CREATIVE STORYTELLING CONTEST 2023 

The Creative Storytelling Contest allows students in grades 1-12 to express their creativity and imagination through storytelling. The 2023/5783 Creative Storytelling Contest is sponsored by the Samuel J. and Jean Sable Education Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto.

The contest has expanded beyond writing! This year students are welcome to respond to the themes through any of the following mediums: 

• Writing (poetry, short story, fiction, or nonfiction) 
• Graphic novel 

• Artwork-Painting, sculpture, drawing, photography 
• Short film or animation  
• Music (performed on video) 
• Performance: i.e., spoken word, dance, monologue, comedy (performed on video) 
  
  * All entries must be original work 

2023 Contest Themes

• Celebrating Jewish identity
• Israel at 75

Important Dates (Subject to change):

January 24, 2023 - Contest officially opens, 2023 online applications open 

March 24, 2023 - Submission deadline (Maximum 5 per class) 

Week of May 1, 2023 – Contest winners announced 

June 18, 2023 – Award ceremony 

Contest Guidelines

Eligibility

All students enrolled in Grades 1-12 from Jewish schools across the GTA are eligible to participate. All entries must be original work.

Entry Formats 

• All entries must be original work 
• Submissions can be in English or Hebrew 

Writing or Graphic Novels Submissions 

• Writing submissions should be a maximum of 1,000 words  
• Writing submissions should be submitted in .DOC or .DOCX format (students in grades 1-3 may submit handwritten pieces, please scan as JPEG or PDF) 
• Graphic novels submissions should be submitted in PDF format 

Fine Art Submissions: Photography, Sculpture, Drawing, or Painting  

• Please only submit a photo (JPG or PDF) of your artwork, do not send the artwork itself. We suggest photographing your artwork against a neutral background
• In addition to the artwork, students must include an artist statement (an explanation of how this submission responds to the theme, up to 250 words)
• Please indicate the size and materials used in your artwork

Video Submissions: Short Film, Animation, Performance, Music 

• Submission must be submitted as MP3, MP4, or MOV or as a YouTube link
• Maximum length of performance is 3 minutes
• Any music used in your film must be royalty free (open source)
• In addition to the video, students must include an artist statement (an explanation of how this submission responds to the theme, up to 250 words)

Applications for the 2023 Creative Storytelling Contest have now closed. 

To see the 2023 contest winners please click here.