The Thomas Wolfe Short Story for 2026 – “Gulliver: The Story of a Tall Man”
Every year, staff at the Memorial choose one of Wolfe’s short stories and develop an accompanying lesson plan, activities, and writing prompts used to inspire students as they create their own short works of fiction.
Winners
First through third place winners are announced for Elementary, Middle, and High School submissions and carry a Cash Prize!
- 1st – $100
- 2nd – $50
- 3rd – $30
Teachers of first place winners also receive $100 to put toward classroom needs and materials.
The Thomas Wolfe Memorial
Annual Student Writing Competition 2026
Short Story & Materials
- “Gulliver: The Story of a Tall Man” by Thomas Wolfe
- “Gulliver” Lesson Plan and accompanying presentation
- “Gulliver” Vocabulary
- Writing Competition Guidelines and Instructions 2026
- “Gulliver” Writing Prompts
- Example Story Formatting
Download & Print
the 2026 Student Writing Competition Flyer
Competition Details
The contest is designed for Elementary Grades 4 & 5, Middle, and High School students.
Competition materials are sent to local schools and surrounding counties, but all materials, including the story, are posted here on our website and we invite any students to participate!
The new story and materials are LIVE NOW, linked above, and the deadline for submissions is Friday, September 25th.
Winners will be announced Friday, October 16th, and the Memorial will host a hybrid in-person/zoom award ceremony on Saturday, November 7th, to allow all winners a chance to present and give extended family and friends a chance to participate.
We would love to have contributions from all over!
Please reach out to site staff if you have any questions (828) 253-8304, or contact Bonnie Showfety at bonnie.showfety@dncr.nc.gov