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Creative writing contest for elementary and middle school students, ideal for 6-13 year-olds

Fright Club

Creative writing contest ideal for 10-18 year-olds

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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.

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Writing Contests, Grants & Awards

• See Recent Winners
• View the Submission Calendar

The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Masters Review

Novel excerpt contest.

A prize of $3,000 and publication in Masters Review is given annually for an excerpt of an unpublished novel or novel-in-progress displaying “a strong voice, compelling...

Tupelo Press

Helena whitehill book award.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Tupelo Press will be given annually for a full- or chapbook-length poetry collection or a book of nonfiction (including memoir, essays, and...

Tucson Festival of Books

Literary awards.

Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The winners will also receive scholarships to attend a workshop at the...

Persea Books

Lexi rudnitsky first book prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Persea Books is given annually for a debut poetry collection by a writer who identifies as a woman. The winner also receives an optional...

Poetry Society of the United Kingdom

National poetry competition.

A prize of £5,000 (approximately $6,504) and publication on the Poetry Society of the United Kingdom website is given annually for a single poem. A second-place prize of £2,000...

University of North Texas Press

Vassar miller prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of North Texas Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of...

Cloudbank Books

Vern rutsala book prize.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Cloudbank Books, and 50 author copies is given annually for a collection of poetry, flash fiction, or a combination of the two. Submit a...

Bedford Competition

International short story and poetry awards.

Two prizes of £1,500 (approximately $1,951) each and publication in the Bedford Competition anthology are given annually for a poem and a short story. Jessica Mookherjee will...

River Teeth

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of New Mexico Press is given annually for a book of creative nonfiction. Beth Nguyen will judge. Using only the online...

Saturnalia Books

Malinda a. markham translation prize.

A prize of $2,000 and publication by Saturnalia Books is given annually for a poetry collection in translation. Translators who identify as female (including those who are...

Carlow University

Patricia dobler poetry award.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Voices From the Attic is given annually to a woman poet over 40 who has not published a full-length poetry collection. The winner...

Red Hen Press

Benjamin saltman poetry award.

A prize of $3,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Jason Schneiderman will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...

Comstock Review

Chapbook contest.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Comstock Review, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Abayomi Animashaun will judge. Submit a manuscript of 25 to 34...

North American Review

James hearst poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for a single poem. Stephanie Burt will judge. Submit up to five poems of any length with a $...

American Academy in Rome

Half-term and full-term fellowships of $16,000 and $30,000 respectively are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, and...

Stanford University

Stegner fellowships.

Five fellowships in poetry and five fellowships in fiction, each of $51,000 per year to attend Stanford University’s two-year creative writing program, will be given annually...

Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for a work of speculative fiction. Kevin Brockmeier will judge. Submit up to two works of...

Short Story Contest

A prize of $1,000 and publication on the F(r)iction ...

Academy of American Poets

Treehouse climate action poem prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Academy of American Poets website will be given for a poem “that help[s] readers recognize the gravity of the vulnerable state of our...

Fiction Collective Two

Ronald sukenick innovative fiction contest.

A prize of $1,500 and publication by Fiction Collective Two is given annually for a novel, a story collection, a novella, or a novella collection. Writers who are from or are...

Brick Road Poetry Press

Book contest.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Brick Road Poetry Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Miriam Calleja will judge. Submit a manuscript of 50...

Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize

A prize of $15,000 and publication by Fiction Collective Two, an imprint of University of Alabama Press, is given annually for a novel, a story collection, a novella, or a...

Malahat Review

Open season awards.

Three prizes of $2,000 Canadian (approximately $1,461) each and publication in Malahat Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Matthew Hollett...

John Updike Society

John updike tucson casitas fellowship.

A prize of $1,000 and a two-week residency at the Mission Hill Casitas in Tucson will be given annually for a group of poems or a work of fiction or nonfiction. The fellowship...

African Poetry Book Fund

Evaristo prize for african poetry.

A prize of $1,500 is given annually for a group of poems by an African poet who has not published a full-length collection. Writers who were born in Africa, are nationals or...

Radically Legal: Berlin Constitutes the Future

Soro Soke: The Young Disruptors of an African Megacity

Bread, Cement, Cactus: A Memoir of Belonging and Dislocation

Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy

The 2024/25 question, is data failing us, our last winner, 2022/23 prize winner joanna kusiak's book published, what is the nine dots prize, join our newsletter and stay in the know.

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Cycle Five Timeline

We launch Cycle Five of the Prize with a new question

Deadline day

Entrants must submit their three part application via our online form by 11.59am GMT (midday)

Latest from the Nine Dots Prize

Transcript of nine dots podcast 2024/1 ‘beginnings’.

Jane Tinkler Hello and welcome to this podcast for anyone interested in applying for the Nine Dots Prize or just generally curious about writing non-fiction. I’m Jane Tinkler, Senior Manager for the Prize and we hope that this podcast will help guide and inspire your writing. As Plato said in The Republic “The beginning is […]

Out now! Radically Legal: Berlin Constitutes the Future by Joanna Kusiak

We are proud and excited to share that Radically Legal: Berlin Constitutes the Future by the 2022/23 Nine Dots Prize winner, Joanna Kusiak, is now available in bookshops and online, published by Cambridge University Press. A PDF of the book is available for free via Open Access, or you can purchase a physical copy from […]

Extracts from Joanna Kusiak’s winning entry

Joanna Kusiak won the fourth Nine Dots Prize with her entry to the question: ‘Why has the rule of law become so fragile?’ Here are three extracts from her 3,000 word entry: I In the morning of the day Gabor Steingart, one of Germany’s top economics journalists, interviews me for his news podcast, I am […]

Previous Winners

Joanna Kusiak

Trish Lorenz

Annie Zaidi

James Williams

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© InYourArea 2024

Unsolved writing competition success for Sevenoaks pupil

A challenging competition invited stories of 100 words or fewer

By InYourArea Community · 22 February 2022

Solefield School pupil Jonathan.

Submitted for publication by Solefield School

Jonathan Child, a year seven pupil from Solefield School in Sevenoaks is one of five winners in the Young Writers 'Unsolved' writing competition. His mini saga 'The Ice Portrait' was selected from over 14,500 entries.

Jonathan's winning piece now appears on the Young Writers website under the Summer term winners. His mini saga was written in English lessons when he was in year six and it was voted to be one of our school winners as well.

For those who are not familiar with this text type, a mini saga is a piece of creative writing that tells a story in 100 words or fewer. Every word counts with such a challenging limitation. Each mini saga should engage the reader by starting with a great 'hook' and ending with a 'reward for the reader', even if that is in the form of a cliff hanger.

Mrs Snow, Head of English at Solefield school, said: "We are proud of all of the entries by Solefield boys that were published and thrilled that Jonathan's one can be read as an exemplar for students up and down the country. Congratulations, Jonathan."

Jonathan also wants to share that his distinctive look is as a result of alopecia (an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss) and he would like to take the opportunity to thank https://www.alopecia.org.uk

To see the winning entries, click here.

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*** Enter the $2,000 College Transitions No Essay Scholarship Contest ***

25 Best Writing Competitions for High School Students – 2024

April 12, 2024

Over the past several years, the number of college applicants has been steadily rising. [i] As college admissions become more competitive, there are many steps a student can take to achieve high school success and become an outstanding candidate for college admissions: earning high SAT scores, securing strong letters of recommendation , and participating in various competitions will all boost your admissions prospects. [ii] In particular, writing competitions for high school students are a popular way to win scholarships and prize money, receive feedback on writing, build a portfolio of public work, and add to college application credentials!

Below, we’ve selected twenty-five writing competitions for high school students and sorted them by three general topics: 1) language, literature and arts, 2) STEM, environment and sustainability, and 3) politics, history and philosophy. It’s never too soon to begin thinking about your future college prospects, and even if you are a freshman, many of these writing competitions for high schoolers will be open to you! [iii]

Writing Competitions for High School Students in Language, Literature, and Arts

1) adroit prizes for poetry and prose.

This prestigious creative writing award offers high school students the opportunity to showcase their work in Adroit Journal . Judges are acclaimed writers in their respective genres.

• Eligibility: All high school students (including international students) are eligible to apply. Poetry contestants may submit up to five poems. Prose contestants may submit up to three pieces of fiction or nonfiction writing (for a combined total of 3,500 words – excerpts accepted).
• Prize: Winners will receive $200 and their writing will be published in Adroit Journal . All submitted entries will be considered for publication!
• Deadline: May 1st (specific deadline may vary by year).

2)  Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

This unique essay competition allows writers the chance to explore and respond to Ayn Rand’s fascinating and polemic 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged . Specific essay topics are posted every three months; prizes are granted seasonally with a grand prize winner announced every year.

• Prize: Annual grand prize is $25,000.
• Deadline: Deadlines occur every season, for each seasonal prompt.
• Eligibility: Essays must be written in English and be 800-1,600 words in length.

Writing Competitions for High School Students (Continued)

3)  the bennington young writers awards.

Through Bennington College, this high school writing competition offers three prizes in three different genre categories: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Winners and finalists who decide to attend Bennington College will ultimately receive a substantial scholarship prize.

• Eligibility: U.S. and international students in grades 9 through 12 may apply.
• Prize: First place winners receive $1,000; second place wins $500; third place winners receive $250. YWA winners who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington receive a $15,000 scholarship per year (for a total of $60,000). YWA finalists who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship per year (for a total of $40,000).
• Deadline: The competition runs annually from September 1st to November 1st.

4)  Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Student Essay Contest

Do you love Jane Austen? If so, this is the high school writing competition for you! With the JASNA Student Essay Contest, high school students have the opportunity to write a six to eight-page essay about Jane Austen’s works, focused on a specific, designated topic for the competition year.

• Eligibility: Any high school student (homeschooled students also eligible) enrolled during the contest year may submit an essay.
• Prize: First place winner receives a $1,000 scholarship and two nights’ lodging for the upcoming annual JASNA meeting. Second place wins a $500 scholarship and third place wins a $250 scholarship. All winners will additionally receive a year membership in JASNA, the online publication of their article, and a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels.
• Deadline: Submission accepted from February-June 1st (specific dates may vary by year).

5)  The Kennedy Center VSA Playwright Discovery Program

Young aspiring writers with disabilities are encouraged to apply to this unique program. Students are asked to submit a ten-minute play script that explores any topic, including the student’s own disability experience.

• Eligibility: U.S. and international high school students with disabilities ages 14-19 may apply.
• Prize: Multiple winners will receive exclusive access to professional development and networking opportunities at The Kennedy Center.
• Deadline: January (specific deadline date may vary by year).

6)  Leonard M. Milburg ’53 High School Poetry Prize

Through Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts, this prestigious writing competition for high school students recognizes outstanding poetry writing and is judged by creative writing faculty at Princeton University.

• Eligibility: U.S. or international students in the eleventh grade may apply. Applicants may submit up to three poems.
• Prize: First place wins $1,500; second place wins $750; third place wins $500.
• Deadline: November (specific deadline date may vary by year).

7)  Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

Nancy Thorp was a student at Hollins University who showed great promise as a poet. After her death, her family established this scholarship to support budding young poets.

• Eligibility: Female high school sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• Prize: First place wins $350 and publication in Cargoes literary magazine, along with a $5,000 renewable scholarship (up to $20,000 over four years) if the student enrolls in Hollins University, and free tuition and housing for Hollins University’s summer creative writing program (grades 9-12). Second place wins publication in Cargoes, along with a $1,000 renewable scholarship ($4,000 over four years) if the student enrolls at Hollins and $500 to apply toward Hollins’ summer creative writing program.
• Deadline: October (specific deadline date may vary by year).

8)  National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards in Writing

Students may be nominated by their English teachers to win this prestigious writing award. Winners “exhibit the power to inform and move an audience through language” and prompts and genres may vary by competition year.

• Prize: A certificate will be awarded to students who are judged to have exceptional writing skills. Student names will be displayed on the NCTE website.
• Eligibility: U.S. high school sophomores and juniors are eligible for nomination.
• Deadline: February (specific dates may vary by year). Contest prompts released in August.

9)  National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

At Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, numerous opportunities for scholarships and awards await those who submit writing in various genres: literary criticism, drama, poetry, and fiction. In all, there are 28 generic categories of art and writing to choose from!

• Eligibility: Teens in grades 7-12 (ages 13 and up) may apply.
• Prize: Various types of recognition and scholarships (up to $12,500) are offered for these award winners.
• Deadline: Scholastic Awards opens for entries in September; deadlines range from December to January.

10)  National Society of High School Scholars Creative Writing Scholarship

In this creative writing competition for high schoolers, students have the opportunity to submit a piece poetry or fiction (or both – one in each category!) for the opportunity to be published on the NSHSS website and win a monetary prize.

• Eligibility: Rising high school students graduating in 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 may apply.
• Prize: There will be three $2,000 awards for the fiction category and three $2,000 awards for the poetry category.
• Deadline: Submissions Accepted from May to October (specific dates may vary by year).

11)  National Writing Award: The Humanities and a Freer Tomorrow

This writing competition allows high school students the chance to be nominated by a teacher for a piece of writing in response to Ruth J. Simmons’ “Facing History to Find a Better Future.” Specific prompt topics may vary by year.

• Eligibility: Nominating teachers can submit work from 11th and 12th graders in one category (fiction, poetry, prose, or essay).
• Prize: One top prize of $1,000. Four additional prizes of $500 each. Winners will have the opportunity to have their work published by NCTE.
• Deadline: Applications are open September to October (specific dates may vary by year).

12)  New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award

Although this prestigious award isn’t exclusively for high schoolers (anyone younger than 35 may submit a work of fiction), if you’ve written a collection of short stories or even a novel, you should certainly consider applying!

• Eligibility: Any writer below the age of 35 may submit a novel or collection of short stories to participate in this competition.
• Prize: $10,000 award.
• Deadline: September (specific date may vary by year).

13)  Princeton University Ten-Minute Play Contest

This writing competition for high school students awards three annual top prizes for the best ten-minute play. Play submissions are judged each year by an acclaimed guest playwright.

• Eligibility: U.S. or international students in the eleventh grade may apply. Students may submit one play entry; entries must be ten pages or less. Plays must be written in English.
• Prize: First place prize is $500; second place is $250; third place is $100.
• Deadline: Varies by year. However, students are recommended to submit before the deadline date – the submission portal will close when a maximum of 250 applicants have applied.

14)  YouthPLAYS New Voices One-Act Competition for Young Playwrights

In this exciting writing competition, students have the chance to submit an original play script for a play of around 10-40 minutes in length. An excellent competition choice for any student considering a future in the theatre!

• Eligibility: Prospective authors ages 19 and under may submit a script for consideration in the competition. See specific writing guidelines here .
• Prize: First prize wins $250 and publication with YouthPLAYS; second prize wins $100.
• Deadline: Submissions run from January 1st to May 1st.

STEM, Environment, and Sustainability High School Writing Competitions

15)  engineergirl essay contest.

This wonderful essay contest invites students to explore topics related to engineering and science. Each year a new, specific prompt will be chosen for young writers who wish to compete.

• Eligibility: High school students are eligible to apply. Previous winners and close family members of employees of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine are not eligible.
• Prize: First place winners receive $1,000; second place receives $750; third place receives $500.
• Deadline: Competition opens in September and submissions are due February 1st of the following year. Winners are announced in the summer.

16)  Ocean Awareness Contest

The Ocean Awareness Contest is an opportunity for students to create written and artistic projects that explore sustainability, environmentalism, and positive change. High school freshmen (up to age 14) may apply to the Junior Division. Students ages 15-18 may enter the Senior Division.

• Eligibility: Students ages 11-18 may apply (international students included).
• Prize: Monetary prizes ranging from $100-$1000 will be awarded each year. Additionally, $500 will be awarded to ten students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Latino via the We All Rise Prize program.
• Deadline: June 10, 2024 (specific deadline may vary by year).

17)  Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder / Sense of Wild Contest

If you are interested in issues of sustainability, environment, biology and the natural world, this is one of the high school writing competitions that is just for you! Essay prompts explore the natural world and our place within it and may include poetry, essays, and photography.

• Eligibility: Students must pair with an adult from a different generation (e.g. parent, grandparent or teacher – contestants need not be related). Entries must be submitted as a team.
• Prize: Winners will receive a certificate from RCLA; their first names, ages, and entry titles will be posted on the RCLA website.
• Deadline: November 16th, 2024 (specific deadline may vary by year).

18)  River of Words Competition

This writing competition for high school students is another top choice for those thinking of pursuing majors or careers in biology, environment, and sustainability; this specific contest hopes to promote positive education in sustainability by “promoting environmental literacy through the arts and cultural exchange.”

• Eligibility: Any U.S. or international student from kindergarten through 12th grade may apply.
• Prize: Winners will be published in the River of Words
• Deadline: January (specific deadline may vary by year).

Writing Competitions for High School Students in Politics, History and Philosophy

19)  american foreign service association essay contest.

With this writing competition for high school students, entrants may submit essays ranging from 1,000-1,500 words about diplomacy, history, and international politics (specific prompts vary by year).

• Eligibility: Students in grades nine through twelve may apply. Students whose parents are in the Foreign Service Association are not eligible.
• Prize: The first-place winner will receive $2,500, an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the winner and the winner’s parents, and an all-expense paid voyage via Semester at Sea. The second-place winner receives $1,250 and full tuition for a summer session at the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.
• Deadline: Early spring (specific deadline may vary by year).

20)  Bill of Rights Institute We the Students Essay Contest

In this writing competition for high school students, civic-minded U.S. high schoolers may explore the principles and virtues of the Bill of Rights Institute. Interested applicants should review the specific submission guidelines .

• Eligibility: Any high school student aged 13 to 19 may apply.
• Prize: Prizes range from $1,500 to $10,000.
• Deadline: Submissions for 2024 due May 19th (specific deadline may vary by year).

21)  JFK Presidential Library and Museum Profile in Courage Essay Contest

For students interested in history and political science, this competition offers the chance to write about U.S. elected officials who have demonstrated political courage.

• Eligibility: U.S. high school students from grades 9-12 may apply.
• Prize: First prize is $10,000; second prize receives $3,000; five finalists receive $1,000 each; ten semifinalists receive $100 each; eight students receive honorable mention.
• Deadline: Submissions accepted from September to January (specific deadline may vary by year).
• Sample Essays: 2000-2023 Contest Winner Essays

22)  John Locke Institute Essay Competition

This essay competition is for students who would like to write about and cultivate “independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style” from one of seven intellectual categories: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology or law.

• Eligibility: Students from any country may submit an essay.
• Prize: $2,000 for each subject category winner toward a John Locke Institute program; winning essays will be published on the Institute’s website.
• Deadline: Registration must be completed by May 31st, 2024; essay submission due June 30th, 2024 (specific deadline may vary by year).

23)  Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association Essay Contest

This exciting writing competition for high schoolers allows students to explore topics related to journalism, democracy and media literacy. Specific prompts will be provided for contestants each year.

• Eligibility: All U.S. students from grades 9-12 may submit original writing to participate in this contest.
• Prize: First-place winners will receive $1,000; second place is awarded $500; third place receives $300.
• Deadline: February (specific deadline may vary by year).

24)  Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy Youth Scholarship Essay

This audio essay allows high school students the opportunity to “express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriot-themed recorded essay.” One winner will be granted a $35,000 scholarship to be paid toward their university, college, or vocational school of choice. Smaller prizes range from $1,000-$21,000, and the first-place winner in each VFW state wins $1,000.

• Prize: College scholarships range from $1,000-$35,000
• Eligibility: U.S. students in grades 9-12 may submit a 3-5-minute audio essay.
• Deadline: October 31st
• Sample Written Essay: 2023-2024 Prize-winning essay by Sophia Lin

25)  World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition recognizes young scholars who explore world historical events and how they relate to the student scholar personally. Ultimately the student writer must describe “the experience of being changed by a better understanding of world history.”

• Eligibility: Internationally, students ages K-12 may submit an entry. See specific prompt and submission guidelines for writing instructions.
• Prize: $500

Writing Competitions for High School Students – Sources

[i] Institute for Education Sciences: National Center for Education Statistics. “Number of applications for admission from first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students were received by postsecondary institutions in the fall.” https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/TrendGenerator/app/answer/10/101

[ii] Jaschik, Scott. “Record Applications, Record Rejections.” Inside Higher Ed . 3 April 2022. https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/04/04/most-competitive-colleges-get-more-competitive

[iii] Wood, Sarah. “College Applications are on the Rise: What to Know.” U.S. News & World Report. 21 June 2022. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/college-applications-are-on-the-rise-what-to-know

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12 Free Writing Contests to Enter This Fall (2024)

Calling all writers...

Looking for a chance to showcase your talent and get a little recognition? Look no further than these open writing contests!

Whether you're a seasoned wordsmith or just starting out, creative writing contests are a fantastic way to challenge yourself, receive constructive feedback, and connect with a community of writers.

Here are just a few writing competitions you can submit to this fall.

The Working Class Writers Grant

Since 2013, the Working Class Writers Grant has been awarded to speculative fiction writers who are working class, blue-collar, financially disadvantaged, or homeless, who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction due to financial barriers. Such lack of access might include an inability to purchase a computer, books, and tuition, or to attend conventions or workshops.

Deadline: Sept. 30, 2024

Prize: $1,000

Cullman Center Fellowships at New York Public Library

The Cullman Center’s Selection Committee awards 15 Fellowships to outstanding scholars and writers — academics, independent scholars, journalists, creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets), translators, and visual artists — who would benefit from access to the research collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in New York City.

Prize:  Stipend of $85,000, the use of an office with a computer, and full access to the library’s resources (may be asked to take part in other programs at The New York Public Library)

Deadline: Sept. 27, 2024

The Savage Science Fiction / Fantasy Writing Contest

The Mollie Savage Memorial Writing Contest (formerly Three Cheers and a Tiger) is a 48-hour short story writing contest that runs twice a year. All entries must be composed within the contest time frame, and follow the topic and word range announced at the contest start.

Prize:  Winning stories are published in the December issue of the literary journal  Toasted Cheese ; Amazon gift cards also awarded based on number of submissions

Time frame:  Sept. 21-22, 2024

John Updike Tucson Casitas Fellowship

Prize provided by The John Updike Society to a writer of any genre — since Updike wrote in all genres. Since Updike was an artist as well, multimedia projects will also be considered.

Prize: $1,000 and a 2-week residency at the Mission Hill Casitas within the Skyline Country Club in Tucson, Arizona (casitas that John Updike owned and where he wrote during a part of each year between 2004-2009)

Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024

Story of the Year Contest

Storyshares is searching for compelling, diverse stories that are "easy to read and hard to put down."

Deadline:  Jan. 13, 2025

Prize: $2,000-$4,000, depending on the category; plus, publication in the Storyshares library, which is currently serving tens of thousands of students in all 50 states and over 180 countries

Short Fiction

Substack's Short Story

Substack is on a mission to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful."

Prize:  $100 + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check

Deadline: End of each month

EveryWriter's Halloween Competition

This flash-fiction contest challenges writers to create a bone-chilling Halloween story in just 50 words!

Prize:  $100

Deadline:   Sept. 29, 2024

Iowa Short Fiction and John Simmons Short Fiction Awards

Annual prizes awarded to two collections of short stories by writers who have yet to publish a book-length volume of prose fiction. The manuscript must be a collection of short stories in English of at least 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages.

Prize: Publication by the University of Iowa Press and royalties

The Writers College Short Story Competition

Open to any writer (from any country) who is unpublished, or has been published fewer than four times. Submit a short story on the theme "It Didn’t Have to Be This Way."

Prize : NZ $1,000 and publication; second prize NZ $500 and publication.

Deadline : Sept. 30, 2024

Palette Poetry Rising Poet Prize

Open to poets without a full-length collection published at the time of submission

Prize: $3,000 and publication in online literary journal  Palette Poetry

Deadline: Sept. 22, 2024

Changes Book Prize

Established in 2022, the prize is awarded to a first or second collection of poems. This year’s winning manuscript will be selected by poet Terrance Hayes.

Prize:  $10,000 and publication, including a publishing contract, national distribution, extensive advertising and publicity, 50 copies of their book, and a launch event in NYC

Deadline: Oct. 1, 2024

Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize

This prize is given to honor exceptional poems that help readers recognize the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment.

Prize:  First place receives $1,000; second place, $750; and third place, $500; plus publication in the popular Poem-a-Day series, which is distributed to 500,000+ readers.

Note: Before submitting to any writing contest, please carefully review the contest's rules and eligibility. These change regularly, so make sure to confirm that a contest has not instituted submission fees since this article was written.

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Department of English

M.f.a. creative writing.

English Department

Physical Address: 200 Brink Hall

Mailing Address: English Department University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, Idaho 83844-1102

Phone: 208-885-6156

Email: [email protected]

Web: English

Thank you for your interest in the Creative Writing MFA Program at University of Idaho: the premier fully funded, three-year MFA program in the Northwest. Situated in the panhandle of Northern Idaho in the foothills of Moscow Mountain, we offer the time and support to train in the traditions, techniques, and practice of nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. Each student graduates as the author of a manuscript of publishable quality after undertaking a rigorous process of thesis preparation and a public defense. Spring in Moscow has come to mean cherry blossoms, snowmelt in Paradise Creek, and the head-turning accomplishments of our thesis-year students. Ours is a faculty of active, working writers who relish teaching and mentorship. We invite you in the following pages to learn about us, our curriculum, our community, and the town of Moscow. If the prospect of giving yourself three years with us to develop as a writer, teacher, and editor is appealing, we look forward to reading your application.

Pure Poetry

A Decade Working in a Smelter Is Topic of Alumnus Zach Eddy’s Poems

Ancestral Recognition

The region surrounding the University of Idaho is the ancestral land of both the Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce peoples, and its campus in Moscow sits on unceded lands guaranteed to the Nez Perce people in the 1855 Treaty with the Nez Perce. As a land grant university, the University of Idaho also benefits from endowment lands that are the ancestral homes to many of the West’s Native peoples. The Department of English and Creative Writing Program acknowledge this history and share in the communal effort to ensure that the complexities and atrocities of the past remain in our discourse and are never lost to time. We invite you to think of the traditional “land acknowledgment” statement through our MFA alum CMarie Fuhrman’s words .

Degree Requirements

Three years to write.

Regardless of where you are in your artistic career, there is nothing more precious than time. A three-year program gives you time to generate, refine, and edit a body of original work. Typically, students have a light third year, which allows for dedicated time to complete and revise the Creative Thesis. (48 manuscript pages for those working in poetry, 100 pages for those working in prose.)

Our degree requirements are designed to reflect the real-world interests of a writer. Students are encouraged to focus their studies in ways that best reflect their artistic obsessions as well as their lines of intellectual and critical inquiry. In effect, students may be as genre-focused or as multi-genre as they please. Students must remain in-residence during their degrees. Typically, one class earns you 3 credits. The MFA requires a total of 54 earned credits in the following categories.

12 Credits : Graduate-level Workshop courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction. 9 Credits: Techniques and Traditions courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction 3 Credits : Internships: Fugue, Confluence Lab, and/or Pedagogy 9 Credits: Literature courses 12 Credits: Elective courses 10 Credits: Thesis

Flexible Degree Path

Students are admitted to our program in one of three genres, Poetry, Fiction, or Nonfiction. By design, our degree path offers ample opportunity to take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses in any genre. Our faculty work and publish in multiple genres and value the slipperiness of categorization. We encourage students to write in as broad or focused a manner as they see fit. We are not at all interested in making writers “stay in their lanes,” and we encourage students to shape their degree paths in accordance with their passions. 

What You Study

During your degree, you will take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses.

Our workshop classes are small by design (typically twelve students or fewer) and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. No two workshop experiences look alike, but what they share are faculty members committed to the artistic and intellectual passions of their workshop participants.

Techniques studios are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These popular courses are dedicated to the granular aspects of writing, from deep study of the poetic image to the cultivation of independent inquiry in nonfiction to the raptures of research in fiction. Such courses are heavy on generative writing and experimentation, offering students a dedicated space to hone their craft in a way that is complementary to their primary work.

Traditions seminars are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These generative writing courses bring student writing into conversation with a specific trajectory or “tradition” of literature, from life writing to outlaw literature to the history of the short story, from prosody to postwar surrealism to genre-fluidity and beyond. These seminars offer students a dynamic space to position their work within the vast and varied trajectories of literature.

Literature courses are taught by core Literature and MFA faculty. Our department boasts field-leading scholars, interdisciplinary writers and thinkers, and theory-driven practitioners who value the intersection of scholarly study, research, humanism, and creative writing.

Award-Winning Faculty

We teach our classes first and foremost as practitioners of the art. Full stop. Though our styles and interests lie at divergent points on the literary landscape, our common pursuit is to foster the artistic and intellectual growth of our students, regardless of how or why they write. We value individual talent and challenge all students to write deep into their unique passions, identities, histories, aesthetics, and intellects. We view writing not as a marketplace endeavor but as an act of human subjectivity. We’ve authored or edited several books across the genres.

Learn more about Our People .

Thesis Defense

The MFA experience culminates with each student writing and defending a creative thesis. For prose writers, theses are 100 pages of creative work; for poets, 48 pages. Though theses often take the form of an excerpt from a book-in-progress, students have flexibility when it comes to determining the shape, form, and content of their creative projects. In their final year, each student works on envisioning and revising their thesis with three committee members, a Major Professor (core MFA faculty) and two additional Readers (core UI faculty). All students offer a public thesis defense. These events are attended by MFA students, faculty, community members, and other invitees. During a thesis defense, a candidate reads from their work for thirty minutes, answers artistic and critical questions from their Major Professor and two Readers for forty-five minutes, and then answer audience questions for thirty minutes. Though formally structured and rigorous, the thesis defense is ultimately a celebration of each student’s individual talent.

The Symposium Reading Series is a longstanding student-run initiative that offers every second-year MFA candidate an opportunity to read their works-in-progress in front of peers, colleagues, and community members. This reading and Q & A event prepares students for the third-year public thesis defense. These off-campus events are fun and casual, exemplifying our community centered culture and what matters most: the work we’re all here to do.

Teaching Assistantships

All students admitted to the MFA program are fully funded through Teaching Assistantships. All Assistantships come with a full tuition waiver and a stipend, which for the current academic year is roughly $15,000. Over the course of three years, MFA students teach a mix of composition courses, sections of Introduction to Creative Writing (ENGL 290), and additional writing courses, as departmental needs arise. Students may also apply to work in the Writing Center as positions become available. When you join the MFA program at Idaho, you receive teacher training prior to the beginning of your first semester. We value the role MFA students serve within the department and consider each graduate student as a working artist and colleague. Current teaching loads for Teaching Assistants are two courses per semester. Some members of the Fugue editorial staff receive course reductions to offset the demands of editorial work. We also award a variety of competitive and need-based scholarships to help offset general living costs. In addition, we offer three outstanding graduate student fellowships: The Hemingway Fellowship, Centrum Fellowship, and Writing in the Wild Fellowship. Finally, our Graduate and Professional Student Association offers extra-departmental funding in the form of research and travel grants to qualifying students throughout the academic year.

Distinguished Visiting Writers Series

Each year, we bring a Distinguished Visiting Writer to campus. DVWs interface with our writing community through public readings, on-stage craft conversations hosted by core MFA faculty, and small seminars geared toward MFA candidates. Recent DVWs include Maggie Nelson, Roger Reeves, Luis Alberto Urrea, Brian Evenson, Kate Zambreno, Dorianne Laux, Teju Cole, Tyehimba Jess, Claire Vaye Watkins, Naomi Shihab Nye, David Shields, Rebecca Solnit, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Susan Orlean, Natasha Tretheway, Jo Ann Beard, William Logan, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Gabino Iglesias, and Marcus Jackson, among several others.

Fugue Journal

Established in 1990 at the University of Idaho, Fugue publishes poetry, fiction, essays, hybrid work, and visual art from established and emerging writers and artists. Fugue is managed and edited entirely by University of Idaho graduate students, with help from graduate and undergraduate readers. We take pride in the work we print, the writers we publish, and the presentation of both print and digital content. We hold an annual contest in both prose and poetry, judged by two nationally recognized writers. Past judges include Pam Houston, Dorianne Laux, Rodney Jones, Mark Doty, Rick Moody, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Jo Ann Beard, Rebecca McClanahan, Patricia Hampl, Traci Brimhall, Edan Lepucki, Tony Hoagland, Chen Chen, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, sam sax, and Leni Zumas. The journal boasts a remarkable list of past contributors, including Steve Almond, Charles Baxter, Stephen Dobyns, Denise Duhamel, Stephen Dunn, B.H. Fairchild, Nick Flynn, Terrance Hayes, Campbell McGrath, W.S. Merwin, Sharon Olds, Jim Shepard, RT Smith, Virgil Suarez, Melanie Rae Thon, Natasha Trethewey, Philip Levine, Anthony Varallo, Robert Wrigley, and Dean Young, among many others.

Academy of American Poets University Prize

The Creative Writing Program is proud to partner with the Academy of American Poets to offer an annual Academy of American Poets University Prize to a student at the University of Idaho. The prize results in a small honorarium through the Academy as well as publication of the winning poem on the Academy website. The Prize was established in 2009 with a generous grant from Karen Trujillo and Don Burnett. Many of our nation’s most esteemed and celebrated poets won their first recognition through an Academy of American Poets Prize, including Diane Ackerman, Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, Tess Gallagher, Louise Glück, Jorie Graham, Kimiko Hahn, Joy Harjo, Robert Hass, Li-Young Lee, Gregory Orr, Sylvia Plath, Mark Strand, and Charles Wright.

Fellowships

Centrum fellowships.

Those selected as Centrum Fellows attend the summer Port Townsend Writers’ Conference free of charge. Housed in Fort Worden (which is also home to Copper Canyon Press), Centrum is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering several artistic programs throughout the year. With a focus on rigorous attention to craft, the Writers’ Conference offers five full days of morning intensives, afternoon workshops, and craft lectures to eighty participants from across the nation. The cost of the conference, which includes tuition, lodging, and meals, is covered by the scholarship. These annual scholarship are open to all MFA candidates in all genres.

Hemingway Fellowships

This fellowship offers an MFA Fiction student full course releases in their final year. The selection of the Hemingway Fellow is based solely on the quality of an applicant’s writing. Each year, applicants have their work judged blind by a noted author who remains anonymous until the selection process has been completed. Through the process of blind selection, the Hemingway Fellowship Fund fulfills its mission of giving the Fellow the time they need to complete a substantial draft of a manuscript.

Writing in the Wild

This annual fellowship gives two MFA students the opportunity to work in Idaho’s iconic wilderness areas. The fellowship fully supports one week at either the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS), which borders Payette Lake and Ponderosa State Park, or the Taylor Wilderness Research Station, which lies in the heart of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. Both campuses offer year-round housing. These writing retreats allow students to concentrate solely on their writing. Because both locations often house researchers, writers will also have the opportunity to interface with foresters, geologists, biologists, and interdisciplinary scholars.

Program History

Idaho admitted its first class of seven MFA students in 1994 with a faculty of four: Mary Clearman Blew, Tina Foriyes, Ron McFarland (founder of Fugue), and Lance Olsen. From the beginning, the program was conceived as a three-year sequence of workshops and techniques classes. Along with offering concentrations in writing fiction and poetry, Idaho was one of the first in the nation to offer a full concentration in creative nonfiction. Also from its inception, Idaho not only allowed but encouraged its students to enroll in workshops outside their primary genres. Idaho has become one of the nation’s most respected three-year MFA programs, attracting both field-leading faculty and students. In addition to the founders of this program, notable distinguished faculty have included Kim Barnes, Robert Wrigley, Daniel Orozco, Joy Passanante, Tobias Wray, Brian Blanchfield, and Scott Slovic, whose collective vision, rigor, grit, and care have paved the way for future generations committed to the art of writing.

The Palouse

Situated in the foothills of Moscow Mountain amid the rolling terrain of the Palouse (the ancient silt beds unique to the region), our location in the vibrant community of Moscow, Idaho, boasts a lively and artistic local culture. Complete with independent bookstores, coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants and breweries, (not to mention a historic art house cinema, organic foods co-op, and renowned seasonal farmer’s market), Moscow is a friendly and affordable place to live. Outside of town, we’re lucky to have many opportunities for hiking, skiing, rafting, biking, camping, and general exploring—from nearby Idler’s Rest and Kamiak Butte to renowned destinations like Glacier National Park, the Snake River, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, and Nelson, BC. As for more urban getaways, Spokane, Washington, is only a ninety-minute drive, and our regional airline, Alaska, makes daily flights to and from Seattle that run just under an hour.

For upcoming events and program news, please visit our calendar .

For more information about the MFA program, please contact us at:  [email protected]

Department of English University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, ID 83844-1102 208-885-6156

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Summer Creative Writing Contest 2024

The Palisadian-Post is highlighting winners of Pacific Palisades Library Association’s Summer Creative Writing Contest 2024, which had the theme “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to…” Here is the third-place piece in the Scribblers category (first and second grade), written by Roman McNitt. For a complete list of winners from this year’s contest, see Page 13.

‘The Missing Fruit Guy’

A funny thing happened on the way to the park, the fruit guy I checked And he was not their. And I went home and I had fun, a good time. And then I had a good time I went to the park and got some fruit. And the fruit was yummy! And the fruit guy was there and I paid Ten $. But he was out of mango but the watermelon was juicy and then I walked home. And eat allot of fruit and the fruit was yummy! and eat all the fruit. And the fruit was very juicy and I eat all of the fruit. The fruit guy cut the fruit very good and the water melon. And the water melon was fighting me. And finally I won yay! But it was hard and I’m not fighting a water melon again.

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A suspect’s been arrested in the Idaho murders - but these 12 questions remain unanswered

With each piece of information revealed or theory debunked, dozens more questions emerge. sheila flynn , rachel sharp and andrea blanco report on the murders that have rocked the small town of moscow, article bookmarked.

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N early seven weeks after the brutal murders of University of Idaho students Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin, a suspect has finally been arrested.

In the 47 days since the killings, every known individual connected to the case – from two surviving roommates to a victim’s former boyfriend – had been publicly ruled out by police, leaving an echo chamber with no names to fill it.

That changed on Friday 30 December, when authorities announced that 28-year-old suspect Bryan Christopher Kohberger had been arrested roughly 2,500 miles away in the vicinity of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

He is being held for extradition over an arrest warrant for first-degree murder that was issued by the Moscow Police Department and the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office, arrest paperwork shows.

Despite the major apparent breakthrough, details about the murders that shook the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, remain scant, the murder weapon is nowhere to be found and there are huge gaps in the timeline of the last known movements of two of the victims.

Investigators have previously admitted that they were stumped by the killings in the small, notoriously safe college town, and for weeks had no suspects or persons of interest on their radar. Officials have for weeks given little in the way of updates on the case – which only served to fuel online rumours and conspiracy theories among internet sleuths.

While police would not say what they do know, they have resorted to debunking some of these online theories that they know to be incorrect.

Nevertheless, with each piece of information revealed or each theory debunked, dozens more questions emerge about the case.

Here, The Independent takes a deep dive into the mountain of unsolved questions – and the scant details we do know.

The nature of the murders

What we know : The attack was targeted, local police have long said.

Early on in the investigation it was described as a “crime of passion” by Moscow Mayor Art Betgge and as “personal” by Police Chief James Fry.

Police have since distanced themselves from those characterisations, only revealing that they’re operating on the belief that they don’t believe the circumstances leading to the attack were random.

A few weeks into the investigation, Kaylee Goncalves’ father, Steve Goncalves, said that officials had given “vague” information about the case and whether or not it was just one student who was the target in the murders .

“I’ve been told it’s one [target], but then again, there’s the bigness like it’s purposely big. I’m hoping, but it confuses everyone, yeah, because nobody knows what that really means other than maybe somebody had a different kind of attack footprint,” Mr Goncalves said in an interview with CNN.

“We all want to play a part in helping, and we can’t move if we don’t have any real substantial information to work from.”

What we don’t know: Moscow police have refused to provide more details as to why they think the murders were targeted - even after Mr Kohberger’s arrest.

Officials are also staying silent around whether all of the four victims were intended targets or whether the killer targeted one victim, with the rest simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“You’re going to have to trust on that at this point because we are not going to release why we think that,” Captain Roger Lanier said during a press conference on 23 November in response to why officials believe the killings were targeted.

Aaron Snell, with Idaho State Police, told Fox News Digital that information about the targeted murders is being handled with caution so as to not jeopardise the investigation .

“And so if we just provide information to the public, I just don’t think that that’s going to be a wise choice,” he said.

Although behavioural analysts were working on a profile, it will only be used to “refine” the investigation and will not be released to the public because it could “potentially put more fear, more suspicion on a wide variety of people,” he said.

Officials repeatedly defended their work on the investigation, telling the community it took time to process the sprawling crime scene, an off-campus rental home shared by Goncalves, Mogen and Kernodle.

“We understand you want answers. We want answers too. But these take time,” state police colonel Kedrick Willis said.

When asked if any law enforcement officials had shared that Kaylee was the “target” of the attack, her sister Alivea Goncalves told CNN: “They won’t confirm who that was to us.”

On 29 November, the local prosecutor walked back the claim that the killings were “targeted”, admitting it “perhaps isn’t the best word to use” to describe the brutal murders.

“It seems like the word targeted has different understandings for different people who are listening and perhaps isn’t the best word to use,” Latah County Prosecutor Prosecutor Bill Thompson told NewsNation .

“The bottom line is whoever is responsible for this is still at large – that can’t be changed.”

In yet another apparent walk-back hours later , the Moscow Police Department issued a statement saying investigators “do not currently know” if the attacks were targeted and accused Mr Thompson of “miscommunication”.

The murder weapon

What we know: Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt revealed that each victim was stabbed multiple times with a “large knife”, describing their wounds as “pretty extensive” and revealing that they bled out inside their student home.

“I’ve been a coroner for 16 years... we have had multiple [victim] murders in the past, but nothing, nothing like this,” she said.

Police have said that they believe the murder weapon was a fixed-blade knife and confirmed that they had visited local stores to inquire about any recent purchases.

A local store owner previously said that officials had been especially interested in sales of a military-style Ka-Bar or “Rambo” knife.

What we don’t know : No murder weapon has been found, police confirmed after Mr Kohberger’s arrest.

The ‘messy’ crime scene

What we know : Describing the crime scene to Today , coroner Ms Mabbutt said that there was “quite a bit of blood”.

DNA has been recovered from the home, which Mogen, Goncalves and Kernodle shared with at least two other roommates.

Those roommates were home at the time of the killings but apparently were unaware of the murders until hours later. Nearly three weeks after the killings, police revealed a sixth person may have lived at the home .

Police have taken more than 4,000 pictures of the residence after the murders. The door appeared to be unlocked with no sign of forced entry and nothing seemed to have been taken, investigators said.

The bodies were found in the victims’ beds on the second and third floors, leading authorities to believe they were asleep when killed.

At a vigil on 30 November, Goncalves’ father revealed that his daughter and Mogen were in the same bed when they were killed .

Goncalves’ parents had previously said that they had been told by authorities that the investigation is moving slowly because the killer left behind a “mess” of evidence .

Steve and Kristi Goncalves said they’ve heard from police that the crime scene is sprawling and chaotic.

“They’re telling us that there’s so much evidence that it’s going to take a lot of time to process it all,” Mr Goncalves told Fox News. “This wasn’t like a pinpoint crime. This person was sloppy.”

In an interview nearly four weeks into the case, Mr Goncalves revealed that the victims suffered “big open gouges” rather than simple stab wounds .

A neighbour told Fox that the victims often hosted gatherings at the home and had a lot of people coming in and out of the residence, which could potentially complicate crime scene analysis.

What we don’t know : It is not clear if the killer left their DNA at the crime scene. With officials believing the attack was targeted, it is possible that the perpetrator could have visited the home before that night.

On 29 November, Latah County Prosecutor Prosecutor Bill Thompson appeared to cast doubt on the belief that all four victims were found in their beds.

In an interview with NewsNation , he refused to confirm the exact locations where the victims’ bodies were found inside the student home saying such information might only be known by the killer.

“As for as the victims who are deceased, I can’t say for sure [where they were found] and that would be one of the details that investigators would want to protect as very few people would know the exact locations of the victims in the house,” he said.

Mr Thompson also said that he didn’t know if the victims’ bedroom doors were left locked.

Police have revealed that two of the victims were found on the second floor, and the other two on the third floor – but have not confirmed who was where.

What we know: On Friday 30 December, reports emerged that 28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger had been arrested in Pennsylvania as an apparent suspect in the case, with reports indicating he is a student at a different university.

Moscow police had not confirmed this officially as of the morning of Friday 30 December. Prior to that point, each individual so far linked to the murder investigation had been ruled out as a potential suspect.

Police said that the two surviving housemates who were in the home at the time of the killings and the other friends who were in the home when the 911 call was made are not considered suspects.

A man who was caught on camera with Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a food truck in the downtown area before they headed home and the private party who then gave the pair a ride home from the truck have also been ruled out.

Goncalves’ former long-term boyfriend, with whom she shares a pet dog Murphy, is also not being considered a suspect.

In a twist on 6 November, however, Moscow Police Chief James Fry told Fox News that “cleared” suspects could be reinterviewed.

What we don’t know: Who is Mr Kohberger? Did he know the victims? How did he end up in Pennsylvania?

Police may answer those questions at a press conference at 1pm local time on Friday 30 December, but so far little information is available.

The previous lack of substantial information from police has led to rampant speculation by experts unaffiliated with the case as well as internet sleuths – confusing the true facts about the investigation.

What we know: The murderer targeted at least one of the victims, police said.

What we don’t know: It is not known if the killer personally knew one or more of the victims and whether the attack was carried out in a fit of jealousy or rage.

The autopsies revealed that the bodies did not show signs of sexual assault.

The 911 call

What we know: The 911 call was made at 11.58am on 13 November and originated from the phone of one of the two roommates who survived the attack.

A dispatcher was told there was “an unconscious individual.”

Authorities have since revealed that other “friends” were present in the house when the 911 call was made after they were “summoned by the roommates”.

“The surviving roommates summoned friends to the residence because they believed one of the second-floor victims had passed out and was not waking up,” a statement by Moscow PD read.

“Multiple people talked with the 911 dispatcher before a Moscow Police officer arrived at the location. Officers entered the residence and found the four victims on the second and third floors.”

What we don’t know: Police have refused to reveal who made the 911 call and will not release the audio.

When pressed by The Independent on why the call could not be released, the department said: “The contents are exempt from public disclosure because the records are active investigatory records which, if released, would interfere with enforcement proceedings...”

It is unclear what the roommates and “other friends” discussed in the call and what led them to describe a victim as merely “unconscious”.

It is also unclear what the roommates and friends saw inside the home before placing the 911 call.

The timeline

What we know: Despite more details becoming available in the two weeks since the murders took place, key pieces of what happened in the early morning hours of 13 November remain missing.

Police have revealed the victims’ last steps, yet the timeline becomes blurry as the second part of the night of the murders progresses.

On the night of 12 November, Goncalves and Mogen spent around three hours at Corner Club at the northern edge of Main Street.

The pair walked straight down Main Street to a red brick building that used to host the now-defunct Garden Lounge; a favourite food truck, Grub Wandering Kitchen - fondly called Grub Truck by its many local fans – often parks outside on Main Street.

Goncalves and Mogen ordered, laughed and chatted with friends as they got their pasta carbonara; according to police, they got a lift home from a “private party” and returned to King Road around 1.56am.

Kernodle and Chapin returned to King Road at around 1.45am. The young couple had gone to a party across the road at Sigma Chi.

The other two roommates at King Road – who have still not been named by authorities – had gotten home first, around 1am, and fallen asleep, according to police.

Mogen and Goncalves both made multiple calls to the same number around an hour after they got home.

Goncalves’ sister said the unanswered calls were placed to her ex-boyfriend, who’d dated her sister for years before they amicably split, still sharing a dog named Murphy. He has been ruled out as a suspect.

Authorities believe a killer or killers fatally stabbed Chapin, Kernodle, Goncalves and Mogen between 3am and 4am.

Their bodies weren’t found until nearly nine hours later, around noon on 13 November.

What we don’t know: Kernodle and Chapin’s movements on the night of the murders are unclear.

Police said the young couple were at the Sigma Chi party from around 8 to 9pm.

It is unclear where they were between 9pm and 1.45am; the area would have been busy at that time, surrounded by other student accommodations, as other young people headed home, too.

Aside from the calls made by Goncalves, what happened when the four returned home also remains a mystery.

It is not known if the killer had entered the house before the victims arrived home and hid before striking in their sleep or whether he entered the house after the students returned.

It’s also unclear when and how the suspect fled the home or if he has already left Moscow.

White car seen near the crime scene

What we know: On 7 December, police announced they are looking for the owner and occupants of a white Hyundai Elantra that was spotted near the crime scene “in the early morning hours” on the day of the murders.

It marked perhaps the most substantial update in the more than three weeks since the investigation started.

Detectives did not reveal whether the owner of the white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra is believed to be a suspect but said that “the occupant(s) of [the] vehicle may have critical information to share regarding this case.” The licence plate is unknown.

The car was “in the immediate area” of the rental home on King Road in the early hours of 13 November. The murders are thought to have taken place between 3am and 4am.

“If you know of or own a vehicle matching this description, or know of anyone who may have been driving this vehicle on the days preceding or the day of the murders, please forward that information to the Tip Line,” the department said in a statement.

The development was quickly linked in online sleuth communities to body-camera footage from a separate incident on the night of the killings , in which a Moscow Police officer speaking to individuals less than a mile away from the crime scene.

The interaction, which police said stemmed from an alcohol offence, took place just before 3am, putting it right up against the window in which the students were thought to have been killed.

The video drew rampant speculation online, especially in prolific Reddit communities, due to both the timestamp and the fact that a white vehicle was seen in the background.

But Moscow Police have since shut down speculation around the video, telling The Independent on 8 December that the incident on the body-camera footage is in no way connected to the murders and the white car in the background is not the same one they are seeking information about.

Another potential - but unverified - development around the vehicle came days later with reports that a white car was seen speeding past a gas station at 3.45am on the night of the killings.

Police have not commented on the video taken by a surveillance camera at the station about a four-minute drive from the student rental home.

What we don’t know: The identities of the owner of the Hyundai Elantra and its occupants remain unclear days after police announced their interest.

The connection those individuals may have had to the case is also a complete mystery.

Claims Kaylee Goncalves had a ‘stalker’

What we know: Moscow Police Department said that they had found out through interviews that Goncalves had complained of a stalker.

What we don’t know: Despite “looking extensively” into concerns raised by people who knew Goncalves that she had complained about a stalker, police were unable to confirm those reports, the department has said.

“We obtained information through some of our interviews that Kaylee had made some comments about having a stalker, so that’s where that came from,” Captain Lanier said.

“So far we have not been able to corroborate that, but we are not done looking at that piece of information.”

Areas of interest

What we know: Investigators are currently seeking surveillance footage from “two areas of interest” around the city of Moscow as they hunt for the knife-wielding assailant.

Businesses and homes within the geographical areas are being asked to share all outside surveillance video taken between 3am and 6am on 13 November – whether there appears to be motion and content or not.

The areas include: West Taylor Ave (north boundary), West Palouse River Dr (south boundary), Highway 95 south to the 2700 block of Highway 95 S (east boundary) and Arboretum & Botanical Garden (west boundary).

“Investigators have determined the two areas of interest within the city and have provided maps which are on our Facebook page and on our website,” Captain Lanier said on Sunday.

“And these are areas that they have canvassed for additional surveillance video and tips and have contacted several residents in the areas.”

What we don’t know: Police have not revealed why they are honing in on those particular areas of the city.

The highway and arboretum are around the route that Kernodle and Chapin are likely to have taken to get from Sigma Chi to the off-campus home.

Safety concerns in Moscow

What we know : Backtracking from previous comments, Moscow police have confirmed that there is still a threat as the killer remains at large.

Asked at a press conference days after the killings how he could be sure there was no danger, Chief Fry said: “That’s kind of unknown... we still believe it’s a targeted attack, but the reality is, there’s still a person out there who committed horrible, horrible crimes.

“So there is a threat out there still, possibly. We don’t know it’s going to be to anybody else. But we all have to be aware of our surroundings and make sure that we’re watching out for each other.”

Joseph Giacalone, a 20-year NYPD veteran and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice told Fox that the ordeal was one of several missteps in the investigation.

“They don’t have an identified suspect, and they still don’t have a motive, so until you have those two extremely vital pieces you can’t set the public’s mind at ease,” Mr Giacalone told Fox

What we don’t know : Authorities have not revealed whether they believe the perpetrator has left Moscow already.

On 22 December, Moscow Police Chief James Fry declined to answer a question about whether the culprit was still in the area .

“Like I said, we’re not disclosing any of that, but there’s some of that we just don’t know at this point,” Mr Fry said. “We’re still trying to put everything together.

“We’ve said all along that we need people to be vigilant, we need people to pay attention. We’re not sure exactly where the individual is.”

Potential links to other incidents

What we know: A month before the murders, the university’s security issued a “Vandal Alert” to students and staff warning them about an assailant armed with a knife.

The warning on 12 September, described as a “Threat with Knife”, reported that a group of students had been walking through the campus when the man threatened them with a knife.

The assailant was described as a white male aged 18 to 22 years old, who was dressed in all black. No one was harmed in the incident but officials felt the need to alert students and staff to the threat.

Meanwhile, police said on Monday that reports of a skinned dog three miles from the crime scene weeks ago are not related to the murders.

“Detectives are aware of a Latah County Sheriff’s Office incident of the report of a skinned dog and have determined it is unrelated to this incident,” a Moscow Police Department spokesperson told The Independent .

Police also said that an incident in which two young females reported that a male had broken inside their car is not believed to be linked to the murders.

“Multiple neighbors heard the girls screaming and came to assist. They checked the area but did not find anyone. The neighbors told responding officers that they had not seen anyone in or exit the vehicle,” a post by Moscow Police detailed.

The case was closed as unfounded, meaning that the incident cannot be substantiated.

Investigators had also explored the possibility that the quadruple murders might have been connected to a 2021 unsolved stabbing murder 400 miles away, but have since said there is no link between the crimes.

Travis Juetten, 26, and Jamilyn Juetten, 24, were attacked in their home in Salem, Oregon, by a masked assailant who broke in armed with a knife, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said at the time.

Mr Juetten tried to fight off the attacker but was stabbed to death while his wife miraculously survived. Despite the victims’ families putting up a $50,000 reward for information leading to the killer, more than one year on, the case remains unsolved.

Similarities were drawn between the stabbings and the slayings of Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin.

Chief Fry had confirmed that the Oregon killing was on their radar, before issuing a statement on Friday saying that the department had not found relevant evidence that the cases were connected .

“While these cases share similarities ... there does not appear to be any evidence to support the cases are related,” the statement read.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent , Juetten’s mother said that finding out who killed her son – and also catching the killer of the slain students in Idaho – would be “the best Christmas present ever”.

What we don’t know: Authorities have not confirmed or ruled out that the incident on campus in September could be linked to the murders.

They also haven’t revealed what evidence made them rule out the incident in which the dog was filleted.

It is unknown whether Moscow authorities have reached out to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to obtain first-hand accounts about the investigation into Juetten’s murder.

Moscow Police Department, Idaho State Police and the FBI have made the following resources available for tips: Investigators can be reached at 208-883-7180, and tips can be submitted over email to [email protected] or on the FBI’s website.

This article was updated on 30 December 2022 to reflect new information about a potential suspect.

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Internet Sleuthing in Unsolved Idaho Students' Slayings Prompt Rumors and Harassment

Online forums with thousands of members are full of people speculating about possible motives, doxxing the victims' friends and acquaintances and even outright labeling some people as murderers, by rebecca boone • published december 16, 2022.

Investigators have yet to name a suspect in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students who were found dead in a home near campus last month . But would-be armchair detectives and internet sleuths have come up with several of their own, the conclusions often based on conjecture and rumor.

Online forums with thousands of members are full of people speculating about possible motives, doxxing the victims' friends and acquaintances and even outright labeling some people as murderers.

“People are going down these rabbit holes, and they’re hyperfocusing on one individual and attacking that individual,” said Tauna Davis, an Idaho State Police trooper who is helping the Moscow Police Department handle the influx of media interview requests. “You’re attacking, most likely, an innocent person.”

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Relatively few details have been released about the homicides, which have left the small college town shaken and grieving for Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The four were friends and all members of the university’s Greek system.

The killings have drawn worldwide attention, especially among true crime aficionados. That's likely because so few facts are known about the case, said Julie Wiest, a sociology professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and an expert on extreme violence in media.

“Usually by now, there’s more facts that have been released by law enforcement, so I could see that ramping up the sort of digging and almost grasping at straws by people," Wiest said. "It’s not that typical, except in high-profile cold cases, where you might see people digging in that way.”

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Many of the online sleuths are likely well-intended, she said — perhaps driven by a desire to avoid similar crimes, hoping to bring justice or just seeking a little fame within the true crime fandom.

But they may not realize the harm wild speculation can cause, and today's theories will likely still exist online years from now, forever linking innocent people to a brutal crime.

“People should maybe think about knowing what they post is in writing forever, and maybe also remembering that there are real people here. The families of the victims should also be considered," Wiest said. “You can speculate while talking with your friends in your living room, but once you put it on the internet — even if it’s just a one-off thought that popped into your head — it’s there now and it’s not going away.”

The victims and their friends are young enough that much of their lives have been documented online, providing a wealth of material for web sleuths to mine. Photos and rumors once shared with a small circle are now being widely disseminated, exposing the subjects to harassment.

Some sleuths suggested one person’s photo of a successful hunting trip was evidence of nefarious leanings. They may have been unaware that hunting is a common pastime for many Idaho families and that fixed-blade knives are a basic tool for anyone who field-dresses wild game.

Others chased rumors posted to a wholly anonymous online message forum best known as a source of hoaxes, scandals and misinformation. Those rumors criticized and published personal information about various people in the Moscow area, suggesting they should be suspects.

Some even examined obituaries of other University of Idaho students who have died in the past few years in an attempt to tie them to the homicide victims, though none of the other deaths were the result of foul play. At least one grieving family member went online to ask people to stop trying to link his child’s death to the case and to respect the family’s privacy.

All the rumor and wild conjecture aside, there can be some benefit to crowdsourced investigation.

“More heads are better than one, and it’s possible that people on the internet know something that police don’t,” said Christopher Slobogin, a law professor at Vanderbilt University.

Police are welcoming tips but urging people to stay focused on the information released by the police department, not guesses and rumors. Last week they asked the public for help tracking down a white sedan that was seen in the area around the time of the killings.

The internet forums and community members went to work, and Moscow police announced Thursday that investigators were now sorting through 22,000 registered 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantras that matched their search criteria. The department thanked tipsters for their help providing additional information about the vehicle.

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It’s law enforcement’s job to follow up on those leads, Slobogin noted.

“We don’t want vigilantes out there trying to take the law into their own hands,” he said.

Robbie Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Moscow Police Department, said the attention and speculation has been “awful” for the people at the center of it.

“None of these people did anything wrong. Nothing,” she said. “We all have our LinkedIns, or Facebook pages, and this could really happen to anyone associated with some sort of crime. I have a lot of sympathy for them.”

Johnson declined to talk about the nature of the harassment for fear of fanning the flames.

“The speculations, the rumors, the accusations — anything you put on that fire will just make it burn hotter, so I don’t want to add any more to that,” she said.

The police department announced earlier this month that it would bring charges against harassers if necessary.

In a video statement, Capt. Roger Lanier said some people in the community have received death threats and the effect is a revictimization of people who have suffered “terrible trauma.”

He added that the rumors and harassment can be disheartening, but investigators are driven to solve the case.

“We make progress every day, every hour,” Johnson said, “and that is what keeps you feeling confident and going — knowing that the investigation is going somewhere.”

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