2024 "It's All Write!" Teen Writing Contest
The Ann Arbor District Library is excited to host its 32nd annual “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest in Winter 2024! Young Adult authors take part as judges each year, who then read and select the winning stories. Short stories, flash fiction and poems 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 take place in January and February of 2024.
How to Enter the Contest:
The 2024 It's All Write Teen Writing Contest will accept submissions January 8-March 3, 2023. Please note that the 2024 contest is open to Michigan residents only.
The submission form links will become available on this site when the contest opens.
Click here for more information about the 2024 contest!
2023 "It's All Write!" Teen Writing Contest
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. Short stories, flash fiction and poems 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 take place in January and February of 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 this site when the contest opens.
Click here for more information about the 2023 contest!
2022 "It's All Write!" Teen Writing Contest
The 2022 It's All Write! Teen Writing Contest is now closed for submissions. Winners were announced at the online awards ceremony on May 21, viewable on aadl.org and YouTube.
The Ann Arbor District Library is excited to host its 30th annual “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest in Winter 2022! 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 10 - February 7, 2022.
AADL Cupcake Contest
You dazzled us with your most amazing cupcake decorating skills! Some brilliant plan falls apart, but that's okay. don't worry! All part of the fun. Thanks to those who participated. Announcing our winners!
Kids Best Decorated: Leila E.
2021 "It's All Write!" Teen Writing Contest
The 2021 It's All Write! Teen Writing Contest is now closed for submissions. Join us for the virtual Awards Ceremony on Sunday, May 23 at 1pm on AADL.TV.
The Ann Arbor District Library is excited to host its 29th annual “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest in Winter 2021! 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 take place in January and February of 2021.
How to Enter the Contest:
The 2021 teen writing contest is now closed.
Congratulations to our 2021 winners! You can see the winners and read the winning stories, along with all the submitted stories whose author gave us permission to publish their work, below.
2021 Winners in Flash Fiction:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Mary Russell | "The Gift" |
| 2nd | Grace Belanger | "Letting go" |
| 3rd | Jessica Primus | "My Little Red Jacket" |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Anonymous | "Sugar High" |
| 2nd | Jessica Jia | "Growing Up" |
| 3rd | Angie Liu | "Little Red Riding Hood" |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Eilie Weatherbee | "Gone" |
| 2nd | Chloe Long | "Grief's Journey" |
| 3rd | Helen Schmitter | "In our Kitchen" |
2021 Winners in Short Story:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Grace Liu | "Yellow" |
| 2nd | Jennifer Tang | "the ocean swallows" |
| 3rd | Ella Gonzalez | "FlowerGirl" |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Olivia Palmbos | "Mother" |
| 2nd | Kriya Jaiganesh | "Scales and Arpeggios" |
| 3rd | Ioana Dumitrascu | "I Guess I'm Not the Happiest" |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Hye-won Yoo | "[238] Trial Run 52" |
| 2nd | Anonymous | "Birds of America" |
| 3rd | Audrey George | "The Gray Fox" |
2021 Winners in Poetry:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Helen Kolias | "Never Again" |
| 2nd | Rebecca van Lent | "Supernova" |
| 3rd | Anonymous | "Blue" |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Sean McMillen | "To Stand" |
| 2nd | Gillian Perry | "PUPPET SHOW, DECEMBER" |
| 3rd | Zain Rahim | "Untitled" |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Anonymous | "My Honest Poem" |
| 2nd | Madeline Gupta | "My People: In Reverse" |
| 3rd | Chloe Long | "A Hypocrite's Sword" |
Congratulations to our 2021 Finalists in each category! Click the links below to see the lists of this year's finalists:
You can read all Finalist submissions here.
You can read all the submissions to the 2021 It's All Write contest here.
Winter Cookie Decorating Contest
Thank you so much to all of our 2021 cookie contest participants! We had dozens of AMAZING entries, including some BEAUTIFULLY frosted cookies and some DEVASTATING disaster cookies! Winners are announced below, and we'll be in touch with the winners to mail prize gift certificates!
Kids' Best Decorated: Clara H.
2020 "It's All Write!" Teen Writing Contest
The Ann Arbor District Library is excited to host its 28th annual “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest in Spring 2020! 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, international contest. Winners will be announced at our Teen Writing Festival on Sunday, June 9 from 1-3pm at the Downtown Library.
Congratulations to our 2020 winners in all categories!
2020 Winners in Flash Fiction:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Riya Rao | "The Tenth Birthday Gift" |
| 2nd | Yufei Fu | "School Days" |
| 3rd | Liah Igel | "A Few Clicks" |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Shanelle Felipe | "Button" |
| 2nd | Grace Lee | "The Sounds" |
| 3rd | Christy Delaney | "Pandora's Garden" |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Lola Simon | "The Boys" |
| 2nd | Anonymous | "Dark Regrets" |
| 3rd | Emma Blanchet | "Roommate" |
2020 Winners in Short Story:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Jeremy Parker | "Sunset" |
| 2nd | Anita Gaenko | "The Girl With the Sunflower Shoes" |
| 3rd | Anonymous | "Shikata Ga Nai" |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Emma Washburn | "Hemingway" |
| 2nd | Norah Armijo | "The Convict" |
| 3rd | Anonymous | "Milk and honey" |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Maggie Lareau | "Bright Red Buoys" |
| 2nd | Kat Andrews | "April Showers Bring May Flowers" |
| 3rd | Vanessa Abraham | "Pilgrimage" |
2020 Winners in Poetry:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Devin Sanders | "Caged" |
| 2nd | Bhavana Veeravalli | "Honey-Milk Glow" |
| 3rd | Anonymous | "Blossoming Shadows" |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Jeannie Kim | "Planting Peonies" |
| 2nd | Ha Tran Tran | "A Love Letter for Home" |
| 3rd | Rina Huang | "Miss" |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Kathryn Lakin | "Survived By... 12/22/2011" |
| 2nd | Elyse Thomas | "star-spangled black girl" |
| 3rd | Danae Younge | "If I Could Pinch a Moment in Time" |
View 2020 Finalist Stories
View All 2020 Submissions
2019 "It's All Write!" Teen Writing Contest
The Ann Arbor District Library is excited to host its 27th annual “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest in Spring 2019! 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, international contest. Winners will be announced at our Teen Writing Festival on Sunday, June 9 from 1-3pm at the Downtown Library.
Congratulations to our 2019 winners in all categories!
2019 Winners in Flash Fiction:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Allison Xu | "An Old Recliner" |
| 2nd | Kathryn Plotner | "Creases" |
| 3rd | Lauryn Alexander | "Shadow Man" |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Syed Ali | "The Pink Raincoat" |
| 2nd | Annie Chen | "Sit" |
| 3rd | Anna Campbell | "Weather and Whimsy" |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Julia Somma | "Recycling" |
| 2nd | Caitlin Leong | "emptea" |
| 3rd | Maeve Florence-Smith | "Elk Don't Read" |
2019 Winners in Short Story:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Olivia Palmbos | "First World Problems" |
| 2nd | Kate Castrogiovanni | "A Whole Lot of Ruckus" |
| 3rd | Janae Wallace | "When You're Just Normal" |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Elyse Thomas | "Ode to My Father and Jamaica" |
| 2nd | Jennifer Chiu | "Taro Pudding" |
| 3rd | Jordan Fox | "The Bridge" |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Tyler Econa | "The Orchestra" |
| 2nd | Savannah Grace | "The Flowers of Seoul" |
| 3rd | Dakota Collins | "Nikola" |
2019 Winners in Poetry:
6th-8th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Emma Blanchet | "Still Growing Up" |
| 2nd TIE | Noah Arinze | "It's Time to Face the Reality" |
| 2nd TIE | Katerina Selene Fruedenberg | "Scar" |
| 3rd | Molly Reiser | "ocd" |
9th-10th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Loryn Smith | "dear..." |
| 2nd | Julie Griswold | "(Cinder) Ella" |
| 3rd | Isabelle Fauteaux | "Scorpius" |
11th-12th Grade Winners:
| 1st | Anonymous | "Eavesdropped" |
| 2nd | Nikhita Dakar | "An Ode to My Culture" |
| 3rd | Catherine George | "Girl Talk" |
View 2019 Finalist Stories
View All 2019 Submissions
Writing & Publishing
"Write On!" Story Contest Awards Celebration!
Sunday April 9, 2017: 2:00pm to
3:00pm
Westgate Branch: West Side Room
Grade 3 - Adult
Public Event
2017 AADL COSTUME CONTEST
Sunday October 29, 2017: 12:30pm to
3:00pm
Downtown Library: 1st Floor Lobby
All Ages