The theme for this competition is ‘Unity’. The theme is especially timely considering the impact that the pandemic has where certain people experience it at differing degrees.

Youths are encouraged to translate the idea of “unity” in their writing from their own lens. Unity is a conception that transcends boundaries canvassing issues such as climate & environmental issues, global pandemic, racial decrimination & outcry and other issues that touch people ranging from an individual level to a global one. Realising this, we see that youths should be able to participate in these conversations as global crises are an indiscriminate force. They impact us all regardless of our identities. 

Participants can write a fiction or nonfiction piece about their interpretation of the theme. We have provided prompts that have more detail and brevity. They act as a guide to help prospective writers curate their writing submissions purposefully. Below is a list of suggested prompts: 

• What does ‘Unity’ mean to you? 
• Is there a memory which reminded you of the word ‘Unity’? 
• Did ‘Unity’ ever give you an advantage or disadvantage? 

For each writing category & age category: 

• 1st Place: RM 100 
• 2nd Place: RM 75 
• 3rd Place: RM 50 
• Each winner will receive: Small Changes’ T-Shirt, Certificate of Recognition, Winning submission published on Small Changes’ social media and website 
• Honourable mention (awarded to 5 writers): Submission published on Small Changes’ social media and website

We are looking for short stories, fiction or nonfiction, that are creative, engaging and thought-provoking. Most importantly, it has to be original. The challenge is to be able to describe and organise ideas within the word limit. These are the word limits for each age category:

• Category A – Age 9 – 12: No more than 200 words
• Category B – Age 13 – 17: No more than 500 words
• Category C – Age 18 – 25: No more than 1000 words

The submissions are judged and shortlisted by how well the writing fulfills judging criteria. The criteria is different for each genre. A list of criteria is stated below based on the genre submitted.

For fiction short stories:

• How imaginative, compelling and engaging is your story?
• Has the writer used good choice of words in developing the story?
• How well does your story incorporate them?
• The degree of novelty in the story?
• Was the story memorable and enjoyable to read?
• Is the story described vividly?

For non-fictional short stories:

• Has the writer organised their ideas and presented it meaningfully?
• How well is the 1-word theme, ‘Unity’, incorporated?
• Is the story accurate in terms of grammar and punctuation?
• Is the story thought-provoking? Does it challenge the audience to think beyond the
  topic?
• Is the factual content novel and outside of the box?

It is also encouraged for the writer to think beyond these criteria and understand, in the judges’ and reader’s perspective, the criteria that makes a story entertaining and delightful to read.

1. Submissions must be written in English. 
2. Only one (1) submission per person.
3. Ensure that the content is family friendly as it may potentially be showcased on SC’s website. 
4. Please refrain from using/including any inappropriate language or vulgar contents such as swear words, 18+ content. 
5. Be sure to include a story title as this will be used to maintain participant anonymity.
6. Stories can either be typed or handwritten. 
7. Handwritten submissions are to be scanned and submitted through the same Google Form.
8. Typed submissions should use Times New Roman, font size 11 and line spacing 1.15. 
9. The competition is open to Malaysians only
   

1. Write your story! 
   Make sure that your story obeys the word limit and the guidelines above (see Rules and Regulations)
   
   
2. Submit your story individually or through a teacher.
   Registration forms are provided below and are printable. The consent form must be submitted along with the submission. If the consent form is not attached or filled up, the participant will be disqualified.
   If you prefer to fill up the consent form digitally, you can download them below:
   
   

   Teacher’s registration 
   Individual student consent form

   For a tutorial on how to digitally sign your consent form, watch this video.
    

   Please remember to always ‘Save’ the downloaded document once you have signed your consent form. 

3. Teachers & individual students can submit their work as a group/individual through the Google form. Submit here