The Metamorphosis Issue: Enter the 2026 CNS Creative Contest!
From the Desk of the Editor-in-Chief
Hello, CNS!
My name is Brina Patel, and I'm honored to serve as Editor-in-Chief of Catalyst this year. I'm thrilled to announce the theme of this year's Creative Contest and to share some exciting news: for the first time, Catalyst, the official undergraduate publication of the College of Natural Sciences, is going to print! This year, all contest submissions, not just the winners, will appear in a physical magazine that will be distributed to students, faculty, staff and others!
Writing and art have always been part of science. Every discovery starts with a question someone was curious enough to ask, and it only matters once someone shares it in a way others can understand and feel. Catalyst celebrates this human side of the natural sciences — the stories, imagery, and ideas that reveal the people behind the research. Because science cannot exist without art, nor art without science, exploring their connection is essential to understanding both.
This year's theme is Metamorphosis.
We want this collection to capture growth, resilience, and the unlikely. Maybe it's the version of yourself you outgrew freshman year, or a friendship that formed somewhere between lab and a 2 a.m. study session. Maybe it's a poem about shedding old skin, a painting of something mid-bloom, or a surreal story where nothing keeps the same shape for long. Whatever has transformed you, or whatever you've watched transform, we want to hear about it!
What you can submit
The 2026 Catalyst Creative Contest accepts original work in two categories, and you're welcome to enter both:
Written art, such as humor, fiction, personal essays, short scripts, or poetry
Visual art, such as graphic design, sketches, paintings, sculpture, or pottery
These examples are just a starting point. If you're not sure where your piece fits, email me at nsc.cat@cns.utexas.edu and I'll be happy to help.
Written entries should be in 12-point Times New Roman and no longer than five single-spaced pages. Visual entries may include up to 10 images of a single artwork in any standard file format.
All submissions must be your own individual work, with any outside sources properly credited. Catalyst strives to respect the identities, experiences, and backgrounds of CNS students and the wider UT community, and we ask that every entry do the same.
How your work will be judged
Judging is blind, so every piece is evaluated on its own merits. Written entries are scored on adherence to the theme, originality, clarity, voice and style, grammar and mechanics, and ideas and impact. Visual entries are scored on adherence to the theme, originality, composition, aesthetic and style, and ideas and impact.
Deadline and prizes
Submissions close at 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Monday, December 7. Submit your work through the Catalyst Creative Contest submission form.
Winners will be announced on the Catalyst website and Natural Sciences Council social media shortly after the deadline, and all participants will be notified by email. Pieces will be featured in our first-ever print edition, and the top three winners will receive gift cards.
Catalyst is a mosaic of all of us: the late-night study sessions, the moments of doubt and the small moments of wonder, and the people who make CNS feel like home. Your piece could be the one that completes the picture.
Catalyst means so much to me, and I hope it can become that for you too: a space to share and connect. I can't wait to see what you make of it!
Happy creating,
Brina A. Patel (she/her)
Editor-in-Chief, Catalyst Magazine
Natural Sciences Council
The University of Texas at Austin