The 2026 Kids' Short Story Contest for Grades 3-5 begins January 5, 2026!
The contest will accept submissions from January 5 to February 1, 2026. All writers, their friends, and families are invited to our awards celebration on Saturday, April 18, at the Malletts Creek Branch! The top three writers in each grade will receive awards!
In 2025, the contest received over 100 submissions from Ann Arbor and beyond!
Looking for the teen writing contest? Young adult authors in grades 6-12 can enter AADL's Teen Writing Contest and submit short stories, poetry, and flash fiction. Click for more details.
General Contest Guidelines:
• Writers may enter one story per contest year
• Only one writer per story
• Writers must be in grades 3–5
• Previously submitted or published stories will not be accepted
• Length: maximum 2000 words or 5 pages double-spaced
• Please write your name in the e-mail message, not on your story!
How to Enter the Kids' Short Story Writing Contest
1. Check out the CONTEST GUIDELINES!
2. Write your story! (Need some help? Here are some WRITING RESOURCES.)
3. Email your story to kidswrite@aadl.org. Please review the full contest guidelines before emailing.
4. Attend the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, April 18, to find out the contest winners and hear from our featured guest speaker!
Questions about the contest may be directed to kidswrite@aadl.org.
2025 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
Thank you to all of the writers who participated in the 2025 "Write On!" Contest! The 2025 winners are listed below.
3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Addie Capecelatro | "The Girl with the Storm Cloud Eyes" |
| 2nd | Leila Bushkuhl | "Daisy Saves Her Town" |
| 3rd | Farzeen Fatehi | "The Skyflame" |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Kawthar Abouzahr | "The Puffball of Doom" |
| 2nd | Sierra Varnhagen | "Fake Out" |
| 3rd | Ana Mendoza Bolina | "Popular Nobody" |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Adam Lou | "The Paper Airplane Race" |
| 2nd | Alyssa Boucher | "The Bullied Wooly" |
| 3rd | Claire Manthei | "Little Chick" |
2024 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
Thank you to all of the writers who participated in the 2024 "Write On!" Contest! The 2024 winners are listed below.
3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Nora McCall | "Gimly's Adventures. Book 1. Gimly's New Home" |
| 2nd | Anna Kwak | "The Bunny Who Didn't Like Carrots" |
| 3rd | Ana Medoza Bolina | "Starlina" |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Midge Caines | "Take a Shot!" |
| 2nd | Tej Parikh | "Under the Rug" |
| 3rd | Zinnia Overland | "Cat & Rat" |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Reese Tribou | "If Sadness Had a Taste" |
| 2nd | Hannah Rochlen | "The Mystery of the Stolen Milk" |
| 3rd | Katelyn Lee | "The Reunion" |
2023 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
Thank you to all of the writers who participated in the 2023 "Write On!" Contest! The 2023 winners are listed below.
3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Averie Grzesiak | "Sketch Girl" |
| 2nd | Mai-Ly Connelly | "Beryl and the Wish Cat" |
| 3rd | Emmeline Goodman | "The Falcon Queen" |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Adelyn Sochacki | "Creative and Courageous" |
| 2nd | Medha Sangi | "Making History" |
| 3rd | Reese Tribou | "We'll All Find Our Place" |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Stella Falkner | "The Story Contest" |
| 2nd | Maya Romero | "The Art Contest" |
| 3rd | Kalyan Parikh | "How Elu Got In The Sky" |
2022 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
Thank you to all of the writers who participated in the 2022 "Write On!" Contest! The 2022 winners are listed below.
3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Talia Primus | "Heather and the Eternity Cave" |
| 2nd | Aviva Moore | "On the Other Side of the Brush" |
| 3rd | Reese Tribou | "Big Secrets for Little People" |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Kelly Regan | "Running Through Silence" |
| 2nd | Rei Karir | "The Time Machine" |
| 3rd | Celeste Ide | "Tinathy and the 1910 Vermont Cotton Mill" |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Sevie Roddy | "Mei and the Blanket of Memories" |
| 2nd | Julia Czyz | "The Way Seasons Change" |
| 3rd | Roya McAllister | "Borrowing Courage" |
2021 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
Thank you to all of the writers who participated in the 2021 "Write On!" Contest! This year's winners are listed below.
3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Leyla Koroglu | "A Touch of Pink Saves the Day" | ||
| 2nd | Nessa Gafni-Pappas | "Crumbs Goes On An Adventure" | ||
| 3rd | Marshall Fowler | "Dinosaurs!" |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Winslow Samford | "The Wind Blew" | ||
| 2nd | Roya McAllister | "Moving Forward" | ||
| 3rd | Sevie Roddy | "Minnow: A Tale of Survival" |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Lucy Williams | "Among the Roses" | ||
| 2nd | Kira Tribou | "The Magic Left in the World" | ||
| 3rd | Maya Puthenveedu | "The Opposite of Fear" |
2020 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
Thank you to all of the writers who participated in the 2020 "Write On!" Contest! This year's winners are listed below.
3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Sevie Roddy | "The Triplet Witches" | ||
| 2nd | Alisa Robles-Breneman | "Lulu Nicklaus Super Spy" | ||
| 3rd | Alice Zhu | "Magical Meadow" |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Anneliese Greenawalt | "From the Wolf's Perspective" | ||
| 2nd | Carrie Nelson | "Bob the Mole Tries to Fly" | ||
| 3rd | Kira Tribou | "Returning Home" |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Caroline McTigue | "Making the Team" | ||
| 2nd | Alison Choi | "When the Sun Reaches the Sky" | ||
| 3rd | Katelyn Grant | "The Book Hopper" |
2019 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
Thank you to all of the writers who participated in the 2019 "Write On!" Contest! This year's winners are listed below.
3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Aleena Ahmed | "Moonstar" | ||
| 2nd | Aarav Roy | "The Dragon and the Robot" | ||
| 3rd | Mila Hunsinger | "The Enchanted Forest" |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Annika Bergren | "Alex and the Magic Jar" | ||
| 2nd | Lauren DiMarzo | "A Side of Story" | ||
| 3rd | Mila Hedly | "Midnight" |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Ellen Jin | "Sun and Sei" | ||
| 2nd | Lila Henry | "The Travel Through Time" | ||
| 3rd | Zoe Jones | "The River Girl" |
2018 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
Thank you to all of the writers who participated in the 2018 "Write On!" Contest!
3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Anika Raman | "The Aliens" | ||
| 2nd | Mila Hedly | "The Girl's Wish" | ||
| 3rd | Anna Bogle | "The Arcade Adventure" |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Livnat Brody | "The Journal in the Attic" | ||
| 2nd | Jessica Primus | "Bully to Buddy" | ||
| 3rd | Tess C. Fleming | "Who Haunts My House?" |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Kate Castrogiovanni | "The Writer's Block" | ||
| 2nd | Abby Re | "The Noodle & Poodle Chronicles" | ||
| 3rd | Iris Pous | "My Four Seasons" |
2017 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
Thank you to all of the writers who participated in the 2017 "Write On!" Contest! Read the winning stories below or read all of the stories from 2017.
3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Hajime Yamazaki | "Hess and Chopsticks" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Livnat Brody | "White and Lilac'" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Ashley Han | "The Rise of Banana Cream Pie" | Text-Only Version |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Tove Vivekanand | "Nia’s Pride" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Abby Re | "The Arix Dimension" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Kate Castrogiovanni | "Traplandia" | Text-Only Version |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Tai Karir | "The Robot Arm" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Katerina Selene Freudenberg | "Eleven" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Emerson Wernimont | "Amazing" | Text-Only Version |
2016 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
The 2016 "Write On!" Contest received 104 submissions from Ann Arbor, Dexter, Ypsilanti, and beyond! Read the winning stories below, or read all of the stories from 2016. 3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Maddie Gaines | "Building an Adventure" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Raymond T. Kangas, Jr. | "Benjamin Franklin 'in the Future!'" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Lila Jomaa | "The Stowaway" | Text-Only Version |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Selene Freudenberg | "The Moon Greater than Every Other" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Rachel E. Perlman | "Elca Padme John" | ||
| 3rd | Anita Gaenko | "Bells" | Text-Only Version |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Haley Switzer | "The Locked Waterfall" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Aspen Fields | "The Last Sunwealder" | ||
| 3rd | Rita Ionides | "The Magical Kingdom of Mathematica" | Text-Only Version |
2015 "Write On!" Short Story Contest
The 2015 "Write On!" Contest received a record number of 138 submissions! Below are the 2015 winning stories. 3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Yotam Chopra | "The Kids Who Saved the World" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Graham Baker | "Sam the Talented Dolphin" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Selene Freudenberg | "How Hairy Pot Er Met Innygay Easlyway" | Text-Only Version |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Elijah Hatcher-Kay | "Lost and Found" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Finnian Cook | "Believe" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Caroline Robinson | "Going Through Time" | Text-Only Version |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Camille Hu | "The Girl" | ||
| 2nd | Fionnuala MacKercher | "Grey" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Madeleine Rodgers | "Nelson and Ariana's Nako Odyssey" | Text-Only Version |
2014 Short Story Challenge
Around 100 young writers turned in stories for the 2014 3-5th Grade Short Story Challenge! Below is a list of the 2014 winners. To read all entries of the 2014 contest, click here. 3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Kaden Thornton | "The Magical Book" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Eliza Ann Van Ee | "Save the Slaves!" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Emma Li | "Dragon Friends!" | Text-Only Version |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Georgie Branch | "Pop" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Karinne Tennenbaum | "One Thought after Another" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Fionnuala MacKercher | "The White Wolf" | Text-Only Version |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Marisa Redding | "The Meadow Song" | Text-Only Version | |
| 2nd | Makayla Harris | "Hutch McLaw: The Case of the Sparkling Torch" | Text-Only Version | |
| 3rd | Rachel Amanda Eglinton | "The Impossible" | Text- Only Version |
2013 Short Story Writing Contest
Around 100 young writers turned in stories for the 2013 Short Story Writing Contest! Below is a list of the 2013 winners. 3rd Grade Winners:
| 1st | Emma Crownover | "My Secret" |
| 2nd | Alma Moga | "The Story of the Talking Hamster" |
| 3rd | Mohammed Hamoud | "Allians-A True Story" |
4th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Arjun Purohit | "A Weird Day at the Science Museum" |
| 2nd | Abby Dobson | "Winston and His Ears" |
| 3rd | Anabellee Jones | "Blueberry Girl" |
5th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Ashlee Freeman | "Pastel's Journey" |
| 2nd | Krishna Davis | "The Boulder Block" |
| 3rd | Jenna Allman | "Sallie Sweetwater and the Nebraska Disaster" |