FAQ

When is the Deadline?

The deadline is Wednesday, May 21st at 11:59 p.m.

When Will the Issue Be Out?

This issue will be released in late June 2025 (and will take the place of a regular CONNECT June issue).

What Are the Guidelines?

The guidelines can be found here.

How Much Can I Submit?

We are limiting each contributor to 10 pieces per person and written works must be under 1000 words. Even though there is a limit please keep in mind that this issue should be thought of as a preview of a larger portfolio of each contributor.

Also please keep in mind that we will try to orient the images and art pieces for each page. If multiple pieces are submitted under a single title/theme and you want them displayed together, then they might end up smaller than you had originally intended so that they fit on the pages. 

Where Can I Upload My Work?

All submissions will be done via Google Form. You can read the submission guidelines on the homepage.

Is This Limited to JET Programme Participants and ALTs?

Not at all! We encourage any member of the international community living in Japan to submit their creative work.

What Type of Art?

Any and all! We’re looking to feature a wide variety of art from the expat community here in Japan. This includes - but isn’t limited to - artistic photography, illustrations, comics, poems, haiku, handicrafts, sculptures, etc.

Videos?

Yes! Although we can’t embed videos on Issuu, where the publication will be published, we can link to videos on YouTube or a similar platform. Please provide a high quality still frame to represent your video following the image guidelines here. 

Also, consider the focus when deciding on which section to submit to. Videos would most likely fall under the Visual Arts section whereas song lyrics would fall under the Creative Writing section. Music videos that focus more on the sound and visuals would be better suited to the Visual Arts section of the Art Issue. Use your best judgement.

Music?

Absolutely! However, as with videos, we can’t embed media players in the actual issue. So please provide cover art or other promotional imagery of your choice along with a link to where your music can be heard. Remember to follow the image guidelines here.

If your submission heavily focuses on the lyrics of the song, then that submission would be most appropriate in the Creative Writing section. However, if your music focuses more heavily on the visuals or audio of a song (especially with music videos), then that submission would better fit into the Visual Arts section. Use your best judgement.

Short Stories?

Again, yes! However, please keep in mind that, because of limited space on each page, we have a 1000 word limit, so you might not be able to submit your piece in full. If your story exceeds the 1000 word limit we can feature a short excerpt/quote from your story, accompanied by a stylized title with a link to the full feature wherever you may have it hosted on your end.

Do note that we may stylize the raw copy in order to maintain visual interest.

Can I Submit Works in Japanese?

You can absolutely submit works that contain Japanese. However, please keep in mind that we are a primarily English language magazine aimed at the English-speaking community of Japan, so if you have works in Japanese, please include either English translations or a summary of your work in English so that our team members with limited Japanese proficiency can adequately judge them.

What can I NOT submit?

We do request that artists submit only original material. This means we do not accept art that potentially includes copyrighted material, such as fanart, fanfic, generative AI, or NFTs. We also prefer art without watermarks (artist signature OK).

As of April 2025, CONNECT will no longer feature contributor links to X/Twitter, so please prepare alternative social media links to go with your submission if you so wish. 

Is My Submission Guaranteed to Appear in the Magazine?

Unfortunately, due to limited space, we cannot accept all of the submissions that we receive each year. We try to select a diverse range of pieces showing off the creativity and breadth of work created by the foreign residents of Japan. You will be notified after the submissions deadline whether your work has been selected for publication.