Nearly 50 short stories were submitted by teens as part of the 2023 Library Summer Challenge: Teen Writing Contest. The wide array of entries all demonstrated the amazing talent and imagination of Jefferson County teens and perfectly echoed this year's Summer Challenge theme: Cultivate Kindness. Both the quality and quantity of submissions received this year far exceeded expectations.
As part of the contest, teen storytellers were challenged to write a short story based on the quote from author Rick Riordan: "A kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword." Entries were judged by a group of six published authors who specialize in young adult writing. Winners will be announced Sept. 1.
A hearty congratulations to this year's finalists!
Middle School:
- Seren, Evergreen Middle School
- Alayah, Free Horizon Montessori School
- Ryan, Evergreen Middle School
- Morgan, Manning Middle School
- Leia, D'Evelyn Jr-Sr High School
High School:
- Kira, Bear Creek High School
- Laszlo, Wheat Ridge High School
- Audra, Bear Creek High School
- Anna, Golden View Classical Academy
- Leah, Golden High School
A special thank you to the author judges who helped us select our finalists:
- Leslie Vedder
- Meg Long
- Thane Benson
- J.C. Peterson
- Megan Freeman
Writing Tips and Tricks
We love fostering creativity for our writing community just as much as we love supporting our readers! Our Writing Guide is blooming with plenty of online resources to help you develop your craft. Check out this list of writing resources specially made for teens.
We appreciate the support of this year's Summer Challenge sponsors:
- Jefferson County Library Foundation, opens a new window
- Bobo's, opens a new window
- City of Lakewood, opens a new window
- Denver Film, opens a new window
- Downtown Aquarium, opens a new window
- The Drake Durkee Foundation, opens a new window
- Enstrom, opens a new window
- First Bank, opens a new window
- Golden Civic Foundation, opens a new window
- Meow Wolf, opens a new window
