2026 Call for Submissions: Filipino Writers in the Diaspora

Theme: «Mothering »

INA, NANAY, MAMA, MOMMY, INANG…

Mother is a sacred word in the Philippines. One way or another, we are all mothers….by blood, by relation, by obligation, by circumstances that make us mothers. The inherent Filipino trait of nurturing and our natural capacity for empathy makes us the best persons for “mothering”. We can be mothers to siblings or parents, to friends and even to strangers.

But leaving the country and living abroad might have change our definitions of “mothering”….did you leave the country to take care of other people’s children or to take care of parents in senior homes, or did you reformulate your style of mothering your own children because you live in a bi-racial household or you had to compromise rearing because cultural expectations are not like your own? Did you “mother” other people because you had to or simply out of compassion? 

What is “mothering” to you? Tell us what the word means to you, drawing inspiration from your life experiences abroad.

All selected pieces will become part of an anthology, which will be published at the last quarter of 2026. 

Who can submit

Filipinos in the diaspora (those residing outside of the Philippines) 

Language of submission

English

Categories:

• short stories (ca. 1000 to 1500 words) 

• essays (ca. 1000 to 1500 words)

• poems (each piece should not be longer than 40 lines or an A4 page)

Open to different styles, fiction genres, and poetic trends and traditions. 

How should works be submitted?

• All submissions must be typed in and sent as a Word document attached to your email.

• Use Times New Roman, size 12.

• Paginate your Word document.

• For prose submissions, indicate a word count at the top righthand corner of the first page. Document should have a 1.5 pacing.

• Poetry should be single-spaced.

• Name the Word document so: LAST NAME-genre-title (For example, “SANTOS-poetry-title”)

To which email should works be submitted?

Submit your work to pace2024@gmail.com with the subject: LAST NAME-genre-title (For example, “SANTOS-poetry-title”)

Include a short a short biographical note of about 50 to 100 words. Specify your country of residence. Fake addresses will be disqualified.

We suggest that you first create a new contact using our email. This will prevent your email from ending up in our Spam!

Deadline for submissions

All submissions should be sent by email no later than 23:59 on 15 March 2026, 

FAQs

Is submission free?

Yes

How many literary pieces can be submitted?

For poetry, up to 2 poems. For prose, 1 piece only in a selected prose genre.

We do NOT accept multiple submissions across genres.

How will the pieces be selected for publication?

All submissions will be subject to review by a group of literary editors.

When can I expect to receive a decision on my submission?

Reading times can range between 2 weeks to 2 months. An acknowledgement receipt will be sent to every submission. If you don't hear from us after 2 months, please get in touch by email.

Notification of accepted submissions will be on the second quarter of the year.  

Do I retain copyright to my work?

After publication of the print version and on our website, copyright reverts back to the authors.

Will previously published work be considered?

Yes, if copyright still belongs to the submitter/author. We will acknowledge the publication in which your work previously appeared.

Are AI-generated material acceptable?

No. We only accept original, human-crafted work.