ICL YA Contemporary Fiction First Pages Contest

Whether you’re writing a swoony romance, taut thriller, edgy drama, or celebration of the human spirit, your mission is the same: hook the reader with an intriguing situation, keep them with your prose, and engage readers from the very first page.

For this contest, submit your first pages of a YA contemporary novel under 1,000 words along with a one sentence summary for readers between the ages of 13 and 16.

The novel does not have to be finished in order to enter.

Submissions will be judged on clarity, originality, audience engagement, potential in the market, and appropriateness for the age range.

DEADLINE: September 30, 2025

No more than 1,000 words
Genre: Coming-of-age, dystopian, or sci-fi
Include a one-sentence book summary at the top of the entry (Book summary is not included in the 1,000 words)
Be the beginning of a contemporary novel for young adult readers (Novel does not need to be finished in order to enter)
No illustrations or photographs should be submitted with your entry
Aimed at readers between 13 to 16 years old
Engaging first page: The first line, the first paragraph, the first page—they must all persuade the reader to keep going
Believability: Provide the details and specifics that will make readers sink into your world and keep them there
Voice: That undefinable quality. You know it when you see it
Characterization: A unique protagonist with a well-developed supporting cast
Mechanics: Proper punctuation, grammar, formatting. Busy editors expect a clean manuscript as a mark of professionalism. Weaknesses in those areas, on the other hand, could suggest lack of attention to detail with respect to story logic, plot holes, and consistent characterization

This contest is to write a bedtime story picture book for children ages 13-16.
Entries must be no more than 1,000 words (no pictures or illustrations included).
Entries must be unpublished and not under contract.
Proofread your entry to ensure it matches the industry standard manuscript format (double spacing, clear contact information, no creative use of fonts).
Entries must follow manuscript submission guidelines as stated on our Contest Rules page HERE.
Entries must be submitted via our online form by midnight Pacific Time on September 30, 2025.
There is a $19 reading fee per manuscript to enter the contest.
You may enter more than one manuscript, but each entry requires a $19 reading fee.
Please save your document as follows: YourFirstName_YourLastName_YA_Contemporary_Fiction_First_Pages_Contest.doc (or .pdf). If you have more than one entry, please add a 1, 2, 3, etc. to the end.
Add our email address (info@instituteforwriters.com) to your list of contacts and/or safe senders so you can receive the email with the free entry information to our online workshop where we announce the winners. (Non-entrants pay $7.)
The minimum age to enter the contest is 18 years of age.

Submissions will be judged on clarity, originality, how well they adhere to the theme, potential in the market, and appropriateness for the age range.

The winning entries in the ICL YA Contemporary Fiction First Pages Contest will be announced at a live online workshop within 90 days after the contest closes. All contest entrants will be notified of the event details by email and be invited free of charge. (Non-entrants may attend for a nominal fee of $7.)

For this contest: The Institute will request winners to provide a synopsis (at least 250-300 words) of their novel entry (instead of publishing the entire manuscript) in our weekly Newsletter.

Institute of Children's Literature presents

YA CONTEMPORARY FICTION FIRST PAGES CONTEST

A CONTEST FOR WRITERS

Calling all Young Adult writers!

Here's what our judge, Kristin Nitz, will be looking for:

Why Enter an ICL Writing Contest?

Here's what you need to know...