Announcing the 2024 Teen Writing Contest & Ned Vizzini Prize Winners
We received 800+ submissions, and the Teen Writing Contest Committee is pleased to announce the following prizes, honors, and selections for the 2024 Teen Writing Contest & Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Prize. Poetry Middle School First Place: Probably by Stella DempseySecond Place: Unbreakable by Gia OcceanHonorable Mention: Where I'm From by Tamira BradshawHonorable Mention: Welcome to New York by Alan Kofman Honorable Mention: Monster Dream by Jeffrey OrtigozaHigh School First Place: Unfinished Gun Poem by Arielle Lichtman Second Place: Mourner…
Perfectionism
I’m an artist. Of course I am a perfectionist.Growing up, I learned to put my best foot forward in everything I do. Strive for perfection and never settle for less. Especially in art school. Every stroke of your brush, every scratch of your pencil, every eraser mark, everything must be done with intention and done with perfection.The afternoon sun beamed down on my hunched-over back, burning me as I added final details to my sketch. The art teacher leaned over my shoulder, breathing down on me. Several tense moments passed as the compliment that I was anticipating never came.“Look at this…
Enter BPL's 2023 Teen Writing Contest! - March 1-31
Do you like to write? Brooklyn Public Library's 2023 Teen Writing Contest is accepting submissions March 1-31. The contest is open to middle and high schoolers all over NYC. Top winners in poetry and prose will receive the new Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Prize with a cash award, and have their pieces published in the Teen Writing Journal distributed by the Library. Stop by your local library branch to see if they're giving out FREE Grab & Go Writing Kits. For more information and the link to submit visit: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/teen-writing-contest…
Check Out BKLYNthology + YA Booklist Created by BKLYNthology Writers
Teens ages 13-18 participated in any genre of their choice, and those who have submitted a story that satisfies all the requirements were featured in BKLYNthology. There have been few to no edits done to the following stories to ensure that they would be true to what the writers wanted to express. Check out BKLYNthology and the YA booklist BKLYNthology writers curated! Printed copies of this anthology will be available at the New Utrecht branch at the front desk on the second floor. BKLYNthology: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19y3dmsUQrjzSQiD1VtaKcOHIEioq4-…
Announcing the 2022 Teen Writing Contest & Ned Vizzini Prize Winners
Karen, Coordinator of Young Adult Services , Coordinator of Young Adult Services
We received hundreds of submissions, and the Teen Writing Contest Committee is pleased to announce the following prizes, honors, and selections for the 2022 Teen Writing Contest & Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Prize. Congrats to our winners and many thanks to our staff readers and judges. Poetry Middle School First Place: Pigeons by Maya Cohen Second Place: Where I’m From by Lilla Burke Honorable Mention: On Riding the Subway by Oren Milgrom-Dorfman Honorable Mention: The World of My Mind by Hannah Powell Honorable Mention: Broadway…
Tears at Sunset: A Poetry Portfolio
After The Tragedy Orange flowers, yellow leaves, green grass, blue water, and a deep, crimson red sky. Damp soil clung to the bottom of my combat boots, dragging me down to earth with every step I took. Heavier and heavier. An old oak tree stood sturdy, not yielding to strong winds, desperate to cling to the Earth. I extended a long, scarred arm to the bare oak tree’s bark. My callused, rough hands gingerly traced an odd circle again. And again. The color faded, not as dark or as rough as the rest of the russet oak tree, but dark like my morning bitter, black coffee I love to drink. I…
The Contest
My name is Mia. I’m going to tell you about the day that changed my life forever. It was a normal school day. I was waving goodbye to my mom when I saw a bright neon orange sign on the school door. The sign said, ”Do you love to write? If so, enter our teenage writing contest. For more information and details, please visit our website www.teenagewritingcontest.org.” I screamed silently in my head. I love to write. Asking me that is like asking a dog if it likes peanut butter. I walked into school that day, and for the first time, could not wait until it ended. As soon as school was over, I…
All About Writing!
Do you like to write? Enter this year's Teen Writing Contest anytime between March 1-31. Below are five books about teen writers to enjoy and inspire you! EMERGENCY CONTACT BY MARY H.K. CHOI: For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn't actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it's seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can't wait to leave behind. Sam's stuck.…
Keep Your NaNoWriMo Momentum Going
We’re coming down the stretch of National Novel Writing Month, best known as NaNoWriMo, in which experienced and first-time writers alike come together with the goal of converting as many ideas as possible from thought to paper before November ends. Whether you managed to get down 400 words or 40,000, congratulations! With Thanksgiving coming near, you might have a mostly-finished story on your hands, or if you’ve been unproductive like me (thank you, writer’s block), maybe a…
Writing Marathon: Craft Books to Inspire You This NaNoWriMo
We’re halfway through my second favorite time of year: I’m not talking about preparing for Thanksgiving or Christmas or even No-Shave November. I’m talking about National Novel Writing Month, or as it is affectionately abbreviated to, NaNoWriMo. Every year, amateur and professional writers alike start November with one goal in mind: write 50,000 in one month. Where does this magic number come from? It is largely accepted that 50,000 words is the minimum required length for most adult novels. To give you a sense of context, here are a few novels that are around the 50,000 word mark: The…
A Selection of Poetry
She She was red, because people thought she was attractive and heartwarming She was green, because people thought she loved nature and got jealous easily She was blue, because people thought she was quiet and reserved She was yellow, because people thought she was optimistic and full of joy She was pink because people thought she was immature and oversensitive She was not purple because people thought she was predictable She was not orange because people thought she was fragile She was not gray because people thought she was attached She was not brown because people thought she was…
Announcing the 2021 Teen Writing Contest & Ned Vizzini Prize Winners
Karen, Coordinator of Young Adult Services , Coordinator of Young Adult Services
We received hundreds of submissions, and the Teen Writing Contest Committee is pleased to announce the following prizes, honors, and selections for the 2021 Teen Writing Contest & Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Prize. Poetry Middle School First Place: Where I’m From by Nwabude Anthony-Alexandre Ibeanu Second Place: One Thirteenth by Ivy Laidlaw-Morris Honorable Mention: Breezy B by Brian Babb Honorable Mention: Free (After S.E. Hinton) by Iago Macknik-Conde Honorable Mention: The Swamp by Tara Wong High School First Place: Type Designer by Kai Giovanni Second Place…
Oshi No Ko Manga Review
Brought to you by the same manga artist of Kaguya-sama: Love is War and the manga artist of Kuzu No Honkai, the story initially follows a sparkling idol of fake smiles, Hoshino Ai, and a doctor who idolizes her. However, an accident happens, and the doctor soon finds himself to be reincarnated as his idol’s son, Hoshino Aquamarine. Together with his twin sister, Ruby, who also reincarnated, the characters took steps into the showbiz industry. The story centralizes itself on the showbiz/entertainment industry. It explores what happens behind the scenes and shows how everything isn’t as…
Our Story
We are thought to be invisible in history- to not voice our thoughts, and to stay at home and not be seen. We are thought to be silent- to listen and not be heard to swallow and gulp down our words of anguish beneath our tongues. But we can no longer be invisible, because we have learned to raise our voices- the meeting at Seneca Falls, and the series of protests that follows. We as women have united and will no longer be silent under abuse, to voice our thoughts and sufferings and to be set free under the wings of independence. Michelle Lin is…
Enter BPL's Teen Writing Contest!
Brooklyn Public Library's Teen Writing Contest is still accepting submissions, through March 31! The contest is open to middle and high schoolers all over NYC. Get the details and the link to submit here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/teen-writing-contest Need some inspiration? Here is a list of books selected by BookMatch Teen for their spectacular writing.
A Night of a Thousand Stars
I remember when I was alone and cold. Especially in freshman year of college, you were there across the hall from me, wearing your baggy sweats, with your imperfectly perfect bangs, complimenting your beanie. There you were, listening to that song, KANON. The way the chords complimented each other, how peace transformed into thunderous harmony. Every key turned into you. The look you gave me. The look you saw from me. Was it the same look? I don’t know. I remember how the song complimented your blue eyes, how it rushed and flowed like the ocean, neverending, never standing still. How can one…