Challenges

YWP’s hub of inspiration: All our challenges are here!

Weekly

  • Visual Art

    Deadline

    Storm

    Create an image of a vast hurricane or storm that eclipses everything in its path. 

  • Writing

    Deadline

    Fantasy

    Write a story or poem about someone who is magically transported to a fantasy world. What happens to them in this unknown land?

  • Writing

    Deadline

    Listen

    Listen to all of the sounds around you right now. Is there a story in these different noises?

Tomorrow Project

  • Writing

    America?

    The fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents on the streets of Minneapolis induced fury, disbelief, sadness, and a sense of betrayal. This isn't America. Is it? Has ICE come to your community? Share your thoughts. 

Opinion & Commentary

  • Writing

    YWP is ...

    In a sentence or two, what does YWP mean to you? What impact does it have on your life? We'd love to pass your comments along to the good people whose donations keep YWP running! Please tell us so we can tell them! YWP is ...

Great Artists

  • Visual Art

    Simon Beck

    On frozen lakes and sandy beaches, Simon Beck makes beautiful art that lasts only until the next snowfall or rising tide takes it away. 

  • Visual Art

    Jacob Lawrence

    During the civil rights movement in the mid-1950s, this leading Black artist re-examined early American history through radical art.

Great Writers

  • Writing

    Kazuo Ishiguro

    In winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017, this author was honored for his "novels of great emotional force," including "The Remains of the Day" and "Never Let Me Go."

  • Writing

    Cornelius Eady

    Cornelius Eady tells the truth about the world through poetry, says New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who asked the poet to write and read a poem for his inauguration. Eady's recent poetry also includes a tribute to Renee Nicole Good.

  • Writing

    Toni Morrison

    Toni Morrison was the first Black woman to be awarded the Nobel laureate in literature. Her unvarnished exploration of Black identity in America brought her worldwide acclaim. Have you read her work? 

Online Workshops

  • Visual Art

    Photo Workshop: Lighting

    Lighting is crucial in photography as it defines the appearance, mood, and texture of the subject, ultimately shaping the visual impact of the photograph. Join photographer and YWP alumni Kevin Huang for this online workshop.

Contests

  • Writing

    Deadline

    Spring 2026 Writing Contest

    Throw open the windows, poet Billy Collins urges in "Today," his joyful poem about spring. Let the "warm intermittent breeze" lift you up and carry you off. In poetry or prose, explore the sense of freedom and celebration of spring.

  • Visual Art

    Deadline

    Spring 2026 Visual Art Contest

    When spring takes over from winter, there is a sense of new beginnings, rebirth, hopefulness. Share your discoveries through photography, painting, or another artistic medium of your choice.