Monster Mini Tales creative writing contest for 6-13 year-olds

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DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FEB 27

Monster Mini Tales is the latest writing contest designed to spark writing joy in your students. They can let their imaginations run riot as they design and create their very own unique monster, then write a story about it.

Writing their story as a mini saga (a story told in up to 100 words) allows them to focus on description, word choice, and plot, and takes away the fear of long-form writing, so even the most reluctant of writers will be eager to join in!

From a cute fluffball with a nasty bite to a giant monster who just wants to make friends, the possibilities are endless. Your students will love creating their creatures, and you'll all love the opportunity to put their writing skills into practice in a purposeful and meaningful way.

Benefits of entering:

😈 Free to enter

🐉 Colorful graphic organizers to engage your students

👾 Gives your students a purpose for their writing

👻 Opportunity for your students to be published in a real book

👹 Free book for your school

👽 Bookmark for every entrant

The FREE resources will not only make planning a breeze for you, but also help to inspire your students and build their writing confidence. You can download examples, a lesson plan, slide deck (also available in Google Slides) and more!

Download the graphic organizer today and set your class on the path to being fang-tastic, confident writers!

[Rules] =>

Only one entry per student.
There is no limit to the number of entries per school. Teachers please submit your entries altogether where possible!
Use one teacher entry form per teacher entering
Ask your students to write their story (or an adult can scribe/type it), ensuring their name, age and school name are included. (Entries can be submitted with first names only or initials if needed.)
Work can be on the entry form or a letter-size sheet of paper or typed (on a computer or in the Online Writing Portal).
Students' stories must be their own work!
Please note on the entry if there is anything we need to take into consideration when reading the work.
100 word limit
Entries can only be accepted if written in English
US entrants only.
Free to enter.
Ideal for 6-13 year-olds. (Students outside this age range are welcome to enter.)
Copyright remains with the author.

[School Prizes] =>

The school that submits the best set of entries will win Young Writers' Award of Excellence.

PLUS every participating school receives a free copy of the book their students feature in!

(Remember, you receive 1 free copy for every 30 entries you submit! E.g. 1-30 entries you receive 1 copy, 31-60 entries you receive 2 copies, etc. Every participating school will receive at least 1 copy of the book their students feature in.)

[Student Prizes] =>

Our 5 favorite published writers will each win a fantastic creative writing goody bag!

PLUS

Every entrant receives a bookmark, and we award a certificate of merit to students whose work we'd love to publish!

(School and student winners will be chosen from entries received Jan-Feb 2026. Goody bag image is an example, contents may differ.)

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Monster Mini Tales is the latest writing contest to spark writing joy in your child. They can let their imagination run riot as they design and create their very own unique monster, then write a story about it.

From a cute fluffball with a nasty bite to a giant monster who just wants to make friends, the possibilities are endless. Your child will love creating their creature, and it gives them the opportunity to put their writing skills into practice in a purposeful and meaningful way.

Download the graphic organizer today and set your child on the path to being a fang-tastic, confident writer!

How To Enter

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

Upload their entry here

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

Young Writers - Monster Mini Tales
77 Walnut Street
Unit 11
Peabody, MA, 01960

EXTENDED Closing Date: February 27, 2026

[Independent Rules] =>

Only one entry per child.
Ask your child to write their story (or an adult can scribe/type it), ensuring their name, age and address are included. Entries can be submitted with first names only or initials if needed.
Work can be on the entry form or a letter-size sheet of paper or typed.
Story must be your child's own work.
Please note on the entry if there is anything we need to take into consideration when reading the work.
100 word limit
US entrants only.
Free to enter.
Ideal for 6-13 year-olds.
Copyright remains with the author.

[Independent Prizes] =>

Our 5 favorite published writers will each win a fantastic creative writing goody bag!

PLUS

Every entrant receives a bookmark, and we award a certificate of merit to students whose work we'd love to publish!

(Winners will be chosen from entries received Jan-Feb 2026. Independent entrants are eligible for student prizes. The goody bag image is an example, contents 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 30^th April 2026	⏳ In Progress
Books Published	15^th May 2026 - 31^st August 2026	⏳ Coming Soon
Winners Announced	30^th September 2026	⏳ 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.