Submissions
First Person guidelines
Dear Globe and Mail reader,
We want you to write for us! The daily First Person essay (formerly called Facts&Arguments) is a great forum for you to share your own experiences, viewpoints and writing flair with other Globe readers. Whether you are young or old, newly arrived in Canada or deeply rooted here, we want to be inspired by your unique perspective.
So what makes a good essay?
We look for an original voice; an unexpected view; an unfamiliar perspective; humour; vivid details that show us rather than tell us; anecdotes that illuminate a wider theme. Do not use AI to edit or write any part of your story. Also, be aware that tools such as ChatGPT and AI search summaries may return incorrect or unattributed information. If you are unsure about a tool you are using, please include that in your submission.
A successful First Person essay may be funny, surprising, touching or enlightening – or all of these. It may present a slice of life or a powerful experience that changed you in some way. It may be a meditation on something that matters to you. It goes beyond a rant, and it is deft in moving from the particular to the universal.
Above all, an essay should be personal rather than political. It must be true, not fictional.
Please check our recently published essays to see what we run:
Here's how to submit:
E-mail your essay to firstperson@globeandmail.com. In the subject line, write "essay submission" and the topic (in 2 or 3 words). Seasonal essays should be submitted a month or more before the event.
Please submit your essay in 2 forms – as a Word.doc attachment, and copied and pasted into the body of the e-mail. We will not click on links to read a submission.
Include a contact number where you can be reached during the day.
Essays should run between 700 and 900 words.
Please don't send a piece that's appeared in any other print or online publication, but feel free to submit an essay on a topic you have blogged about. Anonymity and pseudonyms are not granted.
If your piece is selected for publication, you should hear from The Globe within two months. You will not be contacted if it has not been chosen.
There is no payment if your essay is published. The Globe assumes first rights for unsolicited submissions; writers retain copyright. For the full terms and conditions that apply to your contribution, please refer to the User-Generated Content section in our Terms and Conditions.
If we publish your essay, we encourage you to submit again.
We look forward to reading your stories.