We are thrilled to announce the winners and runners-up of our 2020 One Teen Story Teen Writing Contest! We received over 300 entries from teen writers across the globe, and narrowing it down was no easy feat. Each winner will receive $500 and publication in a forthcoming issue of One Teen Story.

Ages 13 – 15

Winner: “Like a Rainbow” by Adysen Straw 

“I reached up to pull my bangs out of my eyes and the boy in the mirror did the same. I didn’t want to look away. if I had been a girl, I might’ve said this guy was cute and crush-worthy. It took me a long couple of minutes to realize that this guy was me.”

— Adysen Straw, “Like a Rainbow”

Runner-up: “Saving Yellowstone” by Joe Palsha

Ages 16 – 17

Winner: “Fifty Square Feet Within” by Erika Yip

“Mama is a fabric that has been worn and torn and stretched to near nothingness. She works two jobs—a waitress at Yiu Wah Café by day and a cleaning lady at the Hong Kong Museum of History by night—and we never have time to spend together.”

—Erika Yip, “Fifty Square Feet Within”

Runner-up: “Containment” by Lukas Bacho

Ages 18 – 19

Winner: “The Squatchers” by Gabriel Krawec

“Every weekend my dad and a small army who called themselves the SRA (Sasquatch Research Association) would drive into the woods to track down Bigfoot, set traps, and kill him. I remember the therapist said everyone deals with grief differently, that I should go too, so that I could ‘support’ him.”

— Gabriel Krawec, “The Squatchers”

Runner-Up: “The Next Step” by Felix Foote

Subscribe to One Story or One Teen Story in print or on your mobile device to read the winners’ stories throughout the year. Our next Teen Writing Contest will take place in fall 2020. 

Support our mission to publish great teen fiction writers by donating or becoming a supporting member. 

Congratulations to the winners and runners-up!