Spook Squad Creative Writing Contest for 6-13 year-olds

Array ( [article_id] => 21892 [company_id] => 1 [user_id] => 0 [article_type_id] => 58 [article_seo_url] => spook26 [details] => Array ( [Title] => Spook Squad [Description] => The latest creative writing contest ideal for 6-13 year-olds [Subheading] => Captivate your students and get them excited and eager to write with Spook Squad! [Age] => Elementary [Intro] =>

Writing a mini saga (a story told in up to 100 words) takes away the fear of long-form writing, and gives every student the confidence to take part.

Stories can be funny or creepy, scary or mysterious. It's an awesome way to engage your students and introduce writing with tension, suspense, and atmosphere.

There are lots of free resources available to help your students learn how to write a story, including examples, story starters, a lesson plan, and a PowerPoint slide deck (also available in Google Slides). Download them now!

Entries can be written on the graphic organizer (which also includes story prompts), typed in Word or Google Docs, or check out the Online Writing Portal where your students type their work and you can submit them all together with the click of a button!

By taking part you can give your students the opportunity to see themselves as real published authors, and the prizes will help motivate them too! Everyone gets a bookmark for taking part, students whose work we'd love to publish receive a certificate of merit, and there are prizes for our favorite stories.

So join the Spook Squad today and teach your students how to write a scary story - you'll have a classroom full of confident, proud writers in no time!

[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 for each teacher who submits work.
Mini sagas can be submitted on the entry form or a sheet of paper or typed (on a computer or using the Online Writing Portal or Word Doc entry form).
Each student's name, age, and school name should be included on their entry. (Entries can be submitted with first names only or initials if needed.)
Mini sagas have a 100-word limit. The title is not included in the word limit.
If a story starter/ending is used, it must be included in the 100-word limit.
US entrants only.
Students' mini sagas must be their own work! (Please note on the entry if there is anything we need to take into consideration when reading the work.)
Copyright remains with the author.
Free to enter.

[School Prizes] =>

The school that submits the best set of entries will win the 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 3 favorite published writers will each win a fantastic creative writing goody bag!

PLUS

Every entrant receives stickers for taking part, and we award a certificate of merit for all young writers whose work we'd like to publish.

(School and student winners will be chosen from entries received Feb-March 2026 from stories that have permission to be published. Goody bag image is an example, contents may differ.)

[Tips] =>
[YouTube] => Lmz0uul960g [Opens] => 2026-02-20 [Closes] => 2026-04-17 [Extended] => 1 [Orion ID] => 741 [RR Ontraport ID] => [DL Ontraport ID] => 785 [Post Class] => Elementary [Orion Teacher Year] => Elementary [How to Enter] => We're looking forward to reading your students' spooky mini sagas! [Winners Subheading] => We're delighted to announce the winners... [Winners Intro] =>

[Winner Word] => Student [Schools/Clubs] => Schools [Thumbnail] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756728808-2027-USASpookSquad_PageIcon.jpg [Background] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756728808-1711-USASpookSquad_Background.jpg [Logo] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756728808-8828-USASpookSquad_Logo.png [Independent Intro] =>

Showcase your child's writing skills with Spook Squad!

Writing a mini saga (a story told in up to 100 words) takes away the fear of long-form writing, and gives every child the confidence to take part.

Stories can be funny or creepy, scary or mysterious. It's an awesome way to engage your your child with writing and introduce the techniques of tension, suspense, and atmosphere.

There are lots of free resources available to help them learn how to write a story. Entries can be written on the graphic organizer (which also includes story prompts), typed in Word or Google Docs.

By taking part your child has the opportunity to see themselves as a real published author, and the prizes will help motivate them too! Everyone gets a bookmark for taking part, entrants whose work we'd love to publish receive a certificate of merit, and there are prizes for our favorite stories.

Encourage your child to join the Spook Squad today - it'll be a scream!

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 - Spook Squad
77 Walnut Street
Unit 11
Peabody, MA, 01960

Closing Date: March 27, 2026

[Independent Rules] =>

Only one entry per person.
Mini sagas have a 100-word limit.
If a story starter/ending is used, it must be included in the 100-word limit. The title is not included in the word limit.
Your child's entry must include their name, age and full home address.
Your child's entry must be their own original work.
Your child's entry can be submitted on the entry form or a sheet of paper or typed (on a computer or the Word Doc Entry Form)
US entrants only.
Free to enter.
Copyright remains with the author

[Independent Prizes] =>

Our 3 favorite published writers will each win a fantastic creative writing goody bag!

PLUS

Every entrant receives stickers & a bookmark for taking part, and we award a certificate of merit for all young writers whose work we'd like to publish.

(Winners will be chosen from entries received Feb-March 2026 that have permission to be published. Independent entrants are eligible for student prizes. The goody bag image is an example, contents may differ.)

[Meta Title] => Spook Squad Creative Writing Contest for 6-13 year-olds [Meta Description] => Elementary students will be engaged and excited to write with this creative writing contest from Young Writers, helping them learn how to write a story in 100 words. [Meta Keywords] => Spook Squad, Young Writers, writing contest, ghost stories, mini sagas, lesson plan, teaching resources, free resources, writing resources, contest, teen story writing, teen story contest, how to write a story [Share Title] => Spook Squad Creative Writing Contest for 6-13 year-olds [Share Description] => Elementary students will be engaged and excited to write with this creative writing contest from Young Writers, helping them learn how to write a story in 100 words. [Layout] => main-comp [Icon] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756728809-5914-USASpookSquad_PageIcon.jpg [Category] => Elementary [Type] => creative-writing [Country] => USA [Resource Hub Text] =>
[Letters Sent Date] => 2026-06-08 [Letters Sent Satus] => [Books Published Start Date] => 2026-08-31 [Books Published End Date] => 2026-08-31 [Books Published Status] => [Winners Announced Date] => 2026-09-25 [Winners Announced Status] => [How to Enter Image] => [Video Placeholder] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756728808-6228-USASpookSquad_VideoThumbnail.jpg [School Prize] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1724850342-9132-YoungWritersAwardofExcellence.png [Student Prize] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756728808-2175-1747822909384-Prizes_1.png [Banner Background] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756728808-3378-USASpookSquad_BannerBackground.jpg [Banner Logo] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756728809-9755-USASpookSquad_Logo.png [Share Image] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756728809-6688-USASpookSquad_PageIcon.jpg ) [date_created] => 2026-02-17 09:15:21 [last_updated] => 2026-04-24 09:24:59 [sort_order] => 5 [incoming] => 0 [live] => 1 [archived] => 0 [deleted] => 0 )

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 8^th June 2026	⏳ In Progress
Books Published	31^st August 2026 - 31^st August 2026	⏳ Coming Soon
Winners Announced	25^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.