Competitions

Hey, hey, writers!

Thanks for checking out our contests! We host them year-round. Some are to build up our anthologies, some are holiday themed, and some are just for fun. Almost always the winner will be published, so browse our open competitions and see if there is anything you would be interested in.

All contests are judged by the editor’s team at Hey Hey Books.

A friendly reminder, for all our contests and other submissions, you must be at least 18 years old and a US citizen. All submissions are evaluated carefully. Please allow three weeks after the deadline for us to make a decision. If we decide to accept your work, there will be a contract. We look forward to reading your writing!

Send all contest pieces to submissions(dot)heyheybooks(at)outlook(dot)com

Read on for further details!

Competition Details

To enter, attach a word document with your finished poem. The first page should be your title page, containing the title, your name, and email address. Please make sure all content is single-spaced with Times New Roman and 12-point font. In the SUBJECT heading, write The Skeletal System Competition and Submission.

Title: Must include the word radius within the title

Genre: Poetry, fee verse

Deadline: 31 March 2025

Winner: $5 sent to one winner (PayPal or Venmo)

Theme: The poem must be fun and educational and about the radius

Number of Lines: Less than 24 lines

This competition is available in hopes of hyping up our fun, educational anthology about the human body.

Competition Details

Title: Come up with your own title

Genre: Poetry, free verse

Deadline: 31 March 2025

Winner: A print copy

Theme: Poem must be about an oil spill. It could be factual/historical, about the cleanup process, or any animals an oil spill may have effected, etc.

Length: Less than 24 lines

This competition is available in hopes of hyping up our anthology about the ocean.

Competition Details

Title: Must include the word fibula within the title

Genre: Poetry, free verse

Deadline: 31 March 2025

Winner: $5 sent to one winner (PayPal or Venmo)

Theme: The poem must be about the fibula, but make it fun and educational

Length: Less than 24 lines

This competition is available in hopes of hyping up our fun, educational anthology about the human body.

Last updated 12/18/2024

Winners of Previous Contests!

We are proud to announce the winner of our first competition! Congratulations to Pamela B. Taylor!

MIGRATION
Mexico, the mecca of
Overwintering
Navigators of orange and black
Aerial acrobats who
Return to
Colonies at their ancestral
Habitat
—Pamela B. Taylor

The winning poem will be publishing in our anthology, Fly. The poem had to be an acrostic, spelling out the word “monarch.” This anthology is about monarch butterflies and proceeds from the book will be donated to organizations that support these beautiful creatures.

Congratulations to Miriam Wade! This first place poem will be published in our anthology, Wild. The poem had to be an acrostic, spelling out the word “wild.” This anthology is about wildlife and proceeds from the book will be donated to organizations that support and protect wildlife in the US.

Wilderness beckons, to break free,
In the midst of chaos, a place to be.
Living life unchained, with untamed glee,
Dancing with nature, in pure harmony.
—Miriam Wade

Congratulations to Miriam Wade! This first place poem will be published in our anthology, Fly. The poem had to be an acrostic, spelling out the word “milkweed.” This anthology is about monarch butterflies and proceeds from the book will be donated to organizations that support and protect these creatures.

Majestic in its towering stance,
Its blooms a haven for butterflies, a chance
Luring them in with its fragrant call,
Kindred spirits, a dance with them all.
Weaving a tapestry of green and gold,
Ephemeral beauty, but a sight to behold.
Exquisite in form, a natural art,
Dwelling in a garden, a vibrant part.
—Miriam Wade

Congratulations to Taya Boyles for winning our poetry contests for Wild! To enter, contestants had to write a poem titled “The National Park,” and the winning poem will be published within our anthology, Wild. At least half of the proceeds will be donated to different organizations that support our wildlife.

The National Park

Nature is a permanent institution
with government and a state address
that blooms in the off-season months
while winterized humans fall to
seasonal depression
into a
sinkhole that we bury and birth life on.

The inter-dimensional floating
temples resist the gravitational
pull of space and time and National Parks
have earned past just their enshrinement.

Oh, poor solipsist,
go and hug a tree.

Tell me you don’t feel the roots humming
see the blue in the wind and
bear the weight of the beating heart
of an injured Robin who only
knows your palms.

—Taya Boyles

Congratulations to Joan Duris! This first place poem will be published in our anthology, Fly. The poem had to be titled “The Butterfly Net” This anthology is about monarch butterflies and proceeds from the book will be donated to organizations that support and protect these creatures.

Congratulations to Joan Duris! This first place poem will be published in our anthology, Wild. The poem had to be titled “The Camper.” This anthology is about wildlife and proceeds from the book will be donated to organizations that support and protect wildlife in the US.

THE CAMPER

Perched on a rock
tent at my back
I silently watch
as
morning mist
fades
into day.
—Joan Duris

Congratulations to Pamela Taylor! This first place poem will be published in our anthology, Fly. The poem had to be titled “Eat Your Greens” This anthology is about monarch butterflies and proceeds from the book will be donated to organizations that support and protect these creatures.

EAT YOUR GREENS

It’s time for you to eat your greens.
Use instinct now. It’s in your genes.
You’re a new caterpillar who needs protein.
Eat milkweed leaves – the best cuisine!

We know you are a young beginner,
but don’t expect a catered dinner!
You must grow or you’ll get thinner.
Now show us you can be a winner!

You need good food to be a butterfly.
Do not skimp now – you have to try!
And watch for enemies from the sky,
so hide in the weed that you occupy!

You’ll rest and change by natural means.
That’s why you should just…
“Eat your greens!”
—Pamela B. Taylor

Congratulations to Miriam Wade! This first place poem will be published in our anthology, Wild. The poem’s theme had to be about animal tracks. This anthology is about wildlife and proceeds from the book will be donated to organizations that support and protect wildlife in the US.

Animal Tracks Tapestry

In forests deep, where secrets dwell,
Where nature weaves its mystic spell,
Lies a story waiting to be told,
Etched upon the earth, so bold.

Animal tracks, a language pure,
A tale of creatures, wild and sure,
They tread upon the earth’s own page,
Leaving imprints, age after age.

The mighty lion, with paws of grace,
Leaves his mark in a regal embrace,
His fierce presence, commanding and grand,
Imprinted in the shifting sand.

The agile deer, swift and light,
Leaps through meadows, taking flight,
Leaving behind a delicate trace,
A dance of elegance, full of grace.

The bear, with heavy steps and might,
Strolls through forests, day and night,
Leaving tracks that speak of strength,
Of wilderness, and its endless length.

The fox, a cunning trickster, sly,
Leaves tracks that whisper, passing by,
A clever tale of wits and guile,
Unraveling secrets mile by mile.

The owl, in silence, takes to flight,
Leaving no trace within the night,
But in the snow, its feathers glide,
An intricate pattern, where stories hide.

And so, the animal tracks unfold,
A symphony of stories yet untold,
In every print, a world awakes,
A tapestry of life that nature makes.
—Miriam Wade

Congratulations to Michelle Kogan! This winning poem will be published in our anthology, The Skeletal System—a fun and educational poetry anthology featuring bones in the human body. The poem theme had to be about the stapes, the smallest bone, and written as a haiku (5, 7, 5).

Congratulations to Kailee Pacetti! This winning poem will be published in our anthology, The Skeletal System—a fun and educational poetry anthology featuring bones in the human body. The poem’s theme had to be about the distal phalange, the bone at the end of your finger, and written as a haiku (5, 7, 5).

Congratulations to S. E. Reed! This winning poem will be published in our anthology, The Skeletal System—a fun and educational poetry anthology featuring bones in the human body. The poem’s theme had to be about the humerus and in any style. Thank you all who participated.

Congratulations to Bridget Magee! This winning poem will be published in our anthology, The Skeletal System—a fun and educational poetry anthology featuring bones in the human body. The poem’s theme had to be about the mandible and an acrostic. Thank you all who participated.

Congratulations to Robert Daniel! This winning poem will be published in our anthology, The Skeletal System—a fun and educational poetry anthology featuring bones in the human body. The poem had to be a haiku and about the malleus. Thanks to all participants.

Congratulations to Joan Duris! This winning poem will be published in our anthology, The Skeletal System—a fun and educational poetry anthology featuring bones in the human body. The poem had to be about the tibia. Thanks to all participants.

Six Ways to Fracture Your Tibia

SLIP, TRIP DOUBLE-FLIP! Theo tumbles off the bars. Unplanned playground acrobat.
Whap! His young bone bends like a twig, but doesn’t break: a greenstick fracture.

THUMPIITY, BUMP, WHUMP! Sophie somersaults down the stairs, landing in a heap.
Snap! An oblique fracture cuts a diagonal path through her bone.

DOWNHILLS PRINT, LEAP A LOG! Derek dodges a tree. Hits rock. Sudden stop.
Smack! A transverse fracture slices straight across his bone.

LEG EXTENDS, TWISTY TACKLE! Camila cries foul. Gets sacked. Tastes dirt.
Yuck! Football season’s over! A spiral fracture zigzags around her bone.

SLIDE, SPIN, NO CONTROL! Branson braces, can’t stop. Three-car pile up! Bam. Bam. Bam.
Crunch! A comminuted fracture—his bone breaks in two places (maybe more)!

FLYS HIGH, LANDS HARD! Nana Nolan catches way too much air with her skis.
Umph! Femur jams tibia top. It’s a compression fracture below her knee.

SNAP, CRACK, CRUNCH! However you fracture your tibia, you may hear a crackling
noise when broken bits of bone rub together. Creepy crepitus! You need a doctor, STAT!

—Joan Duris

Misunderstood Talus

I’m one of the tarsal bones tucked away
in the top of your foot,
and I’m here to set the record straight.
I’m your true ankle bone, quietly
handling the stress of doing my job
connecting your leg to your foot,
keeping you balanced with a bounce to your step
by transferring weight through my shock-absorbing joints.

Those knobby bumps on the side of your foot?
Ankle imposters as far as I’m concerned.
Yes, they’re part of your upper ankle joint,
but…those are your leg bones poking out!
Your tibia on the inside,
and your fibula on the outside,
both riding my saddle-shaped body,
creating hinge joints on my cartilage cushion.

Most bones need muscle attachments—but not me!
Tough ligaments keep me perfectly aligned
with the matching puzzle pieces
in your upper and lower ankle joints,
while the rest of my tarsal team
is busy making connections,
linking us to the rest of your foot.

Go ahead. Flex, pivot, roll. Run, skip, stroll…

That’s all me! Sure, I know misunderstandings
can happen, but I’m the true mastermind
directing your fancy footwork—not those bumpy scene stealers.

—Joan Duris

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