Queerbook 2024

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED. STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO ON THE RELEASE OF QUEERBOOK, 2024.

¿Requieres asistencia en Español? Favor de escribir a education@itgetsbetter.org.

Since 2019, It Gets Better has released an annual Queerbook, a social media effort to inspire and uplift LGBTQ+ students as they head back to school. In 2021 alone, Queerbook inspired nearly 40 million impressions on TikTok.

For 2024, we’re switching things up — Queerbook is coming to you for the first time as an ACTUAL BOOK, available in both print and digital. Like a yearbook, it will capture the voices of a generation, representing a moment in time reflective of queer youth experiences of today.

Queerbook 2024 will feature a powerful collection of artwork, short stories, photography, poetry, essays, and more — provided by and for LGBTQ+ youth — centered around the theme:

What’s your LGBTQ+ utopia?

We want you to be part of this new effort! Please submit a creative piece of your choosing that touches on any aspect of your utopia or what future you hope to achieve. This can include (but is certainly not limited to):

Finding queer joy
Creating chosen family or community
Embracing intersectionality
Learning LGBTQ+ history
Experiencing gender euphoria
Celebrating LGBTQ+ culture
Discovering your identity
Embodying your whole authentic self
And so much more!

All submissions will be reviewed and final entries will be selected by our current cohort of Youth Voices, with support from It Gets Better staff. Those who are chosen to have their piece appear in Queerbook 2024 will be notified via email and will receive $100 USD and a free copy of the book (see guidelines below).

Next year, copies of the book will be available for purchase at itgetsbetter.org/shop, proceeds from which will support the ongoing work of the organization. Free copies will also be sent to select schools across the United States.

APPLY HERE

Deadline: Fri, Sep 15, 2023

GUIDELINES

To submit, you must be an LGBTQ+ young person between the ages of 13 and 24 at the time of entry, and all pieces should be created for LGBTQ+ youth as the primary audience.
Under 18 y/o? We will need to acquire your parent/guardian’s permission in the event your piece is selected. An It Gets Better staff member will follow up with you at that time.
For safety or privacy purposes, you can request to be credited as ‘Anonymous.’
We can accept entries in English, Spanish, and/or Spanglish from residents in the United States (excluding Arizona).
Your submission must be an original piece created by you, meaning it should be created without the assistance of AI or similar support. Also, please let us know in the description if your piece is featured anywhere else, particularly for profit.
All submissions should be submitted in high-resolution and must be compatible for a book, both in digital and print versions (moving images or audio, for example, would not be compatible). For written/text submissions: 500 words maximum per entry. If you’d like your piece to feature original handwriting, upload a scan/.pdf of a single 8.5” x 11” page. For visual submissions: Piece should fit in a 1 x 1 square (like on Instagram) and be 100 MB or smaller.
We’ll accept up to 2 submissions per person. These must be standalone submissions (not Parts I and II, for example).
We encourage submissions that you believe will uplift, inspire, and connect LGBTQ+ young people. When making your decision, please keep our youngest readers (age 13) in mind, and we ask that you refrain from mentioning any individuals by name in your submitted piece.
For a complete list of Official Rules, please click here.

For any questions or concerns, please reach out to education@itgetsbetter.org.