Group-Sponsored MG/YA First Chapter Contest

Details

The Young At Heart group invites you to share the beginning of your MG or YA novel with our judge. Your first chapter’s job is to draw in your readers and hold them, making them care about your characters and want to go on an intriguing journey with them. This contest celebrates our youth. More than ever the younger generations need stories to inspire them to keep reading. We’re looking for stories that are age appropriate, in any genre. No adult labels. This is an opportunity to see everyone’s first chapters together in one spot, learn from each other and figure out what makes your story click with readers.

Our judge is author, screenwriter and developmental editor, E. L. Norry, whose latest book, Outlaws was just released! E. L. is a long-time Scribophile member, and we’re delighted she’s gone on to publish so many successful MG and YA books, both fiction and non-fiction. You can read a wonderful interview she did about her book Fable House that became a two part series. Her goal is to determine if your characters feel real and believable, if your story is compelling, and if what you reveal in that first chapter will entice someone to want to keep reading.

Note: this is a contest for first chapters, not prologues. If your first chapter is longer than 3,000 words, you need to find a good stopping point prior to the end.

Prize money for this contest is provided by the Scribophile Writing Contest Prize Fund.

Prizes

Rules

• Entries must be no longer than 3,000 words per Scribophile’s count.

• First chapters of MG or YA novels only. No poems, flashes or short stories.

• Entries must not be makred as “adult” on Scribophile.

• Entries must not have been previously won or placed in any other contest.

• Entries cannot be submitted to any other current Scribophile contest.

• No previously published stories.

• Only one entry per member.

• Entries must have Public visibility on Scribophile until winners are announced.

• You may post your work, receive crits and edit until the deadline.

Submission guidelines

• Entry is free, but you’ll need 5 karma points to post your work to the contest. You can earn karma points, by writing critiques of work with other members.

• To post your work for this contest, check the box that says "Enter this work into the Group-Sponsored MG/YA First Chapter Contest.” Your work will automatically be considered. The check box will be visible until the contest deadline, which is in UTC time.