As recent studies reveal the dangers of social media addiction, particularly with younger people, there has been an increase in bans on cell phones in high schools around the nation and worldwide, which in turn has prompted debate about the limits of restrictions, parental concerns, and the effectiveness of bans when many teenagers often resort to using burner phones. This week, write a short story that revolves around a recently imposed ban on cell phones at a high school and the ripple effects. When a formerly used mode of communication is disrupted, what kind of miscommunications might occur? Explore various characters’ viewpoints, including students, teachers, administration, parents, and groups of teen friends. Are there potential upsides? You might even find yourself incorporating elements of a comedy of errors or a mystery.
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.