WritingKid
Kids write, too. Try finding markets for them to submit their work. From elementary ages to college undergraduates, find 10 markets accepting youth writing. Free and biweekly to your email via Aweber.com.
WRITING KID
Volume 13, Issue 12 - June 7, 2013
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The zine for future writers today.
Publisher/Editor: C. Hope Clark
Mailto: Hope@FundsforWriters.com
Published biweekly and free for the asking. Spread it around.
TELL YOUR TEACHERS ABOUT WRITING KID!
Find this newsletter online at
www.fundsforwriters.com/WritingKid
Read the archived editions at:
http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?writingkid
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WORDS OF WISDOM
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Taking the First Step: A Student’s View of Publishing
By Starr Herr
Upon entering my high school Creative Speaking class, I expected
a plethora of publishing opportunities. In the past, students
hoping to become professional writers have shown a striking lack
of knowledge about the process. With three years of studying the
publishing world, I have gathered advice from editors, teachers,
and my own mistakes. The most important information I’ve learned
is how to get started:
Know Your Market:
Check the reliability of the source. There are publications that
accept all work sent regardless of quality in order gain money
from entrants. However, there are also legit contests that may
require an entrance or reading fee. Do in-depth research. Once
you are confident in your source, check the guidelines and look
at old publications/winning entries if provided.
Plan Ahead:
Most markets will give theme lists or a firm issue/idea to write
about. While some do not set this limit, always plan out what your
entry will include. Consider the point your piece will make and how
this point will capture a reader’s attention. Ask yourself if you
substitute clarity for figurative language, if your vocabulary is
too dull or too overbearing, if the form of writing fits the message,
and if the finished product appeals to your audience.
Note: There will be moments when you may have to change your style.
Your voice will not be lost in this transition, but may simply take a
different form. Stepping outside your comfort zone will help you
grow and open new doorways for your work.
The Old Spit n’ Shine:
First drafts, no matter how talented the author, should never be sent
to an editor. Many experienced in publishing suggest at least four
drafts for a short piece. If you have poor editing skills, find
someone talented in the field to conference with and fight to gain good
editing skills. Give your editor or mentor a set of specifics to search
for and plenty of time to digest your work. Seeking help the day before
a deadline is a habit doomed to break you.
Questions, Questions, Questions:
When a publication supplies an email address, don’t be shy to ask about
anything unclear in their guidelines. The more the piece fits their
preferences, the better the chances of acceptance. Asking valuable
questions will also show initiative and care for your work. Please
note you should read any given criteria closely before requesting
additional information. If your query has already been addressed,
you will appear neglectful of the editor’s procedures. This could
blacklist you in the writing world!
Feedback:
When an expert offers you feedback, take it with grace,
professionalism and an open-mind.
Remember: Publication begins with the first step, just take one at a time.
BIO:
Starr Herr is a seventeen-year-old attending Broome High School in
Spartanburg, S.C. Her reading repertoire includes the works of Edgar
Allan Poe, Ayn Rand, and Andrea Gibson. If not writing, Starr enjoys
surfing around the Spoken Word section of Youtube and curling up in
her computer chair for a deductive episode of BBC’s Sherlock.
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Always keep writing.
Hope
PS
We cover elementary to college teens. Each week we
carry 12 or so opportunities for all ages. Read each
market closely. Some cover a wide range and others
address a very small age group. Always read the directions!
We need guest articles. Have you considered writing a
guest article for WritingKid? Are you a student, a parent,
a teacher? All are eligible. Just make sure the topic
touches upon writing and runs no more than 500-550 words.
Those under 16 receive the book of their choice. Those
over 16 receive $10-$20, depending on the quality of the
piece, the amount of editing required and the obvious
amount of research.
See the details at www.fundsforwriters.com/submissions
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1.
RILEY FESTIVAL POETRY CONTEST
http://www.rileyfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2013-Poetry-Information-application.pdf
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Adult category – $50, $25 and $15.
Grades 6, 7, 8 – $25, $15 and $10.
Grades 3, 4, 5 – $25, $15 and $10.
Any form accepted. Theme: The King. Winners will be announced and
winning poems will be read at the Riley Festival Poetry Contest held
during the Festival. Deadline September 13, 2013.
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2.
TRIBUTE TO OUR SOLDIERS ESSAY CONTEST
https://apps.facebook.com/easypromos/promotions/79941
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Deadline July 4, 2013. Salute the soldiers by submitting a 200-word
“Tribute to Our Troops” essay for the chance to win a beautiful
Speidel timepiece. Twenty winning essays will be selected by our
editors and posted on saturdayeveningpost.com, and winners will
receive a Women’s Tortoise Shell Fashion Watch or Men’s Pilot Watch.
Speidel is donating a portion of its sales to American military and
their families in partnership with Operation Homefront.
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3.
AMAZING KIDS! SEEKS EDITOR
http://mag.amazing-kids.org/
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Amazing Kids! is looking for a new Student Editor-in-Chief for the
Amazing Kids! Magazine. If your child is between the ages of 12-16
and is passionate about writing and reading, they may wish to consider
applying for the position. Please ask the candidate to send three
writing samples, including one essay and two short stories to:
submissions@amazing-kids.org with “Writing samples” in the subject
line. Deadline for submissions is June 15 or until a suitable candidate
can be found.
Candidates for the position need to be very familiar with the Amazing
Kids! Magazine and its mission of excellence, as well as the quality
content, themes and style. They need to have an outstanding command
of the English language, have excellent editing abilities and know
how to write for an audience of 8- to 12-year-olds. Equally as
important, they need to feel comfortable in a leadership role, able
to manage growing our staff of student writers.
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4.
AMAZING KIDS! REACHING OUT TO TORNADO VICTIMS
http://multibriefs.com/briefs/ak/OKC_523.pdf
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Our hearts go out to families in Moore and Oklahoma City who were
affected by the devastating tornado on May 20. Amazing Kids! wants to
help our members show their support to the kids from the affected schools!
Our Amazing Kids! PenPals program is launching a new pen pals letter-
writing campaign for kids called: “Amazing Kids! Cares For Oklahoma.”
We are asking our young members to write letters addressed to “Dear
Friend”, which will be delivered by our Oklahoma-based Amazing Kids!
Youth Ambassador Remmi Smith, age 12, and her mom Nancy, to the children
whose schools and/or homes were demolished or damaged in the Oklahoma
tornado.
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5.
FOYLE YOUNG POETS OF THE YEAR
http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/fyp/
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Ages 11-17. Judges: Hannah Lowe and and David Morley. There will be 85
Commendations and 15 Overall Winners. Overall Winners from the 15 to 17
age category attend a week-long intensive residential Arvon course where
they develop their creative writing skills alongside fellow poets. Winners
aged 11-14 group benefit from poetry residencies at their school followed
by distance mentoring. Deadline July 31, 2013.
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6.
ANACRUSIS PRESS FICTION CONTEST
http://anacrusispress.com/
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Grand Prize: Free Publishing on Amazon.com + 1 Free e-book: including
free editing, formatting, and cover design + 35% of royalties for every
eBook sold.
Runner Up: Free professional editing advice on your manuscript +
50% off on formatting and cover design.
3rd Place: Free professional editing advice on your manuscript.
Early Entry- June 15th, 2013
Regular Entry- August 1, 2013
Anacrusis Press will consider original works written by young adults
(age 13-25) of any genre. The piece should be between 5,000 and 50,000
words.
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7.
BOOKLOGIX YOUNG WRITER CONTEST
http://www.booklogix.com/Young_Writers_Contest.php
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The Young Writers Contest seeks to encourage young people to express
themselves and their thoughts through writing and literacy skills.
The contest encourages entrants, age 10-18, to consider the ability
to become a published author at any age, and to learn about the
process of self-publishing their work. Winners will be selected based
on originality, creativity and writing skill. Deadline June 30, 2013.
All book-length prose fiction categories except: comic books,
illustrated books, cookbooks, collections of short stories,
collections of poetry, and erotica/pornography. Manuscript cannot
exceed 200 8.5” x 11” pages. This contest is open to English-language
manuscripts only.
Categories are based on the following age criteria: ages 10-13 and ages
14-18. Six finalists (3 per category) will be selected from among all
eligible contest entrants. Two first place winners (1 per category)
will then be selected from among the six finalists. Entrant must be
age 10 by June 30, 2013.
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8.
CRASHTEST
http://www.crashtestmag.com/?page_id=8
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Crashtest publishes poetry, stories and creative non-fiction in the
form of personal essays, imaginative investigation, experimental
interviews, whatever, but please don’t send us the book report you
wrote for English or your Speech and Debate abstract. Any student
grades nine through twelve from any high school in the country (or
abroad) can submit to Crashtest, but we’d like to know a little bit
about who you are and where you come from. Please include a brief
cover letter in the body of your email submission that tells us a
little bit about yourself, your name and your grade at the very least.
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9.
RED HOUSE YOUNG WRITER’S YEARBOOK 2013 COMPETITION (UK)
http://my.redhouse.co.uk/content/red-house-young-writers-yearbook-2013-competition
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We want aspiring young writers from around the country to enter the
2013 Red House Young Writers’ Yearbook competition and win the chance
to see their stories or poems published in a beautiful book. The
winners will also be invited to a writing workshop, hosted by a
children’s author, at The Imagine Children’s Festival in February 2014.
To enter the competition, your child should be aged between 7 and 17.
They can submit a story, poem or article and it’s up to the individual
what subject they choose to write about. This year the competition
entries will be divided into four age categories: 7+, 9+, 11+ and 13+.
Entries must be under 1,000 words.
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10.
PORTLAND, OREGON’S WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
http://www.powfest.com
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ENTRY FEE: $0-$45
March 6-9, 2014, Portland, OR. Spotlights women filmmakers by
showcasing their work and strengthening the community of women in
film. Entries must be directed or co-directed by a woman. Seeking
films in the following categories:
Narrative Feature (over 40 minutes)
Documentary Feature (over 40 minutes)
Young Women Filmmakers (directed or co-directed by women 18 years
and younger; proof of age must be submitted with entry)
Experimental Short (under 40 minutes), Animation (under 40 minutes), Narrative Short (under 40 minutes)
Documentary Short (under 40 minutes).
Deadline: June 21, 2013 (early), August 16, 2013 (regular), September
13, 2013 (late), October 1, 2013 (extended, via withoutabox.com)
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Contact WritingKid (the Business Stuff)
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FundsforWriters/Writing Kid make no warranty as to the
accuracy of the contests, awards, etc. but we do try to
check them out in advance to the best of our ability.
C. Hope Clark
Hope@FundsforWriters.com
http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Copyright 2000-2013, C. Hope Clark
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