Sierra Club “Seedlings” essay contest open to school age aspiring writers
Pick a park. Take a hike. Then write about it—you just might get published in Sierra magazine!
Choose a state or national park near you, go explore, and then write an essay about what the experience was like and why protecting that natural area is important to you.
Sierra, the national magazine of the Sierra Club, is an award-winning publication focused on stories about exploring, protecting, and living in harmony with the natural world. We specialize in eco-literary nature writing that features sparkling storytelling and captivating photography and original illustrations. In our quarterly national print and digital edition and on Sierramagazine.org, we report on the issues that matter most to our planet.
In 2025, the magazine launched “Seedlings,” a special issue for young readers and families, and plans to publish it every summer. This year, to coincide with the second “Seedlings,” we are hosting a national essay contest in partnership with the Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign. We invite young writers up to age 18 to craft an essay or reported story about public lands that matter to them. At a time when these lands need our protection more than ever, we encourage young people to visit a local state or national park (or any other wild place in nature), take a few photos, and write about their time there, then submit their work to us.
The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2026, maximum word count: 1,500, Use this submission form to send in your essay. PHOTO: Dough4872, Wikipedia Commons
