Submission Guidelines & Competition Information

Welcome to the 11th annual Inklings Writing Competition, where we celebrate Olentangy’s hundreds of young writers who have worked to increase their creativity and skills in writing!

We invite all Olentangy students in grades 3 - 8 to submit their original writing.

All entries are due by Thursday, March 26 at 4:00 pm. No late entries will be considered.

The categories:

• Argument
• Fiction
• Poetry

Submission criteria:

• Student entries can be no longer than four pages in length. While excerpts from longer pieces are acceptable, the writing must stand alone on its own merits. All entries should be single spaced in at least 12pt font, using Arial or Times New Roman, and black text color. The margins must be at least 1". Any additional pages submitted past page 4 will not be read by the judges.
• All entries must be original student writing, meaning the ideas and words come from the student alone. Stories based on movies, TV shows, video games, or books (often called fan fiction) are discouraged as they rely on knowledge of another story. Each submission must be written by only one student. Parents and teachers may help by proofreading for spelling, grammar, and punctuation, but they should not add ideas or rewrite the work—the writing must be a product of the student’s own mind, as stated in the Student Handbook. Any entry that does not follow these rules will be disqualified. Please have a title for every piece you submit. 
• Entries must be completed by filling out the 2026 Inklings Submission Form. You must be logged into your OLSD account to access the submission form. The Inklings Team will not accept entries by email, sharing a GoogleDoc, or as a paper copy. Students may submit up to one entry in each category if they wish to do so. All entries will be submitted on the same GoogleForm. Do NOT move your submission to the trash. You must change the sharing settings on your GoogleDoc to “Olentangy Local Schools” or we will not be able to judge your submission. Click HERE to see what your share settings should look like. A parent, teacher, or your building Inklings Coordinator can help you submit.
• All entries are due by Thursday, March 26 at 4:00 p.m. No late entries will be considered.
• There will be two rounds of judging. District competition coordinators will notify each building which entries are not moving forward to the final round of judging by April 24. The final round of judging will be held virtually the week of April 27, and results will be announced to buildings by May 15.
• If you need help, please reach out to your building’s gifted Inklings Coordinator. *Berlin Middle School's coordinator is Christina Zeller.
• Please consult the SCORING GUIDES for argument and fiction/poetry before submitting.

Questions?

• Email Valerie Biggam (valerie_biggam@olsd.us) or Aimee Fletcher (aimee_fletcher@olsd.us).