Teen Writing Contest

Calling all teen writers! Do you like to express yourself through words? Do you have something unique and interesting to say about living through a pandemic? Could you be the next voice of your generation? Join our Teen Writing Contest! You could win a prize and be published on our website.

Write a short story or a personal narrative on the theme “Life in the Pandemic.”

SUBMIT YOUR WORK HERE!

Please read the details and rules below carefully before submitting!

Details:

• Contest is open to Upper Dublin residents in grades 6-12.
• Submission Deadline: February 22
• Entries will be judged based on content including plot and character development, originality, interpretation of the theme, and quality of expression.  
• Participants will submit through the library website.
• Entries may be shared on the library website, social media, and in the Writing Contest e-book.
• Winners will be notified the week of March 8 and announced on the SRMS, UDHS, and UDPL websites, as well as social media.
• Contest is in partnership with Sandy Run Middle School Library and Upper Dublin High School Library.

Rules:

1. Participants must be a resident of Upper Dublin Township and in grades 6-12.  
2. Entries can be original works of fiction or creative nonfiction including short stories, personal narratives, essays, memoirs, and graphic novels. Sorry, no poetry!
3. Entries should reflect the theme “Life in the Pandemic.”
4. All entries must be original by a single author.  No plagiarism and no work containing copyrighted characters (including fan fiction) will be considered.
5. Entries should be in PDF or DOC format, double-spaced, 12-pt font, and no more than 5 pages.  (Graphic novels may not exceed 5 pages but do not need to be double-spaced.)
6. Participants should only include their first name on their work.  Personal information should only be entered in the required fields of the submission form.
7. No more than two (2) entries per individual will be accepted.
8. All entries must be submitted by Monday, February 22 at 11:59 pm.

Prizes:

• Six winners will be chosen from 2 age groups: middle school (Gr 6-8) and high school (Gr 9-12).
• 1st place: $50 Visa Gift Card
• 2nd place: $25 Visa Gift Card
• 3rd place: $15 Visa Gift Card
• Prizes sponsored by the Friends of UDPL

Prompts to Inspire:  Need a little inspiration?  Read through our prompts to spark an idea!  (Please note: You do NOT need to answer these prompts.  Prompts are simply suggestions if you have writer’s block.)

1. Write about how the year 2020 changed your world.  What did you do to adapt?  What changes, big and small, are you seeing in the world around you?
2. Incorporate text messaging into your story, either as a conversation or as the entire story.
3. Write a letter to your future self, describing what you should remember most about this time when you look back.
4. Create a journal or postcard series.
5. Write an editorial about something you have an opinion about related to the pandemic.  What have you seen that has made you proud?  Upset?  Appreciative?  Scared?
6. Write about what you miss most about life before the quarantine or what you are looking forward to after the quarantine.
7. Write about what you have learned about yourself during the pandemic.  Have you changed?
8. What acts of kindness have you seen during the pandemic, either small or large?
9. Has anything funny happened to you during quarantine?  Anything exciting?