We are curious about your student’s “Curious Questions”!
We’ve run this contest for over ten years—it’s the contest that began it all—and it’s one of our favorites! It’s a very simple event: you send us some of your student’s most profound, humorous, or thought-provoking questions from Section 1 of The Remarkable Journal of Professor Gunther von Steuben, and we will announce contest results via our e-newsletter. (Winners will receive an additional email from us with their prize.)

We aren’t merely curious to read the unusual and funny questions students come up with; we are truly passionate about nurturing your student’s curiosity. The ability to ask good questions and to look at the world with wonder is foundational to strong writing. This event is one way we can help students enjoy being curious!

How Your Student Can Enter

  • Any student using Cover Story this school year is eligible to submit up to 5 “Curious Questions.”
  • The questions must be submitted by the parent/teacher of the student.
  • To be eligible for prizes, the questions must come from the student’s own mind, with no outside input from family, friends, or teachers.
  • The questions must be accompanied by the student’s first name, age, and state/province of residence.

Submission deadline is 11:59 p.m. Central Time on October 15, 2025.

Submit Your Student’s Curious Questions »

Prizes

For the 2025-2026 school year, we are offering specially designed certificates for 1st – 3rd place, plus a $15 gift certificate for Bookshop.org (or similar bookseller).

 

Some example past and present prizes:

•An autographed copy of one the novels from that series: Runt the Brave, Runt the Hunted, or The Curse of the Seer

        •A special prize certificate

•A wooden mouse, hand-carved in honor of Mr. S’s Legends of Tira-Nor series

•A piece of steampunk memorabilia, like a magnifying glass, a compass, or a pair of tricked-out goggles

Announcement of Winners

We will anounce the winners of the contest via our e-newsletter, so make sure you are signed up!

You can expect the announcement by Wednesday, October 29, 2025.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • We will only share your student’s submission using their first name, age, and state/province of residence. No last names will be mentioned.
  • Parents/family members: Only students are eligible to win prizes. Please make sure that entries credited to students originated with the students themselves without input from the parent or other outside sources.

 

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