This season, The Newcomer is exploring what success means to immigrants. Whether that’s starting a business, finding their dream job, learning English, or contentment with their life in Canada. The Newcomer wants to read all about it! We are looking for articles that feature interviews with successful Canadian newcomers, whatever that means to them, as well as personal essays from newcomers themselves.
Submissions must be:
- 500-900 words
- Journalistic articles or personal stories. We do not accept works of fiction.
- Complete and free of spelling and grammatical errors
For inspiration, check out the success stories on our website.
Style Guide
The Newcomer creates easy-to-read resources for a wide range of reading levels. Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 is a beginner/intermediate reading level for people learning English as a second language. To adhere to CLB 4:
- Keep sentences under 25 words
- Avoid using words over four syllables
- Organize articles using headings
Please use the oxford comma.
Example: “Lions, tigers, and bears—oh my!”
When indicating a month and year, the month needs to be entirely spelt out.
Example: Canada’s tax deadline is April 2021.
*Notice there is no comma between the month and the year.
However, months are abbreviated when introduced as part of a complete date.
Example: This rent freeze will end on Dec. 31, 2021, and landlords must give at least 90 days’ notice before increasing your rent in 2022.
When the day, month, and year are provided, do NOT use 'st', 'nd', 'rd', or 'th' with the number.
Only certain months are abbreviated.
Abbreviated: January (Jan.), February (Feb.), August (Aug.), September (Sept.), October (Oct.), November (Nov.), December (Dec.)
Not abbreviated: March, April, May, June, July
To make The Newcomer accessible, be sure that every complex phrase is defined and provide examples.
Use numerals and the dollar sign ($) for values below $1 million.
Example: $2 or $250 000
*Notice there is a space between 250 and 000 in $250 000.
Rules for numbers are largely arbitrary. The focus is on legibility.
Spell out numbers under 10.
Example: one, two, three
Use figures for numbers 10 and above.
Example: 10, 1999, 365
*Exception*
If a number is featured at the beginning of the sentence, it needs to be written out regardless of the value.
Example: Three to 14 new members
Canada is not perfect and The Newcomer needs to portray this. Articles may need to warn readers of cultural expectations, possible bullying, and discrimination, as well as provide resources to face these problems.
Writers should also ensure they portray an inclusive environment for all immigrants by choosing their language carefully, addressing the needs of different cultures and people, and understanding that integration and assimilation have a variety of meanings.
Keep the point of view consistent and do not switch in your writing.
Example: If you write: "Newcomers have many responsibilities," keep using the 3rd person instead of then jumping to "As Newcomers, you have many responsibilities.".
Every punctuation must be placed inside quotation marks.
CP Style follows the Oxford Canadian Dictionary.
Canadian spelling is a mix of British and U.S. spellings. When in doubt, use British spelling. Respect the spelling of organizations outside of Canada.
Example: Center for Disease Control.
As our readership consists of newcomers, many of whom are learning English as a second language, writers should try to keep sentences in the same tense when possible; try to use only past tense, present tense, or future tense at any time.
Additionally, focus on the active tense which is easier to understand.
Submit
Email The Newcomer at thenewcomermagazine@gmail.com with the subject line “Submission.”
Clearly write your name and the headline of the article at the top of the document.
Note that anonymous articles, or articles with anonymous sources, will be considered on a case by case basis.