KidsWorldFun Short Story Contest
Calling all young writers from around the world! It's time to release your creativity and share your incredible stories with us. KidsWorldFun presents the ultimate Short Story Contest, open to young people of all ages.
Two Modes of Entry
● Free Entry: get the chance to win a certificate and have your story published on our website.
● Entry Fee of $10: get the chance to receive a cash prize as well as a certificate and have your story published. Payment links will be sent via email for these entries.
Amazing Prizes Await
First Prize: $100, certificate and publication;
Second Prize: $75, certificate and publication;
Third Prize: $50, certificate and publication.
Highly commented stories will also be published for the world to enjoy.
Contest Categories and Word Limits
To ensure fairness we have set three categories for writers to choose from and minimum and maximum word limits for each category.
Categories | Ages | Word Limits | |
Minimum | Maximum | ||
Sub-junior | 7-9 | 300 words | 1000 words |
Junior | 10-12 | 500 words | 1000 words |
Senior | 13-16 | 700 words | 1000 words |
Submission Guidelines
● Include proof of age with your entry (scan or take a photo of your identity card). Entries without proof of age will be disqualified.
● Your story must be original and unpublished.
● Type your story out.
Our judges will evaluate each story based on content, language and writing style. Their decision will be final. For more information, please contact us at enquiry@kidsworldfun.com. We're here to assist you every step of the way.
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to showcase your talent and win amazing prizes! Enter the KidsWorldFun Short Story Contest today!
For sharks, the Mesoamerican Reef, which stretches over 600 miles, is a busy highway. Sharks use it to find their way and it provides them with food and habitat.
But as with on-land highways, this superhighway can be dangerous. Overfishing, commercial development and illegal practices are endangering the species. "We're seeing a continued decline in shark populations. Our goal is to turn that round." says Rachel Graham, founder of Mar Alliance, a non-profit organization focused on conserving sharks.
By monitoring sharks, Mar Alliance can collect important knowledge on the species to help inform conservation and push for political action. But rather than acting in opposition to the local fishing community, MarAlliance enlists their help.
"They are the ones who are on the sea every single day," says Graham, "and they're the ones who decide the species' future."
MarAlliance employs up to 60 fishermen across its range, mostly on a project basis, training them to collect data, record and release fish. Not only does this provide an alternative income to fishing communities, making them less dependent on natural resources, but it also teaches them about the benefits of a healthy ocean ecosystem and how to fish sustainably.
Among them, Ivan Torres, who used to catch sharks to sell locally as food, has learned how critical they're to the whole ecosystem, saying he'd never fish sharks any more.
If this attitude change continues to spread throughout fishing communities, Graham has hope for the shark populations. "The primary threat to sharks is unquestionably overfishing," she says, "By reforming the industry, populations can bounce back."
In 2020, Belize outlawed the use of gillnets, large panels of netting of trapping large sealife. The ban's impact is already noticeable with a recorded 10-fold increase in shark populations.
But such regulations need to be copied along the whole superhighway for long-lasting impact, and countries need to find a sustainable balance between fishers and the fished. "We need to find a win-win strategy between fisher livelihoods and shark survival," Graham emphasizes. "I hope that through education and providing an economic alternative for fishing communities, MarAlliance will help ensure safe passage for sharks along the reef".
Jimmy Jiang envisions a future where every house is powered by renewable energy stored in batteries.
Jiang and his team at the University of Cincinnati have developed a new battery that could have far-reaching implications for the large-scale (大规模) energy storage needed by wind and solar farms.
"Batteries store renewable energy for when it's needed, not just when it's produced. This is crucial for getting the most out of wind and solar power," Jiang said. "Energy generation and energy consumption is always mismatched. That's why it's important to have a device that can store that energy temporarily and release it when it's needed."
They described their novel design in the journal Nature Communications.
Traditional car batteries contain a mix of sulfuric acid and water. While they're inexpensive and made from readily available materials, they have severe drawbacks for industrial or large-scale use. They have a very low energy density (密度), which isn't suitable for storing sufficient power needed to power a city. And they have a low level for electrochemical stability, which means they can blow up.
Water has a voltage (电压) limit. Once the voltage of such a battery goes beyond the stability window of 1.5 volts, the water can decompose into hydrogen and oxygen, which is explosive.
But Jiang and his students have developed a battery without water that can generate nearly 4 volts of power. Jiang's novel design does so by removing from a battery the membrane, which is a huge component of upfront costs and accounts for as much as 30% of the cost of the battery. They invented a new type of energy storage material that improves performance at a lower cost. "Membranes are also inefficient. They can't separate the positive and negative sides completely, so there is always crossover," he said.
The group has submitted temporary patent applications. "There is still a long way to go, but we're advancing toward a dramatic battery transformation in the next decade. I'm confident about that. There is a lot of intense research going into pushing the boundaries of battery performance," Jiang said.
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an important role in the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 and Asian Para Games. AI usually refers to the advanced technologies, such as the naked-eye 3D, VR, AR and so on. These terms might sound familiar, but how smart are they when applied to the 56 Asian Games venues(场地)?
Their smartness can be found in running the venues with less human labor forces and with more connections between man and machines. At the Huanglong Sports Center, a system called Smart Stadium Brain is built. The Brain, a 25-square-meter high-definition screen in the venue's information center, displays the entire venue in 3D visualization to keep an eye on the temperature, the lighting, the energy consumption, and the facilities to ensure a friendly environment for the athletes and audiences. For the benefit of audiences, a small screen on each seat is designed to be at the audience's service. By finger touching, the audience can control it from three parts—angle, speed, and size to watch and keep contact with the event. What's more, supported by the 5G technology, a 360°playback function is fixed.
AI also means further protection on environment. At the Fuyang sports Center, although it has been raining for days, the roof of the venue still remains dry. And the secret lies in its attractive sky garden. The garden, covering the roof, is not only eye-catching but also useful. It allows the greening rate of the entire stadium to reach as high as 45%, being energy-saving. Under the cobblestones(鹅卵石)of the sky garden, a recovery system is filtering(过滤)and collecting rainwater for the venue's water system, fountain, and irrigation water.
Smart devices are employed both inside and outside the venues. For example, the Tonglu sports Center starts a WeChat mini-program for any follower to learn about the venue through VR games and videos before the Hangzhou Asian Games. During the Games, the program will allow the athletes and audiences to place orders online, waiting in the venue for a robot waiter to deliver and serve their food.
Your neighbors are probably the first line of defense in case of any problematic situation. It gives you an assurance that you have people close by looking out for you. Here are easily applicable tips on creating stronger neighbor relationships.
The first step is introducing yourself when you move to a new neighborhood or when a newcomer moves in. Leave them a note under their door to introduce yourself. It doesn't have to cost you a fortune and opting for a potted plant or baked biscuits will do. These actions present excellent opportunities to connect with them.
Be respectful of your neighbors. It's in poor taste to have regular insensitive parties at your place causing disturbances. Before your party, it's good practice to notify your neighbors. Besides, avoid chatting them up for hours on end, which may be inconvenient, especially if you don't know their schedules. When you borrow anything, return it in due time. If you accidentally break their things, replace them without being asked to.
You could offer to babysit your neighbors' kids, help with snow removals or even keep an eye on their home when they're away. Such acts of reaching out to your neighbors make for stronger relationships.
As Emma Seppälä put it, "social connection generates a positive feedback loop (圈) of social, emotional and physical well-being." It feels so easy to just stay home without having to engage with your neighbors but connecting with them is worth the effort.
A. Remember every small gesture counts. B. A crisis is a test of communication skills. C. It can actually boost your mood in the long run. D. Slipping it in their mailbox further solidifies friendship. E. It's essential to ensure you maintain decent relationships with them. F. Alternatively, you can give them a gift while making yourself known to them. G. Only by establishing healthy boundaries will you achieve peaceful coexistence. |
I started cooking when I was thirteen. Both of my parents worked, so I was usually1 after school. One day, my parents forgot to2 dinner before they went to work. As we were short of money, eating out was beyond3 . So I decided to be the4 of the day.
A few moments later, I5 to cook fried rice, the best option out of6 resources, including my cooking knowledge. After7 a pan on the stove and turning on the heat, it soon began to sizzle (咝咝作响). I was so hungry that I8 and threw everything into the pan all together. In went rice, pieces of meat and vegetables. Little did I know that the9 of ingredients was crucial in cooking. I10 waited for the meat to be thoroughly cooked, but other ingredients were11 . At first, I mistook it as steam from cooking, but I soon12 something went horribly wrong when smoke came out to13 the kitchen.
Later that day, my mother told me, "You cannot rush yourself when cooking." Rather, I should take steps, turning to the basics, such as learning about the ingredients and14 the recipe.
I've learned that the first15 seems hard but we should just start and let the journey teach us.
The craft of Shao Lujie, a 28-year-old Chinese craftsman from Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, is known quilling — a form of art that involves the use of paper strips (纸条) that are rolled, shaped and glued together to form complex designs.
Shao's works mainly feature flowers and other plants. He created multiple works for the 19th Asian Games, featuring the event's three mascots (吉祥物) and logo. In the past few years, Shao (develop) cultural and creative products with local characteristics. His another (improve) is that techniques and equipment have been simplified, making it easier for people to try.
Since childhood, Shao has enjoyed painting and handicrafts. Having finished the learning of quilling in 2016 from master of the art, Shao began to devote himself (entire) to the craft. Later, by imitating the works of his instructors, he learned how (apply) new methods to his own works, combining this paper art handicraft with painting and different design elements.
In an age AI-generated art works are entering the art market, Shao still sticks to this ancient craft. Every step — weaving, cutting, rubbing, folding, and pressing — (do) by hand.
To get youngsters interested in the craft, Shao has gone online, sharing articles (write) by himself and posting pictures of his latest works. Shao is considering (open) an exhibition hall so that more people can learn about this craft and, ideally, pass it down, to future generations.
上周你班开展了"五育之星"—美德、学习、体育、艺术、劳动之星的评选活动。请你以"Star of ▲"为题，为班级英语角写篇短文，介绍其中一位同学李好，内容包括：1. 他/她被推选为"……之星"的原因；2. 号召大家向他/她学习
注意：1. 写作词数应为80个左右；2. 请将题目补充完整，并按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Star of ▲
In a house far from the city lived John and his mother. John's only hobby was wandering in the nearby picturesque forest. In its center was a shiny clear lake with schools of fish dancing in it. Lovely animals such as deer or rabbits were playing around and cute birds were singing in trees. Fascinated by the beauty and liveliness of nature, he desired to become a great artist and present all the breath-taking scenes to the world.
John studied in the local primary school. Life was not easy for John and his mom after his father died. Knowing what hard work his mother did to make ends meet, John really didn't want his mother to worry. His mother knew the significance of education in life but she was against his dream of becoming an artist. "The profession of artist can't aid a person in meeting his daily expenses," she would say. But as each day passed, John's dream became more passionate.
Due to the living circumstances, even buying some new colors would be a luxury. John only used the worn drawing file and limited colors for his daily practice. Though lacking fine painting materials, he never gave up drawing. He spent a significant amount of time staying in the forest, secretly perfecting his craft. With continuous hard work and a distinct gift for art, he drew beautifully.
One day John read about a competition being held in the town, whose deadline was only two days away. He got the perfect opportunity to fulfill his desire but he was in a dilemma (两难境地) as for the competition he needed special paints and some brushes. He didn't have the courage to ask his mother for money as he knew her prejudice against art.
That evening his mom returned from work and handed him a few paper notes, saying, "This is for your lunch at school next month." The money was enough for his desired materials! John's face lit up.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Early the next morning, John secretly left home with the money.
A week later, a phone call came to John's home.
