Create writing and art that explore the challenges of today – with hope and solutions for tomorrow. 

From now until October 2025, the Tomorrow Project will introduce a series of thought-provoking writing and visual art prompts on a range of topics from human rights to the banning of books. Cash awards of $250 will be granted to three writers and three visual artists at the end of the project after all submissions have been reviewed by our contest judges. There will be opportunities throughout the project for publication and public display of the powerful work that will be created. 

The Tomorrow Project is about civic engagement, having a voice on the issues that matter, and finding ways to move forward with resilience and optimism. Topics include Human Rights, Values, Climate Change, Democracy & Ethics, Education, Technology, Community & Housing, the Meaning of Freedom, and Patriotism. Each topic will have writing and visual art prompts to spark ideas, but writers and artists should feel free to take the topic in any direction, genre, or artistic medium of their choice.

Civic engagement is fundamentally about tomorrow. Today might be challenging, but tomorrow can be a whole different world and look a whole lot brighter.

Each topic has prompts for both writing and visual art, along with a submission deadline. Click on the buttons under each topic for links to the prompts.

NOTE: Submissions to the first three topics – Community & Housing, Democracy & Ethics, and Human Rights – will be considered for additional cash prizes of $50 and a public exhibit at Burlington City Hall in April during Fair Housing Month. Our partners at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO), coordinators of the event, will award prizes to three writers and three artists. Winners of these awards will also be considered for the Tomorrow Project's grand prizes in October.

Community & Housing 

Due March 14

Community & Housing - Writing

Community & Housing - Visual Art

Democracy & Ethics 

Due March 19

Democracy & Ethics - Writing

Democracy & Ethics - Visual Art

Human Rights 

Due March 21

Human rights - writing

Human Rights - Visual Art

TOMORROW PROJECT CONTEST DETAILS: 

• Open to teens, 13-19, who have a YWP account. (It's free to join!)
• ​Must be original work and not published elsewhere. No AI.
• No limit to number of submissions.
• Each submission will be considered for the Tomorrow Project's six grand prizes of $250 to be awarded when the project is completed in October 2025.
• Additional Fair Housing Month prizes and exhibit: Three $50 cash prizes for writing and three $50 prizes for visual art, sponsored by Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO). Winning entries will be displayed at City Hall in Burlington, VT, during Fair Housing Month, April 2025.
• Prize winners and honorable mentions will be considered for publication in YWP's digital magazine and anthology and with media partners.

YWP writers and artists: Send us suggestions for new topics and prompts. Contact: Susan Reid, YWP Executive Director: Reid@YWP on the site, or by email: sreid@youngwritersproject.org

[Top illustration: "Between Peace and Light" by Vivien Sorce, YWP Archive]