Write Rhode Island
From our annual flagship creative writing contest, to nonfiction writing projects, to an intensive summer program, we offer students the opportunity to find their voice and explore their creativity, while strengthening their writing skills.
Co-created by School One and authors Hester Kaplan and Taylor Polites, Write Rhode Island programs are open to all Rhode Island students grades 7-12.
Write Rhode Island! is a short fiction contest for Rhode Island students. You are submitting to the contest for grade levels 7 through 9.
1) All submissions must be the written work of Rhode Island residents or students enrolled in Rhode Island schools in grades 7 through 9 or equivalent for the 2023-2024 academic year.
2) Submissions must be double-spaced, 12 pt font, no more than 2,500 words in length and submitted as a .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, or .txt file. We prefer a Word document.
3) Submitters should not include name or other identifying information in the document they submit.
4) Short fiction submissions must have some relationship to Rhode Island, in setting, themes or objects.
5) Submissions must be completed and submitted by midnight Sunday, December 10, 2023.
Selected submissions will be published in a Write Rhode Island! anthology, receive recognition and awards, and selected writers will be invited to read their work at public events throughout the state. Our judges will be looking for quality, originality, creativity and interpretation of Rhode Island as a theme.
Write Rhode Island! is a short fiction contest for Rhode Island students. You are submitting to the contest for grade levels 10 through 12.
1) All submissions must be the written work of Rhode Island residents or students enrolled in Rhode Island schools in grades 10 through 12 or equivalent for the 2022-2023 academic year.
2) Submissions must be double-spaced, 12 pt font, no more than 2,500 words in length and submitted as a .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, or .txt file. We prefer a Word document.
3) Submitters should not include name or other identifying information in the document they submit.
4) Short fiction submissions must have some relationship to Rhode Island, in setting, themes or objects.
5) Submissions must be completed and submitted by midnight Sunday, December 11, 2022.
Selected submissions will be published in a Write Rhode Island! anthology, receive recognition and awards, and selected writers will be invited to read their work at public events throughout the state. Our judges will be looking for quality, originality, creativity and interpretation of Rhode Island as a theme.
We Belong on the Page Book Cover Contest
Rhode Island teens fight the erasure of books and identities
Thousands of books have been removed from American libraries and schools or threatened with censorship over the last few years.. The majority of these books feature LGBTQ+ or BIPOC characters, or address issues of inequality or discrimination based on marginalized identities including race, religion, disability, sexuality, national origin, or gender. Sweeping book bans in 30 states have impacted the sales of these diverse books to the point where some may go out of print. We want to fight back against this erasure by celebrating these books and their on-the-page representation.
Rhode Island students in grades 7-12 are invited to redesign the cover of a banned or challenged book.
Everyone who enters will have a chance to win prizes.
1) All submissions must be the work of Rhode Island residents or students enrolled in Rhode Island schools in grades 7 through 12 or equivalent for the 2023-2024 academic year.
2) We Belong on the Page is an all-ages exhibit, designed to highlight the importance of books with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation.. Your cover redesign should focus on issues of identity and representation, or other aspects of the book that make it important to you, while avoiding graphic violence, nudity, and language that would be inappropriate for young children.
3) All covers must be your own work. They can be drawn by hand and then scanned or created in a graphic design or digital art program. Please only use photos you have taken yourself to avoid copyright infringement.
4) No AI generated images will be accepted.
5) Submissions should be submitted as a pdf with a final size of 8.5x11 at 350 dpi.
6) Submissions must be completed and submitted by midnight on March 1, 2024.
All qualifying entries will be included in an exhibit that will debut at the We Are ALL Readers book festival in North Kingstown on April 6, 2024. The We Belong on the Page exhibit will then travel to libraries around the state.
Everyone whose work is chosen for the exhibit will be invited to an opening reception on April 6, where you will get to mingle with published authors and illustrators and talk about your work.
Write Rhode Island! is a short fiction contest for Rhode Island students. You are submitting to the contest for grade levels 10 through 12.
1) All submissions must be the written work of Rhode Island residents or students enrolled in Rhode Island schools in grades 10 through 12 or equivalent for the 2023-2024 academic year.
2) Submissions must be double-spaced, 12 pt font, no more than 2,500 words in length and submitted as a .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, or .txt file. We prefer a Word document.
3) Submitters should not include name or other identifying information in the document they submit.
4) Short fiction submissions must have some relationship to Rhode Island, in setting, themes or objects.
5) Submissions must be completed and submitted by midnight Sunday, December 10, 2023.
Selected submissions will be published in a Write Rhode Island! anthology, receive recognition and awards, and selected writers will be invited to read their work at public events throughout the state. Our judges will be looking for quality, originality, creativity and interpretation of Rhode Island as a theme.
Write Where You Are is a flash nonfiction program that invites young writers in grades 7-12 in the state of Rhode Island to document what they see, think and experience in their hometowns. These personal reflections, both written and recorded, will be collected in the spring of 2022. The written stories will be published online, and the recorded stories will be published as part of a Write Rhode Island story map.
Things to remember:
Your short story for Write Where You Are should be 1000 words or less.
Your story should be typed in Times New Roman, size 12 font and double spaced.
Students who submit an audio recording of their story will be automatically entered for a chance to win $25-$100 in prizes!
If you don’t have a computer you can use one at your school or library, a teacher or librarian can help you upload your story.
Recording tips can be found here.