Submissions | Penn Existential

General Submission Guidelines

Length

We accept a concise word count from 500 to ~2,500 words.

Format

Submissions must be uploaded as a live Google Docs link.

Originality

We prefer all work to be original and not previously published.

Citation

Please hyperlink citations.

Response Time

Expect a response from our editorial board within three weeks of submission. We will most likely respond to every submission.

AI Disclaimer

Prose shoud reflect an authentic human tone, but using AI to assist with reasoning is encouraged.

If applicable, we would like submissions to estimate how much AI has contributed to their work. For example, "there was X% of AI-generated content in this submission."

Expectations

We are looking for ambitious essays that reflect our unique historical climate.

We want clear essays with definable structure. We want engaging commentary suitable for a wide audience that thoughtfully explains the stakes at hand — the work should naturally challenge readers to think, almost as if it is inescapable.

For example, we believe some of the most important topics of today are:

- Risks and the future of artificial intelligence

- Political future and philosophy of global politics

- End stage(s) of American capitalism

- How citizens (will) live in the AI age (education, surveillance, etc.)

Or you may navigate traditional philosophy, and apply it to important topics today:

- Morality of the billionaire class

- Critical theory

- Population ethics

- Climate destabilization

The underlying values Penn Existential looks for in submissions are passion, ambition, novelty, and clarity. While editors can fix structural features referenced at the top of this page, editors cannot add these values into the submission. That must come from the author, which is an essential ingredient to authentic, successful writing.

Who can write?

Preference will be given to Penn affiliates, but anyone is welcome to submit. It will be noted in the article if the submission comes from a Penn student or faculty.

Selection Process

Editors will vote to approve or deny a submission, and once the submission has been approved, we will begin making comments. Google Docs will be used for the editing process, and is required for submissions.

We may ask the author if it is acceptable to rewrite sentences or entire sections. We can refuse to publish a submission at any time, and the author can withold publication at any time in the process.

Submission Form:

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