Blog Post
Introducing Judge #5 Teen Short Story Contest - Sharon G. Flake
by Bertha
Sharon Flake's newest book, Pinned so far has received starred reviews in PW, Horn Book, and Kirkus. Told in alternating chapters, the reader gets to know Autumn and Adonis and watch them tackling their disabilities and learning to trust.
Sharon won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for her first novel Skin I'm In and is a two-time Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book winner.
She gives credit of her storytelling gifts to her parents and older relatives. Music is a constant companion and currently, Ms. Flake lives and writes in Pittsburgh.
Sharon is also a Judge for this year'sIt's All Write teen short story writing contest.
A 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.
Blog Post
Introducing Judge #4 Teen Short Story Contest - Elizabeth Wein
by Bertha
Elizabeth's lastest novel, Code Name Verity has received widespread critical acclaim. It is shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal; it is a Michael Printz Award Honor Book, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Awards Honor Book, and an SCBWI Golden Kite Honor Book. It is also a New York Times Bestseller in young adult fiction.
A previous book, The Lion Hunter (2007) was short-listed for the Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction in 2008. Elizabeth also writes short stories.
Ms. Wein went to school at Yale University, currently lives in Scotland, and has her pilot's license, which sparked the interest for the book, 'Code Name Verity' and her new novel,
'Rose Under Fire' a second gripping story set during WWII.
Elizabeth is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write teen short story writing contest.
A 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.
Blog Post
Introducing Judge #3 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Steve Amick
by Bertha
Steve Amick has published two novels with Random House, The Lake, the River & the Other Lake (a Washington Post Book of the Year, 2005), and Nothing But a Smile (2009). Both were Michigan Notable Books. His shorter work has appeared in places like McSweeney’s, Playboy, Story, Southern Review, Five Chapters, New England Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, The New York Times, and NPR; he’s had plays produced in Chicago and has taught in the MFA writing workshop at Northwestern. He has a Clio and other advertising awards and a CD of original songs. Steve was born and raised in Ann Arbor and lives here now with his wife, Sharyl, a media specialist in the schools, and his son, Huck, a longhaired kindergartner.
Steve Amick 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.
Blog Post
Introducing Judge #2 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Lauren Oliver
by Bertha
A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU's MFA program, Lauren Oliver has showcased her talents from middle grade reads, Spindlers and Liesl & Po to a best-selling teen trilogy which starts with Delirium.
Set in a dystopian United States, a government-mandated cure prevents the 'delirium' of love, leading to a safe and predictable life. However, main character Lena finds herself falling in love just weeks before her scheduled 'cure' at age 18. Finishing this trilogy of non-stop action, rebellion, and risk-taking for love is Requiem which was just released in March.
Lauren currently co-owns the literary development company Paper Lantern Lit., while also writing wonderful stories pretty much full-time.
Ms. Oliver is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.
The panel of 10 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.
Blog Post
Introducing Judge #1 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Matt de le Pena
by Bertha
Matt de la Pena's debut novel, Ball Don't Lie was an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA-YALSA Quick Pick.
He's also the author of the award winning picture book, A Nations' Hope which is illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
Matt received a MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific where he attended school on a full basketball scholarship.
He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country. Matt is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.
The panel of 10 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 our guest speaker.
Blog Post
AADL's Logo Remix Contest Workshop!
by nicole
It's the debut 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 guidelines starting Friday, February 22nd at aadl.org or have staff print them out for you.
Workshops will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 7:00pm - 8:30pm and Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 10:00am - 12:00pm in the Downtown Library, Training Center on the 3rd Floor. The contest entry deadline is Monday, March 25.
Click on the links to get a copy of the AADL logo image file in both PNG and JPEG formats!
Have questions? Call the Downtown Youth Desk, visit our contests page, or send an email to remix@aadl.org! Want to know more about FoolMoon? Go to festifools.org.
Blog Post
March 15th Last Day for Teen Short Story Submissions
by Bertha
The deadline for submitting stories to the Teen Short Story Writing Contest is Friday, March 15, so, you still have time to put on those finishing touches and submit to: allwrite@aadl.org.
Only electronic submissions will be accepted.
Prizes are awarded for 1st ($250), 2nd($150), and 3rd($100) place in three categories: Grades 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12. "It's All Write!" is cosponsored by the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library.
You will receive an email verifying that we have received your story, and then the process begins of screening the stories and having the final judges select the winners. This year the impressive line-up includes, Matt de la Pena, Lauren Oliver, Frances O'Roark Dowell, Steve Amick, Don Gallo, Lara Zielin, and Mac Barnett. All stories are judged anonymously and finalists will be notified by mail.
Winners will be announced at an Awards Program on Saturday, May 11 at the Downtown Multi-Purpose Room. Awarding winning author, A. S. King will be announcing the winners and discussing the craft of writing.
Good Luck!
Blog Post
Teen Short Story Contest in Its 21st Year!
by Bertha
The Teen Short Story Contest has come of age, in this its 21st year! 'It's All Write!" cosponsored by the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library and AADL is a contest open to middle and high school writers in grades 6 - 12, with submissions being accepted starting January 28, and running through March 15, 2013.
You’ll have seven weeks to perfect that short story, and guidelines are easy to follow. When you’re ready, just send your story to allwrite@aadl.org
You can read previous winning stories here or check out writing resources that might be helpful.
1st Place Winners receive ($250), 2nd Place ($150) and 3rd Place ($100) in these three categories: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-10, and Grades 11-12
A panel of published authors will judge the stories. The Awards Ceremony, this year featuring award winning author A.S King, will be held Saturday, May 11, 2013 at the Downtown Library.
Good Luck!
Blog Post
The Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition
by Bertha
Check this out! Starting on October 15 and ending with the final deadline on December 15, 2012, a writing contest is open to students who are enrolled in grades 8-11 during the 2012-13 academic year. There is no entry fee and all entries can be submitted online. For complete details or to submit an entry, visit the contest page on the Interlochen website.
The Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition bears the name of a philanthropist and longtime Interlochen supporter. Ball attended Interlochen Arts Camp in 1941 and later served on the Alumni Board and the Board of Trustees. She passed away in 2003. A 2007 commitment from the Edmund E. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation endowed this biennial creative writing competition that provides substantial scholarship support for a creative writing major who demonstrates great potential.
The winner of the competition will receive up to $30,000 to attend Interlochen Arts Academy as a creative writing major and their work will be included in the 2014 Interlochen Review.
Ann Arbor District Library sponsors it's own writing contest, an annual short story writing contest which this upcoming year begins in January 2013.
Blog Post
Write Michigan! -- Statewide Short Story Contest
by Bertha
Short story writers, grab your laptops for the first annual Write Michigan Contest
presented by Kent District Library, Grand Rapids Public Library and Schuler Books & Music.
Writers of all ages can enter, with cash prizes awarded for Readers' Choice and Judges' Choice.
Winning entries will also be published by Chapbook Press in both print and eBook format.
Entries accepted September 4 – November 30, 2012
One story per author
Maximum story length: 3000 words
Entry fee: $10.00 for 18 and older
(free for 17 and younger)
Contest open to Michigan residents only
See complete contest guidelines
The Write Michigan Contest has an entry deadline of November 30, 2012.
Winners will be announced by the first of February and celebrated on March 19, 2013 at the Grand Rapids Public Library.
A great opportunity for aspiring writers!