Story Crossroads invites K–12 students (ages 5–18) from public, private, and homeschool settings worldwide to apply to tell stories at the Story Crossroads Summit & Festival. Youth performances take place Monday–Wednesday during the first week of May each year, with 33 in-person spots and 20+ virtual opportunities available. Applications are due annually by April 23.
Virtual and live options will be available for these performance opportunities.
Most live slots will be during the evenings of Monday-Wednesday, May 4-6 as well as morning of Tuesday, May 5, 2026. We will also – with permission – have some youth teller story videos premiered on Monday, May 4, 2026 through our Story Crossroads YouTube Channel.
School Representation:
- Each school district will determine which youth tellers will apply for the Festival. Email info@storycrossroads.org with the student’s name, grade, and school as well as guardian’s email and telephone number.
- Each district-level storytelling festival is allotted a prorated number of performance time slots in the Festival.
- Any other Salt Lake County or Utah County district has slots that vary depending on applicant scores given by our Board.
- Public schools outside Salt Lake County or Utah County as well as private, charter, and home schools are considered collectively and also allotted performance time slots based on applicant scores given by our Board.
- Each time slot represents one story told by a single student or two students in tandem.
- Festival slots for youth are on Monday-Wednesday of the 1st week of May each year.
Storytelling Preparation:
- It is the responsibility of the school and the parents to help the student select and prepare a story for the Festival. These stories must be family-friendly and appropriate for elementary through secondary grades.
- Youth should receive a minimum of 6-8 hours of development of crafting and performing tales. See the free lesson plans already available representing 6 hours plus assuming at least 2 hours of telling and being coached. This can be done as an individual, class, school, or district. For ready-made storytelling lesson plans, visit https://storycrossroads.org/teaching-story/ or email info@storycrossroads.org. “Storytelling Basics in 8 Hours” through Story Crossroads Academy, a self-led storytelling course, as an option here: http://storycrossroads.org/FreeWorkshops.
- Youth will be telling to audiences of 50 to 300+ people at the Festival or 1000+ due to virtual options. To prepare, youth should have the opportunity to present their stories to as many audiences as possible (e.g. classes, organizations, or clubs).
Storytelling Requirements:
- Story Crossroads is about the art of oral or signed storytelling. As such, do not read the story.
- Stories have a 3-6-minute time limit.
- Story performances (such as skits) do not qualify.
- Stories shared in other languages (e.g. Spanish, American Sign Language) are highly favored.
- Music, dance, or other art forms may be incorporated, provided storytelling is the primary focus. Any props should be minimal.
- Stories may be original or retold. For retold stories, credit must be given to the author or original teller. Tellers are required to receive permission to tell a published story.
- Avoid stories from picture books. Stories without pictures encourage creativity rather than recitation.
Application and Acceptance Details:
- The application deadline is April 23, 2026.
Guardian(s) will complete the online application at https://tinyurl.com/YouthTellerapp-liveORvirtual. Youth selected through district-level festivals are not required to submit video. Video auditions are reviewed by the Story Crossroads Board. Applicants will be informed of acceptance via email no later than April 26, 2026.
info@storycrossroads.org • storycrossroads.org • 801-870-5799