🍪 Important information about cookies
We use cookies to help us improve your experience with us. By continuing to use our site, you are accepting such use.
Fright Club | Creative Writing Contest | Middle & High
Enter now and give your students a boost in writing skills and confidence!
To enterFright Club all your students need is a little bit of imagination. We'll provide the rest:
Inspiration All the classics:
🏚️Exploring an abandoned building
🎃Halloween that turns real
🪦A graveyard at midnight
🌩️A dark and stormy night...
And the not-so-classics:
🚀A knock on the spaceship door
🏖️A sunny day that turns sinister
👻A ghost who is terrible at haunting
😱The horror of no wi-fi!
The theme is open to interpretation, so your students can unleash their unique ideas - we can't wait to see what they come up with!
Planning
A graphic organizer with planning sections and more ideas to write about
Story-starter sentences to help to kick-start their story
100 words to focus their ideas
Knowledge
A lesson plan to teach them about writing with atmosphere, suspense, and tension.
Accompanying slide deck(also available in Google Slides) as a visual lesson guide.
Confidence
The resources will guide them through the writing process
The 100-word limit takes away the fear of long-form writing
Everyone stands a good chance of being published!
Get everything you need from the Downloads tab now!⬆️
Will your students be crowned the top writers and take home the trophy? Enter Fright Club today and find out!
Closing Date: Friday Jun 19, 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!
Thank you so much for another opportunity! The class really enjoyed this.
Justina Denapoli, Father Vincent Capodanno Catholic Academy, NYSee more...
The students enjoyed the freedom of this project (Peculiar Pets). It got them excited to write.
Amanda Peterson, Christ The King School, NYSee more...
Peculiar Pets was a great activity!
Anne Piccoli, Immaculate Heart Of Mary School, NYSee more...
Thank you for the intriguing prompts and engaging activities! I look forward to these contests each year.
Mike Carter, Millis Middle/High School, MASee more...
My students absolutely loved the challenge of writing mini sagas!
Darla Bubar, Edward Town Middle School, NYSee more...
The story starters are so fun!
Nichole Charbonneau, Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, MASee more...
My students look forward to this contest every year, and so do I!
Rachel Barnes, Monomay Regional High School, MASee more...
This was such a fun way to have my students engaged with their writing!
Christina Guertin, Midland Street School, NYSee more...
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!
To make sure your entries are valid, please follow the rules listed below:
Closing Date: Friday Jun 19, 2026
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.
Copyright remains with the author.
Free to enter.
If you are unsure on any rules or have any queries, please don't hesitate to Contact Us.
For Schools
Young Writers’ 🏆Award of Excellence🏆 is awarded to the school that submits the best set of entries for this contest.
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.)
For Students
A $50 Amazon gift card will be awarded to our 3 favorite writers.
PLUS every entrant receives a bookmark for taking part. A certificate of merit will be sent out to every student whose work we'd like to publish.
(Winners will be chosen from published entries received April-June 2026.)
Your students write or type their entry (or an adult can scribe) ensuring their name (or initials) and age are included
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!
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.
