Deadline for submission: September 7, 2025
Winners announced: January 2026
Eligibility Criteria:
Any adult of 18 years or older is eligible to submit, whether a teacher or not.
Submissions must be original and unpublished works.
Plagiarized entries will be disqualified.
We reserve the right to disqualify submissions suspected to be written with the assistance of AI.
Only one submission per writer. No exceptions.
Format & Style Guidelines:
The protagonist or narrator must be a K-12 teacher.
Story must be a work of fiction between 6 and 499 words.
Submissions should be primarily in English.
Submissions must be a PDF file submitted in this form. Emailed or mailed submissions are not accepted.
Use 12-point Arial font, double-spaced.
Include the word count of your story in the top right corner of the PDF.
Do not include the title in the word count. Place the title before the start of your story.
No personal information (e.g., name, phone number) should appear in your submission PDF.
Avoid sentimentality and education jargon.
Notification: Winners will be notified privately before the public announcement on our website and social media platforms.
Disqualification: Submissions that fail to meet the above criteria and guidelines may be disqualified. If you are not an Academy Fellow and you do not pay the $5 entry fee, your entry will be disqualified.
Withdrawal: Participants may request to withdraw their entry from the contest at any time before winners are announced. Withdrawn entries will not be considered for prizes or publication. Submit your request for withdrawal here.