5 Writing Opportunities for Teens

Today I'm excited to share with you 5 writing opportunities for teenagers and young adults, and these are just the beginning!

Some of them are paying markets and some are not. The nonpaying markets are a great place to get one's feet wet and get some clips for a writing portfolio.

I've taught Creative Writing to a few different grades at our local homeschool co-op, English Grammar and Composition to high schoolers, and IEW to middle schoolers. I'm working on becoming accredited with IEW so I can start teaching classes at my home.

I love working with teens and helping them make their writing even better!

You never know who might be the next Shirley Jackson, Fredrik Backman, Stephen King, or Emily St. John Mandel! 

1. The Adroit Journal 

(high school and up)

From the website: "The journal sponsors the annual Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose for secondary and undergraduate writers, the annual Djanikian Scholars Program for emerging student and non-student writers, and the free, online Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program for high school students from around the world. We’re looking for work that’s bizarre, authentic, subtle, outrageous, indefinable, raw, paradoxical. We’ve got our eyes on the horizon. Send us writing that lives just between the land and the sky." WE ARE NOW A PAYING PUBLICATION!! THANKS TO THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF OUR DONORS, THE ADROIT JOURNAL PAYS $100.00 TO ALL FICTION & CREATIVE NON-FICTION CONTRIBUTORS AND $50.00 TO ALL POETRY AND ENLIGHTENMENT CONTRIBUTORS, AS WELL AS OUR ISSUE COVER ARTIST.

2. OneTeen Story
(ages 13-19)
One Teen Story is looking for great short stories focused on teen protagonists and dealing with teen experiences such as issues of identity, friendship, family, coming-of-age, etc. One Story provides a powerful way for fiction writers to reach a wide audience. For the authors we publish, we offer extensive editing on the page and ongoing mentoring and professional development. We help them find representation, support them in placing their work in other venues, and publicize their books through public events and social media.

3. Skipping Stones

(all ages)
Writings (essays, stories, letters to the editor, riddles and proverbs, etc.) should be typed or neatly handwritten and limited to 1,000 words and poems up to 30 lines. We encourage writings in all languages with an English translation, if possible. And, we love illustrations! Please send originals of your drawings, paintings, or photos to our address below. Include your name, age, and address along with your submission. We welcome electronic submissions, and prefer Word.doc or .docx files. Art and photos can be sent as .jpeg, .png, or .tiff files. Please DO NOT send us attachments as zip files.

We also welcome your original, creative submissions for our various contests: Youth Honor Awards, Annual Asian Celebration Haiku Contests, etc. See details in those sections.

4. Teen Ink
(grades 7-12)
This website, monthly newsprint magazine, and quarterly poetry magazine features personal essays, short stories, reviews (books, CDs, concerts, movies), and interviews from young authors. Teen Ink has no staff writers; we depend completely on you to send writing, art, and photos. There is no charge to submit or be published. All submissions will be considered for publication in Teen Ink’s digital magazine and website. 

General Guidelines

All submissions of writing and artwork will be considered for publication on TeenInk.com and are also automatically entered into any relevant contests.

Teen Ink has no deadlines. We accept submissions year-round. If, however, you are sending work that is holiday-specific, please submit it at least two months ahead.

You must be 13 to 19 years old to be an active Teenink.com user, post your work online, and/or be published in Teen Ink magazine.

Requesting anonymity. If, due to the personal nature of a piece, you don’t want your name published, please check the anonymous box when submitting your work. We will respect your request and not publish your name in print or online, but we must still have accurate name and address information for every user.

All materials submitted become the property of Teen Ink. By submitting your work to us, you are giving Teen Ink and its partners, affiliates, and licensees the non-exclusive right to publish your work in any format, including print, electronic, and online media. However, all individual contributors to Teen Ink retain the right to submit their work for non-exclusive publication elsewhere, and you have our permission to do so. Teen Ink is copyrighted.

Plagiarism. Teen Ink has a no-tolerance policy for plagiarism. We check the originality of all published work.

Artificial Intelligence. AI-generated artwork and writing will not be accepted on Teen Ink. All submissions must be created by you, not an algorithm.

Do not include last names, names of schools and names of cities/towns in your submission.


5. Cathartic Youth Literary Magazine
(ages 12-22)

This is an open space to express yourself, be creative, deal with emotions, and get read! We are looking for unique works for a young adult audience with an emphasis on mental health. Any writing used as catharsis, reflection, or a way to draw attention to societal issues is particularly welcomed. We are also open to stories about the teenage experience, mental health articles, and more. If in doubt, send it in; we are very open to all forms of writing.

​Simultaneous submissions are allowed, though we do not accept previously published work. Anyone from middle school through college age, based anywhere in the world, can submit. Every submission will also receive detailed free feedback from our editors.

What to submit:

• poetry (prose or verse)
• flash fiction
• short stories
• creative nonfiction
• vignettes
• any creative writing -- really this is a space for any ramblings or strokes of genius! 

What to exclude:

• explicit sexual or violent content
• hate speech or discrimination
• previously published work (Instagram/personal blogs are fine!)
• writing over 3000 words (may be published in some instances, but we prefer shorter works)

That being said, the goal here is not to censor -- we welcome conversations about tougher topics like those mentioned above, so long as they are not graphic or harmful. 
​
​Please limit yourself to up to three pieces at a time. If your piece has been accepted, please wait at least one month before submitting again.