It’s our favorite time of year … the Inklings Book Contest is here!
This is our thirteenth annual writing contest … and WOW, what fantastic entries our young writers have sent us over the years. Your stories range across genres––some are hilarious, others heartfelt, and many are magic and action-packed. Your poems are vivid, rhythmic, often surprising.. Your courageous and creative writing gives us the opportunity to see the world through your eyes. We celebrate how much we learn from your perspective, and how much joy your imaginative landscapes create.
Whether this is your first Inklings Book Contest, or you’ve participated many times, we can’t wait to see what you will create this year.
As you start to prepare your entry, here are a few details you’ll want to know.
Who can enter?
Youth writers in grades 3 – 9.
What should I enter?
Creative, memorable short stories and poems that share your unique voice.
We’ve also designed a free online course to guide you through the development of your piece start-to-finish. You can access that course here.
When do I enter?
Our application window opens in mid-January. Submit your piece by March 15, 2021.
Then what?
Every writer who enters the Inklings Book Contest receives encouraging, personal feedback about their story or poem. Inklings mentors and authors LOVE spending time reading your pieces and sharing with you what we love about your work, and sharing some tips and tricks as you keep working on similar pieces.
Twenty winners will be chosen to be published in the Inklings Book 2021. Winners will also have the chance to mentor with an author on a final revision of their piece. This process is much like the experience an author has when their work is accepted by a publisher, and the author works with a professional editor on those final changes that take the story from great to exceptional.
Finalists will be published on our website next summer.
Are you in?
We hope so! Remember, you can join us for a lively story or poem development process in our on-demand free course at the link below.
See you soon, and happy writing!
~ Your friends at Society of Young Inklings
