The EPIC New Voices Young Writers Competition™ is open for submissions through October 31, 2011. Students in public, private, or home schools between the ages of 11 and 18 are eligible to enter in the categories of short story, essay, and poetry.
The contest was designed
- To encourage reading and writing in middle school and high school students—giving them an opportunity to showcase their work and receive feedback from professionals in the industry;
- To promote e-book literacy in public, private, and home schools.
This competition has a special place in my heart because another EPIC member, my friend Billie Houston aka Barri Bryan, and I started the contest in 2006, and I have been involved in a variety of roles ever since. Now, all I do is judge, which includes reading and scoring the entries and writing my comments, especially positive encouragement.
New Voices is a wonderful opportunity for young writers to get feedback from professionals and, if they are finalists, to be published in an anthology. If you know junior high and high school students who like to write, please direct them to the New Voices brochure and encourage them to enter.