Welcome to the Contests Page!

AADL sponsors a variety of contests for kids and teens. Each contest offers participants the opportunity to show off their creativity from writing to graffiti. Our annual contests include...

The LEGO Contest is for ages preschool through adults. This annual event happens every August. Participants build their projects at home and bring them to the Kensington Court Hotel on a designated date (address in link below) for judging. Prizes are awarded in the form of gift certificates and award ribbons during a large awards ceremony on the evening of the judging. The top three winners in each age category and the people's choice winners each get a custom made LEGO trophy too. For more information take a look at the rules and guidelines for the 2012 contest. Check out the list of winners from every contest and look at all the entries to the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 LEGO Contests.

The Annual "It's All Write!" Short Story Writing Contest includes generous prizes to be distributed among nine winners! The contest is open to students in grades 6-12. Submissions are accepted January through March (specific dates & details in the guidelines below). Writers submit an original short story to be judged by a panel of published authors. The Awards Ceremony is held at the Downtown Library in May. Check out the list of winners from 2013 and the past few years and read the winning stories from the 2008-2013 contests. To learn more, take a look at the 2013 contest rules and guidelines.

NEW! The Short Story Contest for Grades 3-5 will be accepting submissions April 15 through May 6, (with details in the guidelines below). All writers will be invited to a Short Story Celebration in June at the Downtown Library. The top three stories from each grade will be recognized and each writer will receive a certificate of participation. Award-winning local author Shutta Crum will be the guest speaker. To learn more, take a look at the contest rules and guidelines. Check out these writing resources for K-5.

The Graffiti Art Contest is held annually during the Ann Arbor Art Fairs for grades 6-12. All supplies, including paint and painting surfaces, are provided. Participants work on site within a structured time period. Judging occurs the same day and prizes are awarded in the form of gift certificates. All artwork will be displayed for one month at the Ann Arbor District Library. Check out the list of winners and look at all the artwork created for the 2008, 2009, and 2010 contests.

Be a part of AADL's Logo Remix Contest! Make your own video-animated "remix" of the AADL logo and enter it to win prizes! We'll host open workshops in early March with our computers and software available for you to get started building your entry! A few selected animations will be projected above AADL's activity area during the Ann Arbor FoolMoon event. Get the contest rules and guidelines starting Friday, February 22nd at aadl.org or have staff print them out for you. Here's a link to the AADL logo in PNG and JPEG formats.

The Manga Drawing Contest was for grades K-12. The library no longer hosts an annual Manga Drawing Contest. The last contest was in 2009. For more information on past contests see rules and guidelines. Check out the list of winners and look at all the drawings entered in the 2008 & 2009 contests.

The Make It Happen in Ann Arbor Photo Contest is new in 2010, but we hope to make it a yearly event! Kids and adults are invited to submit photos of what summertime in Ann Arbor means to them. The top photos in each age group will receive gift cards and bragging rights. All participants will have their work displayed in the exhibit area of the Downtown Library and on aadl.org. Take a look at the rules and guidelines for more information and start thinking about your picture of summer today!

Read the blog posts below for more information on upcoming and past contests....

Winners of the 2013 AADL Teen Short Story Contest!

47 Finalists were honored on Saturday, May 11, from a pool of 335 submissions for this year's 21st Annual Teen Short Story Writing Contest.

A. S. King spoke to a packed house of teen writers, their families and friends. She delivered a motivational speech, sharing stories of her path as a writer, full of inspiration and wit.
Click here to see the slate of award winning judges.

Below are the top nine winners in each off the three grade categories:

Middle School:
1st Place - 'The Soles of Our Shoes' by Cynthia Jia
2nd Place - 'Beach Glass' by Sofia Kwok
3rd Place - 'The Invasion of Lizzy Burnell' by Mary Collins

High School 9th/10th:
1st Place - 'The Gourd Tree' by Marie Martelli
2nd Place - 'Prisoner's Dilemma' by Milo Davidson
3rd Place - 'Sunstep' by Steven Schulte

High School 11th/12th:
1st Place - 'Going Once' by Allison Light
2nd Place - 'Buoyancy' by Josie Benson
3rd Place - 'Breach' by Leah Awkward-Rich

Congratulations to all the writers, and we hope you continue to write many stories!

Introducing Judge #9 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Don Gallo

Editor Donald R. Gallo is a recipient of the ALAN Award for Outstanding Contributions to Young Adult Literature and the editor of several short story anthologies for teens, including the highly praised DESTINATION UNEXPECTED. The American Library Association includes his anthology SIXTEEN:Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults among the 100 Best Books for Young Adults.

A former junior high school teacher and university professor of English, Don Gallo currently spends his time as an editor, author, workshop presenter,
and interviewer of famous authors.

Don Gallo is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the
winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Introducing Judge #10 Teen Short Story Writing Contest 2013 - Jo Knowles

Jo Knowles is the author of teen novels, with most recently See You at Harry's c2012 and Pearl c2011.
She recently received the Crystal Kite Award for her book, Pearl, and prior to that was the recipient of the 2005 Pen Literary Award.
Currently she lives in Vermont.

Check here for resources for writers she has
listed on her website.

Jo Knowles is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School)
and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Introducing Judge #8 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Mac Barnett

Mac Barnett is a New York Times bestselling author of books for children, including Extra Yarn, which won a 2013 Caldecott Honor and the 2012 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Picture Books. He also writes the Brixton Brothers series of mystery novels.

Mac serves on the board of directors for the 826LA, which you might recognize since we have one of these non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting students ages 6–18 with their creative and expository writing skills in Ann Arbor. Several volunteers from Ann Arbor's 826michigan screened stories for this year's contest.

Mac Barnett is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with http://www.as-king.com/|A. S. King] as guest speaker.

Introducing Judge #11 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Frances O'Roark Dowell

Frances O'Roark Dowell has published 11 books for teens and middle-grades fiction. She started with
Dovey Coe in 2000 which promptly won the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the William Allen White Children's Book Award.

In addition to the Edgar prize and William White award, her books have received other numerous awards, including the Christopher Award (Shooting the Moon),
the Voya Book Award (Where I’d Like to Be), and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s Fiction, Honor Book (Shooting the Moon).

Frances says she writes from around 9 a.m. to noon on weekdays and has said she finds writing first drafts challenging and enjoys revising.

Frances is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School)
and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, 2 - 3:30 pm, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Introducing Judge #7 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Lara Zielin

Lara Zielin's newest teen novel is Waiting Sky and tells the story of Jane McAllister, who decides to switch things up one summer and joins her brother chasing tornadoes, which gives her a fresh perspective, new options,and her first real romance. Lara is also the author of Donut Days a Texas Lone Star Reading List pick. Lara says "when I'm not reading or writing, you can find me running or working at the University of Michigan. Or obsessing about the Florida Keys, a place I love very much."

Ms. Zielin is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Introducing Judge #6 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Justina Chen

Justina is an award-winning novelist for young adults, with her most recent book, Return to Me, called an "uplifting story" by Publishers Weekly.

North of Beautiful was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus and was given a starred review from Booklist. It tells the story of Terra, a sensitive, artistic high school senior born with a facial port-wine stain, struggling with issues of inner and outer beauty with the help of her Goth classmate Jacob.

In addition, she co-founded readergirlz a cutting-edge literacy and social media project for teens, which won the National Book Award for Innovations in Reading. She lives in Washington with her two children, and you can visit her online at justinachenheadley.com.

Justina Chen is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Author A. S. King Discusses Her Work And Announces The Winners Of The 2013 Teen Short Story Contest

21 Years celebrating teen writers, with this year's contest bringing in 335 submissions, is a lot to celebrate. The Awards Ceremony, where Finalists are honored and winners are announced will take place on May 11, Saturday, from 2 - 3:30pm at the downtown library. Speaking to the teens and their families is award winning A. S. King whose book, Ask the Passengers just won the 2012 L.A. Times Book Prize.

One of my favorites is Everybody Sees the Ants, which was an Andre Norton Award finalist, a Cybils finalist, and a 2012 YALSA Top Ten book for young adults. Her 2010 YA novel, Please Ignore Vera Dietz was a 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book, an Edgar Award Nominee, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book for Teens 2010, a Junior Library Guild selection and a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. Her interests are varied with experiences in farming, photography, and teaching adult literary, to name a few.
Reality Boy is due in Fall 2013 as well as two anthologies.

All finalists have been notified and the top three winners will receive $250 for 1st, $150 for 2nd Place, and $100 for 3rd Place in three grade categories. All finalists will receive certificates honoring their achievements. Stories were judged by an impressive team of authors for teens.

We applaud all the teen writers for their creativity and talent!

May 6th, Last Day to Submit Stories - Grades 3-5 Short Story Contest

The deadline for submitting stories to the short story contest for Grades 3-5 is May 6th, so you still have time to put the finishing touches
on your story and submit to youngwrite@aadl.org or hand in your story to the Downtown Library (343 S. Fifth Avenue) Youth Desk.
Click here for the guidelines.

The top three winners will be chosen from each grade and every writer will receive a certificate of participation.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held on Monday, June 3, 7-8 pm with guest author Shutta Crum.

"Love the writing, love the writing, love the writing . . . the rest will follow." Jane Yolen

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