Rules for Entering the 2025 Next Generation Short Story Awards
- All stories must be in English
- All stories must be original work
- No copyrighted images, headers, text and otherwise can be used unless it is entrant’s original work
- Work must not be previously published at the time of entry
- Stories must be no longer than 5,000 words
- No stories that are sexual, political or include hate speech, offensive or vulgar language will be accepted.*
- Students entering the Middle School and High School "Student Categories" may submit stories between 1,000 to 3,000 words. Note: Middle School and High School students can also submit stories in the general categories outside of the "Student Categories" but must adhere to the word limit of 5,000 words
- All stories must be in double space and at the top of the first page include the name of the story, the author name, and the entrant’s email address and categories being entered
- All stories must be in PDF format and the PDF filename must be the name of your story followed by your last name in brackets. For example, if your story name is "Once Upon a Lifetime" and your last name is 'Smith' then your PDF must be named: Once Upon a Lifetime (Smith)
- All stories must be submitted digitally by no later than February 27, 2025
- You may enter as many categories as you like
- Payment must be made online with submission
- You must be at least 13 years of age to enter. If under the age of 18, you must get your parent or guardian or teacher to grant you permission to enter and make payment on your behalf
- All decisions of the judges are final
- Only Winners and Finalists will be notified
NOTE: Writers will retain their copyright
*The Next Generation Short Story Awards (NGSSA) via Headline Books (Publisher) will publish a selection of Winning stories in an Anthology of Winners that appeals to the general population including school age students. In this regard, NGSSA and Headline Books reserve the right to edit any winning stories for content and length.
