In the animated Pixar film Hoppers, directed by Daniel Chong, college student and nature lover Mabel Tanaka transfers her consciousness into a robotic beaver to uncover mysteries within the animal kingdom. With the ability to understand and communicate with animals, she discovers the realities of the food chain and learns about the interconnectedness of natural ecosystems, and what happens when that delicate balance is disrupted. Write a short story that revolves around an unexpected incident or occurrence that presents your main character with a newfound realization about how the human world is inextricably connected to the nonhuman animal kingdom. You might incorporate a sci-fi element that allows your protagonist profound insight into how animals think and relate to one another, and to human beings.
Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.





