Young Writers Competition
ICEI’s annual Young Writers Competition inspires students to sharpen their writing skills, discover their unique voice, and ultimately, write more.
The competition takes place in grades 3-6 across our network of Hebrew-speaking schools. Some 5,000 students write and submit short stories each year.
In the coming years, we plan to expand the competition to our network of Arabic-speaking schools.
Yisrael Hayom newspaper’s June 2024 feature story about four winners of ICEI’s 11th Annual
Young Writers Competition, their moving stories and their writing processes along the way.
Writing Short Stories
Teachers in ICEI’s network of Hebrew-speaking schools guide their students through the writing process. Children learn how to describe events, develop characters, craft dialogue, evoke atmosphere, and work through multiple drafts to produce the very best stories they can write.
Awards Ceremony
Each spring, the competition culminates in a festive awards ceremony celebrating a love of reading and writing, as well as the more than 500 young writer finalists who participate. Thousands of additional students take part by Zoom from their classrooms.
Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Hebrew Children’s Literature
At the ceremony, ICEI presents a Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Hebrew Children’s Literature to honor a major Hebrew children’s book writer. Past recipients are Leah Naor, Nurit Zarchi, Smadar Shir, Galila Ron Feder Amit, Ephraim Sidon, Yehuda Atlas, Shlomo Abbas, Meir Shalev, and Nava Macmel-Atir. At the event, our young writers hear first-hand from these literary giants about their own evolution as writers, along with writing tips and inspiration.
Winners at the President’s House
In December 2022, ICEI had the honor and privilege of bringing the winners of the 2022 Young Writers Competition to meet with President Isaac Herzog and Michal Herzog. 23 students from 17 schools throughout the country, alongside parents and teachers, came to the President's House to learn about the history and role of the Israeli presidency and share about their writing with the President. President Herzog and Michal Herzog were very impressed with our young writers and encouraged them to continue writing, reading, and fostering a love for Hebrew literature.