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No submission fees.

Only your voice, amplified.

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*All competitions are for elementary and middle school students only - high school students are encouraged to get involved through our Team Member form. 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.

The Process

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Prompt

Read our monthly prompt, and craft your story using 350 words or less. New prompts are released on the 1st of every month. 

Our prompts set up the situation and come with several starter questions to get you going!  

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Submit Early, Before The 10th

Submit By The 28th

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For FREE feedback that you can use to revise and resubmit your story before the competition closes on the 28th.

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The competition is open for entries until the 28th of the month, at 11:59pm PST.

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Win Prizes & Recognition 

Stories are reviewed by our judging team alongside our guest judge for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, as well as one runner up.

Results & awards are released on the 1st of the next month, at 8:00am PST in our Hall of Fame.

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More Information

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Prizes

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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!

Prompt

One morning, your main character wakes up to find that all the animals in town have started wearing Christmas clothing, but not the typical kind that people put on them. Squirrels scamper past in tiny scarves, birds swoop while wearing earmuffs, and dogs trot around in patterned sweaters never seen before. Soon, your protagonist notices something odd: the animals are gathering and heading toward the same unknown place. Write a story about what your main character decides to do as the animals’ strange Christmastime behavior continues.

Stuck? Consider these starters:
What would your character do if an animal tried to lead them somewhere? What kinds of animals does your protagonist see? What might the animals be preparing for? Where is all the Christmas clothing coming from? What might your protagnist have to follow, risk, or learn to discover where all the animals are going?

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All submissions before the 10th of the month will receive free, one-time feedback writers may use to revise and resubmit!

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Questions? Refer to the FAQs below, or contact us: futurescholarfoundation@gmail.com

*All competitions are for elementary and middle school students only. 

**Maximum short story length: 350 words.

Gia Gordon

December 2025 Guest Judge

Co-Founder: Never Counted Out, Youth Activist, and more!

Gia Gordon is a disabled author, youth activist, and former educator. Her books have received starred reviews and accolades, including Kirkus Best Books for MG 2024, Bookshop.org Best Kids’ Chapter Books of the Year, 2024 Whippoorwill Award, and the Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended MG Title 2025. Gia is co-founder of the non-profit Never Counted Out, providing books to classrooms and community programs where access to books is limited. When she’s not writing, Gia can be found thrifting or turning no-longer-wanted household goods into beautifully reimagined art.

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PrevPrompts

Previous Prompts

Screenshot of the September 2024 prompt from the Future Scholar Foundation's short story competition
Screenshot of the October 2024 prompt from the Future Scholar Foundation's short story competition

Frequently Asked Questions

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