Bucks County Community College invites high school scribes to enter the annual short
fiction and poetry contests for the opportunity to win prizes and to read their works at a
public reception.
Both contests – which are free to enter – are open to students in grades 9 – 12 who
attend high school in Bucks County or live in Bucks County. Home-schooled Bucks
County high school students are also eligible. Previous winners are not eligible.
Short fiction contest deadline: March 11
For the short fiction contest, now in its ninth year, each student may submit one original
short story of 5 -10 double-spaced pages by noon Wednesday, March 11. All entries
must be submitted online. Stories must be unpublished and completely original (no fan
fiction is permitted). Complete rules and the entry form are available at
bucks.edu/ShortFictionContestHS.
The first-place winner will receive a $200 honorarium, the second-place winner will
receive a $100 honorarium, and the third-place winner will receive a $50 honorarium.
The winners will be invited to read from their work at a celebration on campus in April.
Faculty will serve as judges. For more information, contact contest director Professor
Elizabeth Luciano at
elizabeth.luciano@bucks.edu.
Poetry contest deadline: March 13
Meanwhile, the 39 th Annual
High School Poet of the Year contest is accepting entries
through Friday, March 13. Students may submit three original poems for the chance
to win $300. In addition, the winner will receive a proclamation from the Bucks County
Commissioners, and the opportunity to read at a public reception. Runners-up and
finalists in the contest will also be invited to read at the public event.
The contest will be judged by 2025 Bucks County Poet Laureate Madeline Marriott and
2024 laureate Lake Angela. An online entry form can be found at
bucks.edu/HSPOY.
To learn more, contact Dr. Ethel Rackin, director of the Bucks County Poet Laureate
program which runs the high school poetry contest, at
ethel.rackin@bucks.edu.
