Submitting Your Story

We appreciate your interest in sharing your story with the Elephants and Tea AYA (adolescent and young adult) cancer community!

Please read the guidelines below before submitting using the form at the bottom of this page.

Our Brand Director will reach out to you once your submission has been reviewed. Because of the influx of submissions we receive, this will take a minimum of two weeks.

Most articles submitted will be shared only on our website, as we post three articles a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Due to the amount of submissions we receive, articles are scheduled up to three months in advance.

Current Website Submission Theme:

Help vs. Support
*Submissions due Friday, December 5th, 2025

We have four quarterly print magazines that come out in March, June, September, and December. Each magazine issue adheres to a specific theme, and only submissions on those themes will be considered for the magazine. While we would love to include every submission in one of our magazines, we unfortunately are unable to do so. See below for the full list of magazine themes for the year.

Current Magazine Submission Theme:

Dear Body
*Submissions due Friday, November 21st, 2025

Website and Magazine Theme Descriptions:

Website Call for Submissions:

Help vs. Support

*Submissions due Friday, December 5th, 2025

Write about a time someone tried to help you during your cancer experience, versus a time someone truly supported you. How did each feel different?
Describe a well-meaning gesture that didn’t actually meet your needs. What would real support have looked like in that moment?
Reflect on a time you had to tell someone exactly how they could support you. What did you learn about advocating for yourself?
Write about someone who couldn’t physically be with you but still found a meaningful way to support you.
How do you personally define the difference between “help” and “support” in the context of cancer?
For the Caregivers: As a caregiver, write about a time you struggled with wanting to do things to help versus simply be there.

2026 Magazine Themes:

March Issue – Dear Body

*Submissions due Friday, November 21st, 2025

Write a letter to your body, or parts of your body. Reflect on apology, gratitude, or even anger. What has your body endured?
How has your relationship with your body changed since your diagnosis? Explore shifts in perception, trust, love, or resentment.
What do you wish your body could hear and understand about your experience? Imagine your body is listening. What do you want or need it to know?
Describe a scar, port, or other mark as a symbol. What does it represent? Invite meaning-making through creative interpretation of visible changes in your body.
Flip the perspective. If your body could write back to you, what would it say? What might your body express in response to all you have been through?
For the Caregivers: Write a letter addressed to your loved one’s body or your own body, acknowledging its endurance, struggles, and resilience throughout the cancer experience. What would you thank it for, apologize for, or hope for in the days ahead?

June Issue – COMING SOON

COMING SOON

September Issue – COMING SOON

COMING SOON

December Issue – COMING SOON

COMING SOON

Submission Requirements:

Suggested website submission word count: 500 – 1000 words
Suggested magazine submission word count: 1200 – 1500 words
Suggested Perkatory submissions word count: 1000 – 1200 words
Poetry submissions of any word count are encouraged

Elephants and Tea is committed to representing the stories and experiences of all members of our herd. The following information is optional and collected only to inform the organization about who our audience is. Your responses to the following questions will not have any impact on your submission.