A contest to encourage young writers!

 

2024 First Line & Theme will be announced at the SLWG Summer Writers Camp and posted here soon!

Everything changed when...
— 2024 Young Writers Awards First Line

Winners and Finalists are announced below - scroll down for the 4th-5th and 6th-8th grade names and titles


Fill out the form and upload a story to enter.
File Formats Accepted: doc, docx, pdf, txt, (a few more might be available)
There is No Entry Fee for this contest.


Fill out my online form.





 

Young Writers Awards

St. Louis Writers Guild's annual writing contest for young writers!

Opens August 1 - Deadline October 15

All entries must be emailed or postmarked on October 15

 

The Young Writers Awards by St. Louis Writers Guild were started in 2011 to continue the legacy of encouraging tomorrow's authors. This year we're excited to announce, all the Winners and Finalists will be published in a collection! Details are on the entry form. Winners and finalists receive a free print copy of the YWA Collection. The YWA Collection is in response to multiple requests to give everyone the feeling of not only having their story honored, but also published!

The contest officially opens on August 1st and will close on October 15th. Entries must be postmarked on or before October 15th.

Who is eligible?
Any young writer may enter who qualifies for one of the two age groups:
4th-5th Graders:  Writers currently enrolled in the fourth or fifth grade
6th-8th Graders: Writers currently enrolled in sixth, seventh, or eighth grades
Academic year is defined by the school district in which the writer attends or the curriculum the writer studies in a home school setting as of Oct. 15 of the current year.

What to do?
Write an original story that begins with the First Line: Everything changed when…
Stories must have more than 250 words to a maximum of 500 words. Stories may be scary, adventurous, humorous, or just plain fun. Judging will be based on originality, characters, cohesiveness, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Contest Rules
Stories must have over 250 words and a maximum of 500 words
Stories must begin with the prompt: Everything changed when…
Stories must be the original creative work of the writer submitting it
Stories may be scary, adventurous, humorous, or just plain fun.
Stories will be judged based on originality, cohesiveness, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
Do not include pictures with your story.
Do not write the young writer’s name on the story pages
Title should be different from the first line
Multiple entries are allowed.
Each entry should be typed using a standard 12-point black font. No fancy fonts or colored paper! Use black ink on white paper if handwritten – print neatly

How to Enter the Young Writers Awards
·        No entrance fee is required.

·        The contest is open to submissions from Aug 1 through Oct 15

·        Multiple entries are allowed

·        Please visit https://www.stlwritersguild.org/young-writers-awards

·        Fill out the online form, and upload the file to enter.

·        File name should include title and author name: StoryTitle_FirstNameLastName

·        File types accepted for upload: PDF, .doc, .docx, .txt

Online Submission are preferred but stories may be mailed as well.
Please submit Entry and Cover Letter
Cover Letter should contain Author Name, Age or Grade, Title, Address, Email address, Name of Parent or Guardian

For Mailed Submissions,
The USPS address for submission is:
St. Louis Writers Guild, Attn: Young Writers Awards
P.O. Box 411757, St. Louis, MO, 63141.

First sentence for the 2023 Young Writers Awards

When the lights went out…

The next 500 words are yours. Good luck!
Winner will be honored at the SLWG Party in January!


Finalists will be published in the Young Writers Awards Collection
The top 16+ stories chosen as finalists in each category, will be published in an anthology produced by St. Louis Writers Guild. No money will be paid. A print copy will be awarded only to the winners. The collection will be sold at the lowest possible price point at launch for friends and family to purchase. Any money made is directed into future young writers programming. A recording may be made of the Book Fair Reading and will only be viewable to SLWG Members and Associate Members.

What are the grounds for disqualification?

Cheating of any kind in the opinion of the contest officials will disqualify the story from consideration. Examples of cheating: plagiarism (copying) of a published story for any part of a contest-submitted story, submitting another writer’s original work as one’s own story.

Not following the rules stated above.


First, Second, Third, and the Honorable Mentions receive:
Certificate
Print copy of the YWA Collection
Invitation to read at the Holiday Book Fair

Finalists receive:
Certificate
Ebook version of the YWA Collection
Invitation to the Holiday Book Fair

For questions please email: president (@) stlwritersguild (dot) org

Entries can be mailed individually or as a group or class.
St. Louis Writers Guild
Attn: Young Writers Awards
P.O. Box 411757
St. Louis, MO
63141


2024 Judge
To be announced



SLWG 2023 Young Writers Collection:
When the lights went out…

The winners and finalists are published in this anthology.
Proceeds from this book support SLWG Summer Writers Camp Programming
$5.99 paperback
$.99 ebook

Want one of the previous collections?
Find them on Amazon and in the SLWG Book Room


2023 Winners and Finalists

4th – 5th Grade

First Place

     Found by Avery Dye – 5th Grade

 

Second Place

     Burning Books by Margaret Wells – 5th Grade

 

Third Place

     The Gargoyles Awaken by Sean Hendrick – 5th Grade

 

Honorable Mention

     Shadowlands by Vivien Hescock – 4th Grade

 

Finalists

Lights Out by Kolton Carlson – 5th grade

The Phoenix Fire by Simran Choudhary – 4th grade 

Oxygen by Levi Dukes – 5th grade

Emerald Eye by Dawanzelle Hopson – 5th grade

A Life After by Pearl Kreiger – 5th grade

The White-Eyed Woman by Pearl Kreiger – 5th grade

Finding Black by Risi Mital – 5th grade

Monster Downstairs by Harper Morris – 4th grade

Mystery Ninjas Electric Mission by Aaron Voss- 5th grade

Spy Lights by Evelyn Yakel – 5th grade

Thank you to the 2023 Judge, Phyllis Wheeler

6th – 8th grades

First Place

     Mourning The Leaves by Amanda Vache – 8th Grade                         

Second Place

     A Dark Day in Ukraine by Cassidy Proost – 8th Grade

 

Third Place

     Eclipse by Bea Eilering – 7th Grade

 

Honorable Mention

     A Lost Illusion by Carissa Brand – 8th Grade   

 

Finalists

Bang and Burn by Haiden Antonacci – 8th grade

The Patient in Room 180 by Carissa Brand – 8th grade

I Don’t Like the Darkness by Jesse Carter – 8th grade

The Escape by Autumn Grace Daras – 8th grade

Bear in My Kitchen by Amelia Geneux-Ericson – 7th grade

The Museum of Horrifying History by Preston Gold – 6th grade

Moon Gone From the Sky by Sophia Mayes – 7th grade

The Box by Felicity Murray – 8th grade

The Night of Hell by Stella Pulley – 7th grade 

The Buzz by Brooke Schneider – 8th grade

Thank you to the 2023 Judge, Laura Stewart Schmidt


Past Winners and Finalists of the Young Writers Awards!

Congratulations! Thank you to all who entered!

Finalists are listed in alphabetical order


2022 Winners and Finalists

Along the river…

2022 Winners

4th - 5th Grade
Winners and Finalists 

First Place
     The Journey of How Zuhri Came to Be
          by Zuhri Gauss – 5th Grade

Second Place
     A Train to War by Margaret Wells – 4th Grade

Third Place
     Lost in the Wild by Levi Dukes – 4th Grade

Honorable Mention
     The Yellow Eyes of the Forest by Sara Kraja – 4th Grade

Finalists

     April by Morgan Callahan – 5th Grade

     The Girl in the River by Lillian Christoffel – 5th Grade      

     Magic River by Pearl Krieger – 4th Grade     

     Where the River Meets the Sea by Kate McCarthy – 5th Grade

     Breaking the Barrier by Donald McCullough – 5th Grade   

     Z is for Zombie by Andrew Meyer-Tuter – 4th Grade  

     The Vicious Lion by Samy Nekka – 5th Grade

     Wonderland by Navya Patlu – 5th Grade      

     Sea of Pirates by John Quinn – 4th Grade     

     The Volcano Eruption by Cortez Strong – 5th Grade

6th - 8th Grade
Winners and Finalists

First Place
     The Man Along the River by Will Diekmann – 8th Grade                      

Second Place
     The Letters by LJ Cameron – 6th Grade

Third Place
     The Poster Shop by Collin Farquhar – 7th Grade

Honorable Mention
     The Construction Site by Amelia Chostner – 8th Grade       

Finalists

     Forever You and Me

          by Ella Blanchard and Layla Olds – 8th grade                  

     The River Girl by Lily Crabtree – 8th Grade  

     Otterly Bad Logic by Faith Durand – 7th Grade

     The Colors of The River by Neila Kadic – 7th Grade

     Strange Tides by Claire Kelley – 7th Grade                  

     Shouldn’t You Be Dead? By Abigail Mazzola – 8th Grade

     Glass Crown by Molly McCarthy – 8th Grade                   

     Iris by Molly Price – 6th Grade                                    

     It all Went Wrong by Annabelle Swaykus – 8th Grade

     Abandoned by Jocelyn Westerfeld – 7th Grade


2021 Winners and Finalists

When the door opened…

4th - 5th Grade

Winners and Finalists

First Place

     Waterworld by Jackson McCollough – 4th Grade

Second Place

     Pyramid Gazing by James Rogers – 4th Grade

Third Place

     Opal’s Quest by Molly Price – 5th Grade

Honorable Mention

     Doors of Chance by Eva Pulley – 5th Grade

 

Finalists

The Adventures of Lily the Pocket Lint

     by Callie Behrens – 4th Grade

Harmony by Andrew Fei – 5th Grade

The Killer Spider by Sofia Holy – 4th Grade

Hallows Eve by Emmersen Leetch – 5th Grade

The Alien Abduction by Donald McCollough – 4th Grade

Second Chance by Quinn McFarlane – 4th Grade

Reverse by Adelaide Pagel – 4th Grade

My First Violin Performance by Nafas Parsang – 5th Grade

Halloween Night by Morgan Witt – 5th Grade

6th - 8th Grade

Winners and Finalists

 First Place

     Long Lost by Madison Hankin – 8th Grade

Second Place

     Skin-Walker by Brendan Duffy – 8th Grade

Third Place

     The Translator by Katherine Nguyen – 8th Grade

Honorable Mention

     Children’s Crusade by Katherine Nguyen – 8th Grade

 

Finalists

The Dream Queen by Melody Brink – 6th Grade

It’s All an Illusion by Tessa Brink – 8th Grade

Best Friend by Katherine Feeney – 8th Grade

When the Door Opened by Olivia Gorline – 8th Grade

Foresight by Isabella Jones – 8th Grade

Father by Ruby Jurgiel – 7th Grade

Anna by Mary Kirley – 8th Grade

The Misleading Librarian by Natalia Lucca – 8th Grade

The Little Troll by Alfi Shakeel – 8th Grade

Silence by Sydney Vache – 8th Grade

The Proposal by Julia Worley – 7th Grade


 
 

2020 Winners and Finalists - Beneath the Mask…

4th - 5th Grade

Winners and Finalists

First Place - The Spittin Kitten by Melody Brink, 5th Grade

Second Place - Freedom 1945 by Maisyn DaLanne Parentin – 5th Grade

Third Place - Sheriff Taco by Claira Price – 5th Grade

Honorable Mention - The Last Resort by Siyona Chanda – 4th Grade

 

Finalists

Spy Game: The Heist by Aliyah Brown, 4th Grade

Halloween Secret by Daley Chilson, 5th Grade

The Resistance by Devin Garner, 5th Grade

Cinderella and Bradley by Aubrey Holdren, 5th Grade

The True Story of Gretel and Hansel by Aubrey Holdren, 5th Grade

On The Run by Hannah Hope, 5th Grade

Fishing is Hard Work by Kane Manfull, 5th Grade

The Heart Thief by Eva Pulley, 4th Grade

Beneath The Mask - Brigett Hollows by Zoe Sophia Russell, 5th Grade

A Very Furry Halloween by Harrison Vandernoot, 5th Grade

6th - 8th Grade

Winners and Finalists

 First Place - The Sunrise on the Cherry Tree by Sara Rohatgi, 8th Grade

 Second Place - The Shadows Mission by Cole Nemkovich – 8th Grade

 Third Place - One Last Breath by Zach Wolfmeyer, 6th Grade

 Honorable Mention - COVID-19 by Reagan Miller, 6th Grade

 

Finalists

Reality Unveiled by Kailyn Anderson, 6th Grade

Behind The Mask by Amber Argueta, 7th Grade

The Asteroid by Tessa Brink, 7th Grade

Beneath The Ash by Sophia Costantino, 6th Grade

Secrets In Plain Sight by Lakshyatha Dharmireddi, 8th Grade

Memory by Reagan Miller, 6th Grade

Fire by Reagan Miller, 6th Grade

Who I Am Behind The Mask by Liz Phipps, 7th Grade

Beneath The Mask by Grayson Smith, 7th Grade

The Virus by Mya Walsh, 8th Grade

High School

Winners

 First Place - The Door at the End of the Hall by Elliot Behm, 9th Grade

Second Place - Of Masks and Mirrors by Janka Gerber, 11th Grade

Third Place - Faces by Elise Humes, 10th Grade

Honorable Mention - Persona by Joanna Allali, 9th Grade


Winners and Finalists of the 2019 Young Writers Awards!

When the cup turned over…

4th - 5th Grade

Winners & Finalists

First Place - Faithful by Millie Holekamp

Second Place - Detective Danny by Zachary Wolfmeyer

Third Place - The Orc King’s Reign by Henry Madden

Honorable Mention - Ming’s Life by Alex Bryant

Honorable Mention - The Cup Of Power by Devika Eluru

Honorable Mention - A Sorcerer’s Fight by Anna Mason

 

Finalists

A Game by Alexis J. Burroughs

Dringdudrung by Elisha Dukes

My Job by Colton Hrubes

Contest by Reagan Miller

Magic by Amelia Rejent

The Street Magician by Jackson Ringhoffer

Another Memory by Elle Saleeby

When The Blues Made History by Riley Schoene

Tom, Calvin, And, Fizzy Get The Salami by Harry VanDernoot

Upside Down Cup by Brayden Walters

6th - 8th Grade

Winners & Finalists

First Place - When The Cup Turned Over by Lucas Silva

Second Place - When The Cup Turned Over… by Isabella (Ella) Jones

Third Place - Hope by Hope Zeldin

Honorable Mention - Cup Stacking by Mia Cuneio

Honorable Mention - Hero by Olivia Nieders

Honorable Mention - The Visitor at Teatime by Elizabeth Oelzen

 

Finalists

Lunch Disaster by Emily Bernstein, 6th Grade

Poisonous Frogs by Louisa Blackmoore, 7th Grade

Truth Or Dare by Tessa Brink, 6th Grade

A Computer’s Nightmare by Zach Cohen, 8th Grade

Alone by Alexa Kahle, 7th Grade

It Started With A Cup by Darcy McClung, 7th Grade

From Worst To First by Taylor Priesmeyer, 8th Grade

“Spiders” by Trevor Schmidt, 6th Grade

Announcement by Daniel Shanker, 7th Grade

Laugh With The Sinners, Die With The Saints by Leslie Tuck, 8th Grade

 

Honorable Mentions and Finalists are listed in Alphabetical Order.
Thank you to everyone who entered!


Congratulations to the Winners of the 2018 Young Writers Awards

6th-8th grade writers

1st Elise Humes – Something In My Lunchbox
2nd Hope Zeldin – Get that Ring!
3rd Avery Mattingly – One Person Changes Everything

Honorable Mentions
Lydia Crooks - The Lunchbox
Sonali Mehta – Broken Dreams
Yasmine Maynard - “Cage”


4th-5th Grade

1st Jason Campbell – George, The Jolly Rancher
2nd Millie Holekamp – Pandora’s Lunchbox
3rd Avi Zucker, Aimee Dalton – Pitchfork Lunch

Honorable Mentions
Quinn Puga – The Orangutan’s Contract
Fiona Morayta – Squirrelzilla!
Hannah Hirsch – My Brother’s Star Wars Lunch Box

Thank you to everyone who entered, there were almost 200 hundred entries this year!