Here are our guidelines:
● Maximum of 5 original and unpublished works per submission across any accepted medium of work.
● Poetry: 1-5 poems. (Maximum 3 pages)
● Prose: Maximum 2000 words. (up to 2 works).
● Other written works (not limited to but including: interviews, book reviews, movie reviews, opinion pieces, personal essays, etc): Maximum 2,000 words. Screenplays up to 5 pages. (up to 2 works).
● Visual submissions (not limited to but including: art, comics, prints, collages, etc.): Must be in black & white. Maximum 5 pages (up to 2 works).
● Audio/Video Submissions (not limited to but including: music, original songs, podcasts, spoken word, slam performances, collaborative works, etc.): No more than 5 minutes.
Format:
- Text: Double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font. [.pdf or .doc / .docx].
- If you are submitting multiple text-based works, please put them in the same document.
- Audio: [.wav or .mp3]
- Video: [.mp4 or link to unlisted youtube / vimeo upload]
- Images: [.png or .pdf or .jpg /.jpeg or .psi] [CMYK / 300 dpi]
Excerpts of longer works can be accepted as long as they can stand alone. If interested in submitting a longer piece, capped at 6,000 words, please email us ocadupulse@gmail.com.
Pulse’s Rating: Mature
○ Okay:
■ use of foul language
■ non-explicit references to adult themes and activities (drugs, sex, sexual violence, violence, etc).
○ Not okay:
■ unnecessary discriminatory / hateful language
■ unexamined bigotry / violence
■ gratuitous descriptions of traumatic events
■ works that intend to cause harm or relive trauma
■ porn and explicit sexual content
■ instructional depictions of violence, sex, drug use, etc.
○ If you need clarification, please contact us at ocadupulse@gmail.com
Please note the following list of works that Pulse is not accepting:
● Fanfiction
● AI Generated Works
● Works that are already published elsewhere. Not limited to but including: social media, personal websites, other journals, etc.
● Any audio and/or video submissions with copyrighted music, and/or visuals.
○ Our team does not offer editing of video or audio pieces at this time, however, please be open to any feedback or suggestions.
● Plagiarized submissions will be automatically rejected
Exercise your best judgment as to what work reflects both you as a writer as well as the community you write within.
We ask for first-time North American rights for accepted pieces. Following publication, all rights revert to the author. Please note that your work first appeared in Pulse if it is reprinted elsewhere on the web or in print.
As an extension of the OCAD-U student body, Pulse 2026 acts in accordance with the professional codes of conduct while fulfilling the educational standards put forth by the University Board. We, as an integral part of representing a part of the larger student body at OCAD-U, align ourselves with OCAD-U's core values and ethics, and make the effort to accurately reflect such in our work.
OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we live, work and create.