2026 Finalists Announcement
Blue Kite Publishing is excited to announce this year's Creative Writing Contest finalists.
This year, we received an inspiring collection of submissions from middle and high school students representing diverse schools and backgrounds. Our editorial team carefully reviewed each piece, seeking writing that demonstrated originality, voice, emotional depth, and craft.
We are proud to announce the Finalists for the 2026 Blue Kite Creative Writing Contest.
From these finalists, all winners in each division will be selected for publication in the inaugural Blue Kite Anthology, to be released in June 2026.
Middle School Division
Noah Choi
Imae Middle School. G7. Nonfiction
Hyun Woo Kang
Incheon Ara Middle School. G8. Fiction
HaeRin Yoon
Incheon Wondang Middle School. G8. Fiction
Ahin Bae
Asan Seogyo Middle School. G7. Nonfiction
MinHyeok Jeon
Incheon Wondang Middle School. G8. Fiction
High School Division
Chaemin Yoo
Queen's College Seoul. G11. Nonfiction
Eunjae Kwon
Homestead High School. G10. Nonfiction
Siwook Lee
Gwangju Seoksan High School. G12. Nonfiction
Rachael Lee
Korea International School. G11. Nonfiction
Ye Eui Kim
Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages. G11. Nonfiction
Sarah Kwon
Saint Paul Preparatory Seoul. G11. Nonfiction
Honorable Mentions
Gaon Jang
The Anglophone British Curriculum International School. G7. Fiction
Ein Cho
Jisan Middle School.
G7. Fiction
JinSeo Park
Incheon Ieum Middle School.
G8. Fiction
To every finalist: congratulations.
Your work stood out among many strong submissions, and we are honored to have read your stories.
And for all entrants to this year's contest, regardless of the final outcome, you have already achieved something meaningful. We hope this experience encourages you to keep writing.
2026 Blue Kite Creative Writing Contest
The 2026 Blue Kite Creative Writing Contest is now closed. We are truly grateful for your participation. More importantly, we're thrilled to begin the judging process.
Over the coming weeks, our editorial board will carefully read each submission with the respect, seriousness, and attention every writer deserves. Finalists will be announced in the spring, and selected works will appear in Blue Kite Publishing’s inaugural anthology, arriving in June 2026.
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, 2026.
Award Ceremony and Book Distribution Event will take place in June. Details will be provided soon.
Theme of 2026 was
"Between and Beyond"
Our 2026 theme invited writers to explore the spaces they inhabit — between cultures, languages, homes, identities, or even moments in time. Whether you’ve lived between cities, moved across school systems, switched tongues mid-sentence, or felt the quiet tension of not quite fitting in, we want to hear how you’ve navigated those in-between spaces — and what you’ve found beyond them.
“Between & Beyond” is about transition, complexity, and the stories that live outside the margins. We encourage students to interpret the theme broadly, whether through personal reflection or fictional worlds.
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 2025.
Korean Calendar: Entering 중1 or 중2 in Spring 2026 & Entered 중3 in Spring 2025.
High School:
International Calendar: Entering 9th through 12th grade in Fall of 2025.
Korean Calendar: Entering 고1 through 고3 in Spring 2026 & Entered 고3 in Spring 2025.
2. Categories
You may submit one entry per category.
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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:
“Between & Beyond”
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, 2026
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, 2026, 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.