Where Young Authors Can Submit
Here’s my latest version of places for young writers to submit (updated October 2024). Please feel free to share widely, and email me any suggestions or corrections.
Contests
The Amazon First Novel Award includes a Youth Author Award category. Teens between the ages of 13 and 17 can submit a short story. thewalrus.ca/afna
The CNIB Braille Creative Writing Contest accepts original poems and stories by Canadian students up to grade 12. www.cnib.ca
The Eden Mills Poetry Contest is an annual youth poetry contest run by Eden Mills Writers’ Festival, which is held annually in early September. edenmillswritersfestival.ca
Kids Write 4 Kids is an annual creative writing contest for Canadian students in grades 4 to 8. They accept original stories of fact or fiction, prose, or poetry. www.ripplefoundation.ca/kids-write-4-kids/contest
Indigenous Arts & Stories showcases writing by Aboriginal Canadians between the ages of 6 and 29. www.our-story.ca
The Hamilton Public Library has the annual Power of the Pen Creative Writing Contest for ages 12 to 18 who are residents of Southern Ontario. Check the Teen Page at www.hpl.ca.
The League of Canadian Poets lists prizes and offers resources for young poets. poets.ca/resources
The Reedsy Best Writing Scholarships lists writing scholarships for every kind of student. blog.reedsy.com/writing-scholarships
The River of Words Annual Poetry Contest is designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place they live. The contest is open to any writers aged 5 to 19. Older students must have not yet completed high school. www.stmarys-ca.edu/center-for-environmental-literacy/rules-and-guidelines
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards recognize student achievement in the visual arts and creative writing. www.artandwriting.org
The award-winning charity Story Studio offers a Monthly Writing Contest for kids ages 5 to 13 worldwide. Every story submitted is also published in their monthly digital anthology. www.storystudio.ca/write
Publications/Podcasts
The Adroit Journal is a print literary publication offering young writers from around the world the chance to submit work for publication alongside established adult writers. Young writers in high school or college can also participate in the editing process as part of the journal’s staff of readers and editors. www.theadroitjournal.org
The Apprentice Writer is a print publication from the Writers Institute of Susquehanna University. It publishes the fiction, personal essays, poetry and photography of high school students. www.apprenticewriter.com
The Aurora Journal is a journal for poetry and prose in the form of the surreal, the ethereal, and the whimsical. They accept writers of all ages. https://www.theaurorajournal.org
Big Writers, Little Ears is a podcast series written by young adults for kids. It features true and make-believe tales of travel from around the world. travelnitch.org/big-writers-little-ears
BreakBread Magazine elevates the voices of youth through their literary journal, community events, and internship program. It accepts original, unpublished work by creatives under the age of 25. www.breakbreadproject.org
Cast of Wonders: The Young Adult Speculative Fiction Podcast seeks stories for ages 12 to 17 that evoke a sense of wonder, have deep emotional resonance, and have something unreal about them. They are particularly interested in considering stories from younger writers. www.castofwonders.org
Cricket Magazine is an international print magazine that holds monthly writing and artwork contests for young subscribers aged 9 to 14. www.cricketmagkids.com
Hanging Loose Press is dedicated to supporting new and young writers. They have special guidelines for high school student submissions. www.hangingloosepress.com
The Ice Lolly Review is a non-profit online magazine that spotlights young writing enthusiasts aged 12 to 26. www.icelollyreview.com
The Incandescent Review is a teen-run literary magazine focused on helping teens to express their opinions and responses to world issues in poetry, prose and visual art. www.theincandescentreview.org
INKspire publishes articles by youth aged 14 to 29 on the arts, social issues, science, and technology. inkspire.org
The Milking Cat is a weekly online teen comedy magazine that publishes original teen comedy from around the world. They accept all mediums of comedy from students aged 13 to 18 ranging from stories and scripts to movies and comics. www.themilkingcat.com
New Moon: The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams is a print magazine edited by 8- to 14-year-old girls. www.newmoongirls.com
Polyphony Lit is an international literary magazine that accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from high school students worldwide. www.polyphonylit.org
Shameless is a Canadian magazine rooted in feminism and DIY culture for teenage girls. Accepts submissions from young writers. www.shamelessmag.com
Skipping Stones is a multicultural children’s magazine that encourages children to submit both art and writing. www.skippingstones.org
Soul Spill is a quarterly journal with a focus on mental health. It showcases poetry, short stories, essays, and artwork by teens and for teens. www.soulspill.org
Stone Soup is a print magazine of writing by young people up to age 13. www.stonesoup.com
Teen Ink is a monthly magazine that publishes teen (13 to 19) writing. teenink.com
Trouvaille Review is an online journal that publishes the poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction writing of high schoolers across the globe. www.trouvaillereview.org
The WEIGHT Journal accepts submissions from 9-12 grade students, including poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. theweight.wixsite.com/theweightjournal
Windscript is the Saskatchewan Writers Guild’s annual magazine of high school writing. www.skwriter.com
Words With Weight is a youth literary magazine that challenges individuals ages 13-25 to deliver original, innovative pieces woven with themes of social justice and personal identity. They accept poetry, prose, personal memoirs, argumentative essays, and non-fiction. wordswithweightmagazine.com
Young Voices Magazine of Teen Writing and Art is an annual publication of poetry, stories, artwork, and more. Teens 12 to 19 living in Toronto can submit. tpl.ca/youngvoices
Links of Interest
Broken Pencil: The Magazine of Zine Culture and the Independent Arts reviews the best zines, books, websites, videos, and artwork from the underground and reprints the best articles from the alternative press. Also includes groundbreaking interviews, original fiction, and commentary on all aspects of the independent arts. www.brokenpencil.com
National Novel Writing Month is a free yearly program in November. Writers are encouraged to produce a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month. Includes community forums. NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program has resources for writers 17 and under. www.nanowrimo.org
Newpages: Young Authors Guide is a select list of literary magazines, places to publish writing, and contests for young writers. www.newpages.com/npguides/young_authors_guide.htm
Writing Careers: The Business Behind Becoming an Author includes information about author education, career options, submissions, and working with editors. www.zenbusiness.com/info/writing-careers
YouthWrite is an inclusive, multi-disciplinary writing camp located in Alberta. It offers young writers the chance to work with talented instructors from many facets of the performing, visual, musical, dance, film, and written arts. youthwrite.com
Online Writing Communities
Wattpad is an online writing community for discovering and sharing stories, and connecting readers and writers through storytelling. (Not aimed specifically at youth, but many young people are active members.) www.wattpad.com
Young Writers Online is a community of young writers, both new and experienced, dedicated to improving their writing. Members have access to a Community Forum for general, literary, and off-topic discussion; the Writing Forum, for submitting writing and critiquing work posted by other members; plus a chat room, contests, exercises, and more. Membership is free. www.youngwriters.co.uk
Toronto Events
Sophie’s Studio Workshops are creative workshops at Toronto Public Libraries to promote writing for children aged 8 to 12. Children work with a published author over four weeks on creative writing skills. www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes/featured/sophies-studio.jsp
Toronto Public Library Young Voices Workshops are held at library branches throughout the city. They include programs for teen writers and visual artists to improve skills, meet mentors and learn more about creative expression. www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/teens/young-voices.jsp