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"The Next Generation"
Writing Contest

A student-specific writing contest intended to spark a love for writing and exercise their creative muscle.

Image by Ariel

The Prize

The winning students will have their poems & stories published in a book alongside their peers. 

 

This contest is hosted at the state level to maximize the number of students who have the opportunity to see their work in print.

 

We will be publishing a Middle School book and a High School book per state. To keep the contest competitive, and so the students who win can feel like it's truly an accomplishment, each book will only feature up to 200 students (400 per state).

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The Rules

All students must agree to the Release Waiver when submitting their work for consideration. The Release Waiver grants Behind the Vision, LLC permission to publish your work in the anthology with basic editing privileges (spelling, grammar, and font) - all rights to your work remain with you, the author.

Behind the Vision, LLC doesn't tolerate poems or stories that include hateful and discriminatory language and themes, and we don't tolerate plagiarism. Any poems or stories that we deem offensive or to not be original work will be disqualified. 

Notebook

The Prompts

Each prompt has a specific set of requirements that must be met to be eligible for consideration. There is no limit on how many poems and stories a student can submit.

Poetry

Poetry Style, Emotional Theme, Topic

(Topic word must be included in the poem)

Haiku, Any Emotion, "Oak"

Rhyme, Happy, "Law"

Sonnet, Angry, "Finish"

Limerick, Any Emotion, "Power"

Working on Laptop

Submit Your Work

We are charging a $2.00 fee per submission.

 

Why? Great question!

Reviewing poems and stories from across the country and providing detailed comprehensive edits to those who request it is a huge undertaking. The nominal fee is to support our staff so they can give your work the attention and care it deserves. 

Short Story

Genre, Perspective, Topic, Word Count (all are 300-500 words)

(Topic word must be included in the story)

Romance, 3rd Person, "Light"

Horror, 1st Person, "Tongue"

Fantasy, 3rd Person, "Moon"

Any Genre, 1st Person, "Faith"

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Schools! Support Your Students

You can support your students in their publishing pursuit by covering the cost of their submissions! 

Author Interviews

Learn from accomplished authors about how they got their start, the books they've written, and the trials & tribulations they've encountered during their storytelling careers.

Closed Contests

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2021-2022 Contest

Check out the prompts last year's participants were challenged with & purchase copies of their published work!

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