Writing Competitions for Kids to Enter
Writing Competition for Kids Number One – Writer’s Digest Monthly Kid’s Writing Assignment
Each month Writer’s Digest offers a topic that kids can write on. Each monthly winner will receive a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, their piece will be published in their online magazine, and they will receive other prizes and mentions. To be eligible for this competition the child must be thirteen years of age or younger, they must write a story or essay on a specific topic posted on the Writer’s Digest website, and they must meet the monthly submission deadline. For example the August 2006 topic is On Vacation, and entries must be received by September 10, 2006. To find this month’s topic and deadline you will need to visit the following website: http://www.writersdigest.com/contests/. You will need to page down quite a ways to find “Your Assignment For Kids” section. Here you will find the topic, the deadline, and the winner of the previous month’s competition.
Writing Competition for Kids Number Two – Kids Are Authors
Kids Are Authors is an annual writing competition sponsored by Scholastic for kids in grades K through 8th grade. This is a team competition that requires entries to be submitted by a writing team made up of three or more students and their mentor. (The mentor can guide the team, but the writing and illustrations must be the original work of the students.) The winner of this competition will have their book published by Scholastic Book Fairs, and it will be sold at book fairs across the nation. To enter this competition the team will need to create a picture book that is between 21 and 29 pages, and the submission can be either fiction or nonfiction. Fiction and Nonfiction entries will be judged separately. The judges will be looking for originality, content, overall appeal to children, quality of the writing and the artwork, and the compatibility of the written material with the provided artwork.
If you are interested in this writing competition you can download a complete entry form, rules, and guidelines from the following website: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/kaa/rules.htm. The deadline is March 15th of each year. In addition to publication, the winners’ school will also receive $5,000 in Scholastic Book Fairs merchandise and 100 copies of the students’ book. The students will receive a framed award certificate and a gold medallion. Twenty Five Honorable Mention prizes of $500 in Scholastic Book Fairs merchandise and a student award certificate will also be awarded.
Writing Competition for Kids Number Three – Spilled Candy Books Writing Contests for Teens and Kids
Spilled Candy Books offers three different writing competitions for both teens and kids. The first writing competition is an essay contest for kids ages 13 to 19. To enter this contest the student will need to write a 250 to 2500 word essay on a specific topic. This topic can be found at http://www.spilledcandy.com/Competitions.htm. The second writing competition is a short story contest for kids ages 8 to 12. This short story will need to be between 200 and 2000 words and it must have a positive “pagan” theme. Examples are provided on the Spilled Candy Books website. The final writing contest is a short story contest for older kids, who are between the ages of 13 and 19. Entries must be between 500 and 5000 words and it will need to be aimed at middle grade students, and it must deal with real life situations and have a positive pagan them. For more information about entering this writing competition you will need to visit their website at http://www.spilledcandy.com/Competitions.htm.
