What Kind of Monster Will You Create?

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Monster Mayhem is a fun drawing contest for 5–8-year-olds that gets creativity and literacy bursting to life.

Students invent and draw their very own monster, then add labels or a few words about their creation.

DRAW IT. DESCRIBE IT. SEE IT IN PRINT.

Give your students the opportunity to become published young creators and see their monsters printed in a professionally produced, full-color book.

THEIR MONSTER COULD MAKE THE COVER

Our favorite picture from each book will feature on the front cover.

5 STUDENTS WILL WIN

From the front cover pictures, 5 young artists will each win a stationery set.

RECOGNITION FOR YOUR SCHOOL

The school with the best set of drawings will receive Young Writers' Award of Excellence.

GET YOUR FREE RESOURCES →

Get everything you need to bring Monster Mayhem to your classroom.

BUILD A MONSTER!

There are no rules for what a monster should look like. Get students mixing, matching, and inventing...

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
One eye or ten? Legs, wings, tentacles, horns, claws, or something completely different?

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?
Cute and fluffy, enormous and scaly, slimy, spiky, spotty, or stripy?

WHAT DOES IT DO?
What does it like to do, eat, or wear? Does it have a strange talent or special skill?

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
In space, on land, under the sea, high in the sky, or somewhere nobody has discovered yet?

Then give it a name! Students can add labels or a few words about their monster to bring their creation to life.

IMAGINE

Dream up a monster

DRAW

Create their monster

DESCRIBE

Add labels or a few words

ENTER

Send their creation in

LOW PREP. BIG IMAGINATIONS.

Monster Mayhem is simple to offer and easy for young children to understand.

Give students an entry form, get them imagining their monster, then let them draw, color, label, and describe their creation in their own way.

DRAWING MEETS EARLY LITERACY

Monster Mayhem gives young children an imaginative reason to draw, name, label, and describe their own creation. They can build confidence expressing ideas visually while adding simple words and descriptions at a level that works for them.

PRIZES & RECOGNITION

FOR STUDENTS

Their monster could feature on the front cover

Our favorite picture from each book will feature on the front cover.

5 WINNERS

From those front cover pictures, 5 students will each win a stationery set.

PLUS: Every entrant receives a bookmark and sticker for taking part. Students whose work we’d love to publish also receive a certificate.

FOR SCHOOLS

Young Writers’ Award of Excellence

The school with the best set of drawings will receive Young Writers’ Award of Excellence.

Free copies for your school

Participating schools receive a free copy of the book their students feature in.

The more entries you send, the more free books you’ll receive.

HOW TO ENTER

Entering your students’ Monster Mayhem creations is simple.

1. GET YOUR ENTRY FORMS
Download the entry forms or copy them so you have as many as you need.

2. GET THEM CREATING
Students draw their monster and make sure their name and age are included on the entry form.

3. SEND YOUR ENTRIES
Submit entries by mail, email, or online upload.

Submitting digitally? Please send scans only. Photos of entries cannot be accepted.

READY FOR MONSTER MAYHEM?

Send us your students’ monstrous creations by

NOVEMBER 13, 2026

SUBMIT ENTRIES →

MORE CONTEST INFO

Everything you need to take part:

DOWNLOADS Free entry forms and contest materials → HOW TO ENTER Submission options and what you need to include → PRIZES See what students and schools can win → RULES Eligibility, entry requirements, and full contest rules →

[Rules] =>

THE ARTWORK

• Students' pictures must be their own, original work.

• Entries must be completed on the entry form in the space provided.

• Each entry should include the student's name, age, and school name. First names only or initials can be used if needed.

SENDING YOUR ENTRIES

• There is one entry per student.

• There is no limit to the number of entries per school.

• Please submit your entries together where possible.

• Use one Teacher Entry Form per teacher who submits work.

• If uploading or emailing pictures, please send scans only. Photos of the work cannot be accepted.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Free to enter.

• No purchase is necessary to win.

• Open to US entrants only.

• Copyright remains with the artist.

[School Prizes] =>

Young Writers' Award of Excellence

Celebrate your students' creativity
The school that submits the best set of drawings will receive Young Writers' Award of Excellence.

Free copies for your school
Your school will receive a free copy of the book your students feature in.

The more entries you send, the more free books you'll receive
For every 30 entries you submit, you'll receive 1 free book. E.g. 1-30 entries = 1 copy, 31-60 entries = 2 copies, etc.

[Student Prizes] =>

5 WINNING STUDENTS

A stationery set each

Become a published young creator
Students have the chance to see their Monster Mayhem creations published in a professionally printed, full-color book.

Their monster could feature on the front cover
Our favorite picture from each book will feature on the front cover.

5 students will win
From the front cover pictures, 5 chosen students will each win a stationery set.

PLUS: Something for every entrant
Every entrant receives a bookmark and sticker, and students whose work we'd love to publish will also receive a certificate.

(School and student winners will be chosen from entries received Sept-Nov 2026 that have permission to be published. No purchase necessary. Prize image is an example, exact stationery set may differ.)

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WHAT KIND OF MONSTER WILL YOU CREATE?

Cute and fluffy? Enormous and scaly? Ten eyes, three legs, and tentacles for arms? Anything goes!

Monster Mayhem is a fun drawing contest for young creators aged 5–8.

Invent your very own monster, draw it, give it a name, then add labels or a few words about your creation.

BUILD YOUR MONSTER!

Not sure where to start? Mix and match ideas until your monster starts to come alive...

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
One eye or ten? Legs, wings, tentacles, horns, claws, or something completely different?

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?
Cute and fluffy, enormous and scaly, slimy, spiky, spotty, or stripy?

WHAT DOES IT DO?
What does it like to do, eat, or wear? Does it have an amazing talent or special skill?

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
In space, on land, under the sea, high in the sky, or somewhere completely imaginary?

Now give it a name! Add labels or a few words to tell us more about your monster.

READY TO CREATE?

IMAGINE

Dream up your monster

DRAW

Create your monster

DESCRIBE

Add labels or a few words

ENTER

Send your creation in

BRING YOUR MONSTER TO LIFE

Your drawing is the star, but a few extra details can tell us even more about your creation.

Give your monster a brilliant name
Funny, fierce, strange, or silly. Make it fit your creation.

Add labels
Point out special features, strange body parts, favorite foods, or amazing powers.

Tell us a little more
Add a few words about where your monster lives, what it likes, or what makes it special.

HOW TO ENTER

Finished your Monster Mayhem creation? Here’s what to do next.

1. CHECK YOUR ENTRY

Make sure your monster is your own creation and the requested entry details are complete.

2. GET IT READY

Make sure your drawing is completed on the official Monster Mayhem entry form.

3. SEND IT IN

Submit your entry before the contest closing date and your monster is officially in!

READY FOR MONSTER MAYHEM?

Send us your monster and show us just how wild your imagination can get.

IT'S EASY TO TAKE PART - HOW TO ENTER

EMAIL
Email your child's entry, along with their name and full address, to:
[email protected]

UPLOAD
Upload your child's entry using our online uploader:
UPLOAD YOUR ENTRY →

MAIL
Mail your child's entry, along with their name and full address, to:

Young Writers Monster Mayhem
77 Walnut Street
Unit 11
Peabody, MA 01960

[Independent Rules] =>

THE ARTWORK

• Your child’s picture must be their own, original work.

• Entries must be completed on the official entry form in the space provided.

• Include your child’s name and age on the entry. First names only or initials can be used if needed.

SENDING YOUR ENTRY

• There is one entry per child.

• If uploading or emailing the picture, please send a scan only. Photos of the work cannot be accepted.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Free to enter.

• No purchase is necessary to win.

• Open to US entrants only.

• Copyright remains with the artist.

[Independent Prizes] =>

5 WINNING CREATORS

A stationery set each

Become a published young creator
Children have the chance to see their Monster Mayhem creations published in a professionally printed, full-color book.

Their monster could feature on the front cover
Our favorite picture from each book will feature on the front cover.

5 children will win
From the front cover pictures, 5 winners will each receive a stationery set.

PLUS: Something for every entrant
Every entrant receives a bookmark and sticker, and children whose work we'd love to publish will also receive a certificate.

Winners will be chosen from entries received Sept-Nov 2026 and independent entrants are eligible to win. No purchase necessary.
Prize image is an example, exact stationery set may differ.

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This contest is now closed.

If you have late entries, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to accommodate them.

Open contests can be found here.

What happens now?

Our editorial team will read every single entry. Any child whose work they'd love to publish in a book will be sent a letter and certificate. Children whose work hasn't met the contest criteria will have the chance to resubmit their work. Winners will be chosen from published pieces once all the books in the series have been published.

Contest Timeline

Stage	Date	Status
Letters Sent	By 12^th February 2027	⏳ Coming Soon
Books Published	29^th January 2027 - 30^th April 2027	⏳ Coming Soon
Winners Announced	28^th May 2027	⏳ Coming Soon

Please note we aim to keep these dates as accurate as possible but can be subject to change.

For more detailed information about your school's entries, please log in (or create) your teacher account here using the email you included on your teacher entry form.