StudyBuddy is finding kids' contests a pretty good motivator. There are a lot of sites to choose from. Here's an annotated list of a few to check out.

Everyday Warriors This is an interesting one. They're asking if you feel special or different in some way. If the answer is yes, they say that makes you an "everyday warrior" and they want to know your story. I really like this site, and hope you will, too.

Stone Soup This is a magazine from Santa Cruz open to young writers through age 13. You can see highlights of what they have published in the past. They'd like submissions by regular mail to Ms. Gerry Mandel, Editor, Stone Soup, P.O. Box 83, Santa Cruz CA 95063. What you get is publication, and that's not a sure thing; but it's still worth doing.

Kidnews These people want your first name, grade, school, city, and state. Sections are Opinion, Features, Sports, Reviews, News, Cool Hangouts, and Creative Writing. This is an easy way to get published: write a review of some book you liked, tell about a sport you love or a sports event you attended, or give the list of websites you've bookmarked because you think they're really special.

Real Kids Real Adventures You want the Young Writers' Clubhouse here. Pick something you've already written, submit it, and join the critique group: that lets you read stuff other kids have done, and give helpful suggestions. It's an easy way to get thinking about how to write great stuff.

Kidpub Just join the authors' club. You'll see: it's easy and it's helpful. Then post your story.

Wacky Web Tales This one's unique. Check it out for yourself. You click on the name of a story and all you get is a list of blanks to fill in. The words can be anything: your friend's first name, the name of your school, any verb, any adjective, any noun. Maybe ten in all. When you're done, THEN you get the story with those words inserted into it. Of course it comes out sounding crazy, but I really had fun with it: try.

Teensizzle Right now this site is running a photography contest. You send them a photo you have taken, and if it wins, you get a Polaroid camera.

Write Source: Publish It! I said you might get rich, right? This one is divided into separate grade-levels, from kindergarten through twelfth grade. They're looking for something different at each grade. They tell you how to submit your writing, and if it's selected for publication you get a $50 Savings Bond. (You would mind that, now would you?)

Kids Online Magazine You can submit your writing or your art work or both. They ask you to be sure to run your spell checker on the writing first, and please give them your email and your parents' email so they can respond to you both. For art work, you can scan hardcopy and send it as an attachment, or send computer art and identify the software you used to make it.

Amazing Kids! Contests Here you can enter a toy design contest by March 31. It's sponsored by the company that makes Beanie Babies, so you get some of them for prizes. The top prize is $1,000. You can also enter a writing contest with a story in one of the following categories: fairy tale, fantasy, adventure, western, or urban folktale (I'm not sure what that is: maybe "A day in my life"?) Anyway, what you get if they like it is a book from Borders and publication in their magazine.

The Concord Review This one's waiting for you if you're already a good writer in Grade 9,10, 11, or 12. It publishes essays from teenagers in 33 different countries. That, by itself, means it's worth seeing your name in print there. Next stop The New York Times.

So, when you're rich and famous, remember me! I'm your buddy. OK?