Longwood Young Writers Competition 2021
Call for Submissions
A themed annual writing contest for high school students in Southside Virginia.
Spring 2022 Theme: Hope
Students in the 9th-12th grades are invited to enter by submitting to one of the following categories
- Poetry: A group of three poems (one poem per page, not more than 5 pages)
- Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer)
- Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)
A winner and two finalists will be selected in each category. There is no entry fee.
All entries must be original work reviewed, approved and sponsored by a high school teacher. We will use your sponsoring teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please contact a mentor to sponsor your writing. The teacher/mentor must complete and attach the required cover sheet.
We welcome submissions from students living and attending high school in Southside Virginia, counties including: Buckingham, Cumberland, Prince Edward, Charlotte, Nottoway, Lunenburg, Mecklenberg, Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry, Patrick, Brunswick, Greenesville, Sussex, Southampton. Homeschooled students are also welcome, with the appropriate mentor contact.
When to Submit: Submissions will be accepted from February 1 to March 1, 2021.
How to Submit: Email submissions and required cover sheet as Word attachments to
Please complete the subject line on the email as follows:
Genre, Student Name, High School, Grade
Awards & Recognition
Winners will be notified by April 1, 2021. Winners in each category will be awarded $100.
The winner and two finalists in each category will be honored at an award reception and their selected submissions will be published in a Longwood University-associated publication (to be announced).
Contact: For additional information or questions, email Mary Carroll-Hackett, carrollhackettma@longwood.edu or Sean Ruday, rudaysr@longwood.edu, Contest Coordinators