Submit to the Latest Issue! (Deadline: March 31st)

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Welcome to HOL's very own newspaper, The HOwLer!

The theme for our upcoming issue is: Letters and parcels.
Deadline for submissions: 11:59 PM HOL time on the 31st of March, 2024

So do you have an idea for an article, or maybe even a column? Perhaps you've got a concept for the perfect ad. Or maybe you are just itching to flex your creative muscles with a spot of writing or by creating a work of art. Well, you are in the right place!

Our theme is ‘letters and parcels ’ so we’re hoping to hear about mail of all descriptions, from handwritten love letters to brown paper packages tied up with string. We're also happy for you to interpret the theme more metaphorically, so you can focus on gifts, delivery methods and messages in general. So whether you want to talk about the art of letter writing, tell us about a meaningful gift you received or head down to the Hogsmeade post office to see what's going on with the owls' attempts to unionise, we're all ears.

Remember that regular articles and submissions don’t need to fit the theme, though it’s great if they do!

We’ve also updated our rules a little, so please check the section down below for information on that!

Approval
All ideas for informative articles, Wizarding World News, opinion pieces, ads and puzzles must be approved before they are submitted.

If what you want to write needs to be approved, all you have to do is post your idea(s) below and wait for one of the Howler's editors to approve it. It will then be added to the list below. Please be patient though. We will get to you as quickly as possible, but it may sometimes take a while.

Rule Updates
We’re making another 2 changes to our rules this issue and want to remind you about two changes we made last time, so please read carefully.
1. We're now specifying that graphics must be no more than 600 by 600 pixels.
2. We've updated the poetry guidance to ask that poems be at least 60 words in length as well as 10 lines and to clarify that if a poem has lines that repeat, there will need to be more than 10 lines.
3. To ensure what we’re publishing is as accurate as we can make it, we’re asking everyone to submit sources along with their articles from now on. All informative articles and factual columns must have sources included or we won’t be able to publish them. The only exception are articles/columns that are purely based on your opinion or that are mostly creative (like Wizarding World news).
4. A lot of people have been forgetting about our requirement to provide puzzle solutions. If you submit a puzzle and don’t also submit a solution along with it, 2 house points will be deducted from the 5 you would usually earn. The only exception to this is jigsaw puzzles.

Idea Bank
If you don't have any ideas, we have curated an Idea Bank where you can go to find ideas for articles and ads. Please remember that even idea bank ideas have to be presented here for approval though (so we don't suddenly have ten articles on the same topic!).

Creative Showcase
For our creative showcase, we invite you to submit artwork or creative writing that fits the theme somehow. You don’t need to get these ideas approved - you can just start working on them.
For every issue, we give you a prompt to help spark your imagination. You don't need to use it, it's just there to help with inspiration.
For this issue, that prompt is: “you wake up in the morning to find a mysterious envelope or parcel waiting for you. What's inside?" (you can use this as the starting point for a story or the inspiration for an artwork)

Requirements and Submitting
For more information and guidelines on our various sections, what types of submissions you might submit and what the requirements for each one are, please read through the overview thread and then head over to the Guidelines section to learn more.

Once your idea has been approved, you can send your submission through this form.

We are very excited to hear from you all!

Approved Ideas
Informative Articles
People who tried to send strange things through the post + graphic (Janne Halla)
Letters that were delivered in spite of an incomplete address + graphic (Janne Halla)
The History of Mail Delivery: From Pigeons to Drones (Hiya Debnath)
An article about the most unique post offices in the world (Viviana Kingston)

Wizarding World
Special event at Honeydukes + graphic (Katherine Laurier)
Duelling (Dibyarup James Potter)
Delivery Birds Both Muggle and Magical (Emily Spencer)

Seasonal
February and March birthstones (Anne-Marie Gagne)
Spring Fashion Trends (Hiya Debnath)

Personal/opinion
Meaningful gift (Katherine Laurier)

Ads (7/8)
Ravenclaw's Pen Pal Group (Prof. Sindor Aloyarc)
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Offer (Dibyarup James Potter)
Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour New Ice-Cream Flavours (Dibyarup James Potter)
Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions (Dibyarup James Potter)
Wizard's Chess Club (Dibyarup James Potter)
HOL Book Club (Emily Spencer)
An ad for signatures and avatars creation* (Viviana Kingston)

Puzzles (8/8)
Hashi (Janne Halla)
Visual sudoku (Janne Halla)
Word search (River Fenwick)
Maze (River Fenwick)
Logic puzzle (Katherine Laurier)
Masyu (Dibyarup James Potter)
Fallen Letters Puzzle (Dibyarup James Potter)
Crossword puzzle based on letters and parcels (Hiya Debnath)

[Janne Halla]

I'd like to submit the following things.

People who tried to send strange things through the post + graphic
Letters that were delivered in spite of an incomplete address + graphic
hashi
visual sudoku

[Prof. Sky Alton]

I'd like to submit the following things.

People who tried to send strange things through the post + graphic
Letters that were delivered in spite of an incomplete address + graphic
hashi
visual sudoku

Go ahead, Janne.

[Anne-Marie Gagne]

I'm, once again, asking to do the article on the seasonal birthstones haha I really like doing this one honestly haha

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

I’d like to submit an Advertisement for Ravenclaw’s new Pen Pal Group at the Roost.

[River Fenwick]

I’d like to submit a word search and a maze.

[Prof. Maxim Trevelyan]

I'm, once again, asking to do the article on the seasonal birthstones haha I really like doing this one honestly haha

I’d like to submit an Advertisement for Ravenclaw’s new Pen Pal Group at the Roost.

I’d like to submit a word search and a maze.

All approved!

[Katherine Laurier]

I'd like to do a logic puzzle, a personal piece about a meaningful gift I received, and a wizarding article about a Honeydukes special event + graphic/matching ad to go with it.

[Prof. Sky Alton]

I'd like to do a logic puzzle, a personal piece about a meaningful gift I received, and a wizarding article about a Honeydukes special event + graphic/matching ad to go with it.

Hi Katherine, all approved.

[Dibyarup James Potter]

Graphics:
1. Masyu
2. Fallen Letters Puzzle
3. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Offer Ad
4. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour New Ice-Cream Flavours Ad
5. Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions Ad
6. Wizard's Chess Club Ad

Article:
1. An article on "The Art of Duelling and its By-laws in the Wizarding World"

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Graphics:
1. Masyu
2. Fallen Letters Puzzle
3. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Offer Ad
4. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour New Ice-Cream Flavours Ad
5. Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions Ad
6. Wizard's Chess Club Ad

Article:
1. An article on "The Art of Duelling and its By-laws in the Wizarding World"

Go ahead, Dibyarup.

[Hiya Debnath]

I'd like to do the following, if approved: -
Informative Article
The History of Mail Delivery: From Pigeons to Drones
Puzzles
Crossword puzzle based on letters and parcels
Seasonal
Spring Fashion Trends

[Prof. Maxim Trevelyan]

I'd like to do the following, if approved: -
Informative Article
The History of Mail Delivery: From Pigeons to Drones
Puzzles
Crossword puzzle based on letters and parcels
Seasonal
Spring Fashion Trends

All approved!

[Emily Spencer]

I would like to submit the following:

A poem about receiving an unexpected package in the mail
Ad for the Book Club
Article about Delivery Birds in both Muggle and Magic Worlds (owls, carrier pigeons, etc)

[Prof. Sky Alton]

I would like to submit the following:

A poem about receiving an unexpected package in the mail
Ad for the Book Club
Article about Delivery Birds in both Muggle and Magic Worlds (owls, carrier pigeons, etc)

Hi Emily, the ad and the article are approved. The poem doesn't need to be.

[Viviana Kingston]

Hi, I would like to submit:

An article about the most unique post offices in the world
An ad for signatures and avatars creation (the same one I submitted last time)

[Prof. Maxim Trevelyan]

Hi, I would like to submit:

An article about the most unique post offices in the world
An ad for signatures and avatars creation (the same one I submitted last time)

Article is approved!

However, while your ad can be shown again, you will not receive any points for it, as they were awarded with the previous issue. You are welcome to make a new one, though.