Young Authors – The Blue Pencil Online
The editors of The Blue Pencil Online —all artists-in-training in the Writing & Publishing Program at Walnut Hill School for the Arts — publish “the freshest, most imaginative examples of literary craft by young writers (12-18 years) around the world.” In addition to poems, stories, and plays, they consider single-sentence experiments on selected topics (“Pencil Shavings”), audio readings of compelling literary works (“Out Loud!”), writers’ discoveries of the elements of good writing (“A Good Read”), and reflections on the revision process (“The Draft Board”). To learn about submitting work, visit the Writers’ Guidelines.
Currently, the editors of The Blue Pencil Online invite young writers to submit poetry, fiction, and playwriting to the annual Elizabeth Bishop Prizes. Offering $45,000 in scholarships, the Prizes honor Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Elizabeth Bishop, who was a student at Walnut Hill from 1927 to 1930. Since 2004, the members of the Writing & Publishing Program, who constitute the panel of judges for the Prizes, have considered “thousands of submissions by young wordsmiths around the globe.” Submissions are accepted online only, and the deadline is February 1 at noon.
Visit the NewPages Young Authors Guide for more publications for writers and readers alike as well as contests specifically for K-12 and early college students.
