Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Teen Writing Contest at the Morgan Library & Museum

Come Together: 3,000 Years of Stories and Storytelling

Come Together: 3,000 Years of Stories and Storytelling explores how stories shape our world, from myths and legends to personal experiences. Inspired by the exhibition, the Morgan is hosting a creative writing contest for teens.

Explore the “Selected Images” gallery on the exhibition page.

Spend some time looking at the images below. What stories do they tell? What speaks to you?

Choose one artwork below to focus on and compose an original story inspired by that object. 

Crak! - Roy Lichtenstein 

Untitled - Keith Haring 

Untitled - Nellie Mae Rowe

For your story you might consider:

  • What is happening in the image?
  • What happened right before this scene and what will happen right after?
  • What is the setting?
  • What would it feel like to be inside this image?
  • Who are the characters in your story, and what can you say about them?
  • How does the image make you feel?
  • What questions do you have about what is happening?

Enter the Morgan’s Teen Writing Contest with an original composition, limited to 400 words. Prose or poetry formats are both accepted. Winners receive a $100 MasterCard gift card!

Enter

Entry Criteria:

  • Participants submit one entry per person.
  • Prose or poetry formats are both accepted.
  • Composition limit is 400 words per entry.

Entries will be judged by a panel of Morgan Library & Museum staff for originality, creative reaction to prompt, and style.

Written work should be submitted in a format readable by Google Drive and/or Microsoft Word. Submissions must be written in English. Works can contain mature themes but inappropriate or graphic content is subject for removal.

Four winners total will be selected and will be awarded a $100 MasterCard gift card. Prizes are non-transferable. Content will be published on the Morgan’s webpage and via our social media channels.

Morgan Teen Writing Contest Guidelines:

  • Entrant must live, work, or go to school in one of the five boroughs of New York City.
  • Entrant must be between 13 and 19 years of age as of the date of entry.
  • Contest begins at 12:00:01 AM ET on Wednesday March 11, 2026 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on Sunday May 3, 2026.
  • Limit one entry per person.
  • Winners will be notified on Monday, May 18, 2026 ; only winning entries will receive notification.