods
- Increase awareness of the harmful effects of incarceration on youth
- Challenge harmful stereotypes that contribute to youth incarceration
- Address the root causes of oppressive systems
- Detail the impact of creative programs on directly impacted and systems impacted youth
- Document successful community driven solutions
- Transform public perception and shifts media narratives around youth justice
- Advance a more nuanced, youth-centered narrative around youth crime and punishment
What to Submit
We are looking for your original writing, visual art, or a combination.
- Original visual art made by directly and systems impacted people (i.e. original photos, murals, drawings, collage, comics, and illustrations).
- Original writing articulating the experience, imagination and perspective of current and formerly directly-impacted and systems impacted youth writers, artists, designers, activists and organizers. (i.e. poetry, letters, lyrics, essays or memoirs, transcribed interviews, or monologues).
- Reflections on visionary leadership of formal campaigns, innovative non profit programming, and community based initiatives that work to end youth incarceration.
Submission Prompts
Need ideas? We’ve got you covered!
- SPEAK YOUR TRUTH: Document restorative justice initiatives, a time you were given a second chance, or the damaging impacts of removing children from their homes.
- IMAGINE/ENVISION: Create a vision of what a society truly rooted in justice looks like, or what changes you want to see in your neighborhood.
- CONNECT THE DOTS: Reflect on the root causes of youth incarceration and the interlocking systems of oppression that create the environment for it.
Submissions must be your original creative work. No plagiarized or AI-created artwork. Any work created with the help of AI will not be accepted. We need your brilliance and vision!
Who Can Submit?
This is an open call for anyone across the United States who wants to reflect on the interlocking systems of oppression and join in calling for the end of youth incarceration. We especially want to see work from currently and formerly incarcerated and systems-impacted youth, but we also welcome submissions from allies like families, loved ones, teachers, and community members.
Key Dates & Support
- Open Call Begins: August 27, 2025
- Submission Deadline: Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 11:59 pm: #NoKidsInPrison Magazine Submissions
- Virtual Info Session: Tuesday, September 23, 2025 @ 3-4pm PST / 5-6pm CST / 6-7pm EST. (Register Here)
- Virtual Visual Art Workshop: An interactive workshop to help artists generate ideas for their submissions. Saturday, October 18, 2025 @ 9:30-10:30am PST / 11:30-12:30pm CST / 12:30-1:30pm EST. (Register Here)
- Virtual Writing Workshop: An interactive writing workshop to help writers generate ideas for their submissions. Saturday, October 18, 2025 @ 11am-12:30pm PST / 1-2:30 CST / 2-3:30pm EST. (Register Here)
- Notification of Acceptance: November 3, 2025 – January 15, 2026
- Accepted Submissions Final Edits & Artist Approval Appointments: January 15 – January 31, 2026 (scheduled individually)
- Publication Date: April 2026
Accepted submissions receive a $50 honorarium and a copy of the magazine.
For more information: #NoKidsInPrison Open Call Guidelines
To submit your work for publication: #NoKidsInPrison Magazine Submissions
