How to Enter

Just do it! This contest is open to all students of Peterborough and area high schools and all home-schooled students of equivalent high school grade levels. Entering this contest is a personal choice and a great opportunity to discover your abilities as a writer. To be inspired, read the stories of past winners in our ebook.

  1. Watch for the contest poster that will go up in your school in February. Check the literary festival website as well.
  2. Acquire a copy of the contest rules from your teacher or print a copy from this website. Study the rules carefully. Take careful note of the deadline date. Make sure all the rules are met, especially the instructions given in item six regarding the title page.
  3. Your story or poem must be original and meet legal copyright standards.
  4. Revise, edit, and proofread your story or poem to make it the best it can be. Have someone whose judgment you trust read your work and comment. Read your work aloud (record and listen to it, if possible) and revise where necessary.
  5. You may choose to submit digitally (see Section 7 above, or submit 6 printed copies of your story/poem to your teacher. A member of the festival committee will pick up your manuscript at the school; or you may mail your entries to: Young Writers at the Lakefield Literary Festival, Box 1114, Lakefield, ON, K0L 2H0.

So, just do it. You could be a winner! You could be a runner-up!  You could be published!

Thank you for your effort, your willingness to take a risk, your putting ‘pen to paper’, and your contribution to making this contest such rewarding fun!