Write Outside Your Door

Go Outside. Be Inspired.

Be Creative.

Write. Submit.

Write Outside Your Door is a free writing competition co-sponsored by the Missouri Botanical Garden and Gateway Writing Project that authentically integrates place-based writing into the science and English language curriculums.  Write Outside Your Door invites students from grades K - 12 and teacher writers to write about their experiences outside, with nature, and as stewards of the environment.  Access 2026 Submission Form.

The 2026 competition will run from March 20th - May 17th, 2026.  Winners will be announced on May 29th, 2026.  Good luck and enjoy the outdoors!

The contest opens in March and runs through May, inviting writers to get outdoors and write!  Our winners are recognized at the Missouri Botanical Garden Green Living Festival with a prize pack including a family membership to the Missouri Botanical Garden.   

Reach out to us by email gwp@umsl.edu if you would like to schedule a school site visit or access mentor texts that address our prompts.  

Guidelines: writers may submit stories, essays, or poems that creatively address:

• a special place in nature and why it is meaningful
• describes an author’s specific experience in nature
• a piece that reflects your experience with the changing climate
• a piece that reflects conservation, stewardship, or sustainability

Entries are judged based on:

• content (how well the theme has been addressed)
• voice (word choice and style)
• merits of composition (grammar and organization)
• Stories and essays should be 1,000 words or less
• poetry should be 3 - 30 lines