My life is all about the Cheerios contest this week. Write a children’s story. Get it published. The story does not have to be about Cheerios, but I might throw in a few breakfast fantasies. My first submission involved birds. The first story I wrote in high school began with the line, “The pigeons landed on the O’Riley’s roof on a blistering Sunday in August.” My English teacher asked me to read it out loud and I wouldn’t, because everyone else was writing these stories about drugs and sex and mine was about an old couple bombarded by birds. After class, the boy I had a crush on asked me why I wouldn’t read my story, and I was too embarrassed to answer. Ah high school. Good years.
The Rules: Write a 500-word story for children 4-8 years old
The Prize: One (1) Grand Prize of $5000 cash will be awarded. In addition to the cash prize, the Grand Prize winning story submission will be offered to Simon & Schuster for possible future publication. Publication not guaranteed. The $5000 will be awarded as a check made payable to the Grand Prize winner. Approximate value of the Grand Prize is $5000. Publishing terms and contract, if applicable, will be handled independently by Simon & Schuster, or such other publishing company as determined by Simon & Schuster.
Judging Criteria: Appropriate story/content for children ages 4 to 8, Emotional connection, Writing quality, Uniqueness, Read-aloud potential
The Entry: A story involving birds, hair and a pair of scissors.
