—— The Cape Vincent Arts Council in conjunction with the Friends of the Cape Vincent Community Library and the Little Book Store is announcing submissions are now open for the 1000 Islands Young Writers Competition open to all students from 8th Grade to 12th grade who reside in Jefferson County, New York. Submission window is April 1st to May 7th, 2026. Students can submit either a short story with a maximum word count of 1500, or a collection of poems (with a total maximum word count of 1000). Eligible students should be in the 8th–12th grade and reside in Jefferson County, NY, as of May 1st, 2026, and can submit poetry or a short story by May 7th. All competition finalists and semi-finalists will be published in the Thousand Islands Student Writers Competition Anthology: 2026 Edition, which will be published on or about June 6th, 2026. They will also receive a complimentary copy of the anthology. Plus, finalists will receive a cash prize of $100 per finalist. The Thousand Islands Young Writers Competition mission is to promote expression through creative writing with the youth of our region.”
There is no entry fee. Submission Categories Entries must be typed (nothing handwritten or scanned), with a total submission limit of 1500 words. • Fiction: a short story or stand-alone excerpt from a larger piece. • Poetry: between 1-3 poems, with a combined limit of 1000 words. Finalists will be selected in each category. Distinguished submissions in each category and grade are also selected for publishing. We ask that participants submit in only one category and submit only one time per year. Word counts are strict and include all the text submitted, including headers, footers, and footnotes. Deadline Enter your submission by the deadline of May 7, 2026. To Enter: Email your digital submission to: minion@littlebookstoreandmore.com Subject line: “TI Young Writers Comp Submission” and attach a filled-out application.
In conjunction with Thousand Islands Children’s Book Festival, the Thousand Islands Young Writer’s Competition winners will be announced on Saturday, June 6th in Cape Vincent in the yard of the Little Book Store 183 West Broadway across from the Cape Vincent Community Library. For more information please contact the Little Book Store at minion@littlebookstoreandmore.com or call (315) 777-7417.
