Category Archives: student writing contest

Fire Escape Writing Contest

_MG_4614   "Fire-Escape"

_MG_4614 “Fire-Escape” (Photo credit: Michael Menard)

Here is a contest that will appeal to many Houston youth that have at least one parent born in another country.
The following information comes from Mitali Perkins, an author who navigates the border between her Bengali roots and her California upbringing. For more information, please visit her website:
Do you love to weave words together?
Were you and/or one or both of your birth parents born in another country?
Do you live in the United States or Canada now?
Are you 13-19 years old?
If you answered yes to ALL of the questions above, YOU qualify to enter the 2011 Fire Escape Writing Contests! Submit an original, unpublished poem or piece of prose (fiction or non-fiction) that reflects some of the joys and struggles of growing up between two cultures in America. Mitali’s Fire Escape will only consider one poem and one piece of short fiction per person, so send your best work.

Contests
Poetry (up to three poems)
Short Fiction or Essay (up to 1000 words)
Prizes
Winner in each category: $50

How to submit an entry

  • Paste your poem or story into an e-mail message and send it to
    contests – at – mitaliperkins.com. I will not open attachments.
  • Proofread thoroughly and keep your presentation simple. Entries with spelling, grammar or punctuation errors and funky characters/fonts may be disqualified without notice. Do not include any clip art, images, or photos with your entry. Words only, please. Fiction longer than 1000 words will not be considered.
  • Include your name, age, and e-mail address in your e-mail. Also include your countr(ies) of origin. You and/or ONE of your birth parents must have been born outside North America. If you were born in Puerto Rico and are now living in one of the states or Canadian provinces, you qualify.
  • Current U.S. or Canadian residents only please, and previous winners are not eligible.
To qualify, your entry must be received by June 1, 2012.
REPEAT: You must be an immigrant or internationally adopted teen (or a teen with one immigrant parent) currently living in the United States or Canada.
NOTE: Failure to follow all of the contest guidelines will disqualify your entry.
Winning Poems and Stories will be published on the Fire Escape. Winners will be notified by July 30th. If you do not hear from us by September 15, 2012, you can assume that your entry was NOT a winner. Prizes must be claimed by September 30, 2012. Please note that editorial or any other personal comments will not be provided for contest submissions. The Fire Escape reserves the right to award no prizes if no entry meets the judge’s standards.
The Fire Escape seeks the following permissions from young authors: permission to publish your work on the web site, and permission to include your work in online archives after publication. Authors retain the copyright to their work. Once selected, winners must send their school information and a mailing address so that the Fire Escape can validate the entry and send the prize. Read the Fire Escape’s privacy policy for more information.

Enter the Texas Book Festival Fiction Contest

On October 27-28, 2012 the annual Texas Book Festival will occur at the State Capitol Building in Austin, TX.  This event features authors, readings, and plenty of literary fun. Students may submit work for the festival by clicking here. Here are the details from our Texas Book Festival friends about the 11th Annual Fiction Contest:

The Texas Book Festival, with support of the University Interscholastic League (UIL), announces the 11th Annual Fiction Writing Contest, sponsored by Read to Lead. The contest is open to all Texas 7th, 8th, and high school students. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third place finishers per division. First place winners of the Contest will be invited to participate in a panel discussion on writing and the inspiration for their original compositions at the Texas Book Festival, October 27-28, 2012 at the State Capitol in Austin.

Entries must be original fiction, no more than 2,000 words in length, on this year’s theme “Out of the Blue.” There is no entry fee. Entries must be double-spaced and formatted as a Microsoft Word document, then submitted online no later than July 3, 2012.

Stories will be judged by Texas writers, some of whom have presented their work at the Texas Book Festival. Judges will look for excellence in use of dialogue, imagery, character development, setting, plot, conflict and resolution. Submitted entries will be considered in three divisions: Grades 7-8; Grades 9-10; Grades 11-12. Authors will enter the division for which they were a student during the 2011-12 academic year.

Read work by past student winners here.

Call for Submissions: Slinging Ink

From our friends at DiverseWorks:

Slinging Ink is a war of words in which you are invited to submit your own writing about a given theme.

Deadline for submissions: March 15, 2012.

The selected winner receives $100!

Stories and more – both true and imagined – from all the points of view of the babysitting experience: the parent, the babysitter, or the babysat.
Jockeying for an in-demand sitter on date-night, or coming home to a house in turmoil.  Making mad stacks as a pre-teen, raiding the fridge, or finding out what it takes to put the brats to bed. As a child: testing limits, exploring mischief while free of ordinary restraint, or falling in love.
As we know, babysitters may be adept or inept; they may be kind or cruel.
We’re looking not only for creative writing, but other short forms and documents, like letters, reports, memories, wish-lists, notes, manuals, proposals, complaints or recommendations.

Dig these out of your shoebox, or write them down for us.

To submit your brief submissions (between 1500 and 1800 words), first download the doc form or download this Google Doc form.

Please send COVER SHEET and RESPONSE TO THEME (in .DOC format) to slingingink@diverseworks.org by March 15.

A “blind” panel will select four writers in April and will invite them to read their work for an audience on May 8, 2012.

The audience will select a winner for the evening who will take away a $100 prize.

The review panel:  Hank Hancock, Kate Schmitt and Kyle Henricks.  More info about the panel here.

Send questions to Hank Hancock at hank@diverseworks.org.

Calling High School Writers: The Student Stowe Prize

Student Stowe Prize
For Excellence in Writing to Advance Social Justice

Do you know a high school or college student who writes for social justice and positive change? Make sure they know about the 2012 Student Stowe Prize!

Established by the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, to be awarded in 2012

Submission deadline is February 27, 2012

The Student Stowe Prize recognizes outstanding writing by United States high school and college students that motivates positive action for social justice. The Prize recognizes writing that is making a tangible impact on a social justice issue critical to contemporary society.   Issues may include, but are not limited to: race, class and gender.  Entries must have been published or publicly presented.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, appalled by the injustice of slavery, wroteUncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) as a call to action. Using print media and the familiar literary form of telling a story, she shone a harsh light on the American institution of slavery. The book became an international best seller and galvanized the abolition movement before the Civil War.

Complementing the Harriet Beecher Stowe Prize, presented in 2011 to Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas D. Kristof for Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, the Student Stowe Prize will be presented in alternating years with the Harriet Beecher Stowe Prize.

AWARD DESCRIPTIONS:

Student Stowe Prize for High School Students
The winning student will be featured at a program and award ceremony in Hartford, Connecticut, receive $1,000.00, and have their work published on the Stowe Center website.

The top three finalists will have their work published on the Stowe Center website, receive a certificate of achievement, and be invited to attend the program and award ceremony.

Student Stowe Prize for College Students
The winning student will be featured at a program and award ceremony in Hartford, Connecticut, receive $2,500.00, and have their work published on the Stowe Center website.

The top three finalists will have their work published on the Stowe Center website, receive a certificate of achievement, and be invited to attend the public program and award ceremony.

ELIGIBILITY

High School Students

  • The Student Stowe Prize is open to all matriculating high school students in the United States.
  • Entries must be original and have been published or publicly presented.
  • Entries must meet the criteria of the Student Stowe Prize.
  • One submission accepted per entrant.
  • Entries must also include completed Student Stowe Prize Entry Form, Impact Statement, Parental/Guardian Release (students under 18 years of age), and Academic Integrity Pledge.
  • Entrants must provide 3 adult references that can verify the impact of the work. References must include: Name, Title, and Contact Information.
  • Entrants must be able to attend a June 7, 2012 program and award ceremony in Hartford Connecticut. (Travel expenses for winner and parent/guardian provided by the Stowe Center.)

What constitutes “publication”: For all publications, entries must include a description of how and where the work was published. Publication includes local and/or national media, blogs, school publications, scholarly journals, organization publications and magazines.

What constitutes “publicly presented”: For all public presentations, entries must include a description of how and where the work was presented. Publicly presented includes work that has been shared in front of an audience.

College/University Students

  • The Student Stowe Prize is open to all matriculating undergraduates at United States colleges and universities.
  • Entries must be original and have been published.
  • Entries must meet the criteria of the Student Stowe Prize.
  • One submission accepted per entrant.
  • Entries must also include completed Student Stowe Prize Entry Form, Impact Statement, Parental/Guardian Release (students under 18 years of age), and Academic Integrity Pledge.
  • Entrants must provide 3 adult references that can verify the impact of the work. References must include: Name, Title, and Contact Information.
  • Entrants must be able to attend a June 7, 2012 program and award ceremony in Hartford, Connecticut. (Travel expenses for winner provided by the Stowe Center)

What constitutes “publication”: For all publications, entries must include a description of how and where the work was published. Publication may include national media, nationally recognized blogs, university publications, scholarly journals, organization publications, and magazines.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

  • Entries must be e-mailed or postmarked by February 27, 2012.
  • E-mail submissions to: StudentStowePrize@stowecenter.org. Entries should be directly in the body of the e-mail, not attachments.
  • Hard copies should be sent to:

Student Stowe Prize
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
77 Forest Street
Hartford, CT 06105

Click here for the Parental Release Form. Click here for the Academic Integrity Form .  Click here for entry form

The Impact Statement should be attached to the entry form.

Please contact StudentStowePrize@stowecenter.org with any questions.

Student Stowe Prize SUBMISSION CRITERIA

•    Types of writing can include:

o    Short stories, essays, student-created and managed blogs, newspaper articles, editorials, memoirs, news or investigative reporting, poetry, screenplays

•    Length should not exceed 1,500 words. For writing exceeding this length, please select portions that will meet the criteria.

•    Writing must be written by the entrant, original and published.

o    See “Eligibility” for more information on publication requirement

•    Quotations and uncommon facts should include proper citations.

•    Entries will be judged based on both writing and the action the writing has inspired.

•    Entries must focus on a social justice or human rights topic. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: race, class, or gender.

•    Attach a statement, of no more than 100 words, describing any impact, follow-up response or change resulting from or inspired by this work.

TIMELINE AND DEADLINES

Student Stowe Prize Timeline and Deadlines:

Submission deadline  February 27, 2012
Internal Review of submissions completed  March 11, 2012
Eligible submissions to Selection Committee  March 12, 2012
Top 3 nominations for each category and winners
recommended by Selection Committee
 April 6, 2012
Winners and alternates approved by Board of Trustees  April 10, 2012
Student Stowe Prize winners contacted  April 11, 2012
Student Stowe Prize winners announced  May 2012
Student Stowe Prize program and award event  June 7, 2012
Visit the website:http://www.harrietbeecherstowe.org/worxcms_published/programs.items_page208.shtml

PBS Kids GO! Writing Contest

HoustonPBS presents: PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest
Here is an announcement from our friends at HoustonPBS about the 2012 PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest:

Calling Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade Authors and Artists to enter the 2012 PBS KIDS GO! Writing Contest!

Children write and illustrate their own stories and enter for a chance to win great prizes at both the local and national level.

Entry deadline is Monday, March 19, 2012.

For Official Entry Form and Rules click on the link below or pick up a copy from the children’s librarian at your local public library.

Every child who enters will receive a certificate of achievement and 1st Place winners for each grade will represent HoustonPBS in the national contest.  Have fun writing and illustrating!

2012 Entry Form | 2012 Rules

Congratulations to Helms Elementary Students!

Three Writers in the Schools (WITS) students at Helms Elementary (HISD) will have their winning poems published in the Young Writers of America Annual Students Anthology!

Congratulations to 3rd graders Joshua Martinez, Bella Corona, and Emily De Leon, who are students in Ms. Jennifer Martinez’s class and work weekly with Writers in the Schools (WITS) writer Yolanda Schulte-Ladbeck.

Here is Bella’s poem:
What I Learned from my Uncle

I learned from my Uncle how to be funny.  I know how to make my Mom and Dad laugh.
I learned from my Uncle how to communicate in sign language.  I can teach my friends now.
I learned from my Uncle how to look for pictures in the sky.  I can find me riding horses in clouds.
I learned from my Uncle how to say kind words.  I don’t say bad words and I stay away from strangers.
I learned from my Uncle how to decorate my room.  I have stars in my room that glow.

To read the other winning poems, please visit Helms Elementary website.  Go, students!Writer at work 259/355

Photo by immsm via Flickr

National Playwriting Competition

English: Broadway show billboards at the corne...

Image via Wikipedia

FROM OUR FRIENDS
at
Young Playwrights Inc.

Do you know a young playwright,
under the age of 18?

National Playwriting Competition

Deadline: January 2, 2012

Young Playwrights Inc. is holding a competition for playwrights under the age of 18. The winners will receive an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to attend the Young Playwrights Conference and collaborate with professional theater artists on an Off-Broadway staged reading of their plays.

For submission instructions and competition rules:WWW.YOUNGPLAYWRIGHTS.ORG.

Houston Texas Online Contest for Young Writers and Artists

Target by Jasper Johns

2012 Children’s Contest Rules

Subject = Adventure

The final deadline for entries is March 31, 2012. Children are encouraged to submit their work to Houston-Texas-Online as soon as possible. They will receive 10 extra points if they submit their work prior to December 31, 2011. These extra points will count toward the final judging.

Entries will be displayed on the web site once they are received so more people will be able to admire their work.

AGE  Children in grades 1 & 2 (also those who are 6 years old and not yet in 1st grade during the year of the contest) are eligible.

Children in grades 3 – 5 (also children in 6th grade who are 12 years of age any time during the year of the contest) are eligible.

QUALIFICATIONS  Children must be residents of Harris or Fort Bend County, Texas and may attend public or private school or be home schooled.

REGISTRATION  Any child who plans to enter the contest should be registered as soon as possible. You may simply send an email with the child’s name, grade, age and parent’s contact information.

ENTRIES  1st-2nd Grade – may compete in art. Only one entry may be submitted per child.

3rd-5th Grade – may choose only one category – either art, poetry or short stories. Only one entry may be submitted per child.
ART WORK  Art work must not exceed 18″ x 24″ and may be media of the child’s choice. If you are considering submitting art work other than water color, oils, pastels, chalk, crayons, colored pencils, etc., please send an email describing the type of art you are considering so that we may verify if it would be acceptable.um number of entries in each category = 100. The first 100 entries received will be eligible. Please submit your work as early as possible.

Original art entries should be delivered to Linda Moore. Please contact Linda when you have an art entry ready to drop off and she will furnish you the location.

POETRY Poetry must be neat and easy to read and limited to one single page. It is preferable if the entry is typed and double-spaced (Times roman, 12 pt), but may also be printed if child does not have access to a computer and printer.

SHORT STORIES  Short stories is a new category for 2012. Short stories should be no longer than two single pages, preferable typed (Times Roman, 12 pt.) and double spaced. If child does not have access to a computer and printer, they may print as long is it is very legible and limited to two single pages.

Entries for poetry and short stories may be emailed to Linda Moore or you may contact Linda for mailing instructions or address for personal delivery.

Each entry must have an entry form completely filled out in order to be eligible.

IMPORTANT  Do not put the child’s name or any other personal information on the “front” of the entry or they may be disqualified.

ENTRY FORMSEntry forms must be completely filled out and attached to the back of the entry

To print out an entry form, click here

If you cannot print the entry form, you may type or print the following information and either tape, tack or staple to the back of the submission

  • Child’s full name
  • Child’s birth date
  • Parent’s name
  • Home address (must reside in either Harris or Ft. Bend County)
  • Phone # (home, work, cell)
  • Email address
  • School Name
  • Grade
  • Principal
  • Teacher
  • Contact information for teacher or principal (phone # and/or email address)

AWARDS CEREMONY  Children must attend the awards ceremony to receive their awards. In case of an emergency, another family member or their teacher may accept the award for them.

Writers in the Schools (WITS) Student Wins National Award

Creative Communication: A Celebration of Today’s Writers chose Writers in the Schools (WITS) student Jasmin Johnson as one of the top 10 4th grade poets in the nation.  Three of her poems will be published in an anthology of student writing.  Jasmin also will receive a $50 savings bond.  For more information about Creative Communication contests, please visit their website.  The next deadline for poetry is December 6, 2011.

Here are two of Jasmin’s poems:

The Runaway Imagination

Boom! Oh, no, my imagination is
exploding out of my head. It happened
just this morning coming out of bed.
I put on a headband my imagination
denies. I fall out of bed and cry.
Oh no, I feel dull. I lost my sense of
fun. My crazy imagination is on the run.
I have to catch it quickly, but wait! It’s
time for school but my imagination starts
to head for the pool.  I pull it aside and
bring it to class.  Hurray! It’s 9:30, I’m in
time for math. But wait! There isn’t
school today. You mean that there was
time to play? Oh, what a ridiculous
Saturday. You silly imagination,
get back in my head!

By Jasmin, 4th grade

Cup Full of Elephant: A Self-Portrait

I try to copy what I see.
Is it good enough?
Do you blame me?
Art is hard. I’ll just draw a cup.  Do
you see?  Is it good enough?
I’ll try to copy what I see.
Is it good enough?
Do you blame me?
Art is hard.  I’ll draw a set of paints! Do
you see? Is it good enough?
I’ll try to copy what I see.
Is it good enough?
Do you blame me?
Art is hard.  I’ll draw an elephant butt.
Wait! An elephant butt?  Ewww!

By Jasmin, 4th grade

Renee Duke Youth Poetry Contest

writing in the journal

Image by redcargurl via Flickr

The Renee Duke Youth Award Poetry Contest is sponsored by Poets for Human Rights and Artists in Action International.

This year’s youth poetry contest is dedicated to Renee Duke (1927-2011) mother, artist, poet, mentor and life counselor who inspired thousands of people across all walks of life.
Entries are being accepted by email until November 30, 2011

Guidelines:

Anyone aged 17 or younger may submit up to five poems.

Poem(s) must relate to one or more of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To view public service announcements for each of the articles, visit
www.youthforhumanrights.org.

Poems must be in the body of email, or as PDF attachments. Email to stazja@yahoo.com. Note in the subject line “Youth Award.”

Poems should be no more than one page long. Do not use colors or graphics.

Previously published poems and simultaneous submissions are accepted.

Include the following information:

Name
Address
Age
School
Poem Title
Statement that the poem is your original composition.
Statement that you give permission to publish (with rights reverting back to the poet)

First prize is $50. Winner will be awarded a certificate and poem will be published at the Poets for Human Rights web site.

Honorable Mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the judge. HM’s will receive a certificate of award.

Winner and Honorable Mentions will be announced on December 10, 2011, the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For questions contact Stazja McFadyen at
<stazja(at)yahoo.com> (replace (at) with @ in sending email)

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers recognizes outstanding young poets and is open to high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world. The contest winner receives a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop. In addition, the winning poem will be published in The Kenyon Review. The runners up will also see their poems published. 

The contest is named in honor of Patricia Grodd in recognition of her generous support of The Kenyon Review and its programs, as well as her passionate commitment to education and deep love for poetry.

The final judge of the contest is KR poetry editor David Baker.

Submissions will be accepted electronically November 1 through November 30, 2011. The link to the submissions page for the contest will be active from this webpage on November 1, 2011.

Check out the guidelines and ubmit your work to the Patricia Grodd Poetry Contest by visiting the website.


Grants for High School Creatives

Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is accepting applications from exceptionally talented Texas youth (8th-11th grade) for its Young Masters grant program.Students of all artistic disciplines, including creative writing, may apply for this competitive grant program.  The most talented young artists will receive the title of Young Master and will be given grants of up to $2,500 per year for two years to further their advanced studies in their chosen arts disciplines.

Applications for the Young Masters program may be obtained on the TCA website by clicking here. All applications and support documents must be postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011.

Environmental Writing Contest for Kids

Our Green Tomorrow is sponsoring a writing contest for kids.

Deadline: October 31st, 2011.

What to submit: Based on our topic, children between grades 6-12 can either submit a written entry or scanned artwork that relates back to the environment. The main goal is to encourage kids to start thinking positively about the environment and the way it shapes our lives.

Awards: Winner of Written Entry – $500

Winner of Art Entry – $500

Entry fee: None (free)
 


For more information, click here.

Humor Contest 2011

Subsoil (short story)

Image via Wikipedia

From the website of Amazing Kids:

Attention all Amazing Kids!

Do you love to make people laugh?  Do you have some hilarious and creative stories that you’d like to share?  Are you excited about trying out a new type of writing? If this sounds like you, show us what you can do by submitting your humorous short story to our humor contest!  We want to see your hilarious and creative stories that integrate jokes and funny moments!  Put a smile on everyone’s face and get a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

Rules:

Who: Kids and teens, ages 6-17

What: Amazing Kids! Humor Contest – Kids ages 6-17 can submit an original humorous short story of 1500 words or less.  One entry maximum per person so pick your best piece!

When: July 1, 2011 until August 30, 2011, 11:59pm PST.

Where: Email (preferred method) to contests@amazing-kids.org with Humor Contest and your last name and age in the subject line.  Attach a word or pdf document with your submission with your name, age and title of your submission at the top of the document. Videos retelling your story (not as a separate entry) may be included as a link to the video online to a site such as schooltube to your entry.  The videos must be the child’s original creation. Schooltube instructions and features for posting can be seen here:  http://www1.schooltube.com/Registration/Default.aspx.  Videos are not necessary but may be considered as a creative addition to your entry.

Spilling Ink Contest

Description unavailable

Image by althene via Flickr

From the website of Spilling Ink:

SPILLING INK SHORT STORY CONTEST FOR AGES 8 -12!

Short Story Challenge: We dare you to… write a short story about anything you like.

Word limit: 1,000 words or less

For ages 8 -12

Prizes:

First Prize: A $25 Bookstore Gift Certificate & a signed copy of Spilling Ink.

Second Prize: A signed copy of Spilling Ink

Third prize: A signed copy of Spilling Ink

In addition, all three winning stories will be posted on the Spilling Ink Creativity Blog.

Deadline: Monday, July 11, 2011

U.S. and Canadian residents only

WE DARE YOU TO ENTER!

Type or cut-and-paste your story into the Spilling Ink Contact Form. Remember to include your name, age, and correct email address.