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Monster Mayhem |
Art Contest
| Ideal for 5-8 years


Monster Mayhem Video

What kind of monster will they create?

Cute and fluffy? Enormous and scaly? Ten eyes, three legs, and tentacles for arms? With Monster Mayhem, anything goes!

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.
1
IMAGINE
Dream up a monster
2
DRAW
Create their monster
3
DESCRIBE
Add labels or a few words
4
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
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:
1–30 entries = 1 free copy 31–60 entries = 2 free copies and so on.

Closing Date: Friday Oct 30, 2026

We've worked with over 20,000 schools. Here's what some of them have to say...

This is my sixth year using YW to publish my students' writing and they are so easy to work with! My students are always excited to use the provided theme and challenge themselves to be chosen!

Katie Miller, Blue Eye High School
See more...

Enter Details to Download

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You'll get access to...

Teacher Checklist
Teacher Entry Form
Information Card
Student Entry Form

Contest Rules

To make sure your entries are valid, please follow the rules listed below:

Closing Date: Friday Oct 30, 2026
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.

If you are unsure on any rules or have any queries, please don't hesitate to Contact Us.

For Schools

FOR SCHOOLS
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
See the contest rules for full details.
(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.)

For Students

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 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.)
Download Now

It’s easy to take part!

  1. Download entry forms
  2. Your students write or type their entry (or an adult can scribe) ensuring their name (or initials) and age are included
  3. Submit your entries using one of the options below

Enter Online

  Email

Email your entries to [email protected] and please ensure your students' names and ages are on their work, and that you include your name, school name and school address in your email. Thank you!

  Upload

Upload your entries

  File Sender Services

You can use different file sender services to enter digitally, such as: WeTransfer, Google Classroom, Dropbox, Send Anywhere, Egress, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Smash, Files.com, Apple iCloud Drive, FileCloud

Please ensure your name, email and school name and address are included with your entries if you send entries digitally via a non-Young Writers service.

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Send by Mail

Send your entries, along with your teacher entry form, to:

Young Writers Lower Elem
77 Walnut Street
Unit 11
Peabody MA 01960

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Get In Touch

Email
[email protected]

Tel
323-244-4784

Post
Young Writers Lower Elem
77 Walnut Street
Unit 11
Peabody MA 01960

Closing Date: Friday Oct 30, 2026