Welcome Students!
We are excited to announce a creative writing competition for secondary ELL students in international schools across South Korea. This is your opportunity to showcase your storytelling skills and connect with other talented writers!
Competition Details
Eligibility
- Open to students in grades 6-12.
- Students must be enrolled in an ELL program at an international school in South Korea.
- The fictional narrative and poetry categories will be judged in two separate divisions:
- Middle School (Grades 6-8)
- High School (Grades 9-12)
Submission Categories (click for more information)
Fictional Narrative
- Length Requirement:
- Maximum of 5 pages.
- If a student has written a longer work or novella, they may submit a single chapter or excerpt from their story, as long as it follows the page limit.
- One Entry Per Category:
- Students may submit only one fictional narrative reviewed and approved by their ELL teacher.
- Students are welcome to submit additional work in other categories (Poetry and Avatar)
- Original Work Only:
- No AI-generated or AI-assisted writing is allowed.
- Follow All Formatting Requirements:
- Make sure you have followed all of the Submission Guidelines listed below.
- Fictional Narrative Rubric
Poetry Collection
- Length Requirement:
- Maximum of 7 poems. Do not include title page.
- One Entry Per Category:
- Students may submit only one poetry collection reviewed and approved by their ELL teacher.
- Students are welcome to submit additional work in other categories (Fictional Narrative and Avatar)
- Original Work Only:
- No AI-generated or AI-assisted writing is allowed.
- Follow All Formatting Requirements:
- Make sure you have followed all of the Submission Guidelines listed below.
- Poetry Collection Rubric
Reward
There will be a first, second, and third place winner in each division:
- Middle School (Grades 6-8)
- High School (Grades 9-12)
All first place winners will receive a plaque and have their work published on the Words Across Korea Website, offering recognition to their talent across South Korea’s international school community.
Submission Guidelines
Download submission examples here
How to submit?
Complete the submission form with the following information:
- Student name
- Student email
- School name
- Title of work
- Indicate the competition category and grade level: Middle School (6-8) or High School (9-12)
Formatting Requirements
- Word document form (.doc or .docx) No Google Docs or Google Drive links for submission.
- Include only the title of the piece (no participant names within the document)
- Font: Times New Roman
- Size: 12
- Spaced: 1.5
How to name your .doc?
- Title your document using the title of your work only, For example, if the title of your story is “The Hidden Forest”, the document should be titled: “The Hidden Forest.doc”
Submission Deadline
- Entries open: November 2026
- Deadline: April 9th, 2027
