YWP’s hub of inspiration: All our challenges are here!
Challenges
Weekly
Visual Art
Deadline
Flow
Music tickles more than just our ears; it alights our sense of touch through vibration, and inspires movement through dance. But what does music look like to you? In your own style, depict music as it flows from an instrument or record player.
Writing
Deadline
Foreshadowing
Write a short fiction piece that early on foreshadows a critical event or the final denouement of the story.
Writing
Deadline
Five #1
Five #1. Use all five words in a poem or short story: Delirious. Flip-flopping. Parka. Skyline. Purpose.
Great Artists
Visual Art
Marc Chagall
"If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing."
- Marc Chagall
Visual Art
Emily Carr
Along with the Group of Seven, Emily Carr was a key figure in Canada's first modern art movement. She gained acclaim at home and internationally, but she struggled to be noticed during her lifetime. Learn more about her.
Visual Art
Petrit Halilaj
Petrit Halilaj's dramatic sculptures relay stories of Kosovo based on the school desk doodles of generations of children, including those who lived through years of war.
Great Writers
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?
Writing
Danez Smith
Their poetry is intersectional, inclusive, and powerful.
Writing
Mary Oliver
Clear, evocative, simply beautiful – words that describe this poet's work.
Online Workshops
Writing
Free Verse Poetry: Summer Workshop 4
Free verse is freeing! You can write any way you like, break lines wherever you decide, and end a poem whenever you want.
Writing
Odes: Summer Workshop 3
Celebrate a certain place, person, or object that’s important to you by writing an ode. It can follow a format or be free-form and lyrical.
Writing
Ekphrastic Poetry: Summer Workshop 2
"Ekphrastic poetry is a great way to practice writing vivid descriptions and explore your voice in a new exciting way," says YWP Intern Sam Aikman. Find out more in Sam's online workshop.
Contests
Writing
Deadline
Autumn '24: Writing
Autumn is a season of transitions and contrasts, beginnings and endings. In poetry or prose, fiction or nonfiction, make this ephemeral season come to life.
Visual Art
Deadline
Autumn '24: Visual Art
Illustrate autumn as you see it – in the artistic medium of your choice. Consider a traditional aspect or try an abstract interpretation.
Opinion & Commentary
Writing
Election '24
What do you want the next President of the United States to focus on, fix, change? Write to one or both major party candidates in the Nov. 5, 2024 presidential election with your appeal.
Learn More
Writing
Kamala Harris
With Vice President Kamala Harris stepping in where President Joe Biden left off, how do you see the presidential race now?
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Writing
Floods
Floods, hurricanes, punishing heat. Have you experienced extreme weather this summer? Write about it.
Learn More