Students in Grades K-12 are invited to participate.

Accepting Submissions March 15, 2013 – May 31 2013
Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation Count

Follow ALL the rules for submitting your work. 

In every contest we have to disqualify a very large number of very good entries because the writer didn’t follow the rules for submitting his or her work. Don’t let that happen to you.

Young Voices of America Contest Rules

Remember to send your very best work. Have it proofread by someone skilled at writing. Errors can cost you a win. Failure to follow ALL Contest Rules will result in disqualification.
  • Entries must be original and previously unpublished. You pick the subject and genre.
  • MAXIMUM WORD LIMIT – 20,000 words. NO MINIMUM WORD COUNT REQUIRED
  • We are seeking fiction and nonfiction short stories, NOT essays. Short stories have a plot, characters, and dialogue as well as a sense of time and place.
  • Give your story a title. We receive hundreds of entries and having a title on your entry helps us identify it.
  • Proofread your work. Proofread it again. Have a teacher or parent proofread it one more time. Send only your best work.
  • Parents of very young writers may transcribe (type) the story for their child. Technical ability must be consistent with grade level. Obvious re-writing by an adult will result in disqualification. Proof reading is not only OK, it’s encouraged. See above.
  • In the upper LEFT corner of PAGE 1 you must include name of author, age and grade level and category (Category 1 = Grades 7-12, Category 2 = Grades 3-6, Category 3 = PreK-2), name of parent or guardian, complete address including street number and name, city, state and zip code, telephone number, and email. We have to be able to contact winners.
  • No Fancy Fonts – No Fancy Formatting – No Colored Text – No Pictures – No Text Boxes. This is a writing contest. We want to see your story written in a normal readable font. Times New Roman 12 is a good choice.
  • Entries containing profanity, violent and/or sexually explicit material are not considered appropriate for this contest and will not be considered.
  • Entries MUST be written in English.
  • Multiple Submissions are  NOT allowed. One story per person.
  • Please: Send your entry via email to contestentries@youngvoicesfoundation.org
  • Entries MUST be received by midnight, May 31, 2013
  • Entries WILL NOT be returned. It is important that you maintain a copy for your files.
  • Winners will be announced and prizes awarded 30 – 45 days of close of the contest. Information about the awards will be made public on the Young Voices Foundation Website.
  • Decision of the judges is final.

Please: Send your entry via email to contestentries@youngvoicesfoundation.org