Spook Squad
Creative Writing Contest
Elementary
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]
OR
Upload their entry here.
OR
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
Rules
To make sure your entries are valid, please follow the rules listed below:
- 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
If you are unsure on any rules or have any queries, please don't hesitate to Contact Us.
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.)