Competitions

Just-for-fun writing contests for young writers, ages 9 and up.

March Mini Contest

– Word Prompt Challenge –

Now Closed.

Thanks to everyone who entered our March Mini Contest, and congratulations to the winning writers!

Contestants picked 3 words from the word prompt pool (see image) then wrote a 500-800 word short story involving their chosen words.

Read the Winning Stories!

What’s Coming Up Next?

2025 Schedule

February – Giveaway ✅

March – Mini Contest ✅

May – Short Story Contest!

PLEASE NOTE: Schedule may be subject to changes, especially in the case of surprise life happenings, brilliant ideas (that must be implemented instead), sword-fighting outbreaks, and/or hedgehog invasions.

Thor the Viking Sheep’s Most Recent Escapade

(Not for the faint of heart)

While scaling a steep mountainside lately, Thor accidentally discovered a secret door and stumbled upon the hoard of a sleeping dragon.

Due to Thor’s diminutive size (not to be confused for the largeness of his might), he was able to hide himself under a nearby bucket. But alas, as he was fumbling his way toward the exit, he stepped in a small gold band and it got stuck around his hoof. Unfortunately, Thor’s attempts to shake it off awoke the dragon, who muttered, “Not this again.”

Thor abandoned the bucket and made for the door – not from cowardice, mind you, but because he’d rather fight outdoors than on a slippery pile of treasure. The dragon pursued Thor outside, very rudely accusing him of being a thief, then snatched him up in his claws. A great battle ensued in the air, Thor swinging his hammer with much braveness and might.

Thor eventually lost consciousness, but he awoke several hours later to find himself sitting in his favourite armchair with his nose pressed against a worn copy of The Hobbit.

Thor insists that the dragon deposited him back in his chair out of respect for his heroic mid-air fighting skills and that he did NOT fall asleep while reading like some may think. (Viking Sheep take part in heroic adventures, not merely dream about them.)

Unfortunately, no one has been able to verify his story.

Thor would like to tell you all not to worry about him as he is safe and well. And just in case you were wondering what happened to that small gold band… Thor now keeps it in an envelope at home, insisting that it’s very precious to him.

Previous Contests & Giveaways…

Giveaway: February 2025

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

A fast-paced read filled with danger, action, lies, and deadly truths.

Giveaway Winner: Catherine Mai

The SECRET IDENTITY Short Story Contest

~ November 2024

Ages 9-10 – ‘Wounds of War’ by Valentina Pohl Fabris

Ages 11-12 – ‘The End of Acheron’ by Gimli of the Dwarves

Ages 13-14 – ‘I didn’t MEAN to blow up the opera house…’ by Meg Bales

Ages 15-16 – ‘Reconciliation’ by Willow Brooke

Read Winning Stories & Honourable Mentions!

Mini Contest: September 2024

Winning Entries:

‘The Cure’ – Valentina Pohl Fabris, Age 10

‘The Reflection of a Thousand Possiblities’ – Talia Millership, Age 12

‘Mrs. Harris’s Millinery Shop’ – Talitha, Age 13

‘Mirror of the Earth’ – Myla, Age 14

‘The Future We Have’ – Anais Haythornthwaite, Age 16

View Results!

Giveaway – August 2024

The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt

A young messenger. A secret mission. A kingdom in peril.

Giveaway Winner: Alayah

May Short Story Contest

~ May 2024

Ages 9-10 – ‘The Golden Locket’ by Valentina Pohl Fabris

Ages 11-12 – ‘The Compass of Heather’ by Talia Millership

Ages 13-16 – ‘From Beyond Hope’ by Willow Brooke

Thor’s Choice Award – ‘Label Your Units’ by Meg Bales

Read Winning Stories & Honourable Mentions!

May 2024 Short Story Contest for Young Writers

Mini Contest: March 2024

Contest Theme: Narnia

Short stories inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia.

Click below to read some incredible Narnian fanfiction! 👇

Read the Winning Stories!

January 2024: Flash Giveaway

Winner: Thea Dozell

Prize Options:

Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly by Gail Carson Levine

Go Teen Writers: Write Your Novel by Stephanie Morrill, Jill Williamson, & Shannon Dittemore

More Previous Contests & Giveaways…

“I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?”

– J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

The False Prince

(The Ascendance Series, Book 1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In a discontented kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince.

Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point – he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

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.