2024 Teen Writer's Contest
The Center for the Arts-Lake Sunapee Region (CFA) is pleased to announce the
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5th Annual Teen Writer's Contest!
Winners of the competitions in each genre will receive prizes from local business and
publication in the Teen Writers Project journal. Entries will be judged by Tom Coverdale, a retired educator with 37 years of experience at high schools in New Hampshire.
RULES AND AWARDS for the Competitions
Deadline for submission: December 15, 2024
Open to all writers between the ages of 12 and 18 who live in Andover, Bradford, Danbury,
Grantham, New London, Newbury, Newport, Springfield, Sunapee, Sutton, Warner, or Wilmot. Accepting submissions in short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Writers are welcome to submit to multiple genres. Please see specific genre requirements below:
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Short Fiction: Send your best short stories and flash fiction. Submissions up to 4,000 words. Either one essay or memoir, or several shorter pieces totaling 4,000 words. Must be double-spaced and include page numbers.
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Creative Nonfiction: Submit your true stories, creatively crafted. Submissions up to 4,000 words. Either one essay or memoir, or several shorter pieces totaling 4,000 words. Must be double-spaced and include page numbers.
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Poetry: Send us your beautiful poetry, all styles welcome. Submit up to 5 poems or no more than 10 pages single- spaced.
All submissions must include the TITLE of your piece, your NAME, ADDRESS, and EMAIL ADDRESS as well as the NAME OF TEACHER you’d like to recognize. Write GRADE, SCHOOL, and the GENRE of the submission on the first page. Send all submissions to submissions@cfanh.org as a PDF and Microsoft Word document. In your email, please include your contact information.
Prize Packages Listed Below
First Place (Short Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry)
Grand Prize Package from local businesses.
An awards certificate.
Publication in the next edition of the Teen Writers Project journal.
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Second Place (Short Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry)
Second Place Prize Package from local businesses.
An awards certificate.
Publication in the next edition of the Teen Writers Project journal.
Third Place (Short Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry)
Third Place Prize Package from local businesses.
An awards certificate.
Publication in the next edition of the Teen Writers Project journal.
Runner Up (Short Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry)
An awards certificate.
Publication in the next edition of the Teen Writers Project journal.
Honorable Mention (Short Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry)
An awards certificate.
Publication in the next edition of the Teen Writers Project journal.
If you have any questions, please contact submissions@cfanh.org.
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Please note:
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By submitting your work to this contest, you agree to have it posted on the CFA website, social media pages, and published in the printed CFA Teen Writers Project journal.
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By submitting your photo and statement, you agree to have these posted on the CFA website, social media pages, and in local media announcing the winners.
2023 Winning Entries
Congratulations to each and every participant of the Teen Writers Contest! Your passion for storytelling and creativity have truly impressed us. Your words have ignited imaginations, sparked emotions, and illuminated worlds we never knew existed. Keep nurturing your talent and never cease to explore the boundless depths of your imagination. Your contributions to the literary world are invaluable, and we can't wait to see the extraordinary stories you'll continue to share with the world. Well done, and may your writing journeys be filled with endless inspiration and success!
2022 Winning Teen Writers
Luna Landers, New London, sophomore at KRHS
August Bates, Warner, freshman at KRHS
Jenna Caron, Sunapee, junior at Sunapee HS
Author and Judge Megan Baxter
Annaliese Rowell, Sunapee, junior at Sunapee HS
Emma Geraghty, Sutton, freshman at KRHS
Josefina Eliessetch, Sutton, freshman at KRHS
Elle Labrie-Lavalley, Andover, freshman at Proctor Academy
Congratulations to each and every participant of the Teen Writers Contest! Your passion for storytelling and creativity have truly impressed us. Your words have ignited imaginations, sparked emotions, and illuminated worlds we never knew existed. Keep nurturing your talent and never cease to explore the boundless depths of your imagination. Your contributions to the literary world are invaluable, and we can't wait to see the extraordinary stories you'll continue to share with the world. Well done, and may your writing journeys be filled with endless inspiration and success!
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To view the writings of the contest winners,
2022 Winning Entries
2021 Winning Teen Writers
From Left to Right
Katarina Nowicki
Carly Solomon
Judge and Author Megan Baxter
Bret Salvitti
Lilah Bartholomew, Marley Bell
Missing from Photo: Luna Landers, McHale Cahill,
Maddox Cahill
Congratulations to each and every participant of the teen writing contest! Your passion for storytelling and creativity have truly impressed us. Your words have ignited imaginations, sparked emotions, and illuminated worlds we never knew existed. Keep nurturing your talent and never cease to explore the boundless depths of your imagination. Your contributions to the literary world are invaluable, and we can't wait to see the extraordinary stories you'll continue to share with the world. Well done, and may your writing journeys be filled with endless inspiration and success!
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To view the writings of the contest winners,
2021 Winning Entries
Additional Places to Submit Writing
There are many publications open to teens throughout the year. Feel free to browse our curated list of publications for teens.