Category:

Writing Contests for Teens

2/9/2016

Manningham Trust Student Poetry Contest

Deadline: March 1, 2016
Genre: Poetry
Length: No more than 30 lines
Ages: Grade 6-8 (Junior Division) and Grades 9-12 (Senior Division)
Sponsor: National Federation Of State Poetry Societies
Prize: First prize $75, second prize $50. Additional prizes awarded.
More Info: Detailed rules on the NFSPS website

the Claremont Review's Annual Writing & Art Contest

Deadline: March 15, 2016
Genres: Poetry, fiction (postcard stories up to 500 words and longer stories up to 5000 words), visual arts
Entry fee: $20 CAD
Ages: 13-19
Sponsor: the Claremont Review
Prize: First prize in writing $1000 CAD. Additional prizes awarded. Visual art prize $500 CAD.
More Info: Detailed rules on the Claremont Review website

Want to learn more about the Claremont Review? Read my interview with Editor-in-Chief Jody Carrow.

Imagine’s Creative Minds Fiction Contest

Deadline: March 17, 2016
Genre: Short fiction
Length: No more than 1000 words
Ages: 18 and under
Sponsor: Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
Prize: Publication in May/June 2016 issue of Imagine
More Info: Detailed rules on the CTY website

Teen Tuesday: Writing Advice

1/26/2016

By Yvonne Ventresca

For this week's Teen Tuesday, I'd like to direct you to an excellent blog post, Writing Advice for Children and Teens, by Jane Friedman. Much of this advice applies to writers of all ages.

For your random listening pleasure, I love this acoustic duet:

What's the best advice you've ever received?

Teen Writing Contest: $1000 for 1000 Words

1/5/2016

By Yvonne Ventresca

Writing Contest for Students

Happy New Year! Teen Tuesday is back this week, but the featured contest deadline is coming up fast. Can you write a story of exactly 1000 words over the next few weeks? If so, check the contest details below.

What: 1000-word story contest with $1000 prize. Your short fiction must be *exactly* 1000 words.

Who: Students in grades 6-12

When: Now through February 1, 2016

Prizes: According to the website, "two $1,000 scholarship prizes will be awarded, one for grades 6-8 and one for grades 9-12. Seven $100 cash prizes will also be awarded for winning entries, one per grade level. Stories selected for publication into Bluefire, but not selected as a grade-level or scholarship winner, will receive a $50 cash prize.... The author retains all copyrights to the submitted work."

Details: Visit the Bluefire contest page for complete information.

Teachers: Visit the educators' page join the teacher mailing list, see excerpts from past contests, and get a copy of their creative writing curriculum.

Teen Writing Communities

11/17/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

For this week's Teen Tuesday, here are five online communities for teen writers. These can be a place to virtually meet other authors, learn about the craft, and share pieces of your work.

Teen writing communities YvonneVentresca.com

Figment is a "community to share writing, connect with other readers, and discover new stories and authors.” You can join an online group (or create your own) based around a topic you love. Produced by Random House, the Figment website also includes chats with authors, discussion forums, quizzes and writing contests.

Go Teen Writers "exists to provide encouragement, instruction, and community for teen writers.” Run by Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson, it also features a private facebook page and resources about writing, such as How to Write a Novel. Jill says, “We provide a consistent environment where teens can learn and ask questions. We post consistently, hold a variety of contests, and have guest bloggers who are professional authors, editors, or literary agents. We also provide a community for teens to meet other writers and form support and critique groups.” For more info and advice, read my interview with Stephanie and Jill.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, NaNoWriMo has a modified program for "young" writers (classified as 17 and younger.) Even if you're not participating, the website includes free access to downloadable workbooks (elementary, middle, or high school), pep talks for motivation and encouragement, and other resources.

Teen Ink features poetry (including song lyrics, sonnets and haikus), fiction, book reviews (including a review of Pandemic), hot topics in nonfiction, and art/photos from students ages 13-19. The site also provides two forums for teens--a regular one for chatting and a writers' workshop for sharing creative work.

When I'm not writing, I like to read. What have you read lately that you absolutely loved?

NaNoWriMo Resources for Young Writers

10/27/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

My blog is turning two!

To celebrate two years of blogging this month, I recently put together a new Resources for Teen Writers page. It includes:

Interviews with editors who publish teen writers
Links to places where young writers can submit work
Advice from other authors
Teen writing communities and more!

Take a look and let me know what you think.

NaNoWriMo has a modified program for "young" writers (classified as 17 and younger.) Because of school and other commitments, you can sign up to complete a word count of your choice. You set the goal to something that will be manageable--whatever length you want! The website includes free access to downloadable workbooks (elementary, middle, or high school), pep talks for motivation and encouragement, and an online community of other writers. (I blogged about my own decision to try NaNoWriMo here.) You "win" by meeting your word count goal by the the end of the month. Any progress toward a creative goal is winning! As Napoleon Hill said:

What goals do you have for November and beyond?

Interview with Soundings Review YA Editor

9/4/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

YvonneVentresca.com Soundings Review magazine cover

This week's blog post is a combination of Teen Tuesday and my usual Friday Five. I'm pleased to share an interview with Martha Schoemaker, the Children's and Young Adult Editor of Soundings Review. Published by the Northwestern Institute of Literary Arts, Soundings Review magazine is a paying market ($25 per prose piece); submissions require a $3 fee through Submittable. The current reading period (fall) runs from September 1 to December 1.

What makes Soundings Review different from other magazines?

Soundings Review is a magazine of creative writing. In addition to publishing poetry, fiction, and non-fiction for adults, we also publish writing for children and young adults. While we recognize that children probably don’t read our magazine, we hope to serve as a showcase for the best writing we can find for ages eight through eighteen. We’re also open to submissions for younger readers, but we rarely get them.

Just to confirm--you accept submissions from teens and adults?

Yes. The age of the author isn’t a consideration. In fact, most of the editors at Soundings Review read the submission before we read the cover letter, and we usually have no idea of the age of our authors. We prefer to judge the work on its own merits before we look at a writer’s publication history and credentials.

What specific advice would you give to teen writers who would like to be published in Soundings Review?

Before you submit, ask yourself if it’s the best work you can do. If the answer is yes, send it to us accompanied by a simple cover letter that includes the title and description of the piece you are submitting along with a short bio of yourself. You can find many examples online. If you have a publication history, please include it, but it can be quite rewarding to publish debut authors if the work is excellent. It’s all about the quality of the work and the personal taste of the editors. The submission guidelines are available here.

What is the most common mistake or flaw that you see in submissions?

Several issues will take the work out of consideration for Soundings Review.

1) The piece is written for teens but from an adult perspective. I recently rejected a fine piece of writing that was about a teenager but written from the point of view of an adult. That is not young adult writing.

2) The quality simply isn’t there. Take the time to hone your craft. Proofread more than once, and get someone else to take a look at it. It can be difficult to edit your own work.

3) Illustrations. It costs lots of money to include illustrations, especially in color. Our budget usually won’t cover that.

4) The author talks down to children by being overly cute or clever, especially with picture books. In my opinion, picture books and books for the very young are the most difficult genres to write. Don’t even try it until you’ve read at least 200 quality picture books. Go to your local bookstore or talk to a librarian to get ideas.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Read widely in your chosen genre or genres. I’ve gotten a few middle grade and young adult submissions from people who don’t seem to have read much in those genres. Ask yourself what you loved to read as a child. Reread some of those books and stories, and find new ones you can love just as much.

Is your goal to sell your writing? There’s nothing wrong with that! Study the market, but write what you love. Your passion will show in your writing.

Good writers become better writers by reading craft books, by taking workshops and classes and working with other writers, and by writing as much as possible.

Write well!

Thank you, Martha, for your advice about writing and Soundings Review.
Writing friends--how do you find new markets to submit your work to?

Writing Contests for Teens and Adults

8/7/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

Luna & Rocky, waiting for me to start writing!

It's August, the dog days of summer. Do you get more more or less done during this season?

Writers -- in case you're inspired to enter an upcoming contest, here are several choices for this week's Friday Five.

Figment Short Story Contest

Figment is currently running a short story contest. (Writers must be at least 13 to enter.) "In 816 words or fewer, write a story where your main character does anything to be popular." Deadline is Sunday, August 16th, so you have nine days! You can read the complete guidelines at the Figment website.

Patriot's Pen Essay Contest

This essay contest (for US students in grades 6-8) "encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme." The 2015-2016 theme is What Freedom Means to Me. Read last year's winning essay and check the complete rules at the Patriot's Pen website. Cash prizes are awarded at the state and national level. Deadline is November 1st. (NOTE: Students will need to ask a teacher or youth group/club adult leader to supervise the Patriot’s Pen writing competition for their area.)

Writers and Illustrators of the Future

For writers of all ages: L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest for "new and amateur writers." Submit short stories up to 17,000 words; "all types of science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy are welcome." Cash prizes of $1000, $750, and $500 are awarded quarterly. The current quarter ends September 30. "The Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium." Read the full details at the Writers of the Future website. There is also a related contest for illustrators -- check here for more information.

Summer of Screenwriting Contest

For aspiring screenwriters ages 18 and younger in the US, the deadline to submit a twenty page (or less) screenplay is August 31st. Complete rules are at the Fountain of Youth Productions website.

Real Simple Essay Contest

This year's Real Simple essay contest theme is "What single decision changed your life?" Essays of 1500 words or less are due September 21st. Open to US writers ages 19 and up. First prize is $3000. Read previous winning essays and complete guidelines for the Eighth Annual Life Lessons Essay Contest here.

Bonus Links

Heather Ayris Burnell has collected additional upcoming contest links on the Sub It Club blog.

Happy August!

What Are You Afraid Of?

7/14/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

A quick note about future blog posts: starting next week, I’ll be blogging once a week for the rest of the summer. I’ll combine Teen Tuesday with the regular Friday post throughout July and August. See you on Fridays!

Fear and phobias

Someone asked me recently how similar my debut novel, Pandemic, is to my current work-in-progress. The stories are different in terms of plot and subject matter, but one concept that they have in common is the idea of fear. Each main character struggles with something that she is afraid of.

That conversation led me to think more about fears and phobias. Here are a few common ones, plus some that were new to me:

Acrophobia: fear of heights
Ergophobia: fear of work
Lutraphobia: fear of otters
Lygophobia: fear of darkness
Ornithophobia: fear of birds
Phasmophobia: fear of ghosts
Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple
Scolionophobia: fear of school
Scriptophobia: fear of writing in public
Selachophobia: fear of sharks

What are you afraid of? I have an illogical fear of bees, apiphobia.
Share your fears below. (Unless you have blog-comment-phobia!)

And in case you suffer from atychiphobia, the fear of failure, I'll end with this inspirational video:

Teen Tuesday: Reporters for Scholastic

7/7/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

Are you an aspiring journalist between 10 and 14 years old with some time to write a news story and an essay this summer? Consider applying to join the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps for 2015-2016. The deadline is September 25th.

According to the website, "Members of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps cover news stories for scholastic.com/news and select Scholastic classroom magazines. The program is open to all students ages 10-14 with a desire to be a journalist. The selection of Kid Reporters is based on writing ability, interviewing skills, and attention to detail."

You can find complete details here. Happy Summer Reporting!

Thanks to fellow YA author Christine Kohler for letting me know about this opportunity.

Teen Tuesday: Contest for High School Writers and Artists with Cash Prizes

6/30/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

The deadline for the Bold New Worlds Short Story contest is November 1st. (Submissions open on August 1st.) Visit their website for complete contest details, but in general, stories should be 1000 words (or less) and science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, steampunk, or other types of speculative fiction. Entrants must be high school students in the US.

Bold New Worlds is also holding a logo design contest with a deadline of August 1st. Both contests offer cash prizes.

Special thanks to blog visitor Liz A. for letting me know about this contest.

<<Previous

Forward>>

Writing Contests for Teens

Manningham Trust Student Poetry Contest

the Claremont Review's Annual Writing & Art Contest

Imagine’s Creative Minds Fiction Contest

Teen Tuesday: Writing Advice

Teen Writing Contest: $1000 for 1000 Words

Writing Contest for Students

Teen Writing Communities

NaNoWriMo Resources for Young Writers

Interview with Soundings Review YA Editor

What makes Soundings Review different from other magazines?

Just to confirm--you accept submissions from teens and adults?

What specific advice would you give to teen writers who would like to be published in Soundings Review?

What is the most common mistake or flaw that you see in submissions?

Anything else you'd like to add?

Writing Contests for Teens and Adults

Figment Short Story Contest

Patriot's Pen Essay Contest

Writers and Illustrators of the Future

Summer of Screenwriting Contest

Real Simple Essay Contest

Bonus Links

What Are You Afraid Of?

Fear and phobias

Teen Tuesday: Reporters for Scholastic

Teen Tuesday: Contest for High School Writers and Artists with Cash Prizes

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Manningham Trust Student Poetry Contest

the Claremont Review's Annual Writing & Art Contest

Imagine’s Creative Minds Fiction Contest

Writing Contest for Students

What makes Soundings Review different from other magazines?

Just to confirm--you accept submissions from teens and adults?

What specific advice would you give to teen writers who would like to be published in Soundings Review?

What is the most common mistake or flaw that you see in submissions?

Anything else you'd like to add?

Figment Short Story Contest

Patriot's Pen Essay Contest

Writers and Illustrators of the Future

Summer of Screenwriting Contest

Real Simple Essay Contest

Bonus Links

Fear and phobias

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