Trailblazing Contests
share your story with us.
DEC. 1 2023 TO JAN. 30 2024.
DEC. 1 2023 TO JAN. 30 2024.
From December 1st, 2023 to January 30th, 2024, writers aged 13-18 can submit to the Rising Voices Awards, offering $2350 in prizes for creative writing genres. Curious to know more? Visit the submission portal below, risingvoicesawards.com.
Our 2022-2023 Cultural Heritage Contest Winners
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1st Place: "Welcome to Elaria" by Katie Hutchinson
2nd Place: "The Great City of Angels Memory" by Elena Shropshire
3rd Place: "The Stars Were Full of Pain and Agony" by Parker Emrich
3rd Place: "Cursed Sapiens" by Ayaz Latif Ansari
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1st Place: "Mother Tongue" by Dahlia Peeters
2nd Place: "Paper Sons" by Grace Zhao
3rd Place: "Nani’s Chai" by Navin Desai
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1st Place: "The Abscission of Perennial Petals" by Aniket Dewangan
2nd Place: "Surviving My Charity Trip to Ta Phin" by Pham Bao Thu
3rd Place: "Our Culture is Our Pride" by Anabhra Verma
Information
Current middle or high school students (aged 13-18 as of February 1st) are eligible.
Submissions are open from December 1st, 2022 to February 20th, 2023.
There is no submission fee.
To submit, please email thetrailblazerreview@gmail.com with the subject line as “Contest Submission.”
Guidelines
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Whether it is a personal essay on your experience with racism, or a poem honoring your ancestry, you should submit it to us if your creative piece is related to “cultural heritage,” “tradition,” and “race.”
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font: Times New Roman
size: 12
margins: 1 inch at the top & bottom/ 1.25 inch at the left & right
maximum word count: 4000
there is no minimum word count
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font: Times New Roman
size: 12
margins: 1 inch at the top & bottom/ 1.25 inch at the left & right
there is no maximum/minimum word count for poetry
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please do not put your name anywhere on the piece you are submitting
instead, put it on the email you are sending to us (cover letters are encouraged but not required!)
Please name your document as the title of your entry. For example, if you are submitting a short story titled “Days of Dreary,” your document should be named Days of Dreary.
submissions to our Cultural Heritage Writing Award are automatically considered for publication in Trailblazer's upcoming issues
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there will be a first, second, and third place for each category in the Annual Writing Contest (poetry, fiction, & nonfiction)
award: publication in our literary magazine, offer to join our team as the Executive Editor, & honorary mention on website
FAQs
Can I submit a piece that has been previously published?
Yes! As long as this work is eligible for republication, you can submit it to our contest. Please contact the literary magazine or platform where the piece is published to make sure that you can submit it to our contest.
Is this an international contest? Can I attend if I do not reside in the United States?
Yes! This is an international contest accepting submissions from students worldwide. In addition, behind our publication is a diverse team with members from India, Romania, Germany, Taiwan, the US, etc.
What format should my entry be in? PDF or word?
Your entry can either be sent in as a PDF or a .docx file.
Do I have to be a First Nation person or write about indigenous cultures?
No. Our Cultural Heritage Writing Contest is meant to celebrate all cultures, traditions, languages, and heritages around the world. We would accept anything that is related to this theme, whether it is a personal essay on your experience with racism, or a short story about a family celebrating Tanabata.
Can I submit more than one entry?
Yes! We allow up to three pieces of work. It can be three poems, two short stories and one poem, or any other arrangement that you prefer.
If I win, can I keep the copyright of my entry?
Yes! Copyright will be reserved by the author.
Have any more questions?
