The Howard County Literacy Association invites students in grades 1-5 to submit their original poems and/or short stories to the annual writing contest called The Young Authors' Contest. Please see the attached Young Authors’ Contest Guidelines (guidelines) for information about the rules and guidelines. Stories and poems must be typed and saved as a Word Doc or Googledoc. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet (cover sheet) sent as a PDF. Submissions may be emailed to amy_gooding@hcpss.org by December 15, 2025. Contact Amy Gooding or Jennifer Laanisto with any questions. All Young Authors’ Contest information can be found on the HCLA website. Howard County Literacy Association welcomes parents as members. Visit the HCLA Welcome Page for information about joining.