The 2023 Write On contest is now closed for entries. Winners were announced at our virtual awards ceremony on May 20, viewable below and on YouTube.
Congratulations to our 2023 contest winners!
2023 Winners in Flash Fiction:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Abby Whitehead | The 5 Stages of Grief |
| 2nd | Zimou Zhang | The Unworthy Rock |
| 3rd | Alicia You | Hit & Run |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Anonymous | Meat |
| 2nd | Mikayla Michalak | New Girl |
| 3rd | Kaylee Gadepelli | Sorry For Your Loss |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Anita Gaenko | The Whistle on the Plane |
| 2nd | Claire Schultz | Effloresence |
| 3rd | Katie Hume | The Water is Too Deep for You |
2023 Winners in Short Story:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Ayla Altinsel | Her Necklace |
| 2nd | Shelley Ouyang | A Snowy Arena |
| 3rd | Suryn Lee | Tears I Saved for You |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Breanna Swiech | People of Stars |
| 2nd | Ashton Maddock | The Tragic Tale of August and the Wraith |
| 3rd | Ainsley Maddock | Crimson Snow and Pitch-Black Wood |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Tess Harris | IS BLISS |
| 2nd | Isabelle Krepps | Seven Days on the Livingston Estate |
| 3rd | Ananya Shah | Desecration |
2023 Winners in Poetry:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | David Ikekhuah | All That For Nothing |
| 2nd | Lola Roberts | Sakura Blossoms |
| 3rd | Annabella Mi | December 5th |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Alina Kendra | Drowning |
| 2nd | Erin Burchill | Regression |
| 3rd | Malia Weber | Trefoil |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Anonymous | The Beach House |
| 2nd | Mya Weiss | She, the Wind |
| 3rd | Allysa Feldpausch | Scroll |
You can read the work all of the participants in the contest who gave AADL permission to publish their stories here.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A LIST OF THE 2023 CONTEST FINALISTS
Winners will be announced via video at 1pm on May 20. Stay tuned right here for a link to watch the video and winner announcement. You'll also have the chance to learn about the published author judges who selected winners during the virtual awards ceremony!
The Ann Arbor District Library is excited to host its 31st annual “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest in Winter 2023! Young Adult authors take part as judges each year, who then read and select the winning stories. Stories are judged in three different categories: Grades 6-8, Grades 9 & 10, and Grades 11 & 12. The top three writers in each age group receive fabulous prizes. This is an ever-growing, state-wide contest.
Kids in grades 3-5 can also enter AADL's Write On! short story writing contest, which will accept entries January 9 - February 6, 2023.
How to Enter the Contest:
The 2023 It's All Write Teen Writing Contest will accept submissions January 9-March 5, 2023. Please note that the 2023 contest is open to Michigan residents only. The submission form links will become available on January 9.
For more information about the contest, including prizes, rules and where to direct questions, see the guidelines below.
1. Take a look at the Poetry Guidelines, Flash Fiction Guidelines and the Short Story Guidelines
2. Write your story! Need some help? Check out this Writing Resource Guide.
3. Send us your work using either the Short Story Submission Form, Poetry Submission Form, and/or the Flash Fiction Submission Form
Questions about the contest may be directed to allwrite@aadl.org.