Founded in 1973, StoneSoup.com is the leading national (and international) literary project for young writers and artists. StoneSoup.com accepts work by young writers and artists. To submit, simply click on the appropriate category below and follow the instructions.
How to Submit
- Type cover letter text into the cover letter field with any additional information you'd like to send.
- Use the Add File button to find the file on your computer that you would like to submit. Select the file and click on the Open button. Your file will then appear in the "file" field.
- Review your information to confirm that it is correct. Click Submit and you're done!
- You should receive a confirmation email letting you know that we've received your submission.
- If you are having any technical issues with your submission, please write directly to the Submittable team: support@submittable.com
Important Notes
- Our current response time is about three months. We wish we could respond with personal feedback, but the volume of submissions received and the small size of our staff make this impossible.
- To make sure that you receive our email responses, set your spam filter to accept messages from editor@stonesoup.com. Otherwise, notifications may end up in your "junk" or "spam" folder, or be deleted by your e-mail system. You can also check the status of your submission at any time by logging into your Submittable account.
- We can only consider submissions written in the English language.
- We will consider previously published work—but it depends on where it was published! So, if this applies to you, please note in your cover letter where the piece appeared and when.
- You may submit in multiple genres at once—for example, a set of poems, a story, and artwork—but please do not submit multiple works of the same genre simultaneously. Rather, please wait to hear back in one genre before submitting in it again.
- Stone Soup welcomes the work of writers and artists from marginalized communities, identities, and traditions. We do not tolerate submissions that contain hate speech or engage in bigotry or discrimination of any kind.
To increase your chances of publication, please read the more detailed guidelines on our website: http://www.stonesoup.com/stone-soup-contributor-guideline/
NEW GUIDELINE FOR REPEAT SUBMITTERS:
After having work accepted to the magazine, please wait at least three months before submitting again in any genre. This will help us ensure greater diversity of contributors in each issue. Thank you!
By submitting, you consent to receiving occasional news and updates, which you can opt out at any time.
Send us Your Response to the first Weekly Creativity Challenge of the Month
On the first Saturday of each month, we publish a Weekly Creativity Prompt on our website, Stonesoup.com, and feature it in our first newsletter of the month. This prompt is also a flash contest! For those subscribed to our emails, the same prompt will be shared again on the following Monday. To enter the flash contest, simply use the prompt from either the website or the email and submit your response by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on the following Sunday (8 days to submit)
Contest Details
The Monthly Flash Contest is published at the beginning of the month. The first week of the month is the only week that this contest runs. Your submission is due by 11:59 PM Pacific time on the following Sunday. The winners are posted the following month.
Categories: Below, you will find a writing and art prompt for you to choose from. Only choose one category and submit one prompt! Additional submissions will disqualify you.
Length: It depends on the prompt. Some of them will have specific instructions (e.g. write a 10 line poem, or a three paragraph piece of prose, or compose a still life photograph). Other writing prompts might be more open, suggesting you write a story or rework one you already have, or make a piece of art on a theme. Where the prompt specifies, follow the guidance on length and/or medium. If it doesn't specify, it's up to you how long or short you make your writing (but remember, this is a flash contest, so we don't expect you to write a novel!).
Age Limit: For the flash contests, we will accept work from those age 18 and under.
Deadline: Sunday, October 13, at 11:59 midnight (Pacific Time).
Entry fee: $2.00
Results and Prizes: We will select up to 5 Winners and up to 5 Honorable Mentions by early next month.
Publication: We will publish the Winners' work on the Stone Soup Blog; and announce each week's Winners and Honorable Mentions in our Saturday Newsletter.
Monthly Flash Contest October Prompts:
Writing Prompt #1: Write a short story about the life cycle of a pumpkin
What do you think it’s like being a pumpkin? Do their thoughts change from when they’re babies to when they’re adults? Is it fun to be picked at a pumpkin patch? Is it scary to think you might be eaten or baked into a pie? Write a short story either about a pumpkin or from the perspective of a pumpkin as it goes on an adventurous journey from a seed to a fully grown gourd.
Writing prompt #2: Write a Haiku about any kind of fall weather.
Fall weather comes with so many fun things! From rain and cloudy days to crunchy leaves and jack-o-lanterns, there is always so much to enjoy in fall. Pick one of your favorite things that fall weather brings and write a Haiku about it. Note: A Haiku is a special type of Japanese poem that is three lines long. The first line has 5 syllables, the second has 7 syllables, and the last line has 5 syllables. Your poem must be a haiku in order to be considered!
Art prompt: Make an art piece inspired by fall leaves.
One of the trademarks of autumn is its beautiful, color-changing leaves. They have so much to be inspired by, with each leaf having its own unique colors, textures, shapes and details. We want to see this reflected in your art! All forms of visual arts are accepted, from photography to painting to collage to fashion to ceramics and anything else you can think of. Your art must contain a depiction of fall leaves but they do not have to be realistic or even the centerpiece of the work. Be creative and good luck!
We are always actively looking for writers to contribute to our blog. Do you have a lot to say about a single topic—sports, fashion, art, writing, books, music, animals, science, theater, travel, crafting, video games? Do you love writing reviews—of books, TV shows, video games, poems? If so, we want to hear from you!
To be considered please submit a post of between 350-600 words. A blog post can be many different things. It can be a review, a reflection, a story, a how-to, an opinion piece, or an account. It can include pictures, diagrams, videos, maps, comics—you name it!
Let us know in the cover letter whether you are interested in becoming a regular blogger (contributing anywhere from once a month to once a week) or if you are just interested in submitting once.
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Multimedia
Scratch/Little Bits: This is the category for computer-based multimedia projects. This includes Scratch projects, projects created with LittleBits, RaspberryPi or any other computer system or software/hardware combination that you have used creativity. The emphasis here is on creativity. Projects don't have to tell a story, but as story writing is very important to the Stone Soup project, we are definitely interested in narratives that you might be telling through Scratch or some other programming language.
Video: Your video may be fiction or nonfiction. Both live action and animated videos are accepted for online publication and for the Stone Soup YouTube channel. We don't have a length limit, but if you are new to making films, we suggest you keep your video under five minutes. Videos often require teamwork. Please be sure to list in the credits all the people, including adults, who worked on the video. We only ask that the lead writers and directors be age fourteen or younger.
Spoken Word: Read a poem or a story. You may send us a sound file or a video. You may read your own work, something you find at the Stone Soup Online website, or anything else that might appeal to you. We are looking for strong presentations. As we are looking for work to publish this means that sound quality is important. A brilliant reading with poor sound will not be accepted. Please test your sound before you make your finished recording.
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For Music
Original music by young composers. We are open to any music style including classical and jazz.
Please upload the written music, if the music has been written down, and/or has any lyrics, along with the best quality recording you can make. If you can make a video of the performance that should also be uploaded. A link to existing recordings at YouTube, Vimeo, or elsewhere on the internet may be provided in lieu of a fresh video or audio recording just for us.