And the winner is...

By Jack March 30, 2024

And the winner is...

Hi, y’all!

If you weren’t already aware, we hosted our very first short story contest this month. Submission closed last Tuesday, which gave us only about three days to decide on a winner since we planned on posting the winners today. But that may not have been enough time because we had a tough decision to make. And we know judges always say that, but this time it was very true. We received a bunch of awesome story submissions this month and we want you all to know that we appreciate all of your stories. Even though you may not have won this one, you are still all amazing authors. So don’t take this loss as a pitfall. It’s not. Take this is an opportunity to push yourself in your writing limits and take a set forward toward your future career as a writer.

The good news, however, is that not all of you lost! We have selected a silver winner (second place!) and a gold winner (first place!). This pair of short stories were the ones that really stuck out to us. And as promised, the “prize” for winning our contest is having the stories featured on this blog!

So, without ado…

The silver winner is…

…

*drumroll please*

…

The Day the Shadow Queen was Crowned!

A Short Story by Arianna J.P. Johnson

This 3,000-word fantasy short story really spoke to us with its engaging imagery, clean dialogue, and powerful message. So give it up for Arianna J.P. Johnson for winning the silver medal and check out here short story here or by downloading the PDF below!

Download PDF

And now…

The moment you’ve all been waiting for…

Please give it up for this contest’s gold medal winner…

Which is…

…

*one more drumroll*

…

Aliza!

A Short Story by Brynlee Boline

Right off the bat, we noticed the talent and eloquence in Brynlee Boline’s inspirational writing style. This nearly 7,000-word short story follows a fifteen-year-old girl named Aliza as she faces the hardships of living in Poland during World War Two. A tale of resilience and bravery is a true masterpiece that we’re certain you will enjoy! So make sure to give a round of applause to Brynlee Boline and dive right into her gold-winning story Aliza by clicking here or downloading the PDF file linked below.

Download PDF

And, those are the winners of our very first short story contest! Again, thank you so much to all those who submitted your short stories! We appreciate the effort you put into these works and encourage you to continue your writing journey with resilience and confidence. If you guys are interested, linked below are some more writing contests you can enter as a teen, though most aren’t free. We love you guys and wish you a blessed day! :)