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Storybird Challenges is a writing competition to inspire and uncover visual storytellers.

We began Challenges late last year and have, with the help of our community, discovered and celebrated smart, funny, and ingenious stories for all ages.

Recently we expanded our writer's pool throughout the Commonwealth: Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand have been added. If you're over 18, a resident of one of these great countries, and think you can turn art into intriguing prose—you're invited to play.

These next rounds of Challenges also signals our interest in discovering talent for the Storybird Shop, which will feature and sell hand-picked stories and artwork from the Storybird commons. If you can make it past the votes of hundreds of thousands of picky kids, tweens, and teens—you may have a commercial outlet for your creative skills.

To help pick April's winner, we've invited back Lani Diane Rich and Alastair Stephens. Lani is a New York Times bestselling author whom we also adore for her feisty Popcorn Dialogues podcasts with Jenny Crusie. And Alastair is Lani's partner at StoryWonk, an online bootcamp that offers podcasts and classes, seminars, and workshops for writers.

This month's theme is "beginnings," a magical word that signals the start of one thing and the end of another. Beginnings can be hopeful, often scary, and even sad. But like stories, beginnings are the start of a fresh journey. So take us on one. We'll see you on the other side.