Teen ETCH

Teen ETCH Creative Writing Contest: Reflections

This contest is now closed. Winners will be announced during our Teen ETCH Anthology Book Launch on June 14, 2025. 

Guelph Public Library and Vocamus Writers Community have partnered once again to offer teens in grades 7 through 12, living in Guelph and Wellington County, the chance to be published in their 2025 Teen ETCH Anthology this June!

Interested participants can enter the 2025 Teen ETCH Creative Writing contest by submitting a short story and/or poetry piece in 1,500 words or less on the theme of “Reflections.” Participants can also submit an original art design for the book cover image.

Short story and poetry entries must be your own original writing, 1,500 words or less, typed and single spaced. Please do not submit your stories as a PDF. Your submission must include the title of your story, your full name, school, grade, phone number and guardian’s name. The cover art design should be submitted as PNG, JPG, or SVG and designed to work vertically leaving space to include title information.

All submissions will be judged by librarians and local industry professionals. Finalists will then be paired with a local author mentor in early April 2025, who will share creative writing techniques to help polish their submission for final judging. Winners shall be chosen based upon creativity, originality, style, grammar and spelling. The decision of the judges is final.

Prizes will be awarded for both short story and poetry submissions. The top three entries in each of the following categories will receive prizes: Grades 7 to 8, Grades 9 to 10, Grades 11 to 12, and poetry selections over all grade categories. Thanks to a generous donation from Kiwanis Club of Guelph, the total value of all prizes will be over $2,000 and will consist of writing and art supplies from Wyndham Art Supplies. Chances of winning are dependent on the number of completed entries received. Winners will be announced during our Teen ETCH Anthology Book Launch on June 14, 2025.

Content Guidelines

Submissions must be the sole work of the submitter, without substantial contributions from other people or from artificial intelligence. Submissions must not include offensive content, including but not restricted to graphic violence, explicit sexuality, gratuitous profanity, or discriminatory language.

Library Use of Entries

By entering your work, you acknowledge that Guelph Public Library shall have the right to use, modify, reproduce, publish, display, distribute and make derivative works of Entry Materials for promotional or any other purposes.

Original Work

You hereby warrant and represent that (a) you own all rights to all Entry Materials submitted by you; and (b) all such Entry Materials are original works of authorship on your part and have not been copied, in whole or in part, from any other work and do not violate, misappropriate, or infringe any copyright, trademark or other proprietary right of any other person or entity.

For More Information:

Jeremy Luke Hill
Vocamus Writers Community Publisher and Managing Director

Meg Forestell-Page
Guelph Public Library Supervisor of Community Engagement