Stranger Sagas Creative Writing Contest for Middle & High School Students, Ideal for 10-18 year-olds

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Picture your classroom fizzing with ideas as students craft awesome, original stories in up to 100 words. Stranger Sagas is a bite-size fiction activity that turns “I don’t know what to write” into “Can I write another one?”

Built for busy teachers, there are ready-to-use resources so you can drop it straight into a lesson, plus a high-energy video to set the tone. Use the postcards to spark plot, character, and setting ideas or let students run wild with their own imaginations. You can adapt it for your students' needs, and it’s fantastic for reluctant writers as the word limit takes away the fear of long-form writing.

Stranger Sagas develops real writing skills in a fun format:

Focus on narrative hooks, viewpoint, and structure
Strengthen vocabulary, cohesion, and punctuation through purposeful editing
Encourage planning, drafting, and redrafting
Celebrate success with the opportunity for students to be published and recognition for your school

There are also incredible prizes to be won. Our biggest prize EVER will be awarded to the school with the best set of entries: a $1000 Amazon gift card and Young Writers' Award of Excellence, so you can proudly display your students' achievement for all to see!

Our favorite 5 stories will also win their authors a $50 Amazon gift card each.

It's easy to take part:

Download the free teaching resources
Kick things off with the exciting trailer
Watch as your class dive in and write fantastic, original stories
Submit your entries before November 7 by mail or online

Ready to turn your next lesson into a storytelling event? Grab the resources (including a lesson plan and slide deck, also available in Google Slides) and start Stranger Sagas today and prepare for sky-high engagement.

(This pack is inspired by the idea that something ordinary can suddenly become strange or unexpected. Students do not need to know anything about ‘Stranger Things’ to take part.)

[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, using one Teacher Entry Form per teacher.

Students can work together to submit a joint story.

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. Titles are not included in the word limit.

If a story starter is used, it must be included in the 100-word limit.

US entrants only.

Students and/or teachers DO NOT need to be familiar with Stranger Things. Stories must be original so we encourage all entrants to use their own characters and ideas.

Free to enter.

[School Prizes] =>

An incredible $1000 Amazon gift card & Young Writers' award of excellence will be awarded to the school with the best set of entries.

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

(The more entries you send, the more free books you’ll receive: E.g. Send 1-30 entries & you'll receive 1 free copy, send 31-60 entries you'll receive 2 free copies, etc. Every participating school receives at least 1 free copy their students feature in.)

[Student Prizes] =>

Our favorite 5 writers will each win a will each win a $50 Amazon gift card.

PLUS every entrant receives a bookmark for taking part. Students whose work we'd love to publish will also receive a certificate.

(The school & student winners will be chosen from the entries received Sept-Nov 2025 that have permission to be published)

[Tips] =>
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[Winner Word] => [Schools/Clubs] => Schools [Thumbnail] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756901808-8424-USAStrangerSagas_PageIcon.jpg [Background] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756901808-8594-USAStrangerSagas_Background.jpg [Logo] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1756901809-8346-USAStrangerSagas_Logo.png [Independent Intro] =>

Imagine the moment when your creativity sparks, when you realize that in just 100 words you can create suspense, unravel a mystery, or turn a reader's world upside down. That's the magic of Stranger Sagas - you can write a story to excite, thrill or surprise your reader.

The postcards will kick-start your ideas: who are the characters? What events unfold? How does the story end? The theme is open to interpretation, so you can write about anything inspires you, and in any genre.

There are just 2 rules you need to know: it must be 100 words or under, and it must be your own original work.

Download the graphic organizer today and see what mysteries you will unravel!

This pack is inspired by the idea that something ordinary can suddenly become strange or unexpected. You don’t need to know anything about ‘Stranger Things’ - just bring your imagination!

How To Enter

Email your entry with your parent/guardian's permission, along with your name and full address to: [email protected]

Upload your entry at www.youngwritersusa.com/new-uploader or use the link below.

Mail your entry along with your name and full address to:

Young Writers - Stranger Sagas
77 Walnut Street
Unit 11
Peabody, MA, 01960

Closing Date: November 7, 2025

[Independent Rules] =>

Only one entry per person.

If a story starter/ending is used, it must be included in the 100-word limit. Titles are not included in the word limit.

Your entry must include your name, age and full home address.

Your story must be your own original work.

Your 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.

You DO NOT need to be familiar with Stranger Things. Stories must be original so we encourage all entrants to use their own characters and ideas.

[Independent Prizes] =>

Our favorite 5 writers will each win a will each win a $50 Amazon gift card.

PLUS every entrant receives a bookmark for taking part. Entrants whose work we'd love to publish also receive a certificate.

(Entries will be chosen from those received in Sept-Nov 2025 with permission to be published. Independent entrants are eligible for student prizes.)

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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 process the entries and those that meet the contests criteria will be selected for publication. Letters will be sent out to those selected. Anyone not selected will have the chance to resubmit their work. Winners will be chosen once all the books in the series have been published.

Contest Timeline

Stage	Date	Status
Letters Sent	By 21^st January 2026	⏳ In Progress
Books Published	12^th January 2026 - 30^th March 2026	⏳ Coming Soon
Winners Announced	30^th April 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.