Camp NaNoWriMo kicks off April 1, and as an added bonus for all our young writers (17 and younger), we hereby present...the Young Writers Flash Fiction Contest!

Submit your story!

What To Write

Write a brief story (300-word limit) that starts with a storm. (Interpret this however you want! Maybe the rain is ending, or it’s a metaphorical storm, or the wind is just kicking up, or maybe it's a different kind of storm entirely — outer space solar storm, anyone?)

Where you go from there is completely up to you. We’ll be looking for intriguing descriptions, characters, and situations. Be sure you’re able to pack a lot into a short word window. If you’re not sure how, read some flash fiction examples to get inspired.

The Prizes

We will award two Grand Prize Winners, and three Honorable Mention Winners. (We’ll pick one Grand Prize from high school and one from elementary/middle, and then three Honorable Mention Prizes.)

The Grand Prizes (This is pretty awesome. Be sure you’re ready.)

• Your story published on the NaNoWriMo blog

• A $20 gift certificate for the NaNoWriMo store

• A lifetime subscription to 4thewords (winners under 13 will need parent permission to create an account).

• A specially designed Camp 2018 YWP Contest Winner Badge for your profile and social media.

The Honorable Mention Prizes

• A link to your story on the NaNoWriMo blog

• A $10 gift certificate for the NaNoWriMo store

• A year’s subscription to 4thewords (winners under 13 will need parent permission to create an account).

• A specially designed Camp 2018 YWP Contest Honorable Mention Badge for your profile and social media.

How to Submit

To submit, go to the form below and paste in your story by 11:59PM PST on April 30 (the last day of Camp). You can only submit one story, and you can’t change anything after you submit it, so be sure it represents your BEST work.

Submit your story!

Any questions? Ask in the Young Writers Contest forum, email ywp@nanowrimo.org, or message Marya_Brennan using Help Central on your YWP dashboard.

Happy writing!

More Camp NaNoWriMo Opportunities

Camp NaNoWriMo on YWP — Learn more about this challenge that happens every April and July. 

NaNoWriMo March Instagram Challenge — We're hosting our first-ever Instagram challenge during the month of March! Follow @NaNoWriMo and #InstaWrimo, and take photos inspired by our prompts. Learn more details on the NaNoWriMo blog.

Write a Camp Prep post for the NaNoWriMo blog — Got advice for other writers, young or old? Sign up for the chance to write a participant post on the NaNoWriMo blog. Fill out the interest form here, or read other YWP participant posts for inspiration.