Unlock Your Writing Potential: Students in Our Writing Competition Preparation Class Are More Likely to Secure Awards
Contest Details
Deadlines
April 30th and November 30th
Contest deadlines remain the same every year. Tadpole Press encourages diverse voices and welcomes writers across all genders, ages, and nationalities.
Guidelines
- Entry Fee: $15 USD (Writers can submit as many entries as they want). Both new and previously published works are also accepted.
- Word Limit: 100 words, including the title (if applicable).
- Pen Names: Writers can use pen names and winners can choose to have their entries published in that name or their real name.
- Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, memoir, or a mix of everything. Writers can choose any genre and mash the words in any order or combination.
Why Enter?
The Prizes
1st Place: $2,000 USD
The top 10 writers will receive a combination of cash prizes and packages designed for writers—publishing, marketing, editing, manuscript assessments, and coaching—totaling over $13,000 USD.
And if you don’t make it to the very top, it can still be a boost to receive recognition for your piece. Which is why we also announce and celebrate the writers who make it to our longlist and shortlist. Several of these will also have an opportunity to be published in our Tadpole Press Literary Magazine as well.
The Intangibles
There’s more to contests than winning prizes and the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest is an opportunity to:
- Hone your craft
- Connect with words
- Share your voice
- Push your creative boundaries
- Join a growing global community
A Growing Community
Last April, stories poured in from 59 different countries – 1,525 entries filled with heart, grit, and soul. By November, more voices joined the mix with 1,576 entries from 79 countries. The contest is growing, the community is expanding, and this April? Tadpole Press is aiming even higher, inviting voices from every corner of the globe to take part.
New for 2025: The Mini Moon Contest
Think 100 words is a challenge? Try 10! This year, each Community Write-In comes with a bonus Mini Moon Contest. Just 10 words and the winning entry gets $50 USD.
The Inaugural Mini Moon Contest launched during the February 3rd Community Write-In, kicking off our tiniest contest yet. First place went to Jennifer Colwell from the United States for:
Minefield
I howl as shards pierce my sole.
Damn Legos.
Want to try it out? Join us for our final round at the Daffodil Moon Community Write-In on April 3, 2025. Find details here and sign up here.
85% of Aralia Students Win Awards in Writing Contests
Winning Advice: What Worked?
Writing a story in 100 words is about brevity and impact. Based on past winning entries, here’s what can set yours apart:
Write the Rise, Not Just the Fall
A lot of past entries touched on pain, loss, and the moments that leave scars. If you’re writing about tough stuff, don’t stay in the dark. Show the shift, the resilience, how the light broke through. That’s the kind of story people remember.
Cut the Fluff and Make Every Word Count
100 words don’t leave much room to mess around and past winners know that. Every sentence did something—revealed character, cranked up tension, or delivered a gut-punch moment. Want to know if your piece is tight? Read it out loud. If a line trips you up, it should be taken out.
Surprise Readers
The best stories linger. Not because they are shocking just for shock’s sake, but because they bring something fresh. A new perspective, a twist, a moment that hits harder than expected. So before you hit submit, ask yourself: What will the reader feel when they read it?
Past Winners: What Did They Do Right?
Melanie Mulrooney’s “Last night, I dreamt we were house flies” won last April’s top prize. The poignant exploration of love, longing, and loss through the lens of houseflies. Rich sensory details and poetic language transform a fleeting moment into an intimate and haunting tale. It’s originality and emotional depth prove that a powerful story doesn’t need to go beyond 100 words to leave a lasting impression.
Tiffany Harris’ “Steal the Moon” is an evocative piece that captured the top prize last November. The surreal premise of carrying the moon in a backpack explores loss, longing, and the emotional weight we bear. The story’s combination of layered symbolism and emotional resonance revealed profoundly relatable truths. Proving that a story can press on even after the final sentence.
Aralia Education is proud to collaborate with the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest, a competition that challenges writers to craft compelling stories in just 100 words. This contest provides a platform for creativity, encouraging writers to express powerful ideas with clarity and precision.
The following article is written by the staff at the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest. We are excited to feature their insights on our platform as part of our collaboration to support and inspire young writers!
Aralia Courses for Aspiring Writers
For students and families aiming to excel, Aralia offers the following courses taught by top-rated instructors:
Writing Competition – Summer
This class is offered in the summer every year. Students from 13 to 19 years old wanting to learn how to shape their written English into effective and publishable creative pieces will find this particular Writing Competition course very exciting. The class will be shown a range of tools to learn the nuances of controlled, purposeful writing, including: figurative language, effective structuring and specific forms that they will apply to their own pieces.
