Annual writing competition offers local teens chance for creative expression, cash Submissions due April 15

Local 9th through 12th graders with a knack for creative writing have the chance to win one of three cash prizes this spring in the 13th annual Teen Short Fiction Competition, hosted by North Central Washington Libraries and a Wenatchee-based nonprofit organization. 

High school students - whether in public school, private school, home school or Running Start - are invited to submit original short fiction up to 2,000 words in length, either a short story or the beginning pages of a longer piece, according to the NCWL contest website. 

"Our hope is to provide a platform for teens in our region to develop their writing skills, share their creative work and inspire fellow young writers," said Jessica Lynch, teen services manager with NCW Libraries. 

Submissions must be received by April 15 and be the student's own work, written without artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT. Three winners will each receive a $200 cash prize.  

The contest was originally hosted by Write on the River, a nonprofit organization in Wenatchee, Lynch explained. When NCW Libraries came on as a partner, the boundaries expanded to cover the entire library district, including all of Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant and Okanogan counties. 

Past winners have mainly come from Chelan County and the Wenatchee Valley, but there's no reason our local kids can't win in the future, says Lake Roosevelt English teacher Justus Caudell, who presented the opportunity to his students this week. 

"We have a handful of kids who write stories on their own," says Caudell, of his 9th and 10th graders. "I have one girl in class who has an entire book that she's writing. Any free chance she gets in class, she's writing. We have a lot of kids who are interested in telling stories. And I don't know that they've had a lot of exposure to a formal opportunity like this." 

Caudell is a writer himself. Growing up north of Keller, in the Bridge Creek area, he later obtained a master's of fine arts degree in writing from the California Institute of the Arts, and wrote for the Tribal Tribune in Nespelem for nine years before becoming an English teacher three years ago.

Also a Raider wrestling coach, Caudell is excited to see a creative writing competition open to youth, to complement the athletic opportunities.

"In schools in general, we do a great job getting extracurricular sports activities," Caudell said. "But the creative opportunities outside the classroom are few and far between. I think giving kids who have interest in creative storytelling, or creativity in general, another outlet, is really special."

Youth voices can also offer a powerful take on reality, society and life, he added. 

"Our youth have a unique perspective about how the world operates that some of us tend to forget when we get busy with responsibilities and mortgages, and the bureaucracy of being an adult," Caudell said. "I'm excited."

Contest judges include Write on the River members, the NCW Library's teen services manager, and members of the NCW Teen Library Council. 

The contest has attracted greater participation over the years, going from 19 submissions in 2020 to 41 last year, according to Lynch. 

For contest rules, and to submit a piece, visit:

https://www.ncwlibraries.org/writerscompetition/