_edited.png)
OCTOBER PROMPT: 25TH HOUR (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.
​
Winners will receive the following:
​
1st Place - $25 Amazon Gift Card, and writing published in our Hall of Fame!
​
2nd Place - $15 Amazon Gift Card, and writing published in our Hall of Fame!
​
3rd Place - $5 Amazon Gift Card, and writing published in our
Hall of Fame!
​
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.
There exists a 25th hour of the day that only becomes accessible during the month of October. During this extra hour, time slows to a crawl for the rest of the world, but for a special few (like your character) who aren't affected, just about anything can happen. Is this hidden time a gift, a curse, or something else? Write a story about a character(s) who accidentally finds a mysterious 25th hour of the day: Describe the adventures, discoveries, and challenges that follow.
​
Stuck? Consider these starters:
What if your character discovers that a select few in your town was using the 25th hour for something secret? What if the 25th hour allowed your character to fix a mistake somehow, but only once? What odd events would unfold if time itself started to act strangely in the hidden hour? What would your character(s) do if the 25th hour revealed something dangerous that only they could understand?
​
All submissions before the 15th will receive FREE, personalized feedback that writers may use to revise and resubmit! To learn the secrets to elevating your writing, sign up HERE.
​
Questions? Refer to the FAQs below, or contact us: futurescholarfoundation@gmail.com
-
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.
-
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.
-
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!
-
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 (around 5-15 words) over the 350 word limit. Because we receive hundreds of submissions each month, and operate with an extremely small team, we are unable to allocate the time to read extremely long stories - as much as we would love to!
-
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!
-
Can I submit my story if I don't live in the US/Canada area?Yes - you can! We welcome international submissions :)
-
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!
