Competitions
Just-for-fun writing contests for young writers, ages 9 and up.
September Mini Contest
Thanks to everyone who entered our September Mini Contest, and congratulations to the winning writers! Contestants wrote a 300-500 word short story based on the picture prompt.
What’s Coming Up Next?
2024 Schedule:
August – Giveaway ✅
September – Mini Contest ✅
November – 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.
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
Mini Contest: March 2024
Contest Theme: Narnia
Short stories inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia.
Click below to read some incredible Narnian fanfiction! 👇
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
Choose Your Setting Short Story Contest
~ November 2023
Ages 9-10 – ‘The First Heir’ by Ailith, USA
Ages 11-12 – ‘Ambush’ by Orla Wierenga – New Zealand
Ages 13-15 – ‘Elderberry Mead During A Milatary Coup’ by Little Ladia (who likes berries and cream)– New Zealand
Mini Contest – September 2023
Winning Entries…
Ages 9-10: Mara Scott
Ages 11-12: Talitha Borstad
Ages 13-15: Karena Christen
Giveaway – July 2023
Winner: Waihirere Fifield
(For a bonus entry, participants wrote a six-word story based on a fun picture prompt. Click the button below to check them out!) 👇
“I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?”
– J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
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.