city

Story·Steven Cavros, age 9 — In future Orlando sewers, sentient creatures made from garbage attempt to form a government, leading to chaos, tyranny, and one night of freedom above ground.

Personal Narrative·Shriyans Boddu, age 11 — A New York City boy gets permission to go outside alone for the first time, gets lost, and must find his way home using the subway.

Personal Narrative·Rubina Davila, age 13 — A visit to a family's longtime East Los Angeles bakery triggers memories spanning generations, from the writer's great-grandfather to present-day holiday gatherings.

Story·Ever Sun, age 10 — A city girl discovers a magical forest where animals talk and time moves differently, spending what she thinks is a year but is actually ten years researching nature.

Story·Jinhui He, age 12 — A struggling painter's work is stolen by a famous artist, leading to betrayal by her husband and society, ending in tragedy.

Story·Anya Geist, age 13 — In a genetically engineered society where roles are predetermined, a young Director-in-training discovers her forbidden passion for music during a symphony rehearsal.

Story·Timothy D. Cho, age 12 — A boy constantly moving with his struggling immigrant family runs away in Brooklyn, only to realize through memories and reflection that he cannot escape his past or abandon those who...

Story·Olivia Ladell, age 13 — After Earth's population flees to Mars, an eight-year-old boy is accidentally left behind. Eight years later, on his sixteenth birthday, he discovers another forgotten teenager.

Personal Narrative·Zoe Kyriakakis, age 10 — A foggy bus ride home from a museum field trip becomes a meditation on the phrase 'swirling arabesques' and how certain words can feel alive.

Poetry·Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, age 13 — A 13-year-old observes graduation season from a Manhattan hotel, watching anxious parents at breakfast and contemplating the hidden world awaiting both graduates and herself.