Attention, local kids and teens: Have you ever had a great idea you wanted to share with your friends and family — maybe even the entire world? Or maybe your great idea is just waiting to hatch. If so, here’s your chance to shine. For our 2021 Kids Issue, the theme is “My Great Idea.”
Each March, Mountain Xpress publishes the creative and colorful work of Western North Carolina’s K-12 students. There is no fee to enter for possible publication, and the deadline for submissions is Friday, Jan. 29.
Theme: “My Great Idea”
Students, here’s a way to get started. Think about some of the great ideas people have had over the years. For example: the invention of the telephone, the idea that everyone should be treated equally — or even the creation of the potato chip.
What great idea do you have that might make life better for you and the people you know? Imagine how it would work and what you might need to put your idea into action. Are there any obstacles you’d have to overcome? How would you do it? Create art or writing to share your great idea.
Submission guidelines
Educators, parents and students, please send us the best work in the following categories:
Essays
Essays should be no more than 350 words (though some exceptions can be made). Typed entries are encouraged.
Short fiction
Fiction should be no more than 350 words (though some exceptions can be made). Typed entries are encouraged.
Poems
Short-form poetry is preferred, with poems limited to a maximum of 30 lines. Typed submissions are encouraged.
Art
Art should be digitally photographed or be able to be photographed by Mountain Xpress. Photos of sculptures or models are also permissible. Artists’ statements are welcome.
Photos
Photos should be high-resolution, digital photos between 200 KB and 6 MB (cellphone setting of “medium” size). Artists’ statements are welcome.
Deadline
The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, to be considered for publication in Xpress’ March Kids Issue. Sorry, we cannot accept late entries this year.
Submit your work
Here’s the link to upload student work: https://mountainx.com/2021-kids-issue/
Returns
Mailed or hand-delivered pieces may be picked up after the issue publishes, though Xpress cannot be responsible for their return.
Questions?
Email Xpress editor Tracy Rose at trose@mountainx.com.
We can’t wait to see what local kids and teens have to share!
— Tracy Rose
my idea is beds that can make themselves! it would make the morning so much faster and easier.
Hi, Eve: Thanks for commenting. That is a fun idea. If you want to submit it for possible publication in the Kids Issue, please use the link in the post above to reach the submission form. Thanks again!
my idea is less snakes
Hi, Jason: Thanks for commenting. If you’re a local student and would like to submit your idea for possible publication in the Kids Issue, please use the link in the post above to enter. Thanks!
My great idea:
My great idea involves men and women who are in jail for crimes that are minor, but has caused them to still serve time. Now what if these men and women could work on their sentence by helping out at a rescue barn for all animals. The men and women could learn responsibility, and many other good traits while also helping out a good cause. Most rescue barns are short staffed and need any help they can get, now the criminals would have to have no prior record of animal abuse and sign something stating that if any harm or injury caused by their own hand to the animals would be punished and they would forfeit any right to keep using the program. They would have to serve out the rest of their time in full plus any repercussions that would come to their actions. I think many of the men and women would benefit from the harsh reality of having a living creature under their care and this could help them get better jobs when they get out.
Hi, Addison. That is an interesting idea. If you are a local student and would like to submit your idea for possible publication in the Kids Issue, please use the link in the post to reach the submission form. Thanks!
My idea in essay form is help fund and design coolants to cool down the Earth. I really want to do this because I don’t want to leave planet Earth! So 1st, we would need a coolant pump. We need the pump to start coolant and once the Earth is cold enough, we will need to turn it off. Now we need the fuel. We will use liquid nitrogen, and then pump it into the core. Now we need a shell to protect it from any danger. It will just be a jar looking thing with a ring wrapped around it. Now we need the specific size. So from top to bottom would be 1,324 feet. From lft to right it would be 305 feet. Now we need the battery. The battery would be powered just like a normal computer charger, just a lot bigger. We would need a battery to power the coolant pumps, because without power, the coolant would not function. Now the painting, the jar would be cyan, and the ring would be blue. Now this coolant, will be really really deep and the deeper you go, the hotter it gets, so we would need a protection. Now I am not sure what the protection would be made out of but I honestly say iron. Now we need a pipe covered in iron so it doesn’t melt, and the pipe would go towards the core and booyah! Done! Now this process will take a long time, it would take at least 36 years. We would need heat resistant drill to do the job. This will be a giant process! We might fail a few times, but we never give up! We will keep going until we make it. and then be proud of ourselves.
Hi, Beckett: Thanks for commenting. That is an interesting idea. If you’re a local student and would like to submit your idea for possible publication in the Kids Issue, please use the link in the post above ( https://mountainx.com/2021-kids-issue/) to reach the online submission form. Thanks!
My great idea is like a contact lens point .2.It wouldn’t look much different if you were looking at a 3rd person view.But if you were looking in a 1st person view it would be a lot different then just the original contact lens.It would cost a lot of money going around twice as much of the original contact lens at $ 3,000.Once you put it on it would have a lot of high tech on it;you would have the chance to zoom out or in.It would also be plated with titanium .If you ever lost it you would have an app on your phone where you could track it down.It would be able to test the danger in the area wherever you went.This would probably be made in the near future,but its something to look forward to.
Hi, Rowan. Thanks for sharing your idea. If you’d like to enter it for possible publication in the Kids Issue, please use the link in the post above (https://mountainx.com/2021-kids-issue/) to reach the online form. Thanks!
I would not like my post to be on the magazine.
Hello Beckett y
Hello rowan
do you like my idea
How To Make Money Easily Written by: Andrew Holmes
My great idea involves a way to make money. First, make a website that you can sell stuff on, like books, old shoes, or old clothes. Find books that you are not going to read then take a picture of the different books to copy and paste into the website. (You might need to look up online how to make a website).
Second, make letters to send to the people in your neighborhood and tell them your age, your first, and last name, and tell them you want to mow their grass for 10$ – 20$. If they have the supplies and 20$ – 30$ if you have to use your supplies and you can do that over the summer break. Third, Ask your mom or dad what you can do around the house to make money like wash the car for 5.00, clean the workbench for 3.75, and soon you’ll have a fortune. Last, the stock market, the stock market is where you put in $10.00 you can either make money or lose money so check every day to see if it is in your liking you might need to ask your mom and dad for help.
Hi, Andrew! Thanks for commenting. If you’re a local student and would like to enter your idea for possible publication in the Xpress Kids Issue, please use the link in the post above (https://mountainx.com/2021-kids-issue/) to reach the online form. Thanks!
The truth about dogman
Written by:andrew holmes
Illustrated by:andrew holmes
Recap:1 So it all started with a policeman and a police dog. They got hurt in an explosion! The ambulance rushed to the hospital. When they got there the doctor had very bad news for them because the police’s head was dying and the dog’s body was dying. Then the nurse had an idea. The idea was to sew the police body to the police dog’s head. So they had a big operation.
Chapter:1 Special delivery for the chief!!! Special delivery for chief!!! Hey, chief!!! Hey, chief!!! You got a special mail letter you better knock next time you come into my office!! We were doing important stuff!!! Gimme that!!!! Now Scram! And don’t slam the—SLAM door. What’s it say, chief? Dear chief, we finally finished making the new dog man movie. Enclosed are twenty tickets to the red-carpet Premiere. See you there! Hi! Petey! Hi BIG Jim. Why are you in jail? Because I robbed a bank. How long do you have to stay here? I have to stay here for 10 years. NOW GET OUT!!!!!!! Lil Petey, you got a letter. Dear Lil Petey, I’m a bad cat you’ll be better off without me. LOVE papa. The next morning the dog man was lying on a bag of money. They brought it to the police and they arrested him because they thought dogman stole the money from the bank because of the clues. So he got arrested. The next day was his trial. The judge said he had 15 long years of hard dog labor. So he went to jail. At midnight he had to lead the dog sled to the top of the mountain to the labor camp which was very melancholy. He had to eat leaves and tree bark and he was forced to eat it which was very vulgar. He was tied on a chain to dig holes and if he did not he would be forced to eat dirt. Then he tried to bite the person who was in charge of the dogs and he whipped the dog man very, very hard.
Chapter:2
The next day dog man’s friends were trying to figure out a way so dogman could get out of jail. So they finally found the police so they could talk to them!!!!! So they showed the police and they figured out it was the judge who stole from the bank and framed the dog man. So they had a big arrest with the judge. There were helicopters, police cars, and lots of policemen. And he had to work at a mine in labor for 30 years and he would be forced to drink olive oil and mash potatoes with bark for food. And so they were finally retired for good.
Chapter:3 ……………. 10 years later there was a big robbery at the bank with 7 robbers. And Dogman, Lil Petey, and 80-HD luckily already had it covered. With a bam, scratch kaboom the robbers were tied up in no time at all. The next day there was a breakout and a robbery and the robbers stole 500,000 quadrillion dollars from the bank.
Chapter: 4
The robbers got away because before they robbed the bank they destroyed dog man, Lil Petey, and 80-HD’s stuff so they couldn’t chase the robbers. But the good thing was that they saw them in a store trying to steal from the store so they arrested them and they went to jail for a long time which was very clamor. And dog man, Lil Petey and 80-HD were able to get a free repair which looked very exquisite because they saved them from villains.
Chapter 5: Final chapter Dogman, Lil Petey, and 80-HD were famous and were finally retired for good and we’re all rich and all was placid. As so…the judge made a very vivid scene and also was very mad about the food he was forced to eat just for him to learn a little venerate for others!!!
It’s all About a dog man who gets framed for robbing from a bank and has to go to a labor camp for 15 years then gets out of the labor camp because people figured out he had been framed and a judge was lying and trying to frame him.