2027 Blue Kite Creative Writing Contest

Gravity & Grace

Our 2027 theme invites writers to explore the opposing forces of their lives. Gravity holds us. It grounds us with the comfort of stability. Grace can lift us, taking us beyond into a realm of hope and possibilities. How do these forces shape our lives and the stories that emerge?

We encourage students to interpret the theme broadly, whether through personal reflection or fictional worlds.

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Contest Rules

1. Eligibility

Open to all middle and high school students currently enrolled in schools in South Korea.

Submissions must be the student’s original work, written in English

Middle School:

International Calendar: Entering 7th or 8th grade in Fall of 2026.

Korean Calendar: Entering 중1 or 중2 in Spring 2027 & Entered 중3 in Spring 2026.

High School:

International Calendar: Entering 9th through 12th grade in Fall of 2026.

Korean Calendar: Entering 고1 through 고3 in Spring 2026.

2. Categories

You may submit one entry per category.

Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not submitted elsewhere, including for school assignments or other contests

3. Theme

All submissions must respond to this year’s theme:
“Gravity & Grace”

We encourage broad and creative interpretations.

4. Formatting
Guidelines

Submit your work as a .docx or PDF file.

12 pt font, Times New Roman or similar.

Double spaced for essays and stories.

No identifying information (name, school, etc.) on the manuscript itself — submissions will be reviewed anonymously.

5. Submission Process

Submit via our official link.

Deadline: February 15, 2027

Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.

A 20,000 WON fee will be collected to support editorial and printing costs (details in submission form).

6. Selection &
Notification

All entries will be reviewed by at least two editorial board members.

Winners will be chosen based on voice, originality, emotional resonance, and craft.

10 total works (five per category) will be selected for publication.

Additional honorable mentions will be selected at the editorial board's discretion.

Winners will be notified no later than March 15th, 2027, and invited to a launch event in summer.

7. Publication Rights

Selected works will appear in Blue Kite Publishing’s 2026 Anthology.

Authors retain full copyright; we request first publication rights only.

By submitting, students agree to allow their work to be edited in collaboration with our editorial board.

Our Judging Process

All submissions are reviewed through a multi-stage evaluation conducted by members of our editorial board.

Each piece is read by more than one assessor, and identifying information is removed whenever possible to support fairness and objectivity. Editors use shared criteria to guide discussion while remaining attentive to originality, voice, and thematic depth.

Final selections are made through collective deliberation and approved by the Editor-in-Chief.

We will notify selected winners and honorable mentions through email by March 15th, 2027.

Award Ceremony and Book Distribution Event will take place in June.

Editorial Board Readers

Each submission will be reviewed by at least two members of our editorial board. Short-listed submissions will be reviewed comprehensively under the leadership of our Editor-in-Chief.

Meet our board members