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Monthly Prompt: See HERE!
About Our Short Story Competition:
Every month, we host a short story competition (350 words max), with each new prompt centered around a monthly theme. This competition is for elementary and middle school students. The competition will remain open for submissions until the 28th of each month (11:59 pm), with results released on the first of every month at 8:00 am PST. Prompts will provide starters for writers.
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Winners will receive the following:
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1st Place - $60 Amazon Gift Card, and writing published in our Hall of Fame!
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2nd Place - $40 Amazon Gift Card, and writing published in our Hall of Fame!
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3rd Place - $20 Amazon Gift Card, and writing published in our
Hall of Fame!
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Runner Up - Writing published in our Hall of Fame!
Prompts
All competitions open on the 1st and close on the 28th of every month. You can submit to our competitions as long as it is the 28th or earlier in your region.
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One afternoon, your character lifts a loose floorboard at their home, school, or other frequently visited place to find a spiraling stairway into a secret factory underneath. Inside, machines churn out mismatched socks that have the ability to talk, and glowing orbs that giggle when touched. When production suddenly goes haywire, your character must find their way out of the factory before the exit seals shut. Write a story about your character's escape from a mysterious factory deep underground and the strange discoveries that they make.
Stuck? Consider these starters:
Who is the factory's mysterious creator, and why did they open the factory? What strange goods are being produced down below? How does your character escape, or are they trapped forever? What does the exit look like, and how does your protagonist find it (if they do)? ​
Due to staffing shortages, the Future Scholar Foundation team will be unable to offer feedback this May.
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Questions? Refer to the FAQs below, or contact us: futurescholarfoundation@gmail.com
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Where should I submit my story?Please submit your story here. We look forward to reading your piece soon - all submissions before the 15th will receive FREE feedback that writers can use to revise and resubmit. Good luck!
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Where should I re-submit my story?You can resubmit your story through our submission form on our website; our system will automatically group your revised story next to your original one!
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My short story is more than 350 words. Will I be disqualified?No - your story will not be disqualified as long as it is no more than slightly (15 words maximum) over the 350 word limit. However, we highly recommend that you challenge yourself to keep your story's length less than or equal to 350 words.
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Why should I participate?Participating in the our competitions provides the unique opportunity to gain early creative writing practice not avaliable in school. By practicing early, students are able to gain a deep appreciation of the english language and understand its inherent power to facilitate change in the world. Additionally, such practice facilitates great improvement in grammar, style, and structure, all of which will be essential in excelling on the SAT, high school AP classes, and college application essays.
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How much does it cost to participate in the competition?We believe the opportunity to showcase one's talents should be avaliable to all social groups. We want everybody to be able to learn as much as possible from their participation in our competitions. Thus, our writing competitions are, and will always be, 100% free.
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Is the competition in-person or virtual?All English competitions are completely virtual to ensure ease of access for everyone. Competitions open on the first of every month and close on the 28th of the month. You can submit as long as it is the 28th somewhere in the world. Results are announced sometime the third week of the month. Submissions go here!
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Can I submit multiple stories?Yes! You are more than welcome to submit multiple stories each month. It's a great way to get extra practice and increase your chances of winning!
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Can I submit my story if I don't live in the US/Canada area?Yes - you can! We welcome international submissions :)
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Who should I contact with additional questions?Our email is futurescholarfoundation@gmail.com. It is checked frequently - expect a response time of less than 12 hours!
