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The Ulysses Writing Contest
Celebrating Disney’s Flora & Ulysses

Write Your Own Story or Poem & You Could Win Awesome Prizes!

No poetry? Not today! There’s a new superhero in town – and he can rhyme. Meet Ulysses!

10-year-old Flora Belle Buckman is a self-avowed cynic and lover of superhero comic books. After rescuing a squirrel she names Ulysses, she is amazed to discover he possesses quite unexpected powers: flight, strength – and a love for misspelled poetry!

Disney’s new family adventure is based on the best-selling novel by Kate DiCamillo and premieres February 19 on Disney+.

Since Ulysses the squirrel and Ulysses the app don’t just share a name, but also a passion for writing, we proudly present the The Ulysses Writing Contest Celebrating Disney’s Flora & Ulysses!

The Writing Prompts

Do you love the clip we shared from Disney’s Flora & Ulysses as much as we do? Poems are so much more than words in a row. It’s time to make your own alignments. A-verse to poetry? No problem, we have a writing prompt for lovers of prose, too. Pick your favorite writing prompt and let your own passion for writing shine!

Team Ulysses – Poem

“Forever and wanting is stomach.” Win our hearts with your own poem (200 words or less). No worries: It may contain nuts!

Team Flora – Short Story

Unexpected heroes should save the day more often! Blow our minds with your own superhero’s origin story and unmask his or her superpower. Anything goes, as long as it's not more than 1,000 words. We’re expecting the unexpected.

We’re not looking for fan fiction here! Create your own world. Your poem or story should not be set in the Disney universe, or feature Disney characters (including the ones from Flora & Ulysses).

Prizes? Right!

The writers of the 20 best entries can look forward to these awesome prizes.

Chat

Listen in when author Kate DiCamillo and screenwriter Brad Copeland discuss the movie. Exclusive, live, and with the opportunity for a Q&A!

Fame

See your story published on the Ulysses blog and read by thousands.

Ulysses

Get the award-winning writing app for free – for a whole year!

Cash

First-place winners get US$ 500, second-place winners get US$ 250.

The Rules

You can find the detailed terms and conditions for The Ulysses Writing Contest Celebrating Disney’s Flora & Ulysses here.

The Pre-Selection Committee

Götz

Götz enjoys all types of stories and poems, as long as they are well-crafted.

Götz

Being a juggler of words herself, Rebekka is a sucker for fun puns and likes to laugh.

Götz

Andrea is an aspiring writer and passionate reader. She loves gripping stories and powerful poems.

Götz

Diana prefers gripping texts that can be enjoyed by children and grown-ups alike.

Jonathan

We brought writer Jonathan on board especially for the competition. With his excellent knowledge of literature, he knows what makes or breaks good poems and stories.

The Deciding Votes

Cate DiCamillo

Author of Flora & Ulysses, Kate DiCamillo is as beloved as the award-winning stories she writes. She definitely knows the right words when she sees them. Her writing advice for you:

Pay attention and make an effort to see.

Brad Copeland

Screenwriter of Flora & Ulysses and Emmy Nominee, Brad Copeland, likes his coffee black and prefers stories to hit his funny bone. He grew up loving family comedies and still enjoys a chuckle.

Type Away – With Ulysses!

You don’t know Ulysses yet? Then it’s your chance to get acquainted! Ulysses is the ultimate writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, made for people who love to write and write a lot.

If you download Ulysses from the Mac App Store or the App Store you can now get an extended trial and explore all its features (US and Canada only).1

Download on the Mac App Store Download on the App Store

Writing with Ulysses, however, is not a requirement for participating in the contest.

Never used Ulysses before? No problem! We’ll tell you how to get from download to submitted story in 10 easy steps.

That’s all there is to say about the The Ulysses Writing Contest Celebrating Disney’s Flora & Ulysses. It seems like suddenly there’s a lot of writing to do! We won’t keep you from the prompt of your choice any longer. Type away and have lots of fun creating your poem or story. We are already looking forward to it!

1The extended trial is only available if you don’t have an active (trial) subscription, and haven’t tried Ulysses before. To make use of the offer, you’ll have to download Ulysses from the App Store and/or the Mac App Store, and choose the yearly subscription with the 2-months trial period in the app. For this, your payment information is required. The subscription can be cancelled anytime up to 24 hours before the trial period ends. Your account will only be charged after the trial has ended. Apple handles all sales and we have no access to any of your payment information.