Mindful Expressions: Youth Writing Challenge

Calling all youth in the Capital Area! We are holding a youth mental health writing contest that is open to all youth, ages 10-24. The contest is open from 3/7/24 to 4/15/24.

To qualify as a participant: The contest is open to all youth ages 10-24 in the Capital Region of New Hampshire. They must reside in the towns of Allenstown, Andover, Barnstead, Boscawen, Bow, Bradford, Canterbury, Chichester, Concord, Deering, Dunbarton, Epsom, Henniker, Hillsborough, Hopkinton, Loudon, Northwood, Pembroke, Pittsfield, Salisbury, Warner, Washington, Weare, Webster, or Windsor.

Submissions: Participants can choose to respond to one of two prompts: a) How do you take care of your mental health? or b) What would you say to someone who is struggling with their mental health?

Format can be either a short story, poem, or short essay. Length can be up to 3 pages long. Creativity can be used for font, text size, and color.

How to submit entries: Download the Entry Information Form, and Guardian Permission Form if you are under 18. Please scan and send those two forms, the written piece, and send as attachments via email to caphn 024@gmail.com. If you don’t have access to a printer/scanner, please email caphn2024@gmail.com and we can work with you to see how we can help you enter. 

If you'd like to print a copy of the contest rules, you may do so here: Mindful Expressions Contest Rules

Winners: We will be having an awards ceremony in May to announce the winners and hand out the prizes, which are $50 Visa gift cards for the runners-up and $100 Visa gift cards for first place. The submissions will be judged in 3 age categories of 10-13, 14-18, and 19-24, so there will be 2 winners from each category. We will notify all winners by email/phone when judging commences.

Awards Ceremony: There will be an awards ceremony held at the Concord YMCA on Thursday May 9th, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The address is 15 N. State St, Concord, NH 03301. There is a parking garage adjacent to the building. Limited attendance, so please indicate whether you’d like to attend or not when submitting your Contest Entry Information Form.

At the event, we will have light refreshments available and will be showcasing the work of the youth for people to read. When winners are announced, if they feel comfortable, they will have the opportunity to read their work out loud. We can also arrange for someone else to read the piece if they are not comfortable reading it themselves.

We will also have a guest speaker during the event. There will be room for all 6 winners and a guest, but the registration for attendance will be closed once we reach capacity for the room. Signups are first come, first serve. 

Help Spread the Word: Download the flyer to distribute to your networks! Mindful Expressions Contest Flyer

Get creative, and good luck!