NextGenYAComp – Turtle Publishing

Turtle Publishing NextGen YA Competition

The Turtle Publishing NextGen YA Competition is designed to discover and elevate voices in Young Adult storytelling. Writers from around the world are invited to submit original, unpublished YA stories for a chance to be professionally edited and published in a high-quality anthology.

Entries may be standalone short stories, prequels to a manuscript, or the first chapter of a YA novel. We accept all genres, as long as the content is suitable for a YA audience.

📅 Entries close: Thursday 31st July 2025 at 12:00AM AEST
📝 Word count: 1,500 – 3,000 words
🌍 Open to: Writers aged 13+ worldwide
📕 Anthology release: November 2025

Prize

Up to 20 winners will be selected. Each winner will receive:

A professional developmental edit to elevate structure, plot, and voice
A copy/line edit to refine grammar, flow, and polish
Publication in the Turtle Publishing 2025 YA Anthology – produced in paperback and ebook
Recognition across our website, social channels, and newsletters

🏆 The total prize package is valued at $1,200+ per winner

Eligibility Criteria

Open to writers aged 13 and above writing in English

Writers under 18 can enter for free (one free entry per person)

International entries welcome

Authors must submit their own original, unpublished work

Submissions may be:

A standalone YA story
A prequel to an existing manuscript
The first chapter of an upcoming YA novel

Stories may be republished or self-published after the anthology is released

YA genres accepted include (but are not limited to):

Contemporary
Fantasy or Sci-Fi
Romance
Dystopian
Thriller/Mystery
Historical
Supernatural or Speculative

Entry and Assessment Process

Each entry must include:

A YA story between 1,500–3,000 words
Submitted in .doc or .docx format
Times New Roman, 12 pt font, 1.5 spacing, paragraph indents
Your Name in the Title of your submission

Entries will be assessed based on:

Strength of voice and storytelling
Originality and engagement
Alignment with the YA audience
Overall writing quality and potential

Multiple entries are allowed (each with its own entry form and fee if applicable).

Entry Fees

Free for writers under 18 (limit one free entry per person)
Adult and additional entries: $45/entry
Professional Assessment Entry Add-on (optional): $55/entry

✨ Optional: Professional Assessment Entry Add-on

For an additional fee, entrants can choose to receive a personalised 1–2 page critique from a professional editor. This in-depth feedback will highlight your story’s strengths and offer constructive insights into areas such as structure, pacing, character development, and writing style.

Whether you’re looking to polish a future novel or grow your writing skills, this enhanced entry provides expert advice to help you take your story to the next level.

Bonus for early birds: If you submit your entry early and select the feedback option, you’ll have the opportunity to resubmit the same story—updated and improved—after receiving your assessment and before the final judging deadline.

The Turtle Publishing Difference

At Turtle Publishing, we go beyond simply compiling stories—we optimise your work for success in the real world.

Each winning story in the NextGen YA Anthology will undergo a professional editorial process designed to enhance not just the writing—but the market appeal of your story. Through structural editing, line polishing, and genre-specific refinement, we help your story shine in a way that aligns with current trends, reader expectations, and the unique voice of the YA category.

But our support doesn’t stop with editing.

We optimise the final anthology itself—through carefully crafted metadata, targeted keywords, audience-aligned descriptions, and category placement—ensuring it has the best chance to reach the readers it was written for. Whether your story is dystopian, magical realism, LGBTQIA+, contemporary, or romantic suspense, we make sure it’s presented in a way that connects with your ideal audience.

Our goal is simple: to help emerging authors not just get published—but get discovered.
That’s the Turtle Publishing difference: storytelling with strategy, visibility, and heart.

Judging

Our judging panel is made up of experienced authors, editors, and publishing professionals with a passion for YA fiction. Winners will be announced in August 2025. Final judging decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.