Calling all Muskegon County Middle and High School Students:
You are invited to participate in our Short Story Contest! Inspired by the 2026 Big Read Books and presented by Muskegon Area District Library (MADL), Muskegon Community College (MCC), Hackley Public Library, and the Career Tech Center.
Writing Prompts:
- Middle School: Write an original short story in which a character is finding freedom.
- High School: Write an original short story in which a character is questioning power.
Why submit a story:
- All student authors will be invited to attend an author event with Big Read author, Dave Eggers on Tuesday, November 17 at the Frauenthal Theatre.
- Winners will be invited to an invitation-only student workshop with Dave Eggers on Wednesday, November 18th.
- All winners' short stories will be printed and bound in hard-cover book at library branches.
- High School 1st Place story will be printed in Muskegon Community College's River Voices magazine publication.
- Winners will receive prizes:
- Middle School: 1st Place: $200, 2nd Place: $100, 3rd Place: $50, Honorable Mention: $25 (2 awards)
- High School: 1st Place: $300, 2nd Place: $200, 3rd Place: $100, Honorable Mention: $50 (2 awards)
Contest Rules and Submission Guidelines:
- Submissions accepted September 21- October 21, 2026
- All submissions must be on the form below.
- AI use will result in immediate disqualification
- Submissions must be typed double-spaced with 1" margins, size 12 Times New Roman font.
- The writer’s name must not be in the document anywhere, including headings.
- Word count: 1,500 to 3,000 words
- Open to all middle and high-school aged students in Muskegon County
- Work cannot infringe on third-party rights; that is, copyright isn’t owned by another entity. Copyrighted characters are not allowed. No fan fiction.
- Submitted work is original and wholly owned by the author. Submissions should not have been previously published in print or online.
- One story per author.
- Publication permission in book form and online must be given when submitting to the contest.
- Finalists should be prepared to share written drafts or revision history.
Special Note to Teachers
- Submissions require unique email addresses. Do not plan to submit your students' work for them.
- Each submission requires permission to publish winning short stories. It is not appropriate for this permission to come from teachers and instead needs to come from the student and their parents/guardians.
How to Enter
Each person may submit one short story for consideration, using the form below. There is no entry fee. Form will be live September 21 - October 21.
Judging & Results
Reviewers evaluate your story based on the criteria in the age-appropriate rubric listed:
Big Read Middle School Short Story Writing Contest.docx, opens a new window
Big Read High School Short Story Writing Contest C.docx, opens a new window
We reserve the right to disqualify any entry not meeting the guidelines or eligibility requirements. Submission serves as a photo release and an agreement to participate in media events. Winners under 18 years of age need a parent/guardian to sign a photo release form. Winning short stories will be posted online at madl.org in mid-November 2026.
Any questions, please contact Diana at dwenger@madl.org.
Big Read Short Story Contest submissions start September 21. Please check back.
Add a comment to: Big Read Short Story Contest