JCPL is launching a short story contest this November, in honor of National Novel Writing Month.  (We hope to inspire you to write a novel someday, but want to get you started with something short for now!)  To enter the contest, you will need to write a short story that includes your choice of any nationally-recognized holiday weaved into the story. (i.e. your story happens during a holiday, your character loves the holiday and it influences them or the story, holiday traditions, etc.) The options are endless and we just want you to get creative! Please keep the stories family-friendly and no profanity. Short stories may be typed or handwritten, but need to be clear and legible for our judging panel to be able to read them. If typed, stories need to be double-spaced and font needs to be 12 pt. in Times New Roman or Calibri. Each story should have the writer’s name and their age group written at the top of the front page, along with the title of the short story. Writers who are in K-5 may have an adult helper. Listed below are the word requirements for each age group:

• K-2nd grades age group: 80-200 words
• 3^rd-5^th grades age group: 100-250 words
• 6^th-8^th grades age group: 200-500 words
• High School and Adult age groups: 1,000-2,000 words

Contest entries will be accepted through November 30, which is the last day to enter! Judging will happen during the week of December 5 and there will be one winner per age group. Prizes for each of the K-5 groups are Bananagrams and $10 Pizza Hut gift cards. Prizes for each of the 6-8, high school, and adult age groups are $25 Amazon gift cards.