Pen&Quill's
Competition
Open to any writers from 6th to 12th grade with monetary prizes!
Now closed.
Prizes!
First place: $200
Second place: $100
THIRD PLACE: $50
​
Those who place will also receive two free writing advice books, courtesy of the Princeton university press
our
THEME
dO R I G I N Sd
"Origins" seeks work that speaks about experiences that have influenced you to become the person you are (or aren't) today. We want to know what has made you into you. Feel free to take this prompt as literally or metaphorically as you would like!
​
(Check our Twitter and Instagram for themed prompt ideas if you're feeling stuck!)
Although small, we hope these resources will help these young writers to pursue their writing-related passions! Check the competition PDF or down below for more specifics.
​
submission Guidelines
-
Submissions are currently CLOSED for our competition. The window will close on July 24 at 11:59 EST!
-
We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please disclose it in the cover letter and email us BEFORE the deadline if it is accepted elsewhere! (Psst – if these terms are throwing you for a loop, check out our submissions guide in "Resources"!)
-
There is no word limit for poetry, but use only the words you need. The word limit for each prose piece (fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid) is 3,000 words.
-
You may submit up to three pieces of work in total, however, please attach them as separate PDF or .DOCX files.
-
-
If your piece includes content warnings, please place them at the top of your piece in bold. They will not count toward your word count.
-
Please write your full name, grade, and school's name at the top of each document. If you are homeschooled, simply put that instead of the school's name. If you are submitting during summer vacation, please use whichever grade you will be in for the 2023-2024 school year.
-
Please save each document with the title of your piece and its genre.
- EX: "The Da Vinci Code - Fiction"
-
We urge you to respect that this competition is only open to writers between the sixth and twelfth grades.
-
Participants' information is ONLY visible to P&Q staff, and will not be shared without your explicit permission.
-
If anything is unclear, unstated, or causes concern, please feel free to contact us. We don't want confusion to prevent us from seeing your work! Our email can be found at the bottom of this page.
​​Click here to submit your work
We want your
​
​
-
Poetry
-
Fiction Prose
-
Nonfiction Prose
-
Flash fiction