UCSF students with a talent for the written word or an eye for great photography can win some $2,000 in prizes by entering the Synapse Storytelling Contest.
We invite writers and photographers to submit their best work for a chance to compete for top three spots in four categories and win gift cards valued at $250, $75 and $50.
Non-winning entries earn $25 when published in the Synapse weekly newsletter and website throughout the 2025-2026 academic year.
The deadline for entry is Friday, July 11, 2025.
Check out previous entries at here.
Contest Details
Synapse: UCSF Student Voices presents The Synapse Storytelling Contest. Any person who is currently enrolled as a student at the University of California San Francisco is eligible to enter up to an unlimited number of submissions in four categories:
- Nonfiction
- Fiction
- Poetry
- Photography
Please review contest details below.
Prizes
Judges award prizes to the top three entries in each of the four categories. First place winners receive a $250 gift card. Second place winners receive a $75 gift card. Third place winners receive a $50 gift card.
Additionally, each non-winning submission that is published on the Synapse website and newsletter through the 2025-2026 academic year receives a $25 gift card.
Judging
A committee of journalists, UCSF administrators and UCSF students affiliated with Synapse will review all submissions.
How to Enter and Qualify
To enter and qualify, entrants must be currently enrolled as a student at UCSF, complete and submit an online entry form and produce an original poem, story or photograph with extended caption.
Entries will be judged in three areas
- Quality
- Creativity
- Impact
Winner Notification
Winners and honorable mentions will be notified via email on Monday, August 25, 2025. Winners will be announced to the public in the first Synapse: UCSF Student Voices edition of the 2025-2026 academic year.
Usage rights
By entering the contest, all students agree to grant Synapse the non-exclusive right to publish submissions and republish as needed. Students retain the right to submit their work for publication elsewhere.
Any entrants with questions or comments regarding the contest should send an email with the subject line “Synapse Storytelling Contest” to synapse@ucsf.edu.
Category expectations
Nonfiction: The winning submissions deliver a compelling narrative revealing true subject matter. You might ponder philosophical questions, weigh in on political matters, report on scientific studies, offer a personal narrative, or tell a historical, biographical, instructional, or humorous story. Word count 600 to 2,000 submitted in a Microsoft Word file.
Fiction: The winning submissions present fictionalized stories with imagination and inventiveness conveying a deeper message about the human condition. It can be humorous, mythmaking, a fairytale, or a fictionalized personal story. Word count 600 to 2,000 submitted in a Microsoft Word file.
Poetry: The winning submissions combine aesthetic, rhythmic, and symbolic qualities of language to evoke emotion, revelation, insight, and understanding of eternal truths. Make it connect with the reader. Word count 100 to 1,000 submitted in a Microsoft Word file.
Photography: Must include 100-word caption. Must be horizontal framing; vertical images will not be considered. The winning submissions will reveal any aspect of the student — expressing artistic creativity, experiencing the city, on holiday, in a work environment, on campus, from personal life, etc. Image pixels size will be automatically reformatted.