Burlington Public Library invites entries to their annual writing contest: Write here, Write now

 

Open to everyone with a Burlington connection, ages 10 to adult – short stories, poems, and comics all welcome

Contest Theme: Whisper

The Burlington Public Library is accepting submissions of unpublished and original short stories, poems, and comics for their annual contest until midnight on May 31.

Your Challenge

Write a short story, poem, or comic that revolves around a whisper. Spoken, heard, or imagined, a whisper can be many things – a secret between friends, a warning in the dark, a piece of advice that changes everything, or even the sound of the wind through the trees. Some whispers are kind, others mysterious, and some can be scary!

Let your whisper be heard!

(And be sure your submission includes the word "whisper" or shows the idea of a whisper in your artwork – it’s a requirement.

Three winners in each of three age categories:

One winning short story, poem, and comic will be selected in each age group: children 10–12, teens 13–17, and adults 18+. Each winner will receive a $100 cash prize.

General Rules

·         Entrants must live, work, attend school, or pay property taxes in Burlington.

• All entries must be unpublished, original work of the entrant.
• Fanfiction, retellings, or work based on existing stories, video games, movies, and other media will be disqualified.
• You may submit only one entry per category.
• Entry must be complete, and not a fragment of a larger work.
• Entries are judged anonymously; do not put your name anywhere on your work.

Mandatory Entry Requirements

In order to qualify for judging, your entry MUST:

1. Include the theme word for the 2025 contest: "Whisper;"
2. NOT include your name anywhere on your work; and,
3. NOT exceed the maximum length requirement for the category: 1,000 words maximum for short stories; 25 lines maximum for poems; and 8 pages maximum for comics.

For poetry do not include title pages or images.

Comics can be with or without words, in black and white or colour. If words are used, must include the contest theme word. If words are not used, the theme must be represented in the artwork. Computer-generated images are acceptable if they are original works (no clip art).

Be sure to see full contest details and digital entry form here.

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See more places to send your short pieces here (and scroll down).

And see where your fellow writers are winning contests and getting their short work published here (and scroll down).

See my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here. ~Brian