CALLING ALL POETS!

Are you a person of few but exacting words?  Then poetry might just be your forte!  The Young Voices Foundation is sponsoring a poetry contest for kids of all ages.  The deadline is November 30 and all the contest rules can be found here:  http://www.youngvoicesfoundation.org/poetryguidelines.html

Winners and prizes will be announced 30 days after the close of the contest.

So put on your poet's cap and start scribbling.  (Oh and while you're checking out the guidelines for the contest, click on WIN A BOOK, and enter to win a free book during the month of October!

WANT TO GO TO WASHINGTON, DC AND WIN $500?

Weekly Reader is sponsoring a contest for students in grades 3-6 and 7-12.  If non-fiction is your genre, this is the contest for you!

Just write a non-fiction piece of 500 - 2500 words and submit it to:
http://www.aepweb.org/student/rules.htm by March 18, 2011.    Essays, news stories, memoirs - all are encouraged!  There's plenty of time to make your submission the best it can be.

The winner receives $500 and a round trip ticket for you and a parent to Washington DC to attend an awards luncheon.  And that's not all!  Publication is also included in one of Weekly Reader's magazines or online!

So  non-fiction writers, get writing and get ready for summertime visit to our nation's capital!

MAY THIS PICTURE BE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS (OR AT LEAST 750)

As many of you know, I love using The Mysteries of Harris Burdick as a prop to promote creative writing.  The drawings in that book are so evocative, anyone can think of a good story to accompany them.

Well now, Writer's Digest is running a contest based on a similar theory. They provide the picture (featured here on the right). You provide the story.  (750 words or less)

Deadline:  December 10, 2010
Prize:  Publication in Writer's Digest


So go ahead.  Give the picture here a good look.  Let your mind go and your fingers begin to type.  You have no idea where this open door may lead you!

AND YOU THOUGHT SCHOLASTIC JUST DID BOOK FAIRS!

Hey Teachers, Budding Writers and Artists:  The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers is now open for submissions!  Want to be recognized by  Scholastic for your talents?  Then this is the contest for you!!!  There are tons of different categories for submissions from digital art to fashion or photography, from novel writing to humor or dramatic scripts.  The possibilities for showcasing your creativity are endless.  And the awards for winning are amazing - a National Award Ceremony at Carnegie Hall, scholarships for summer camps and even colleges, exhibition of your work in New York City and other venues, monetary awards and even publication.  So get those creative juices flowing, convince a teacher to sponsor you and apply now!  And don't forget to check deadlines for your region!  Good luck and many thanks to Scholastic for recognizing the talents of the younger set!

DAYDREAM YOURSELF INTO $50.00

If you like to daydream, ADVENTURE WRITE FOR KIDS has a contest just for you! They give you your first sentence and then you are free to go wild (as long as you don't go over 1500 words!)

Win publication! Win $50.00! Win a certificate of achievement!

Either way, this is a win/win situation. Free to enter. Lots of time to write your story (your submission isn't due until December 31st). And its only for kids under 19!

So check out this site: http://www.adventurewrite.com/kids/contest.html

Click on the scary totem head, relax, daydream and start writing!
Success might just be one click away!

WRITE AWAY YOUR SUMMER!

Got some time on your hands this summer? This is the perfect time to work on your writing, without all the hassles of homework, sports and other activities that can crowd a school year. Instead of getting hot by the pool, think about getting hot with your pen and pencil. Creative Communications has a contest that is open to writers of all ages and is free! If chosen, your entry will be published in an anthology. The top ten winners in each grade, receive a $50 savings bond and a free copy of the anthology. So what are you waiting for? Go get your feet wet and start writing!

RHINOS AND BEARS, HEARTS AND WOOD

Looking for something to do during April vacation week?

Here is a fun contest to enter - not to mention a great writing exercise for all you would be writers out there.

The contest is this: Write a short composition containing the following words: heart, plush, sweet, bear, rhinoceros, silvery, wood. Be careful not to omit any word and don’t forget the title! When you're done, submit your entry to the following website: http://www.revistatus.ro/english/monthly-contest-april-2010.html

If you win, they will make a postcard based on your entry - just like real writers do when they have a new book published! So sharpen your pencils and get writing!

M.T. ANDERSON LOVES MY WORK!

Have you read M.T. Anderson's fabulous book FEED? How would you like him to chose your book from thousands of entries for publication and award you $250. Well, that is what is being offered to you if you chose to enter the Hunger Mountain Young Writer's Contest. They asked us to pass on the information so here it is:



A Prize for Young Writers
Poetry, Fiction & Creative Nonfiction
Judge: M.T. Anderson
Prize: Publication in Hunger Mountain online
$250 to first place winner in each genre, $100 to runners-up

We are looking for talented high school students to enter poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction in the Hunger Mountain Prize for Young Writers. We accept any form of poetry. Fiction can be experimental or traditional.
Creative nonfiction can be personal essay or mini memoir.

The Judge for the competition is National Book Award Winner and New York Times Bestselling author M.T. Anderson, author of The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; Burger Wuss; and Feed.

Submissions should be under 8,000 words, double spaced, in Times New Roman font and not stapled. Poets are welcome to enter up to three poems per entry. Manuscripts must be accompanied by an index card with the writer’s name, address, email address, telephone number, as well as the title and genre of the work. The writer’s name should not be on the manuscript itself. Please enclose a $10 entry fee. Postmark submissions by April 30, 2010. We will do our best to notify prize winners in June.

Please send work to the following address:
Hunger Mountain Prize for Young Writers
Hunger Mountain
Vermont College of Fine Arts
36 College St.
Montpelier, VT 05602

For complete guidelines and to learn about past prize winners please visit www.hungermtn.org

So ask Mom and Dad to fork over $10. It's a small price to pay for fame!!!!

ARE YOU AN AMAZING KID?

Are you an amazing kid with a vision for the future? Are you a writer or an artist with something to say about your dreams and aspirations? Then you might want to think about entering the amazing kids t-shirt and essay contest. Winners of the t-shirt contest have their design sold at the Zazzle Store. And winners of the essay contest will be published on the Amazing kids online magazine. So go ahead! Draw or write about your future, your dreams, or just how you envision a perfect world! Then enter your submission before May 15th to:
http://amazing-kids.org/contest_lmd09

And remember, each of you are amazing in our own special way!

IS THERE AN ARTIST IN THE HOUSE?

Contests are not just for writers! Do you like to draw?
Can you see yourself someday illustrating books for children? Or maybe doing the jacket cover of an a middle grade or adult book? Then this may be the contest for you!

Check out the following website:

http://kidswritethesite.com/artsubmit.html

And while you're at it . . . Enter the goal contest too! It's always fun to come up with a goal - especially at the beginning of a new year!

GIVE THE GIFT OF WRITING ON VALENTINE'S DAY!

Roses and Candy? These are the time honored gifts of Valentine's Day. But why not give a gift a little out of the ordinary and win some money at the same time?

Check out these contests:

Valentines Story
For our Valentines Story Writing Contest we are looking for stories that have Valentines Day playing a clear role in the storyline. Creative approaches welcomed. The winner of this contest will take away a $100 prize.
Deadline: In 2 Days

Valentines Love Poem
Write a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word. Your love poem can be fictional or non-fictional. It can be humorous or a serious love poem. The choice is yours. $100 prize for the winner of this poetry contest.
Deadline: In 2 Days

Here is the site if you want to enter: http://www.fanstory.com/contests.jsp

So go on! Write something romantic! And give the gift of a story or poem!

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A HARD DECISION COULD WIN YOU $50

How many of you have seen the Southwest Airlines commercial where something truly awful happens and then they ask "Want to get away?" Well, we have all been in situations like that, and if you could evaporate like the Wicked Witch of the West or disappear like the Invisible Man, we all would have done it. But what if you could win $50 and an autographed book because of it? At least it could ease a bit of the pain.

So . . . how to go about it? By writing, of course! Jot down 300 words on paper describing a time in your life when you had to make a difficult decision between right and wrong and you could be a winner! The contest is ongoing . . . so put paper to pencil. "Want to get away?" - Maybe $50 will help!