The theme for HEPL’s 9th Teen Writing Challenge is mystery! Teen writers are challenged to write a complete short story that features a mystery.
Mysteries can be thrilling or cozy, realistic or supernatural, a murder investigation or tracking down a stolen painting, and anything else you can imagine. Let your creativity and cleverness work together to create an interesting mystery short story.
Who: Teens in grades 6-12 living in or attending school in Fishers or Noblesville (and/or Delaware, Fall Creek, Noblesville, or Wayne township)
When: Entries are due by Sunday, August 31, 2025 by 11:59 PM
What: An original short story
Theme: Mystery
Winners: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners receive digital gift cards of $50, $30, and $25, respectively (winners can choose gift cards from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, or Starbucks).
GUIDELINES:
- Only one entry per person
- Entry must be a short story and tell a complete story
- Entry must be mystery-themed
- Entry must be an original work and not plagiarized
- Entry must be between 3,000 words or less
- Cannot submit an entry in which any portion of the work is generated by AI (artificial intelligence)
- Content should be appropriate for general teen audience
- Entry must be typed and submitted as a Word document or link to a Google Doc. Entry should be emailed to [email protected]
- The author’s NAME, GRADE, SCHOOL NAME/HOMESCHOOL, EMAIL, PHONE NUMBER, and HOME ADDRESS must be included in the email and should not be on the story document
- Entry must be submitted by Sunday, August 31, 2025 by 11:59 pm
JUDGING:
- Judges for the contest will be a mixed panel of HEPL staff (adults) and Teen Advisory Board members (teens) who do not have entries in the contest
- Submissions will be judged anonymously with only the author’s grade level visible to judges (grade level/age of author will be considered when judging)
- Judges will be looking at the following criteria:
- Entry tell a complete story in 3,000 words or less
- Story fits the mystery theme
- Appropriateness for general teen audience
- Organization and flow of the work
- Overall entertainment and readability
Winners will be announced Friday, September 26, 2025. Winning authors will be asked by email to return a signed permission form allowing HEPL to post their awesome work on our website.
We can’t wait to read your stories! Good luck!
If you have any questions about the contest, please email: [email protected]