2025-2026 Young Authors Writing Project
EDUCATE. ADVOCATE. EMPOWER.
Bring the NCRA Young Authors & Illustrators Contest to Your Classroom!
Every child has a story to tell—and when we give them the tools to share it, we help them find their voice. The NCRA Young Authors & Illustrators Contest invites K–12 students across North Carolina to create original works of writing and art that explore this year’s theme: EDUCATE. ADVOCATE. EMPOWER.
Why Participate?
This contest is more than a competition—it’s a platform for students to:
Discover the power of storytelling as a tool for self-expression and change.
Connect reading, writing, and art to real-world themes of justice, leadership, and learning.
See their voices celebrated by their schools, local councils, and the statewide NCRA community.
Supports for Teachers
We know classroom time is precious, so we’ve designed ready-to-use resources to help you integrate the contest into your instruction:
Mentor Texts – Curated lists of books, poems, and songs by grade band to inspire creative thinking and connect to the theme.
Writing Prompts and Formats – Flexible, engaging prompts designed to work across genres (poetry, narratives, comics, essays, hybrid works).
Rubrics and Teacher Guides – Clear criteria for evaluating creativity, voice, and theme connection.
Student-Friendly Blurbs – Age-appropriate language to introduce the contest in your classroom.
Cross-Curricular Links – Opportunities to tie writing and art to social studies, SEL, and civic engagement.
Please contact your local council Young Authors Chair for questions or concerns. Please visit the NCRA website www.ncreading.org for a list of local councils and contact information.
Contact Information for State YA Committee youngauthorsncra@gmail.com
2024-2025 Young Authors
2023-2024 Young Authors