Open Call for Teen Story Contest

For their One Teen Story contest, they ask writers ages 13-19 to enter their original, unpublished fiction. They are interested in great short stories of any genre about the teen experience—literary, fantasy, sci-fi, love stories, horror, etc. What’s in a great short story? Interesting teen characters, strong writing and a beginning, middle and end.

Prize Information

• The contest winners will receive $500 upon publication.
• The winning stories will be published on their website.
• The contest winners will also have the opportunity to work with a One Teen Story editor prior to publication.
• Honorable mentions will be chosen in three age categories: 13-15, 16-17, and 18-19, and each will be announced on their website.

Eligibility Criteria

• To enter, you must be between the ages of 13-19.
• Short stories should be between 2,000 to 4,500 words and be the writer’s own original, previously unpublished work.
• Previously published stories and stories forthcoming at other publications cannot be considered. This includes stories that have been self-published online on personal websites or other publishing platforms, including blogs and school publications.

Application Requirements

• By submitting your work, you are acknowledging that it is your own creation, that it has not been borrowed from any other person’s work (including film, video, and online content), that it has not been created with any assistance from AI tools or software, and that the characters and situations are of your own invention.
• Stories should have teens as their main characters and be about the teen experience.
• Only one submission per person.
• One Teen Story reserves the right to approve all final, edited content.
• A parent or legal guardian must sign a consent form for One Teen Story to publish the names of winners who are under the age of 18 on their website and social media platforms.
• A parent must sign a consent form for One Teen Story to publish the names of the winners and honorable mentions on their website.
• You must submit through Submittable.
• Proof of age must be provided by all winners and finalists.

For more information, visit One Story.