PressTeen is a fully teen-led digital newspaper - produced by teen writers, editors, readers, artists, and creators - which aims to promote literacy in our community. PressTeen is devoted to giving all Huntington Beach teens, like ourselves, a true or 'pristine' voice and outlet, while encouraging the development of our reading, writing, and creativity skills. When visiting the newspaper, you can expect to find fiction and nonfiction, poetry, reviews, and other topics and media relevant to teens. We accept article submissions in wide range of teen interests for volunteer hours. When open, we also accept volunteer staff applications from any teen ages 14-19 who would like to be an editor and assist behind the scenes!
Q: Who creates for PressTeen?
We accept submission from teenagers from the ages of 13-19. All content is produced by teens for a teen audience, and is approved for publication by PressTeen editorial staff and Youth Services librarians from HBPL.
Q: What is the time requirement to participate in PressTeen?
For submitting an article: There is no time requirement to simply submit an article. It is on your own time, and based on how long it takes you to write an article / create artwork.
For PressTeen Newspaper Staff: Participation in PressTeen Newspaper staff is virtual and contact occurs through email, Discord, or Zoom. If accepted into PressTeen Newspaper staff, members must agree to commit to at least three month's participation and members are required to write one mandatory monthly article on any topic of their choice. If a PressTeen Newspaper staff member misses more than three deadlines with no contact with supervisors, they will be will removed as staff.
Q: What material are you looking for?
We have a team that reads and reviews every submission, and while we may not be able to publish every article, all submitted pieces are considered. We decide what to publish based on quality, voice, and creativity. Writing for PressTeen must be of a certain standard, therefore, we will not accept works with excessive typos, grammar mistakes, or incomplete sentences. PressTeen is a forum for teens, and all content is catered for teens, so we are looking for material that shares common and diverse perspectives on opinions and lifestyles that teens experience. Lastly, all submissions will be affected by the caliber of creativity, clarity, and timeliness on topics/issues. The main genres of articles we accept include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and reviews, but there's an incredibly wide variety of sub-topics such as (but not limited to) scripts, essays, interviews, pop-culture commentary, civics, haikus, memoirs, etc. - the options are endless! All content will be reviewed by PressTeen and Huntington Beach Public Library staff prior to acceptance and online posting. Work that is harmful or plagiarized will not be accepted.
Q: How long should my article be?
An article should be between 300-700 words on Google Docs or Microsoft Word, single spaced in Times New Roman 12 point font.
Q: How many volunteer hours will I get for contributing to PressTeen?
Submitting to PressTeen: For every submission approved for digital publication, you’ll earn 1 hour of community service credit. If you participate in a library or city event and write about it for PressTeen, you’ll earn 2 hours of community service credit.
PressTeen Newspaper Staff: PressTeen staff receive the same credit as above for their mandatory monthly submissions, as well as additional community service credit for attending virtual team meetings and completing editorial tasks such as reviewing, revising, graphic design, or website management. Total hours earned will be dependent upon time spent performing tasks.
Q: What do PressTeen Newspaper Staff do?
PressTeen Newspaper Staff volunteer their time to manage the inner workings of PressTeen, and are supervised by HBPL staff in Teen Services. PressTeen staff will contribute to newspaper editorials including revising and editing articles received and helping with artwork or website workings. Staff is always encouraged to submit articles, but will only be asked to write one mandatory article a month on any topic of their choice.
Q: What are you looking for in PressTeen Newspaper Staff applications?
We are looking for people who find joy and passion in writing! Those who have a genuine interest in PressTeen's message of inclusion and diversity and will cooperate well with others both in and outside of staff. This is a volunteer position where you will need to be revising and writing, so we are looking for someone who is detail oriented, passionate about writing and/or journalism, and takes their position seriously. Aside from this, we always are looking for kindness, compassion, and someone that has an overall good attitude.
Q: What information about article writers/artists are shared?
Those who submit an article/artwork and are published are credited with a byline with their first name and age. The blog will not disclose any other identifying information such as last name, address, or phone number. If you would like to remain anonymous, please check the anonymous box when submitting your article. We will respect requests for anonymity and not make public any information submitted, but we must still have accurate information on who is submitting the article beforehand.
Q: Will my writing be edited?
PressTeen has a staff that will read through and edit any minor spelling errors or grammar mistakes, but will maintain the integrity and intention of the article. We reserve the right to publish the edited version of the article without prior approval.
Q: What kind of media reviews can I submit?
Submission guidelines for media reviews (i.e. books, games, movies, TV shows, music, etc.) are linked here: Media Review Guidelines.
Q: What kind of artwork can I submit?
We accept clear digital versions of any artwork including oil and watercolor paintings, sculptures, collages, digital designs and/or photographs and scans.
Q: What kind of videos can I submit?
We are accepting videos uploaded to YouTube (can be unlisted) no longer than 5 minutes in length which do not contain any copyrighted material.
Q: How do I know if my article/artwork is published?
If your article/artwork is selected for publication, you will receive an email from PressTeen staff and a link to your article. While we cannot publish every article/artwork submitted, our Newspaper Staff read and review every submission, and pick the best for each category of our digital newspaper.
Q: Are there deadlines for submissions?
There are no deadlines for submission, and PressTeen is accepting submissions year round. If you are submitting a season-specific or holiday piece, please submit at least two months ahead, so we have time to edit and process the piece.
Q: What is PressTeen plagiarism and AI Policy
We have zero tolerance towards plagiarism and AI usage. All submissions must be unique and written by you, not an algorithm. If we find that an article was plagiarized or written using AI, or artwork was stolen, the submissions will be removed, the submitter banned, and any volunteer hours earned will be voided.
Q: How can I contact PressTeen?
You can contact us through our email at hbplpressteen@gmail.com.
HBPL Teens Work is a paid teen internship program offered by the Huntington Beach Public Library. HBPL Teens Work is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication or its contents (articles, artworks, videos, etc.) are those of the creators and do not necessarily represent the position or views of the City of Huntington Beach, the Huntington Beach Public Library, or its staff.
