KidPub runs many writing contests each year. We try to mix it up a bit...some contests are for poetry, others for essays and stories, some are a combination. Each month the staff chooses one overall winner, who receives a $50 Amazon Gift Card, and two runners-up, one from an author aged 12 or older, and one from an author under 12, who each receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Contests are open to all KidPub members. If you'd like to join KidPub and enter our contests (as well as have a lot of fun posting your own stories and comments), just visit our membership page to get started.

March 2013: 

We'll set the scene for this month's writing contest, and you take it from there!

The Color Purple...

One fine morning you bounce out of the house, on your way to school and notice something very strange. Everything seems to be purple...the trees, the clouds, the cat, the school bus...all PURPLE! Shades of purple, to be sure...the cat is a darker purple than, say, the sidewalk, but purple nontheless.

What happened?

The deadline for entering is April 5th; see the Official Contest Rules for details. Good luck!

Previous contests and winners...

2013

February: Killer first paragraphs

See all the winning entries on one page!

January: Superbowl Limericks

Congrats to smpppb, iluv2write, and jbadynna, the winner and runners-up! See all of their entries here!

2012

December: Snow What?

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): An Angel Christmas by Caleigh

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): There's Snow Way It's Christmas! by Catty

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Winter of Ash by Maria

November: Quickly! Quickly!

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): Deception by Cherrybomb

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Quickly! Quickly! by Venika

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): New Year Adventure by smpppb (Sara)

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): The Hidden Ones by Timberwolf

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Lost in Space by Zoyam

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Dead Letter by Danish621

September: The Door To...

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): The Hole In My Closet by Maiven

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Salem, 1692 by Fallen_Star

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Cupcaked, by Keowyn

August: A Penny For Your Thoughts...

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): The Peculiar Penny by Alexis (adygel)

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): The Power of Wieners by carrots

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Life Goes On by Ally (allykat13)

July: An Ode To My Favortite Summer Food

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): Cherry Popsicle by Dana (Danis621)

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Ode To a S'More by Isabel (Isabelholga)

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): I Love Jell-O by Steven (StevenR)

June: Reflections of...

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): ZERO by Chiaki

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Crazy Reflections by Yavanna

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): The Riddle and the Key by Bird

May: A Fable of the Moon

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): Meelah, Moon Goddess by Aida

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): And the Moon Smiled by Loves2Write

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): The Mocking of the Moon by Nikki

April: A Poem to My 26-Year-Old Self (for National Poetry Month)

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): My Advice to You by Caleigh

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): My 26-Year-Old Self by Alexa10

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): You and I, Me and You by Timber

March: Excuse Me, Teacher?

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): My Mysterious Dance Class by Yavanna

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Mistakes Happen by chelseki3

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): The Institute for Gifted Dancers by Maiven

February: Now How Did That Happen? Lots of extremely well-written entries this month!

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): I Hate That Lake by Runes

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): How I Lost My Right Shoe and Left Sock by MBelle

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): The Pony Thief by Cloudwriter

January: Limericks!

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): Combinations by KalenaAlexisRose

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): To Rhyme by Sapphiremoon

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Fault-Finding Feline by Susmi

2011

November / December: That's When My Pen Ran Out of Ink...

Winner ($50 Amazon Gift Card): What Was Inside the Envelope by Timber

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): The Magic Pen by Wildwolf

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): The Iliad Blackout by Nemo87999

Summer (Prompts)

Winner: ($50 Amazon Gift Card) The Friendship Note by Skyla24

Runner-Up (Under 12, $25 Amazon Gift Card): A Time Collapser by Maggie.OB.Five

Runner-Up (12 and older, $25 Amazon Gift Card): Dream (Just a Little Longer) by Snickerdoodle 

April (Book Reviews)

Four winners this month, each with a $25 Amazon Gift Card and th opportunity to become one of KidPub's official book reviewers:

porcupineGal for her review of Twilight

Kathryn (kgs221) for her review of Sweet Treats and Secret Crushes

Chiaki (goprincess135) for Virals

Miss Maple for a review of THe Lord of the Rings

March

Winner: One Small Step for man (Well, Sort Of) by Batman

Runner-Up (Under 12): The Space Dancers by mllama99

Runner-Up (12+): Sort of Like Michelangelo by ClarissaG

February

Winner: The Underground World by HaleyJ

Runner-Up (12+): Groundhog Day by ClarissaG

Runner-Up: (Under 12): How 3 Dangerous Predators Spend Their Winter by nemo8799

January

Winner: Monkey House by ClarissaG

Runner-Up (13+): When the Morning Comes by Kiwara

Runner-Up (under 13): Survival at Dawn by AgencyMagic

2010:

The winners of the February 2010 Writing Contest may be seen here!

Our May contest was to write about what happened when a fairy-tale character fell out of the book you were reading...and couldn't go back for a week! Click here to see the winners!

June's contest involved looking at a famous painting by Georges Latour and writing the story of what was happening in the painting. Here are the winners!

July's writing contest featured the 40th anniversary of the first footsteps on the Moon. Read the winning entries here.