Teen Writing Contest

Submit your original poetry or short story

Submission Guidelines

Rules:

Submission dates: December 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027.
Must be 18 or younger AND in grades 6-12.
Participants must be a resident of Clark County, Nevada.
Works of poetry or short stories will be accepted for consideration (Non-fiction stories will not be accepted).
Submissions in the short story category must be a minimum of 300 words.
All works cannot exceed 2,000 words.
Only 1 entry per person.
School assignments will not be accepted.
All work must be original and unpublished.
Entries must remain PG-13 (no profound violence, swearing, etc).
Content should be appropriate for general teen audience.
Cannot submit an entry in which any portion of the work is generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence).
All entries must be cut and pasted into the Submission Field – GoogleDoc links will not be accepted.
Entries will be assessed by library staff prior to being submitted to the judges for scoring. Submissions that are deemed inappropriate, culturally inaccurate, or possess negative stereotypical characterization will be disqualified.

We are planning to announce the winners at a private in-person reception in April featuring a special guest speaker.

If you have any questions, please contact Erin Owens.

READ LAST YEAR'S WINNING ENTRIES IN UNLOCKED VOICES, OUR ANNUAL DIGITAL MAGAZINE.