Teen Summer Writing Contest

TEEN SUMMER WRITING CONTEST!

This Writing Contest is open to teens worldwide and is co-hosted by Barbara Bush Branch Library and LSC-Tomball Community Library.

Students in both Middle School and High School are welcome to submit Short Stories and/or Poetry. Three winners will be selected in each category and every participant will receive a Certificate of Participation. Entry Form and Guidelines are available here.

This year, Teen Summer Writing Contest winners will be announced by local Houston YA Author Crystal Allen who’s first Middle Grade novel, How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba Sized Trophy, received praise from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Review and YA author Neal Shusterman. The reception where winners will be anounced is scheduled for 7:00-8:00pm on August 12, 2014 and will take place at LSC-Tomball Community Library in Tomball, TX.  Teens do not have to be present to win.

Questions about the Teen Summer Writing Contest? Please contact YA Librarian Rebecca at ccteen@hcpl.net.

20 Teen Writing Contests

Creative Communication

Type: Poetry & Essay
Ages: Students in grades K-12 in the United States and Canada.
Deadline: Varies (3 Times a Year)

Figment
Type: Varies
Ages: Varies
Deadline: Varies

Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration
Type: Family History Story/Essay

Ages: U.S. Grades 4-8 or International students ages 9-14

Deadline: Ongoing

"It's All Write!"
Type: Short Story
Ages: Grades 6-12
Deadline: January to March

Junior Authors Poetry Contest

Type: Poetry

Ages: Ages 9-21 (multiple categories)

Deadline: January

The Legacy Project's Listen to a Life Contest
Type: Interview a Senior Citizen (50+) and write essay based on interview.

Ages: 8-18 years

Deadline: September

Letters About Literature

Type: Write a letter to an author (living or dead).

Ages: Grades 4-12

Deadline: Ongoing

NANO Fiction
Type: Fiction 300 words or less
Ages: All
Deadline: September

The National WWII Museum Annual Essay Contest
Type: Essay
Ages: Student
Deadline: Unknown. Details announced January.

One Teen Story
Type: Fiction
Ages: 14-19 years
Deadline: May-June 2014

Optimist Club
Type: Essay Contest

Ages: Current students under 19 years of age

Deadline: February

Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest
Type: Fiction
Ages: Teen
Deadline: Contact contest for details

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Type: Varies (Comic Book, Novel, Essay etc.)

Ages: Grades 7-10

Deadline: Varies

Texas Book Festival Annual Fiction Contest
Type: Fiction
Grades: 6-12 (Texas students)
Deadline: Contact contest for details

Teen Ink Contests
Type: Fiction, Poetry & Non-Fiction
Ages: Teen
Deadline: N/A

Teen Summer Writing Contest - HCPL
Type: Poetry & Short Story
Ages: Grades 6-12
Deadline: July
Contact "cc teen at hcpl dot net" for details.

The Writing Conference, Inc
Type: Poem, a Narrative, or an Essay
Ages: Elementary, Middle & High School Students
Deadline: January

Write Loud, Right Now
Type: Play
Ages: Younger than 18 years
Deadline: January

YC Teen Essay Contest
Type: Non-Fiction/Essay
Ages: 14-19 years
Deadline: September

Young Voices Foundation: Mentoring Young Writers
Type: Short Story
Ages: Grades K-12
Deadline: August

Teen Program: Prompting Creativity

An easy, fun passive program can be as easy as posting an image and asking a question:

What is this character's story?

Find an image that provokes thought and contemplation and pose a simple question:

• What is the emotion of this image?
• Where is this character from?
• What is the story behind this image?

Have teens submit their responses via Twitter, Blog comments, or in person.  This can even be a prompt for a Teen Writing Contest (see earlier post for contest 101).

Do your teens need an INCENTIVE?

Try offering tickets to an Art Museum, a community theatre, or even a Roller Derby meet!

Teen Events: Writing Contest

This May marks the fourth anniversary of my library's annual Teen Summer Writing Contest.  When we first started the competition we had no idea how popular it would become but were pleasantly surprised by the response this program garnered.
Last summer we received over 100 individual entries from teens around the country.  We have even received an entry from England!  Since our writing contest has been so popular I thought I'd share a quick "how to" for any library looking to host a Writing Contest.

Preparation:

1. Judges
• Have 3-5 judges who are qualified to evaluate entries. You want an odd number to break any ties.  
• The academic background of our three judges contains two BAs in English, two MILSs and an MA in Creative Writing.
2. Ages/Grades
• Determine what ages/grades you will judge and how they will be divided.
• Our contest accepts entries from students grades 6-12/ages 11-18 separated into two age groups "Middle School" and "High School".  "Middle School" is grades 6-8, ages 11-15, while "High School" is grades 9-12, ages 15-18.  If a student could qualify for both categories we allow them to choose which age group they which to enter.
3. Type of Entry
• Determine which types of entries you will accept.  Poetry? Short Story? Both?
• We accept both poetry and short story.  For both poetry and short story entries you will want to set a world limit.  You will also need to determine before beginning the contest if short stories can be excerpts of larger pieces or fan fiction.  My library's competition does not accept either.
4. Dates
• You want to give students two to three months to work on their submissions so make sure to advertise early.
• We start accepting submissions in May but choose a submission deadline of late July.
5. Legal Stuff
• In the entry form make sure to cover who has ownership of the material after it is submitted to the contest.  Also make sure to include a statement that must be initialed or signed certifying originality of the submitted work.
• My library takes ownership of submissions so that we have the right to publish winners in bound manuscript.
6. Announcing Winners
• Give yourself enough time to read all the entries!  We learned the hard way that it is VERY difficult to read 100+ submissions in just two weeks.
• Be prepared to make honorable mentions in categories with exceptional submissions.
• Hold a ceremony to announce winners.

That's basically it.  Just make sure all of the information a teen needs is in the Entry Form.  Click here for a link to my library's Teen Summer Writing Contest entry form from Summer 2011.