Bellevue high schoolers have until Oct. 31 to enter a student-run writing competition with a $1,000 top prize and a $5 entry fee.

The West Coast Writing Competition, a Bellevue-based nonprofit founded two years ago by Interlake Senior High School graduate Corlie Zhuang, opened submissions for its 2026-27 cycle on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The contest accepts entries from high school students in Washington, California, Oregon, Montana and Idaho, as first reported by 425 Magazine.

This year's theme is "The Ripple Effect," chosen by students across the competition's five-state footprint. Submissions can be poetry, short stories and memoirs, news articles or scripts, but must stay under 500 words or three pages. Teacher panels judge entries across three rounds.

Cash prizes are funded by grants: $1,000 for first place, $500 for second, $300 for third and $100 for honorable mentions. Winners will be recognized at an in-person ceremony.

Zhuang, now a freshman at Harvard University, said she started the contest because she wanted student voices leading the process. Co-director Leslie Park said the low fee sets the competition apart from adult-run alternatives.

"A lot of the competitions I've submitted to previously, there is a pretty hefty fee — like, I had to pay up to upward of $50 for some competitions, and obviously that is not an option for everyone," Park told 425 Magazine.

The competition drew more than 100 submissions from 20 school districts during the 2025-26 school year. The organization says it has support from the Bellevue School District and the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), though no independent confirmation of that backing appears in public records.

Zhuang now advises. She handed day-to-day leadership to co-directors Park and Stella Kendrick. The three were friends and school newspaper members before the competition became central to their work. Kendrick runs the competition's social media pages, posting skits to make the contest feel approachable.

After this cycle, the trio plans to open applications for new student leaders from across the five eligible states and shift into a mentorship role. The incoming high schoolers would set the competition's direction going forward.

Submissions close at 11:59 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 31. Students can apply at wahswriting.org.