Fall: Writing

Contests

Brooke Gendron-Hale photo of tree in dusky afternoon light

Fall: Writing

Deadline

In poetry, prose, fiction or nonfiction, share your interpretation of fall. Take the challenge in any direction that seems right to you. Convey the meaning of the season from your own unique, creative perspective.

[Art: Brooke Gendron-Hale, YWP]


CONTEST DETAILS

  • Three prizes in writing: $100, $75, $50
  • For ages 12-18. You must have a YWP account (It’s free to join!)
  • Respond to the challenge in any genre
  • Must be your original work and not published elsewhere
  • No limit to number of submissions
  • Prize winners and honorable mentions will be published in the November issue of our digital magazine, The Voice.
  • Submissions due: Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 

Also see the Fall-Visual Art Contest.

Return to the main YWP Fall Contest page for more information.

Submissions

  • A late night in October

    Chilly hands

    close to purple,

    arms wrapped tight around my chest

    like ribbon on a birthday gift,

    pillow case gripped tight in my fist

    the fist that I can barely move

    as the wind flits past my shoulders,

  • Fall

    The golden hour,


    Light from every direction,


    Surrounding and flowing inside you,


    That is the feeling of fall.


    The crisp air,


    Freezing your lungs,

  • The Trees

    The first thing you notice is the wind. 

    The bitterly cold air hits you like the back of a hand 

    Reminding you of the approach of a desolate winter

  • Shake off summer

    Every fall

    the trees shake off summer

    they stretch and yawn

    let go of memories of green

    sun

    heat

    children climbing

    skinned knees and scabs forming

    scars to show

    how many trees were climbed

  • New Polaroids

    Amber leaves cling
    To umber trees reaching
    Frayed roots deep into the ground.
    They've told you time
    And time again, "autumn is the season
    Of the dead.
    Green leaves rusting, flowers

  • Spooky Season

    When the air is crisp,

    with a chilly breeze,

    fall puts a spell on me.

    The leaves fall in a wisp,

    as an artist weaves-

    a portrait of the fiery sea.

    Though, it’s not February,

    love seeps through the air.

  • autumn's embrace

    as fall starts rolling in

    and summer slows to a stop

    i like to imagine many things, 

    everything, nonstop

    i imagine the sweet, sweet song of hooting owls after dark

  • Fall's Beginning

    Walking from the end line of summer 

    Into the cool, pumpkin, damp filled air 

    to which is called fall 

    The beautiful sound of leafs crumpling 

    fall fall fall 

    oh how so near you are!!

  • Islands in the Sky

    Gazing out, Quiet

    Is the touch of a sunbeam on my shoulder

    The familiar crême shade of

    Thursday morning pumpkin spice lattes

    Parallels the clouds’

    Color, tide’s scampering in and out,