How do I submit my work to Blueprint?

Send us an email at blueprints@umich.edu with your work attached. Then fill out the Blueprint Submission Form telling us a few important things about yourself and your work. Before you submit, please be sure you've read the criteria and guidelines that follow to maximize the chances of your work being accepted for publication!

Submissions Criteria

Written works

We accept written works in the .doc and .docx formats. We expect these to be formatted in an accessible, readable manner, like 12 pt Times New Roman, double spaced, with margins around 1". If your work includes significant deviations from standard formatting conventions, please let us know so that we can accommodate it.

Visual arts

Any visual art will be displayed at no larger than 8.5x11". Images should be at print-ready resolution (300 dpi), so image files need not be any bigger than 2550x3300 px. Each submitted file must be smaller than 10 MB.

Submissions Guidelines

Who can submit to Blueprint?

Anyone affiliated with the University may submit (including alumni!). We are primarily interested in celebrating and expanding the literary and artistic inclinations of the U-M College of Engineering and greater North Campus community, but anyone who supports the Blueprint mission is welcome to contribute.

What is Blueprint looking for in a good submission?

We would like to publish extraordinary artistic and literary work by our peers and colleagues, the Leaders and Best. Submissions should represent creativity, professionalism, and good taste. In carrying out our mission of providing the College of Engineering with a medium of creative expression, we strive to uphold the ideals of the College, and the University of Michigan.

Can I submit multiple works?

Yes. You are free to submit as many works of any medium as you like.

Can I use a pen name?

Yes. We provide the option of using a pseudonym for publication. (You will still need to give us you real name so that we can contact you regarding your submission.)

Will my work appear in the magazine?

Acceptance of submitted works is entirely at the discretion of the Blueprint staff; we do not guarantee the inclusion of any submission. However, our goal is to showcase the talent and imagination of the students, faculty, and staff of our North Campus community -- we want to publish your submissions! We will do our best to publish as much high-quality work as we can.

When will I know if my work has been accepted?

Authors will be notified of acceptance decision shortly after each submissions deadline.

Why are there multiple submissions deadlines?

We can only publish a limited number of submissions. The sooner you submit your work, the sooner we can consider it (on the closest upcoming deadline), and the more likely that we'll have space available to publish it.

Should I be worried about who is reviewing my work?

Absolutely not—author names on all submissions are removed and their works are assigned an alpha-numeric sequence by the Submissions Chair and Editor-in-Chief prior to reviewing the work as a group.

What should I think about before submitting?

Please proofread your work! We will make every effort to ensure that quality submissions are published without grammatical or other formal errors, but the best way to guarantee this is simply to take care before submitting. We will clear any edits made to your submission with you before publication. We will respect the artistic license of the submitter in cases of grammar, punctuation, etc. that differ from the conventional standard as long as you let us know that this is your intent.