We’re excited to announce our 2026 student anthology theme: Superheroes and Science Fiction, in partnership with author, educator, and storyteller Tony Weaver Jr.
This opportunity invites students across the country in grades 5 through 12 to write and submit their work to this anthology–whether filled with bold new worlds, extravagant superpowers, unlikely heroes, or unforgettable villains. This is a chance for young people to imagine the future through the lens of science fiction and step into their creative freedom.
Why This Theme, Why Now
In a world where young people are facing unprecedented uncertainty, environmental collapse, social injustice, and political division, the importance of science fiction and fantasy has never been more urgent—or more powerful—than now. 826 National and the network-wide team see this genre not just as a creative escape, but as a radical tool for hope, agency, and transformation—inviting students to dream up new worlds beyond the broken systems before us.
Through writing, students can:
- Imagine change before it exists—as Ursula K. Le Guin described, science fiction is a “thought experiment” that reveals both dangers and possibilities.
- Critique today’s world through metaphor, as Octavia Butler’s Parable series does with themes of survival and justice.
- Build worlds where they belong, free of oppressive systems, in the tradition of Afrofuturism, Indigenous futurisms, and queer speculative fiction.
- Practice empathy and agency by asking: what if things could be different here, in our world—and what role could I play in shaping it?
- Feel the joy and wonder of invention: new languages, impossible technologies, galaxies waiting to be explored.
This anthology theme invites students to harness their power transforming both themselves and the world they are leading because we believe the future is in their hands.
Taking inspiration from Tony’s 826 Digital lesson, “Write Your Power,” students can explore prompts that focus on world-building, character development, speculative fiction, and poetry. All lessons and student handouts are available in English and Spanish and include revision strategies to support students as they get ready to submit their work.
Submission Details
Educator Submission Form
EDUCATORS: after your students write (and revise!) their pieces, you can submit work for multiple students at once using our Educator Submission Form.
Student and Families Submission Form
STUDENTS AND FAMILIES: students also have the option to submit their own work directly using this form, available in Spanish as well. Parent/guardian permission is required for all students under the age of eighteen.
