2024 entries are officially open!
This year’s theme is “The Worth of Wildness”
Do you want to raise your voice to help horses while being creative at the same time? Elementary students (ages 5-10), Middle grade students (ages 10-14) and High School students (ages 14-18) are invited to submit a short story for WBF’s third annual Short Story competition!
Winning stories, along with the top two finalists, will be read aloud by equine loving celebrities on GOALIFE, with one Grand Prize Winner and Four Finalists in each age category all receiving amazing prizes!
One elementary, one middle grade, and one high school “Grand Prize Winner” will receive:
Two elementary, two middle grade, and two high school “Runner Up” and “Honorable Mention” will receive:
Two elementary, two middle grade, and two high school “Finalist”will receive:
ASHLEY AVIS
Writer & Director of Disney’s Black Beauty and critically acclaimed documentary Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West. Founder & President of WBF.
RICK REKEDAL
Former Chief Creative, Global Franchise, Dreamworks Animation (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, How to Train Your Dragon)
TERRI FARLEY
Best-selling author of Seven Tears into the Sea, The Phantom Stallion series for young readers about the contemporary and historic West and many nonfiction magazine articles.
JAMIE JENNINGS
Certified Monty Roberts Instructor and host of the podcast Horses in the Morning.
SCOTT BECKSTEAD
Leading expert in the United States on wild horses, and animal right attorney.
ELIZABETH MCCALL
Author, journalist, and publicist. The Los Angeles Times, Horse Illustrated, Cowboys & Indians, and more.
RICHARD AVIS
Producer, Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West. Film producer and WBF member.
ALLISON ALLGOOD
Grand Prize Winner, High School WBF Short Story Competition 2021.
Advocacy Volunteer, The Wild Beauty Foundation
Elementary Grade Entries
Ages 5-10
500 words maximum
Middle Grade Entries
Ages 11-13
1000 words maximum
High School Entries
Ages 14-17
2000 words maximum
Entries Open: March 1st, 2024
Submissions Close: August 31st, 2024
Winners Announced: October / November 2024
YOUR SHORT STORY
This year’s theme is coming very soon. Make sure to do your research on wild horses to learn about them to give your story authenticity!
The creative possibilities are endless. Your story could be in first person like Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty, or it could be third person. You could write about encountering a wild horse out on the range yourself, or focus on wild horse families.
Once your story is complete, we encourage you to post about it on social media. Tag WBF and use our hashtags for a chance to get featured on our channels! The more you post, the more we can raise awareness for wild horses who need help today.
Facebook: @goalife
Instagram: @goalife
Twitter: @goalife
#wildbeautyspirit
#wbfshortstories2022