YWP’s hub of inspiration: All our challenges are here!
Challenges
Weekly
Visual Art
Deadline
Self-portrait
Create a self-portrait with distinctive shadows and highlights accenting your features.
Writing
Deadline
Humor
Write a poem or short story whose only purpose is to make the reader laugh. The style of humor you use is up to you: sarcasm, snail jokes, situational irony, etc.
Writing
Deadline
Squishy
What makes you feel squishy inside? A hug from your mom? Your dreamy new crush? Your tattered childhood blankie? A cat cozied up on your lap? Write about that tender-hearted feeling in poetry, prose, or self-reflection.
Great Artists
Visual Art
Ted Walsh
Recipe for a striking painting? Limited color palette, a spare style, and the gorgeous play of light and shadow.
Visual Art
Claude Monet
How did the Impressionist movement get its name? It started with this painting by Claude Monet and an art critic's insult.
Visual Art
Ed Ruscha
With a consequential election on the horizon, we focus on a U.S. painter who incorporates the words of our times in his art, words such as "president" and "oof."
Great Writers
Writing
Naomi Shihab Nye
"Before you know what kindness really is, you must lose things," writes poet Naomi Shihab Nye.
Writing
Mary Oliver
Clear, evocative, simply beautiful – words that describe this poet's work.
Writing
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison, the first Black woman to be awarded the Nobel laureate in literature, gained worldwide acclaim for her unvarnished exploration of Black identity in America. Have you read her work?
Online Workshops
Visual Art
Wondrous Writers: Character Art
Show off your original character art in this fun challenge!
Writing
Wondrous Writers: Characters - Building your Protagonist
In this workshop, we will explore a variety of ways to create and build your story's protagonist. At the end, you will have the chance to submit a piece about your protagonist for feedback from YWP's intern Alex Bregy!
Writing
Wondrous Writers: Story Elements - Back to the Basics
This is the first in a series of workshops by YWP Intern Alex Bregy. Join Alex to explore the basics of story elements and the ways they can be used to structure your fiction writing.
Opinion & Commentary
Writing
Inauguration/MLK Day
Jan. 20 is Inauguration Day. It is also MLK Day, commemorating the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Think about that, in terms of the nation's history. Where are we in 2025? Where are we going?
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Writing
Los Angeles Burning
Los Angeles is on fire. The Earth is telling us that climate change is here. Will we finally listen?
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Writing
2025
What will this year bring?
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