Young Writers Ekphrastic Contest

Ekphrasis means “description” in Greek. We will provide a work of art for you to use as a launching pad for your writing. Then, you’ll dazzle us with your poetry and prose!

You can submit here. Submissions will officially open on February 1, so use the time leading up to then to brainstorm and draft!

This contest, which is a partnership between the Blue Bell Review and Phosphorescent Lit, is open to students 6 - 16. Adults, you’re welcome to submit ekphrastic responses to this painting to Phosphorescent’s normal submission call; however, the contest itself is intended for students.

The painting in question, by Aastha Pai, is forthcoming in Blue Bell’s March
2026 issue:

Prose should ideally be around the flash length, 1,000 words or less, but we’ll still accept submissions of most lengths. For poetry, we don’t have a strict limit, but it shouldn’t exceed more than a few pages. For prose, submit up to two pieces; for poetry, up to five.

The winners will be published in Phosphorescent Lit and the Blue Bell Review, and you’ll receive an e-certificate for participation, plus another one if you win. (It looks great on high school/college applications...just saying.) We will also provide thoughtful feedback for each participant.

While we love art (!), this particular contest is writing-oriented. As usual, artists can submit their work to our general submissions (check out our individual websites for more information).