Surviving the Wild” theme announced for Jack London State Historic Park’s 10th Annual Young Writers Contest

January 6, 2026

Celebrating the winners of the 2024 Young Writers at Jack London State Historic Park are (left to right) Director of Interpretation and Education Programs Kristina Ellis, first place winner Aiyana Meyers of Chico, CA, third place winner Shanti Dhruva of Corte Madera, CA, and author Bo Kearns. Second place winner Graham Saxton Wagner of Langhorne, PA, was not able to attend. (Photo by Jack London Park Partners)

On the 149th birthday of the park’s namesake, Jan. 12, 2025, Jack London State Historic Park announced the theme of the 10th Annual Young Writers Contest: “Surviving the Wild.”

“For our 10th Annual Young Writers Contest, we celebrate Jack London’s compendium of stories about high adventure in the wilderness, like ‘Call of the Wild,’ White Fang,’ ‘To Build A Fire,’ and many others,” said Matt Leffert, executive director of Jack London State Historic Park.

Sixth to eighth grade students entering this year’s contest are instructed to write a short story involving a group of friends on a camping trip who get stranded in the wilderness and discover a mysterious set of footprints surrounding their campsite.

Complete contest rules, and the entry form is available at https://jacklondonpark.com/annual-young-writers-contest/. Links to the 2024 winning entries are also available there.

Started in 2014, the Young Writers Contest encourages middle school students (grades 6-8) to exercise their writing skills by creating an original 1,500-2,000-word story inspired by the works of Jack London.

The contest closes at 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2025, and winners will be announced by April 21.

To further celebrate a decade of student literature at the park, the contest prizes have been increased to $300 for first place, $200 for second place and $150 for third place. The contest is judged blindly by a panel of volunteers (not employees of Jack London Park Partners).

About Jack London State Historic Park

Jack London State Historic Park, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley, is operated and funded by Jack London Park Partners, one of the first non-profit organizations to be entrusted with management of a state park on behalf of the people of California. Funding to keep the park going strong is generated from visitors, members, and generous donors. Learn more about the park at https://jacklondonpark.com/ and on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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Media contact:

Laurie Armstrong Gossy

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