Young Authors' Writing Project

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.