Writing Contests 2020-2021

HOT DISH MAGAZINE, an online journal serving up a bubbling mixture of poetry and fiction by teens (grades 9–12), wants your voice to be heard! We award cash prizes for fiction, poetry, and the Hot Dish Challenge. Our submission period is October-January. Visit us at www.hotdishmagazine.com. 

GIRLS RIGHT THE WORLD is a literary journal inviting young, female-identified writers and artists, ages 14–21, to submit work for consideration for the fourth annual issue. We believe girls’ voices transform the world for the better. We accept poetry, prose, and visual art of any style or theme. We ask to be the first to publish your work in North America; after publication, the rights return to you. Please include a note mentioning your age, where you’re from, and a bit about your submission. Send your best work, in English or English translation, to girlsrighttheworld@gmail.com between September 1 and December 31. 

THE LUMIERE REVIEW is a literary magazine dedicated to shining the light on all voices (particularly young creatives) through poetry, prose, and art. We’ll be running our first annual writing contest for poetry and prose, which will be open for submission from December 1st to January 15th. Updates will be made on our social media accounts (@lumierereview on twitter and instagram). Details on the contest guidelines can be found at https://lumierereview.com/contest.

PRINCIPIA PERSPECTIVES WRITING CONTEST is an annual writing contest that centers around a specific theme each year. This year, the theme is family. What stories define “family” for you? We don’t limit “family” to blood relatives; any person, group of people, or community that fulfills that role is an option. We also don’t want to limit you to COVID-19 stories—the purpose here is not to reflect on the pandemic, but rather, family. Anything goes as long as the theme is addressed in a thoughtful manner. The contest is open to middle and high schoolers. View contest details and guidelines at https://www.principiatutors.com/principia-perspectives-contest.

BOW SEAT’S OCEAN AWARENESS CONTEST is an annual contest centered around a specific theme in regards to environmentalism and climate activism. The 2021 Contest, WATER RISING, invites students ages 11-18 to explore water’s connection to climate change, health, justice, and culture, and to creatively communicate the need to protect this vital resource. The contest is free to enter and the contest deadline is June 14th. Learn more at http://www.bowseat.org/contest.

PUBLICATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS

TEEN INK: is one of the most popular and diverse writing spaces to get published in high school. The broad categories for publication reflect the diversity of writing that this lively online magazine celebrates. Some publication categories include: community service, travel and culture, the environment, health, reviews of TV shows and video games, and college essays, among the more traditional poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Visit online at: http://www.teenink.com/

AGNI: is Boston University’s well-respected journal. It appears in both print and online. AGNI submissions are not limited to high school writers, but the journal is known to accept and publish lots of work by new writers. Get published in high school at AGNI and you’ve taken an important step to becoming a writer in the real world! Find them online at: http://www.bu.edu/agni/submit.html

THE ADROIT JOURNAL: is run by high school students, college students, and emerging writers. Adroit publishes within “over 21” and “under 21” categories, so your writing will appear alongside great work by writers of any age. Adroit publishes fiction and poetry, and includes art and photography. They will reopen our submission reading period in January 2021. Find them online at: http://www.theadroitjournal.org/

EMBER: only published twice a year, but this beautiful and dreamy journal of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction appeals to all age groups. Although it doesn’t exclusively publish young writers, submissions from writers and artists ages 10 to 18 are strongly encouraged. Submissions open in February of 2021. For more details, visit them online at: http://emberjournal.org/

ICE LOLLY REVIEW: Ice Lolly Review accepts a variety of pieces including, creative nonfiction, fiction, haikus, poems, plays, spoken word, and etc. They are looking for pieces that have a strong, solid voice and aren’t afraid of delving into deep topics. For more details, go to https://www.icelollyreview.com/submissions.

jGIRLS MAGAZINE:  jGirls Magazine accepts submissions on an ongoing basis from self-identifying Jewish teenage girls and gender-expansive youth ages 13-19. You can submit articles, essays, fiction, poetry, cultural reviews, humor, photographs, music, videos, artwork and other creative materials. You can submit as often as you’d like. For more details, visit https://jgirlsmagazine.org/submission-guidelines/.

POLYPHONY LIT: invites submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from high school students worldwide. Student editors provide feedback to all submissions, including the ones not accepted for publication. Submissions are open from July 1 2020 – April 30, 2020. More details can be found at https://www.polyphonylit.org/.