AUGUSTA — Maine high school juniors are invited to submit entries for “A Journey Into Writing,” the Maine Community College System’s statewide writing contest. Entries will be accepted Dec. 29 through Jan. 28.

Students are encouraged to submit an original poem, short story, or essay of up to 1,500 words. Up to three winners may be selected by the contest judges and honored with the designation of “2015 Governor’s Young Writer of the Year,” an award that includes a $2,500 cash prize.

The contest judges are award-winning Maine authors Susan Kenney, Lewis Robinson and Bill Roorbach. Kenney is the author of five novels and taught fiction for 25 years at Colby College. Robinson is the author of two novels and teaches in the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine. Roorbach’s newest novel, “The Remedy for Love,” was one of six finalists for the 2014 Kirkus Prize in Fiction. The 10th anniversary edition of his craft book, Writing Life Stories, is used in writing programs around the world.

A Journey Into Writing was created in 2004 as a way to encourage creativity and inspire young writers to develop their craft. The contest is sponsored by the MCCS with financial support from U.S. Cellular. Since its inception, the contest has garnered more than 2,200 entries from 160 high schools throughout Maine.

The contest rules and entry form are available online at: www.mccs.me.edu/writing.