Submssions Being Accepted for Teen Creative Writing Competition

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is now accepting submissions for “Writing The Wave: The 2024 New Works Creative Writing Competition,” a creative writing contest open to all teens ages 13 and up across Suffolk County, held as part of the 10th annual “Title Wave: The 2024 New Works Festival,” scheduled to take place May 17 to 19 at Bay Street Theater.

Submissions must be original work written by the applicant and can take the form of poetry, spoken word, rap, monologue, song, or a short scene. The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 19. Those with additional questions may contact Director of Education and Community Outreach Allen O’Reilly via email at allen@baystreet.org.

“‘Writing The Wave’ is an amazing opportunity for area teens to express themselves in a wide variety of creative writing disciplines. It’s truly heartening to see how the competition continues to evolve and expand. Our judges can’t wait to read and experience the creativity that comes in this year from Suffolk County students,” said O’Reilly.

Prizes will be awarded to three finalists in the form of cash, Bay Street Mainstage subscriptions, and festival passes to the 2024 Title Wave New Works Festival, as well as a certificate of achievement. This year, the competition will be judged by a panel of local authors, including Emma Walton Hamilton, Theresa Trinder, and Susan Verde, as well as Meg Gibson and Keith Reddin, actors from Bay Street’s Literature Live! 2023 performance of “The Crucible.”

In its inaugural year, “Writing The Wave” received more than 50 creative writing submissions from teens across Long Island, from Montauk to as far west as Babylon and Northport. The competition is an opportunity for area teens to explore their passions as authors, poets, artists, songwriters, and playwrights, giving them a chance to have their words read by professionals of the screen and stage.

All three finalists will be given the opportunity to present their original material live at Bay Street Theater during the 2024 Title Wave: New Works Festival, read or performed by themselves, or with the aid of a professional actor.

All submissions must be original work — in any language — written by the student alone. Submissions must include the original written text in a PDF or DOC file, or a video link (Vimeo or YouTube) of the original work being presented or performed. Applicants can either perform their work themselves or enlist the aid of a performer. Submissions must be no longer than five pages or five minutes in performance length. Finalists will be selected on originality, creativity, and innovative use of language.

More information is available at baystreet.org.