Submission Guidelines & Competition Information

Welcome to the 10th annual Inklings Writing Competition! 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, April 3 at 4:00 pm.

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 in an easily readable font size (such as 12) and style (such as Arial or Times New Roman) and black text color. Any additional pages submitted past page 4 will not be read by the judges.
• All entries must be original student writing. Fan fiction entries are discouraged, along with other extensions of movie and book plots that require knowledge of the source story. Only single-author entries are being considered this year. Parents or teachers are welcome to help a student proofread and edit the submission, but the writing should be the student’s own. Per the Academic Dishonesty Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook, students' work must be a “product of their own mind”. Any piece found to be in violation of this will be disqualified. Please have a title for every piece you submit.
• Entries must be completed by filling out the 2025 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. Please wait to submit until all entries are complete. 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 gifted intervention specialist can help you submit.
• All entries are due by Thursday, April 3 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 21. The final round of judging will be held virtually the week of April 28, and results will be announced to buildings by May 16.
• If you need help, please reach out to your building’s gifted intervention specialist. Gifted Intervention Specialists can answer questions or assist you in submitting your work to the competition.
• 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).