The Piton Noire Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Folklore Short Story Contest
1. Eligibility
The contest is open to primary school students between the ages of 9 and 12.
Students must be within the eligible age range at the time of submission.
Each student may submit one story only.
The story must be the student’s own original work.
2. Contest Theme
Students must write an original short story that falls within at least one of the following categories:
Science Fiction – stories involving imagined technology, futuristic worlds, space, scientific discoveries, artificial worlds, time travel, or other speculative ideas.
Fantasy – stories involving magic, mythical beings, imaginary worlds, supernatural events, or extraordinary adventures.
Folklore – stories inspired by Caribbean myths, legends, traditional stories, characters, beliefs, customs, or folklore.
Stories may combine two or all three categories.
Students are encouraged to draw inspiration from their home island and the wider Caribbean, while creating something original and imaginative.
3. Originality and Student Authorship
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the imagination and creative voice of young writers.
Therefore:
Every story must be conceived and written by the student submitting it.
The story must reflect the student’s own ideas, imagination, and creative choices.
Students may receive general encouragement or age-appropriate guidance from parents, teachers, or guardians, but no adult may write, rewrite, or substantially develop the student’s story for them.
Entries that are substantially written or created by someone other than the student may be disqualified.
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
The use of Artificial Intelligence is strictly prohibited.
Students must not use AI tools or AI-generated content for any part of their story.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Using AI to generate the story or any portion of the story.
Asking AI to create characters, plots, settings, dialogue, titles, or story ideas specifically for the submitted entry.
Using AI to rewrite, expand, paraphrase, or improve the student’s story.
Using AI to correct or substantially edit the student’s writing.
Copying or adapting AI-generated text for the submission.
Submitting a story written by another person and using AI to make it appear to be the student’s work.
The story must come entirely from the student’s own imagination and be expressed in the student’s own words.
The contest organizers reserve the right to request additional information about the creation of an entry or to ask a student to discuss their story. If there are reasonable grounds to believe that an entry does not represent the student’s own work, the organizers may disqualify the entry.
5. Length
Each story must be between 900 and 2500 words.
Stories that fall outside the required word count may be disqualified.
6. Language
Stories should be written in English.
Students are encouraged to incorporate Caribbean expressions, dialect, cultural references, and terminology where appropriate. Such elements should contribute meaningfully to the story.
7. Submission Requirements
Each entry must include:
The student’s full name.
Age.
Name of school.
Grade/class.
Contact information for a parent, guardian, or school representative.
Story title.
The student’s original short story.
8. Judging Criteria
Entries will be judged according to the following criteria:
Originality and Imagination – 30%
How creative, inventive, and distinctive is the student’s story?Storytelling and Structure – 25%
Does the story have an engaging beginning, middle, and ending? Does the story hold the reader’s attention?Character and World-Building – 20%
Are the characters, settings, and imagined worlds interesting and effectively developed?Use of Theme – 15%
How effectively does the story explore science fiction, fantasy, folklore, or a combination of these themes?Voice and Overall Impact – 10%
Does the story demonstrate a distinctive young author’s voice and leave a memorable impression on the reader?Judges will consider the student’s age and developmental level when evaluating entries.
9. Prizes
Winning students will receive:
First Place: $300 USD
Second Place: $200 USD
Third Place: $100 USD
Additional awards or honorable mentions may be presented at the discretion of the organizers.
Winning and selected stories will also have the opportunity to appear in a special Piton Noire Kids Edition of The Flying Crapaud.
10. Publication Rights
By entering the contest, students and their parent or legal guardian agree that Piton Noire may publish winning or selected stories in the Piton Noire Kids Edition and in promotional materials related to the contest.
The student will remain credited as the author of their story.
Any additional publication, adaptation, or commercial use of a student’s story will be subject to the permissions and agreements established by the organizers and the student’s parent or legal guardian.
11. Parental/Guardian Permission
Because participants are minors, a parent or legal guardian must provide permission for the student to participate in the contest and, where applicable, permission for publication of the student’s story.
12. Disqualification
An entry may be disqualified if:
It is not the student’s original work.
AI is used to create, write, rewrite, edit, or substantially develop any part of the story.
The story is submitted by someone other than the eligible student.
The student submits more than one entry.
The entry does not meet the contest’s required theme or word count.
The entry contains plagiarized material.
Required submission information or parental/guardian permission is missing.
The entry violates any other official contest requirement.
13. Fairness and Verification
Piton Noire reserves the right to verify the authenticity of submitted work.
Students may be asked to briefly discuss their story, characters, creative process, or inspiration with a teacher, judge, or contest representative. This is intended to ensure that the submitted work reflects the student’s own ideas and abilities.
14. Final Decisions
The judges’ decisions will be final.
Piton Noire reserves the right to amend contest procedures where necessary, provided that any significant changes are communicated to participating schools, students, parents, and guardians.
15. The Spirit of the Contest
This contest is ultimately about imagination, creativity, and the joy of storytelling.
Students are encouraged to be bold. They can create new worlds, invent extraordinary characters, reimagine Caribbean folklore, travel into the future, explore the supernatural, or tell stories that have never been told before.
There are no limits to what a young Caribbean storyteller can imagine.
Click here to send your story.
No later than November 30th 2026.I want to read the contest rules again before submitting
Dream it! Write it! Make it Caribbean!
