Write Out of This World: Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story and Comic Contest provides an opportunity for tomorrow's storytellers to create, improve, and share their work with the world (and beyond)!

HUGE NEWS! Write Out of This World now includes a comics track! Creators submitted a science fiction or fantasy comic to this year's contest. See some of the winning comics and stories below.

Congratulations to our 2020 Winners!

2020 SHORT STORY WINNERS

GRADES 3-5

1st Place: “Yuni: The Last Warrior” by Saanvi Shah
2nd Place: “Life Needs Water” by Lukáš Michal Hlaváč
3rd Place: “The Frames” by Nathan Brown

GRADES 6-8

1st Place: "Lazy Sunday” by Cecilia Ayres
1st Place: "The Harvester” by Caroline Shirley
2nd Place: “Hunting Medusa in 2099” by Ricardo Gurango
3rd Place: "The Rule Benders" by Camila Figueira

GRADES 9-12

1st Place: "The Treehouse" by Elizabeth Keller
2nd Place: "Festival of Lanterns" by Ava Lee
3rd Place: "Infinite Death" by Sophia Smith

2020 COMIC WINNERS

GRADES 3-5

1st Place: “Jurassic Friends” by Kate Carmichael
2nd Place: “Adela and the Dragon” by Maya Shukla
3rd Place: “The New Planet” by Jamie Engler

GRADES 6-8

1st Place: “Transformation” by Tayen Asplin

GRADES 9-12

1st Place: "The Centricapead" by Veronica Johnson

Postponement Announcement

Write Out of this World is postponed for the 2020-2021 school year. It is our intention to bring the program back next year with expanded elements and additional mentorship opportunities.

Between now and next fall when the program will relaunch, we want to make adjustments and improvements to the program. If you have participated in the program in previous years, please take a few minutes to fill out a short survey to give us your feedback about Write Out of This World and help us create the best creative youth development program ever!

For other opportunities related to science fiction, fantasy, and comic content, check out the following options:

Science Fiction Fantasy Short Film Festival (now with a youth track for aspiring filmmakers)
Online education resources (including lesson plans, activities, and videos)
Join one of our After-School Clubs
Take part in Summer Camp, 2021
Participate in a Livestream Workshop

Write Out of this World would not be possible without our beloved community partners and local resources Check out their websites for information about their programs that relate to WOOTW content:
SPL
KingCo
Bureau of Fearless Ideas
Ada’s Technical Books
Outsider Comics
Geek Girl Con
Emerald City Comic Con
Norwescon
Jack Straw Cultural Center

PAST WINNERS

2019 WINNERS

GRADES 3-5

1st Place: “When The Needle Touches Your Skin" by Evelyn Bieniawski
2nd Place: “Carma and The Dragon" by Fiona Ayres
3rd Place: “If She Were Here" by Nadia Rose Tabbara

GRADES 6-8

1st Place: “Faux Freedom” by Ehinowen Uwa
2nd Place: “Three Friends” by Tess Halpern
3rd Place: “The Execution of Katie Stirn” by Naomi Delavan

GRADES 9-12

1st Place: “Watches” by Eleanor Cenname
2nd Place: “The Power of Friendship” by Daphne Land
1st Place: “The Earth Fighter” by Eileen Miller

2018 WINNERS

GRADES 3-5

1st Place: “The Harpy’s Familiar" by Vivian R. Tynes
2nd Place: “Letting Go” by Sylvia Petrescu-Prahova
3rd Place: “38 Minutes” by Ava Gharib

GRADES 6-8

1st Place: “A Dragon’s Seasons” by Varenna Ronald
2nd Place: “Ember and the Temple” by Cecilia Ayres
3rd Place: “The Unfortunate Disappearance of Ms. Ellison” by Edan Gortzak

GRADES 9-12

1st Place: “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” by Daphne Land
2nd Place: “Galatea” by Ken Cummings
3rd Place: “The Burning Line” by Kenny Goliff

2017 WINNERS

GRADES 3-5

1st Place: "In the Heart of Zeena" by Della Abler
2nd Place: "Feelings" by Oliver Ahrens-Siegel
3rd Place: "Waves" by Charlotte Durham

GRADES 6-8

1st Place: "The Legend of Raan" by Alex Olson
2nd Place: "Moorhen" by Kate Okerstrom
3rd Place: "DING" by Glenn Crum

GRADES 9-12

1st Place: "Come Fly With Me" by Aidan Linder
2nd Place: "And the Stars Sang" by Trinity Hunter
3rd Place: "The Last Interrogation" by Dakota Li

2016 WINNERS

GRADES 3-5

1st Place: "Ordinary" by Edan Gortzak
2nd Place: "Stella" by Amelia Jones
3rd Place: "Train 362" by Cordelia Rodriguez

GRADES 6-8

1st Place: "In Which Phyllis B Takes Over The World" by Elise Hebert
2nd Place: "The Night Was Theirs" Violet Keteyian
3rd Place: "5:15" by Jinho Kwak

GRADES 9-12

1st Place: "The Temple of The Lost Gods " by Tully McCombs
2nd Place: "Unlikely Gifts From A Reaper " by Megan Bass
3rd Place: "Buffer" by Ava Cline

2015 WINNERS

GRADES 3-5

1st Place: "The Wall" by Joanna Vahey
2nd Place: "The Wood of Hoods" by Megumi Whisman
3rd Place: "Floor A, -2" by Adrienne Stern

GRADES 6-8

1st Place: "Beyond the Window" by Tucker Cornell
2nd Place: "Rematerialize" by Mark Polyakov
3rd Place: "Famous" by Jose Luis Gandara

GRADES 9-12

1st Place: "60 seconds" by Rowan Hurt
2nd Place: "Fraigslist" by Amelia Miller
3rd Place: "Empty Space" by Ava Cline

2014 WINNERS

GRADES 3-5

1st Place: "Mongie the Kookie" by Chee Ong
2nd Place: "Macaroni and Mars Don't MIx" by Anna Holbrook
3rd Place: "November's Save" by Sophia Baldwin

GRADES 6-8

1st Place: "Humanity" by Rowan Hurt
2nd Place: "The Flower of Skye" by Shayla McCombs
3rd Place: "Omega" by Sophie Lee

GRADES 9-12

1st Place: "Devotion" by Carly Cooper
2nd Place: "Somewhere Only We Know" by Camille Lemire
3rd Place: "Names in Stone" by Sophia Harris

2013 WINNERS

GRADES 3-5

2nd Place: "Buddy" by Lauren Debord
3rd Place: "Emma And The Flower Kingdom" by Allenamae Dodd

GRADES 6-8

1st Place: "The Legend of Ra" by Cleo Fuller
2nd Place: "In The Dark I See" by Madeline Rainwater
3rd Place: "Colony" by Brendan Lancaster

GRADES 9-12

1st Place: "Wish Catcher" by Nan Wu
2nd Place: "Tsubasa" by Mia Smith
3rd Place: "The Legend of Ayeddis" by Megan Gleason