Kids & Teens Creative Writing Competition Dates: 1st–31st August 2026 Ages: 6–19 Years Old Awards: Kes 15,000–Kes 90,000 Kids & Teens Creative Writing Competition Dates: 1st–31st August 2026 Ages: 6–19 Years Old Awards: Kes 15,000–Kes 90,000
Kids & Teens Writing Competition

Kids and Teens Creative Writing Competition Today’s Kids, Tomorrow’s Creators

A joyful platform for children and teenagers to discover their God-given creativity, shape their ideas into words, and grow as confident African storytellers.

Is This You?

Is Your God-given Message Ready to Grow?

This competition is for young writers (6-19yo) who carry stories, lessons, imagination, testimonies, poems, devotionals or ideas that can encourage another child, teen, family or community.

01

Do you love writing stories?

Maybe you write in notebooks, journals, school assignments or quiet corners when ideas visit you.

02

Do people say you are creative?

Your family, teacher or friends may already see a gift in the way you explain, imagine or express yourself.

03

Do you have a message?

You may have a testimony, lesson, poem, devotional or story that can help another young person.

This competition is for you.

Register, write, submit, learn, grow and allow your words to serve your generation.

The Vision

One Generation. Many Pens. One Message.

The Kids and Teens Creative Writing Competition 2026 exists to discover, nurture and celebrate young Christian writers across Kenya and Africa.

This is more than a competition. It is a call to children and teenagers to steward their creativity with courage, excellence and biblical conviction. Through stories, devotionals, poems, essays, children’s content and other creative expressions, young writers are invited to shape messages that can become books, resources and conversations that serve families, schools, churches and the next generation.

2026Competition Year
KidsYoung Writers
TeensEmerging Authors
Stories Waiting

Got a creative Gen Z or Gen Alpha? Let us begin them early!

The future of Christian literature may be sitting in a classroom, Sunday school, homeschool table, youth group, library corner or bedroom desk.

Competition Focus

Write Boldly. Think Deeply. Speak Faithfully.

01

Faithful Message

Entries should reflect Christian values, biblical conviction and a clear desire to encourage, teach, disciple or transform readers.

02

Creative Excellence

Young writers are encouraged to write with originality, clarity, courage and beauty. The pen is small, but the assignment can be mighty.

03

African Voice

We welcome stories and ideas shaped by African contexts, school life, family, culture, friendship, leadership, faith and purpose.

04

School and Family Impact

Parents, teachers, churches and schools can use this opportunity to identify writers, thinkers, creatives and communicators.

05

Publishing Pathway

Strong entries may open conversations around mentorship, editing, publishing, book development and wider visibility.

06

Kingdom Stewardship

This is a call to use talent for God’s glory, not merely applause. A message submitted in obedience can become seed in many lives.

How It Works

From Idea to Entry. From Entry to Impact.

Every meaningful piece of writing begins with an idea and grows through prayer, discipline, thoughtful review and the courage to submit it.

01
Pray Start with God

Discern Your Message

Begin with prayer. Ask God what story, lesson, poem, testimony or idea He may want you to shape through words.

02
Write Shape the Idea

Prepare Your Entry

Write clearly, creatively and faithfully. Let your voice be fresh, but let your foundation remain anchored in truth.

03
Review Make It Better

Polish Before Submission

Edit your work, check grammar, strengthen structure and ask a parent, teacher or trusted adult to review it.

04
Submit Send It In

Enter the Competition

Use the submission link or form provided by CLC Kenya, ACABA and MABB once entries are officially open.

The Call to Write

Be the Next Voice of Purpose.

Think of a message. Shape it into words. Submit your writing. Come showcase your gift and step into the journey of becoming a confident Christian writer.

This is more than a competition. It is a platform for young writers who believe that books still matter, ideas still carry weight, and words — when surrendered to God — can outlive the writer.

Event

Award Ceremony At the Annual BookFest

Date

Saturday, 5th December, 2026

The celebration and award ceremony will take place during the Annual Kids & Teens BookFest.

2026
Time

8.30am–8.30pm

A full day of books, creativity, celebration and literary inspiration.

Full Day
Venue

NPBC Garden Estate

Nairobi, Kenya.

In Person
Who

Children and Teenagers

Young writers from schools, churches, homeschool communities, reading clubs and families.

Kids + Teens
Purpose

Raising Young Christian Writers

Nurturing future authors who write with truth, creativity, courage and excellence.

Impact
Overview

Awards For Grabs

The awards are designed to help promising young writers move from raw gift to refined writing, from refined writing to mentorship, and from mentorship to visible impact.

Bronze Award
Bronze

Writing Mentorship Sponsorship

Writing mentorship, story shaping and age-appropriate author-development guidance.

Silver Award
Silver

Mentorship + Publishing Package

Everything in Bronze plus editing, design, illustrations, ISBN and copyrighting.

Gold Award
Gold

Mentorship + Publishing Package + Printed Copies

Everything in Bronze and Silver plus printed copies.

Finalists Award
Finalists

All Finalists’ Benefit

All finalists are encouraged to continue developing their writing gift and may receive discounts on selected writing, publishing or printing programmes.

Who Should Participate?

Christian Kids and Teens with a Message Worth Developing.

This competition is aimed at impacting lives with Christian literature and nurturing the next generation of African writers.

01 Faith

Born Again Young Believers

Children and teenagers who desire to write from a Christian foundation.

02 Story

Young Writers with Stories or Messages

Participants with Christian messages, stories, teachings, poems or testimonies.

03 Growth

Children and Teens Willing to Learn

Those willing to revise, grow, receive guidance and present their work with excellence.

04 Support

Families Who Believe in Books

Parents, guardians, teachers and mentors who believe books can shape homes, churches and nations.

3,000+ Authors served by CLC Kenya since 2015
23+ Anglophone African countries reached
CLC Author development
MABB Children’s reading culture
Submission Guidelines

Read Carefully Before You Submit.

Open each section and read every guideline with a parent, guardian, teacher or mentor before preparing your entry.

A Manuscript Content and Writing Standards What your manuscript must contain and how it should be written. +
01 Original Written Work and Word Count +

Your submission must be your own original work. It must not be copied, plagiarised, submitted under another person’s name or adapted without permission.

Required length: 5,000–10,000 words.
02 Responsible AI Use +

Your manuscript must not be fully AI-generated. You may use AI responsibly for brainstorming, outlining, grammar checks, editing suggestions and improving clarity.

The final work must still show your voice, creativity, convictions and storytelling ability.

03 Accepted Genres +

Entries must use strong storytelling and belong to one of these genres:

Fiction Memoir Devotional Allegory Black & White Comics
Entries outside these genres will be disqualified.
04 Unaccepted Writing Styles +

Self-help or motivational manuscripts such as “5 Principles of Success”, “7 Steps to Greatness” or similar instructional books will not be accepted.

Focus on storytelling, biblical truth, creativity, reflection and Gospel-centred impact.

05 Gospel Alignment +

Your work must advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ and align with CLC Kenya’s mandate of making Christian literature available and helping people come to faith and maturity in the Lord Jesus Christ.

06 Strong Storytelling +

Your manuscript should have a clear structure, believable characters or reflections, meaningful development and a purposeful message.

Memoirs and devotionals should also be engaging and connected to the realities of high-school students, university students and wider society.

07 Clean Christian Content +

Entries must not contain explicit sexual content, vulgar language, occult promotion, graphic violence, glorification of sin or material that contradicts the Gospel.

Romance is allowed only when it is clean, modest, purposeful and consistent with Christian values.

B Eligibility, Commitment and Award Conditions Who may enter and what shortlisted participants must accept. +
08 Age Eligibility +

Applicants must be under 19 years old on the date their application is submitted.

09 Writing Mentorship Commitment +

Award recipients must attend a 14-week writing mentorship class for 1.5 hours each week.

A participant who cannot commit to the schedule may forfeit the award.

10 Publishing Terms and Conditions +

Publishing benefits will follow traditional publishing terms. Shortlisted or winning participants may be required to review and sign a publishing agreement before receiving these benefits.

11 Non-Monetary Award +

The award is a sponsorship of services, which may include mentorship, publishing support or printing benefits. No cash equivalent will be given.

12 Non-Transferable Award +

Award benefits cannot be transferred, sold, exchanged for cash, reassigned or postponed without written permission from the organisers.

13 Attendance at the Award Event +

Awards will be announced on 5th December, 2026, in Nairobi.

Shortlisted participants and award recipients must attend the Annual BookFest in person and at their own cost. Another person cannot attend as their representative.

14 Copyright and Permissions +

Your entry must not infringe copyright, trademarks, image rights or other intellectual-property rights.

Comic artwork must be original, created by the participant or used with proper permission.

15 Previous Publication +

Your work should not have been commercially published before. Work shared on a personal blog, school platform, church bulletin or social media may be accepted when you own the rights and declare the earlier use.

C Review, Selection and Final Agreement How entries will be reviewed and what submission confirms. +
16 Editing and Development +

Selected manuscripts may undergo editorial review, mentorship, rewriting and publishing development.

Participants must be willing to receive feedback and revise their work. A teachable spirit is important; publishing has a way of humbling even the most gifted pen.

17 Disqualification +

An entry may be disqualified when it:

  • Is plagiarised or fully AI-generated.
  • Contains false information.
  • Is submitted under another person’s name.
  • Falls outside the accepted genres.
  • Contradicts Christian values.
  • Fails to meet the submission requirements.
  • Arrives after the deadline.
  • Contains inappropriate, explicit or offensive content.
18 Judges’ Decision +

The judges’ decision is final. Judges are not required to give individual feedback or discuss competition results with participants.

19 Organisers’ Rights +

The organisers may use a participant’s name, photograph, manuscript title, video pitch, selected excerpts and related information for award publicity, reporting and promotion.

Full publishing rights will be governed by a separate written agreement where applicable.

20 Submission Means Agreement +

By submitting your manuscript, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to all the competition guidelines.

Topics for Kids & Teens

6 Topics. Endless Imagination.

Participants should choose one category for their submission. The writing should be original, thoughtful, well-structured and relevant to the lives of children, teenagers, families, schools, churches and society.

01

My Faith, My Everyday Life

Stories, poems or devotionals showing how faith helps children and teens live wisely every day.

02

Courage to Do What Is Right

Creative writing about honesty, kindness, peer pressure, bullying, obedience, forgiveness or standing for truth.

03

Africa, My Home

Stories that celebrate African families, cultures, communities, landscapes, languages, wisdom and hope.

04

The Gift God Gave Me

Writing about talents, purpose, identity, creativity, service and using one’s gifts for God’s glory.

05

When I Faced a Challenge

Stories, testimonies or reflections about overcoming fear, loss, failure, change, disappointment or hardship.

06

A Better Tomorrow

Creative ideas about family, school, church, leadership, environment, technology, friendship or community transformation.

Judging Areas

What Judges Will Look For

01 Guidelines

Adherence to Guidelines

The entry should follow the submission rules, length, category and formatting instructions.

Rules
02 Gospel

Advancement of the Gospel

The message should reflect Christian truth and values, even where no Bible verses are directly quoted.

Faith
03 Message

Clarity of Message

The reader should clearly understand what the young writer is communicating.

Clarity
04 Creativity

Creativity and Originality

The writing should show imagination, personal expression and original thought.

Voice
05 Presentation

Age-Appropriate Presentation

The work should suit the participant’s age bracket and intended readers.

Fit
Why This Competition Matters

Africa Has Unwritten Books.

Africa has many stories, many testimonies, many teachers, many dreamers and many unwritten books.

This competition exists to help children and teenagers discover that writing is not merely a school exercise. It can be ministry. It can be service. It can be leadership. It can be legacy.

Ministry Service Leadership Legacy
Our Mentorship Programme Team

Meet Your Mentors.

Men and women passionate about Christian literature and committed to guiding Africa’s young writers from raw gift to refined manuscript.

Dr. Muthoni Omukhango 01

Dr. Muthoni Omukhango

National Director, CLC Kenya. Convener, ACABA & MABB.

Patrick Omukhango 02

Patrick Omukhango

Director – Media, Research & Development.

Jackline Ingasian 03

Jackline Ingasian

Programs Coordinator.

Adnah McKenna 04

Adnah McKenna

Head of Outreach – Print on Demand.

Chrystal Hera 05

Chrystal Hera

Head of Outreach – Mama Africa Book Box.

Valerian Nandujja 06

Valerian Nandujja

Administrative Assistant – Publishing & Post-Publishing.

Shalom Kabithi 07

Shalom Kabithi

Administrative Assistant – YouVersion Bible Plans.

Milkah Mwangi 08

Milkah Mwangi

Administrative Assistant – Rights, Translations & Media.

Become a Sponsor

Partner With Purpose.

Partner with us to provide mentorship, publishing support, printing, awards, event logistics and long-term author development for the next generation of African Christian writers.

Mentorship

Support young writers through classes, coaching and manuscript guidance.

Awards

Provide prizes, certificates, books, book tokens and learning resources.

Publishing

Help promising young writers move towards editing, design and publishing preparation.

BookFest

Support event logistics, showcases, author tables and family literary experiences.

Kids & Teens Creative Writing Competition

Register Your Entry

Start your journey today. Register, prepare your manuscript and submit your story with confidence.

Submission Dates August 1–31, 2026
Register Your Entry

Do You Have a Message to Write?

Register. Write. Submit. Learn. Grow. Win. Your story may one day help another young reader.

01 Manuscript

Your Story or Manuscript

Submit your writing as a clearly named Word document within the required word count.

Word Document
02 Permission

Parent or Guardian Consent

Include confirmation that a responsible adult knows about and approves the submission.

Required
03 Support

School, Church or Mentor Note

Where applicable, include a short note from a teacher, pastor, mentor or club leader.

Optional
04 Payment

Registration Fee Proof

Attach clear proof of payment for the Kes 200 competition registration fee.

Kes 200
Ready to Submit?

Start your registration through WhatsApp and receive the next instructions.

Register Your Entry
File-naming tip: Use the participant’s full name, age, school or group, and document type when naming every file.
Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Before You Submit?

These answers explain the competition requirements for children, teenagers, parents, guardians, teachers and mentors. Click any question to read the answer.

01 Who can enter the competition? +

Children and teenagers who are under 19 years old on the date of application may enter.

Participants should be willing to write from a Christian foundation, follow the submission guidelines and receive guidance during the competition process.

02 Must the participant be born again? +

The competition is designed for young Christian writers whose work reflects faith in Jesus Christ, biblical truth and Christian values.

The participant’s message should support the Gospel and should not contradict the Christian foundation of the competition.

03 What age group should the manuscript be written for? +

The manuscript may be written for children, teenagers, university students, young adults or a wider Christian audience.

The language, themes, examples and presentation should be suitable for the intended readers.

04 How long should the manuscript be? +

The completed submission should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words.

Manuscripts below or above the required word count may not be accepted.
05 Which genres are accepted? +

The accepted genres are:

  • Fiction
  • Memoir
  • Devotional
  • Allegory
  • Black-and-white comics
Strong storytelling is required in every accepted genre.
06 Are motivational or self-help books accepted? +

No. Instructional manuscripts such as “Five Principles of Success”, “Seven Steps to Greatness” or similar self-help formats will not be accepted.

The competition emphasises storytelling, reflection, biblical truth, creativity and Gospel-centred impact.

07 Does the manuscript have to quote Bible verses? +

No. A manuscript does not have to contain direct Scripture quotations.

However, its message, values, worldview and conclusion should reflect biblical truth and advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

08 Can the participant include romance or difficult subjects? +

Romance may be included only when it is clean, modest, purposeful and consistent with Christian values.

Difficult subjects may be handled thoughtfully, but entries must not contain explicit sexual content, vulgar language, occult promotion, glorification of sin or unnecessarily graphic violence.

09 Can the participant use AI while writing? +

AI may be used responsibly for brainstorming, outlining, grammar checks, editing suggestions or improving clarity.

The manuscript must not be fully AI-generated. The participant’s own voice, imagination, convictions and storytelling ability must remain clear.

AI may assist the writer, but it must not replace the writer.
10 Can parents, guardians or teachers help? +

Yes. Adults may encourage the participant, discuss ideas, review grammar, point out unclear sections and help the young writer understand the guidelines.

They must not write the manuscript on the participant’s behalf or change it so much that the young writer’s own voice disappears.

11 Must the manuscript be completely original? +

Yes. The submission must be the participant’s own original work. It must not be copied, plagiarised, submitted under another person’s name or adapted without permission.

Quotations, images or other protected material must be properly credited and used with permission where required.

12 Can previously shared work be submitted? +

The manuscript should not have been commercially published before.

Work previously shared on a personal blog, school platform, church bulletin or social-media page may be considered when the participant owns the rights and declares where it appeared.

13 What should be included in the submission package? +

The submission package should include:

  • The manuscript in a Word document.
  • Parent or guardian consent.
  • Proof of payment of the registration fee.
  • A school, church or mentor recommendation where applicable.
  • Any other information requested on the entry form.
14 How should the files be named? +

Files should be named clearly using the participant’s full name, age, school or group and document type.

Example: Amina-Njeri-16-Manuscript.docx
15 How much is the registration fee? +

The registration fee is Kes 200 for each entry. Clear proof of payment should be included with the submission.

16 What will the judges look for? +

Judges will consider:

  • Adherence to the guidelines.
  • Advancement of the Gospel.
  • Clarity of the message.
  • Creativity and originality.
  • Strong storytelling.
  • Age-appropriate presentation.
  • Clean and respectful content.
17 What happens if a participant wins an award? +

Award recipients may receive sponsored mentorship, publishing support or printing benefits, depending on the award category.

Winners must be willing to attend a 14-week writing mentorship programme for approximately 1.5 hours each week.

18 Is the award paid in cash? +

No. The award is non-monetary. It is a sponsorship of selected services such as mentorship, publishing support or printing.

The award cannot be exchanged for cash or transferred to another person without written approval from the organisers.

19 Must shortlisted participants attend the award event? +

Yes. Shortlisted participants and award recipients should be available to attend the Annual Kids and Teens BookFest in Nairobi in person and at their own cost.

The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, 5th December, 2026, at NPBC Garden Estate, Nairobi, Kenya.

Representation by another person will not be allowed.

20 Will the manuscript be edited or changed? +

Selected manuscripts may go through editorial review, mentorship, rewriting and publishing development.

Participants should be willing to receive feedback, revise their work and work respectfully with mentors and editors.

21 Will the participant keep the copyright? +

Copyright and full publishing rights will be addressed through the relevant written publishing agreement where applicable.

The organisers may use the participant’s name, photograph, manuscript title, video pitch and selected excerpts for award publicity, reporting and promotion.

22 Can an entry be disqualified? +

An entry may be disqualified when it:

  • Is plagiarised or fully AI-generated.
  • Contains false information.
  • Is submitted under another person’s name.
  • Falls outside the accepted genres.
  • Contradicts Christian values.
  • Fails to follow the submission requirements.
  • Is received after the deadline.
  • Contains explicit, offensive or inappropriate content.
23 Can the judges’ decision be appealed? +

No. The judges’ decision is final. Judges are not required to provide individual feedback or enter into correspondence about the results.

24 How do we register or ask another question? +

Use the official registration link or contact CLC Kenya, ACABA or Mama Africa Book Box through the communication channels provided on this page.

A parent or guardian may contact the programme team where clarification is needed before submission.

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Kids and Teens Creative Writing Competition

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Program Sponsorship

Mama Africa Book Box is Proudly Sponsored by The Foundation, USA

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support that makes our family-centred reading and discipleship programs possible.

Under the Focus on the Family Initiative of 2025/2026
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