Welcome to The Storylights!
Inspiring Young Writers to Write & Shine
Here at The Storylights, we’re passionate about giving young writers fun reasons to write and build confidence, because the more you write, the more your skills can grow!
Experts say that the best way to get better at writing is simply to do it. But we like to say that the best way to get better at writing is to do it in a way that’s fun.
That’s why we run Short Story Contests (with book prizes), mini writing challenges, and regular giveaways of some of our favourite books. (Because the other best way to get better at writing is to read lots of amazing books.)
Subscribe below to keep up-to-date with upcoming contests and giveaways!
Ready to Get Started?
Visit the Our Community page to vote in the monthly poll or tell us why you love to write.
Or check out the Competitions page for upcoming contests, events, and giveaways!
An Invitation…
Being a Writer of Stories is like setting out on a dangerous adventure…
Dark forests await and wild beasts lurk. There’s battles to fight, faraway places to explore, and steep mountains to climb. There’s a world of possibilities… and it’s all at the tip of your pen.
Here at The Storylights, we believe in the power of stories, and we love to cheer you on. You already have everything in you to write amazing stories. Sometimes all that’s needed is a place to develop your skills, ask questions, and find company along the way.
Because, as everyone knows, adventures are ALWAYS better when undertaken together.
There are plenty of enemies out there who want to intimidate us and send us running home. There’ll come moments when we desperately need to hear that whisper of, “Courage, dear heart.”
We’re gonna need weapons. We’re gonna need snacks.
Are you in?
Subscribe here!
We use our mailing list to notify you of contests and giveaways, or when we add fun features/new resources for young writers to our website. (You can easily unsubscribe at any time.)
Meet The Storylights Team →
(Here Be Introductions)
What Other Young Writers Are Saying…
Q: What’s Something You Enjoy About The Storylights?
What I most enjoy about the Storylights is the encouragement to get writing. I would never write the stories I do otherwise.
– Penelope (Age 13-15, New Zealand)
Storylights is fun because they do challenges and quizzes!
– Silas (Age 9-10, United States)
Storylights is a great opportunity to learn further writing skills and share them with others-for fun! It’s very open and inclusive for writers around the world, of varying skills. I’ve enjoyed it a lot and I hope more people can join and experience the fun as well. <3
– Susie (Age 13-15, United States)
I love getting to practice writing flash fiction, and I really love the picture prompts that get used!
– Leiana (Age 16-18, United States)
I really love the story comps! I love making up stories but sometimes my ideas fizzle out, which is why I love the competitions! The picture prompts provide a starting point for my imagination and from that the story grows like ivy up a stone wall. It’s so fun to have to work out what the picture could mean and how it could connect in a story.
– Anabelle (Age 13-15, New Zealand)
I enjoy The Storylights because they encourage me to write more and I am honestly getting better!
– Reese (Age 11-12, United States)
I love the community and the chance to write regularly. And Thor the Viking Sheep is awesome!
– Abbigail (Age 13-15, New Zealand)
I love your competitions you hold, they’re so fun! The prompts are always great and get my imagination wreaking havoc in my already busy mind. I also really appreciate how even when I don’t win, I feel like I have with the way you word everything! I’m never disappointed if I don’t win, just glad that I was honored by having someone read the story I spent laboring over, and I’m always exceptionally happy for those that won. And I also adore (of course!) Thor the Viking Sheep. I am constantly overwhelmed by his absolute epicness. I would trust him with my life any day 😉
–Sjannette (Age 13-15, New Zealand)
all the competitions and all the stories i write and read on here. it thrilling to know that other people like writing as well as me!
– Genevieve (Age 9-10, New Zealand)
I love the writing competitions that run 2 or 3 times a year. I haven’t found many other websites with free entry (and the only ones I have found were specifically for teens, whereas Storylights is tween-friendly) and so I really enjoy writing for Storylights. It’s inspiring reading the winning entries, as well.
– Orla (Age 13-15, New Zealand)
I really love everything about The Storylights. In particular, the writing article about publishing and the glossary of writing terms have been both helpful and extremely interesting.
– Talitha (Age 13-15, United States)
I love that you create opportunities for imaginative minds to invent wonderful stories.
– Jean (Age 11-12, United States)
I love the opportunities that come with entering the writing competitions and how you guys are so encouraging, even if you didn’t win!
– Kaitlyn (Age 13-15, New Zealand)
I love the fact that I have a place to go to find something to write about whenever I’m stuck I can go here and get lost in a story that twists any way I choose. I love that I can write and hear other people’s opinions without judgment. I got to Beta read ‘ The Lion and the Mage’ and it was one of the best books I’ve ever read and I got to voice my very own opinion to the author. I think that God blesses many young authors through this site.
– Natalie (Age 13-15, United States)
I pretty much enjoy anything to do with Thor the Viking Sheep because of the sense of humor.
– Valentina, (Age 9-10, New Zealand)
I love how the competitions are set up, picture prompts are my favourite, and I love reading how other people have interpreted them, the prize options are always good, and even if you don’t win, there’s three book recommendations! Also, I really love the fact that there’s more than just competitions, like polls and quizzes 😁
– Katy (Age 13-15, New Zealand)
Your prompts are usually very very good, and the letters to Thor and stuff like that are awesome, as are the polls and info. Having no entry fee is also fantastically terrific.
– Freddie (Age 13-15, New Zealand)
I love entering the competitions! The picture prompts are a fun challenge to write a story around, and I enjoy coming up with ideas for what to write! I also got to beta read The Lion and the Mage through Storylights which was an awesome experience to be a part of :]
– Bethany (Age 16-18, New Zealand)
Thor the Viking Sheep! I also love reading all the winning stories, seeing how creative everyone is, and being inspired to write short stories myself.
– Rose (Age 13-15, United States)
“Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?”
– J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Privacy Policy
The Storylights
Firstly, we'll never sell or share any of your personal information with anyone else unless we're required to by law, and we only collect the minimum personal data that we need to run our services. For example, we need your name and email address so we can notify you if your competition entry has been selected for a prize, or to send you details about our next competition.
Secondly, any original story material that you send to us, either as part of a competition or not, remains your own personal intellectual property. However, by submitting your story to us, you grant us the right to display it on on our website, and we agree to always credit it to you the author. You retain full rights to your story, including the right to reuse it or resubmit it to any other competition or publication.
Terms & Conditions
The Storylights
By using this website, (for example, by submitting a form, or entering a competition or giveaway), you agree to be bound by and follow these terms and conditions:
- You agree that you are either at least 13 years old, or you have the permission of a parent or guardian to use this website.
- We understand that the name you choose to use on our website or submit with a competition entry, may be an alias or pen name (for young authors, this can be a good way to help protect your privacy), but you understand that we will treat that name like your real name, including when we provide credit to the author of a winning story.
- You agree that any written work that you submit to us as part of a competition or giveaway, is your own original work, written by you and not copied from or written by another person. (No AI work permitted.)
- You agree to not submit any written work to us that promotes or encourages violence, racism, self-harm, or any other activity that is either illegal or potentially damaging to other people.
- You keep all intellectual property rights to any of your own written material that you submit to us, but you agree to give us the right to display your work on our website as part of the services we provide. (For example, displaying competition winners and honourable mentions.)
- We reserve the right to judge competition entries at our sole discretion, and will award the winning entry based on whatever criteria we think to be fair.
- We reserve the right to exclude from competition, any entry that we feel goes against the spirit of the competition, or breaches one of our other conditions, like plagiarism.