Inscape & Whirligig : Letter to a Friend
Letters are stories written with specific readers in mind. For this collaborative contest, Inscape Literary Magazine and Whirligig Magazine, BYU’s new children’s literature magazine, invite writers of all ages to tell a story in the form of a letter!
Contributors may write to anyone: a childhood friend, someone far away, someone imagined, or someone they have lost. Letters may also be addressed to a past or future self. However it is framed, each submission should tell a story, using the closeness of the letter form to explore relationship, change, and feeling.
Submissions will be divided into two categories, based on which magazine you are submitting to (considering the intended audience).
Not sure which category to submit to? Here are some questions to help you figure it out:
Whirligig (for children)
- Does your letter value whimsy, light, curiosity, wildness, and play?
- Is your letter appropriate for children ages 7–11?
- Could you see your letter in an issue of Whirligig? Not sure? Check out our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whirligigmagazine/
Inscape (for adults)
- Does your letter channel the bizarre, believing or beautiful?
- Does your letter tackle adult themes with respect and maturity?
- Could you see your letter in an issue of Inscape Journal? Not sure? Check out our most recent issue: https://inscape.byu.edu/fall-2025/
Whirligig Magazine and Inscape Literary Magazine will judge the submissions in their respective categories. One winner will be selected from each group. Each winner will receive:
- $50
- Publication on Inscape’s website
This contest invites writers to imagine a reader and speak directly—to say something that matters. By partnering across magazines and age groups, Inscape and Whirligig hope to celebrate storytelling as an act of connection and to make space for voices discovering, in a letter, what they most want to say.
