Hurray! It’s time for the #50PreciousWords 2026 International Writing Contest! And THIS is the OFFICIAL contest post. If you are participating, please read through the guidelines and then post your entry as a new comment after you scroll all the way down.

Some of you have been participating since the beginning. But others are here for the first time. So, I’d like to share a bit about the back story of this contest.

In 2012 I had a dream. I wanted to write picture books. One of the most important things I did was to participate in writing challenges like Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 and all of Susanna Hill’s contests. Why was that important? Because it got me writing. It got me revising. It got me submitting. Hmmm….writing/revising/submitting. I believe that if we do those three things enough times, our writing improves, and agents and editors get a chance to see our work. And as much as I am thrilled with my own success, nothing makes me happier than to hear about the success of others in our kid-lit community.

When I first got the idea for this contest back in 2016, I thought a few of my friends might take pity on me and submit a story – to my surprise, there were 128 entries.