YWP’s hub of inspiration: All our challenges are here!
Challenges
Weekly
Visual Art
Deadline
Self Portrait
Create a self portrait that you feel best represents who you are, using collage. This collage can look like anything and does not necessarily have to resemble a face; it could be a collection of things you like to do or foods you like, etc.
Writing
Deadline
Pastoral
Describe a calm place (a river valley, a mountain path, a beach) where you feel at peace. Do you go there often? Why does this place speak to you?
Writing
Deadline
Windsparks
Need a poem starter? Try windspark poems – five-line, often nature-related poems that follow this format:
"I dreamed"
"I was ______" (something or someone - a noun)
Location (where)
An action (-ing verb)
How (adverb)
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.
Writing
Hero
Who is your hero and why?
Writing
The Value of Communities - Writing
Consider the communities in your life and write about them with the help of prompts and examples!
Great Artists
Visual Art
Djabril Boukhenaïssi
How do you paint a memory?
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.
Visual Art
Photo Workshop: Composition
Composition is one of the key elements of photography. Learn more about composition in this online workshop.
Writing
Writing Workshop: Free Verse Poetry
Free verse is freeing! You can write any way you like, break lines wherever you decide, and end a poem whenever you want.
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.
Opinion & Commentary
Writing
Tomorrow Project: Opinion Writing and Art
Write and create art about democracy, human rights, our communities, and the planet.
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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 ...
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Writing
Wonder
What is something that makes you stop and wonder.
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