The theme for HEPL’s 11th Teen Writing Challenge is Schools and Universities!
Challenge yourself to write a fictional story set in a school or university. A magical school for faeries, a private school with a mysterious headmaster, a senior prank gone wrong, a freshman’s first day at college, or anything else you can imagine!
Who: Teens in grades 6-12 living in or attending school in Fishers or Noblesville (and/or Delaware, Fall Creek, Noblesville, or Wayne townships in Hamilton County)
When: Entries are due by Monday, August 31, 2026 by 11:59pm
What: An original short story
Theme: Schools and Universities
Winners: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will receive a free book* of their choice, and their stories will be published in a blog post on the HEPL website.
*Winners may choose from a wide selection of teen books.
GUIDELINES:
- Only one entry per person
- Entry must tell a complete story
- Entry must be set in a school or university
- Entry must be original work and not plagiarized
- Entry must be 3,000 words or less (not including title)
- 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 Monday, August 31, 2026 by 11:59pm
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 theme
- Appropriateness for general teen audience
- Organization and flow of the work
- Overall entertainment and readability
Winners will be announced Friday, September 25, 2026. 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]