What is the Young Author and Illustrator Contest?
First through Sixth graders in Centre County may submit stories of their own creation to the Young Author and Illustrator Contest. Entries will be read and judged by community leaders and Library youth services staff. Each grade, First through Sixth, will be judged against all other participants in that grade level. 3 winners and 2 honorable mentions from each grade level will be chosen, and the 1st place winning stories will be bound as a hardback book which will stay in the library’s permanent collection!
Rules
Submit your story with the official Library cover sheet completely filled out.
Submit your story on 8 1/2 by 11 inch (or smaller) paper, portrait style, and one sided pages. No folded books and no double sided pages.
Leave 1 1/2 inch margins on all pages.
Pages must be numbered.
All submissions should be the Author and Illustrator’s own creative work — writing, illustrations and photographs must be originals — no copyrighted images, copyrighted names/characters, or use of AI generated materials.
For example: you cannot write or illustrate Mickey Mouse or Harry Potter.
Illustrations must be drawn by hand on the paper and photographs must be printed on the paper. Do not tape or glue a different piece of paper to the story paper. Illustrations and photographs must be originals, no copyrighted images or names.
Use a paper clip to hold your book together. Do not use staples, binders, folders or lamination.
Work by yourself or with one other child in your same grade level. No stories created by more than 2 children will be accepted.
Submit your story by the end of the day on Wednesday, April 1st, 2026.
Submitting Your Story
You can submit your story, with its cover sheet, by library closing time on Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 in any of the ways below:
Drop your story off at any Centre County Library location
Digitally submit your story to youngauthor@centrecountylibrary.org
Mail your story to:
Centre County Library
200 N. Allegheny St.
Bellefonte, PA 16823
Judging
Stories will be judged by community leaders and Library youth services staff. Stories in each grade level will be judged against one another with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place (and 2 honorable mentions) being awarded to each grade level. Stories are selected based on originality, creativity, content, grammar, punctuation, completion and spelling. Entries will be judged based on the content of the first 50 pages of their submission. Longer entries are still welcome and accepted. Winners will be announced via the website, social media, and mail.
Publication
The 1st place winning stories will be bound as a hardback book that will stay in the library’s permanent collection. All placing or honorable mention stories are eligible to be purchased as a hardbound book for your personal library at the cost of $24.75 per book. An order form will be available after story judging is complete.
