Teen Storywriting Contest - Write the Hook

Sunday, November 15, 2026 · All day

Hamilton-Wenham Public Library — 14 Union St., Hamilton, MA

The 6th annual Write the Hook story writing contest for Teens in grades 6 to 12, is open for entries until midnight December 31, 2026. Write your hook for the beginning of a story; a hook that impels the reader to want to find out what happens next. We can't wait to read this year's entries! Bon chance! This is the link to the Contest Entry Form

🖉 🖉 🖉 Contest Rules 🖉 🖉 🖉

Write the hook for the beginning of something longer; for the start of a story. Open to teens in grades 6 to 12, who are residents of Essex County in Massachusetts. Entry must be your original work. AI and other forms of it will not be tolerated or accepted. We reserve the right to request evidence of original work if we suspect that a submission was made with AI. Word count must be between 300(min.) and 1,200(max.) words. Maximum of 1 entry per author. Give your entry a title. Entries due by midnight, Thursday, December 31, 2026. The three contest judges use a rubric to score each story based on: Length: Is the entry between the minimum and maximum word count? Story Hook: Does the writing hook you? Do you want to find out what happens next? Character(s): Are character(s) distinctly described? Writing: Does the…

Free to attend. Ages 11–17.