Got Story? Identity Celebration Showcase

This event celebrates the beauty and diversity of the multi-story-ed and multi-voiced
MiraCosta College community by collecting creative expressions of  their identities - their stories - and showcasing these pieces of art in digital and on-campus displays. 

We welcome submissions in genres including, but not limited to,* the following:

• Writing

  • including, but not limited to, personal narrative, short story, flash fiction, experimental writing, essay, memoir, drama/screen- or playwriting, novel or novella excerpt, literary journalism, poetry

    • Graphic narrative, comics, storyboard

• Visual art

  • including, but not limited to,  drawing, prints, photography, painting, mixed media, sculpture, ceramics, crafts, graphic design, photography, film/video, wood work

• Performance

  • If you can record it, we want to display it. 

• Digital projects

  • including, but not limited to, websites, games, hypertext poetry, hypertext fiction, animation, digital art, video essay, CAD, digital illustration

*What have we forgotten to mention? We want to display that too.  

Check out the 2025 Showcase to view the artist pages from our very first Got Story? Identity Celebration.

A Note About Story

“There are no truths, Coyote,” I says. “Only stories.”1 

Stories are important and powerful. We think most of them operate for the good, or want to. They help us understand, process, proclaim, and enjoy, among other things.

We'd like to "hear" some of your stories and help you share them.

However, there are also stories which attempt to control, contain, or oppress us, among other things. They need counter-stories to undo the harm they can create. 

We'd like to "hear" some of your counter-stories, too, and help you share them. 

Timing

Submissions will open on September 1, 2026 and will be accepted until at least October, 15, 2026.

When submissions are open, this button will be active. 

Submission Info

We welcome submissions in any language(s).

Previously published or displayed work is happily accepted, but please make sure to include the publication details with your work.

The submission button will take you to the submission form. You will be able to include links to your work within the form but files must be emailed to us at mccwc@miracosta.edu. 

For physical submissions, you will send us a photo and the approximate dimensions of the piece.

The first 30 artists who submit work will receive a participation gift.

All participants will receive their display poster as a participation certificate.

Display

All accepted submissions will be displayed digitally, if practical, and/or physically displayed on one of our campuses.

All artists are welcome to have their work displayed anonymously or under a pseudonym.

Displays will begin on or before November 1, 2026.

Check out photos of the 2025 Got Story? on-campus displays and/or the 2025 Showcase on this site. 

1 King, Thomas. Green Grass, Running Water. New York: Bantam, 1993. Print. Page 432.