Sponsored by Operation Literacy and judged by professional book editors. This contest is open internationally. Finalists will be judged by New York Times Bestselling author Kathryn Purdie.

There are three age divisions in this competition: 

Teens ages 13–15 

Teens ages 16–19

Adult ages 20 and up.

Entry fee is $29.00. 

First, second, and third place winners will be chosen in all divisions. 

All entries will receive judging feedback. First, second, and third place winners will receive a full critique of their work and award certificate. First place winners will receive: 

Winner’s Certificate

Get out of the slush pile with an agent

Winners will be notified by January 15. 

Submission window: November 1–December 31, 2025. 

Teens: many English teachers offer extra credit to students for participating in the contest. Check with your English teacher to see if this is a possibility for you.

Rules and Guidelines

*If you do not follow these guidelines, your work will automatically be disqualified.

• All work should be original and unpublished. No AI writing is allowed. Posting your work to a blog or website does not classify it as being published.
• Entrants must must enter the category of their age.
• Entries must be double-spaced with one inch margins in 12 pt. Times New Roman or Arial Font.
• Entry is limited to 1000 words. However, sending any more than the first 1,000 words will disqualify you from the contest.
• Pages must be numbered.
• Entries must be in English.
• Changes can’t be made to the entry after you have submitted it. Please proofread and double-check your work before submission.
• As this is a contest for middle grade and young adult fiction, no graphic violence, language, or sex scenes are allowed. Think of it like PG-13 movies. This is a PG or PG-13 contest.
• Any entries received after the contest deadline will not be considered.
• Family of any member of the Operation Literacy team is not eligible to participate.​
• For questions or clarifications, email heatherbmoore@operationliteracy.org

StoryCon Poetry Collection 

- Formerly known as Teen Author Boot Camp Poetry Collection
- Submissions for the 2026 collection are open from July 15 - December 15.

- Authors and Artists outside the USA chosen for publication will receive digital copies of the collection and are not eligible for the Grand Prize Awards

- All artists and poets must be between the ages of 13 & 19 as of the date of submission

- Examples of past collections can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/nhc5ttpy

Poetry Submissions:

• Enter as many times as you'd like!
• Each entry is $5 to cover the cost of awards, shipping, and production
• Submissions may be up to three poems but no more than five pages
• Please upload only .doc or .docx files
• Each entry not chosen for publication will receive personalized feedback from collection editors
• Pieces chosen for publication will be printed in the final collection
• Each published poet will receive a print copy of the collection and recognition at StoryCon
• One grand prize winner will receive a $50 cash prize, plus a call-out at StoryCon 2026
• Contact StoryConPoetry@gmail.com with questions. NOTICE: replies could take up to two weeks.

Art Submissions:

• Please submit only ORIGINAL photographs and drawings. Digital editing done by hand is acceptable, however, AI rendered images will not be considered.
• We prefer photography and fully rendered images over sketches. Full color or complete black and white spectrum is best.
• The winning image will be used for the cover of the StoryCon Teen Poetry Collection cover.
• One grand prize winner will receive a $50 cash prize, a copy of the publication, plus a call-out at StoryCon 2026, the largest teen writing conference in the United States.
• Contact StoryConPoetry@gmail.com with questions. NOTICE: replies could take up to two weeks.