Nevada County Reads High School Writing Contest

The 2026 Nevada County Reads-High Scool Writing Contest Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who can enter the writing contest?

A. Any freshman-senior student attending high school in Western Nevada County.

Q. When does the contest  open?

A. Submissions will be accepted from Monday, February 2nd through Friday, March 20th

Q. What should I write about?

A. Use one of the four provided prompts as inspiration. The prompts were inspired by this year's Community Read, North Woods by Daniel Mason and designed to encourage writer's creative expression. There is no "right" way to respond to them.  We accept entries in any written format-such as poetry, stories, non-fiction, plays, journal entries, narration, essays, chapters, verse, etc.

Q. How long does my entry need to be?

A. There is no minimum word count. Entries over 3000 words will not be considered.

Q. How do I submit my work for consideration?

A. Send an email with your work attached to ncwriting26@gmail.com

Q. What do I need to include in my submission?

A. Make sure you include the prompt number, your name, grade, and school you attend.

Q. Can I enter multiple works?

A. We can only accept one entry per person.

Q. Can I have someone help me?

A. All entries must be your original work. We can not accept submissions that were written with or by parents, teachers, peers, or Generative Artificial Intelligence. 

Q. What do I win?

A. All prizes were generously donated by the Friends of the Nevada County Libraries.

• 1st-$500

• 2nd-$250

• 3rd-$175

Q. When will I find out if I won?

A. All participants will be notified by email on Monday, March 30th. The top 10 contestants will be invited to a special meet and greet dinner with author Daniel Mason on Saturday, April 11th at Sierra College, Grass Valley Campus. 

Q. Who are the judges?

A. Our volunteer judging panel is made up of teachers, librarians, local authors, and  past contest winners.

Q. How is judging conducted?

A. The entries are blind judged by cohorts of 2-5 judges. Each cohort is given an equal number of entries to read. The cohort brings their top entries back to the main judging team, and the team ranks the top entries.  The judges base their decision on this RUBRIC.

Q. Who do I contact if I have any other questions?

A. You can email the Nevada County Reads-High School Writing Contest coordinator at ncwriting26@gmail.com.

Q. Where can I learn more about the Nevada County Reads program and events?

A. Nevada County Reads