Places to Publish:
A resource for middle school writers
Natick Public Schools
Updated: Sept. 2024
Overview:
All writing has audience and purpose. Why do we write? What is it that we want and intend to say? And who is our audience? And what will they take away from our writing? For so many of our students, the initial reaction to the act of writing is negative. Whether it’s the expenditure of time (How long will this take? How much should I write?), the generation of an idea (Will it matter? Why am I writing this?), or the eventual “destination” of the writing (Who will even read this, and why would anyone care what I have to say!?), writing presents challenges, and yet it also presents opportunities. Click here for 10 reasons why encouraging the publishing of student writing can reap big rewards and benefits for students.
As educators, we know that when students know their audience, and that audience is authentic, they more deeply invest themselves in the act (and the art) of writing. They “enter the conversation” on their own terms, and in their own way. And they feel the joy of experimentation and creation.
Libba Bray writes, “Write like it matters, and it will.” We hope this resource can be an opportunity for you to encourage students to put their writing out into the world, because their voices matter.
School Publications
At Wilson: submit to the Wilson Lit Zine or read something on the podcast! Email lsteere@natickps.org.
Current Opportunites
★ Appelley Publishing Student Poetry Contest (due Nov. 15)
★ Rattle Young Poets Anthology (due Nov. 15)
★ Amazing Women’s Edition Contest (due Jan. 9)
To honor the vast accomplishments of women in the United States, the National Youth Foundation is pleased to announce the Amazing Women’s Edition (AWE) competition. This writing contest is open to students in grades K to 8 residing in the United States.
★ Letters About Literature (due Jan. 15)
★ Bluefire 1000-word Story Contest (due Feb. 1)
★ Dear Poet Project (due Feb. 1)
A multimedia education project that invited young people in grades 5 through 12 to write letters in response to poems written and read by some of the award-winning poets who serve on the Academy of American Poets Board of Chancellors.
★ #USvsHate (due Nov. 22 and March 28)
Students are invited to create public anti-hate messages in any media for their school communities. Our national challenge then amplifies student voices for a nationwide audience. You can submit 5 entries max per class!
★ Scholastic Art & Writing: National Student Poets (due Dec. 6 for Grades 10-11)
★ American Geosciences Institute (due Oct. 18, 2024)
★ Write the World Competitions (due around the 20th, each month)
We’re a community of young writers (ages 13 to 18), hailing from over 120 countries. Join our global platform, and explore our ever-changing library of prompts as you establish a regular writing practice and expand your repertoire of styles, all while building your portfolio of polished work. Enter competitions for the chance to receive feedback from authors, writing teachers, and other experts in the field.
★ EngineerGirl Writing Contest (due Feb. 1)
Every year, the EngineerGirl website sponsors a contest dealing with engineering and its impact on our world. The topic and detailed instructions for the contest are posted in the fall with a deadline for submissions early the following year. Winners are announced in the spring.
★ Young America Poetry Contest
★ Poetry of Resistance (published in Ebooks here)
Past contests:
★ River of Words: Youth Art and Poetry Inspired by the Natural World
★ Poetry Matters Project Lit Prize (not since 2022)
Daily Writing Prompts
★ MA Poetry Statewide Calendar
★ NYT Student Publishing Calendar
The New York Times Learning Network
Our Student Opinion question and Picture Prompt offer anyone 13 to 19 years old a place to publicly post writing that is read by our editors and other students around the world. We are not looking for formal work here; instead, we encourage students to use these forums to hone their voices, ideas and opinions; show us their thinking; and participate in civil discussion about issues from politics to pop culture. Each week, we publish a roundup of favorite responses.
Magazines & Journals
The online publication is known for featuring quality, creative, thoughtful and often thought-provoking written and artistic work written and edited by children and teenagers. Accepts writing, art, photography or videography from young people who are 5 to 18 years old.
elementia is a literary arts magazine published to represent and uplift young adults. We accept original poetry, fiction, nonfiction, graphic stories, photography and illustrations.
★ Ember
Ember is a semiannual journal of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction for all age groups. Submissions for and by readers aged 10 to 18 are strongly encouraged.
A literary magazine for young writers with a focus on those in Asian countries, The Foredge Review aims to support teen interest in writing and reading by providing a platform for receiving recognition. We welcome submissions of poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction from anyone 13-18.
★ Kalopsia
Kalopsia is a literary and arts journal run by students from all over the world who aim to promote art and writing among (seemingly) ordinary people.
★ Launch Pad
Launch Pad publishes stories, art, poetry, nonfiction, and book reviews by kids ages 6–14, matching up authors and illustrators. The material is offered in PDF format that readers can read on screen or download for offline viewing.
★ New Moon Girls
New Moon Magazine is aimed specifically at female tweens and teens, and offers them a place of inspiration, connection and support where they can stay deeply connected to their true interests, abilities, and hopes. The magazine is offered in both print and electronic format, and their website offers an online community with a moderated forum.
We are a nonprofit magazine for youth that encourages communication, cooperation, creativity and celebration of cultural and environmental richness. It provides a playful forum for sharing ideas and experiences among youth from different countries and cultures. We are an ad-free, ecologically-aware, literary magazine printed on recycled paper with soy ink. Accepts many kinds of writing, including essays, stories, letters to the editor, riddles and proverbs, as well as drawings, paintings and photos.
Stone Soup is the literary magazine and website 100% written and illustrated by kids through age 13. Now in its 48th year, Stone Soup has been inspiring children to read, write and create their own artworks for publication in our magazine since 1973. Our young authors’ and artists’ work is also published in our Annual, and on our blog. Inspire the children in your life with great short stories and poetry, beautiful art and photography, and thought-provoking reviews–all written by their peers, and published in a style and format they can take real pride in.
★ Teen Ink
A national teen magazine, book series, and website devoted entirely to teenage writing, art, photos, and forums. For over 25 years, Teen Ink has offered teenagers the opportunity to publish their creative work and opinions on issues that affect their lives — everything from love and family to school, current events, and self-esteem. We have no staff writers or artists; we depend completely on submissions from teenagers around the world for our content. Teen Ink has the largest distribution of any publication of its kind.
Teenopinions.org is a platform for teens and tweens worldwide to share their opinions, ideas, reflections and perspectives with the world. Our mission is to give every teen and tween an opportunity to freely publish their perspectives in a non-competitive environment.
★ WriteCause
An organization the runs quarterly writing contests with topics centered around different world issues, encouraging charity donations, and prompting teens to reflect on current crises and inspiring solutions. (deadline: September 30, 2021)
Fiction
★ NaNoWriMo Young Writer’s Program
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, empowering approach to creative writing. The challenge: draft an entire novel in just one month. For 30 wild, exciting, surprising days, you get to lock away your inner editor, let your imagination take over, and just create! Our Young Writers Program supports under-18 writers and K-12 educators as they participate in our flagship event each November, and take part in smaller writing challenges year-round.
Summer Writing: Stay cool and creative all summer long by participating in Camp NaNoWriMo’s July session—either online here or over at Camp NaNoWriMo, or offline by using our writer-friendly, print-out-able Summer Writing Program resources. Choose a project you care about, set an ambitious goal, get feedback on your progress, and receive support from an international community of fellow writers.
An award-winning quarterly literary magazine that features the work of today’s best teen writers (ages 13-19).
EarthPlex is the climate platform for teens founded by a fourteen-year-old. Any teenager can submit a post about climate change or read quality content about the environment, ways we can protect it, the impact of corporations, and more. Our mission is to give those under eighteen a voice in the battle against climate change.
Plays/Theatre
★ Writopia Lab’s 10th AnnualWorldwide Plays Festival
An annual Off-Broadway festival of one-act plays written by playwrights ages 6 to 18 and produced, designed, directed, and acted by New York theater professionals.
★ VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition
Young writers with disabilities and collaborative groups that include students with disabilities, in the U.S. grades 6-12 (or equivalents) or ages 11-18 for non-U.S. students, are invited to explore the disability experience through the art of writing for performance — in the form of plays, screenplays, or music theater. Writers are encouraged to craft short (10 minute) works from their own experiences and observations in the style of realism, through the creation of fictional characters and settings, or writing metaphorically or abstractly about the disability experience.