Berkshire Athenaeum Announces Annual Short Story Contest

08:27AM / Tuesday, June 16, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield's Public Library, and the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum announced the launch of the 48th Annual Short Story Writing Contest for Children and the 29th Annual Short Story Writing Contest for Young Adults.

The contest is officially open, and submissions will be accepted through 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026.

Open to ages 6 to 18, young writers throughout the community are invited to put their imaginations to work, craft original stories, and share their unique perspectives through the written word, stated a press release.

"Every year, we're amazed by the creativity, imagination, and talent displayed by our young writers," said Sara Russell-Scholl, youth services supervisor. "This contest gives children and teens an opportunity to express themselves, build confidence in their writing, and discover the power of storytelling. We look forward to celebrating the incredible voices that emerge from our community this summer."

The Library welcomes submissions through several convenient options. Entries may be delivered in person, mailed to Berkshire Athenaeum, ATTN: Short Story Contest, One Wendell Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201, or submitted by email: Children's entries should be sent to childrens@pittsfieldlibrary.org, while Young Adult entries should be emailed to youngadult@pittsfieldlibrary.org.

For complete contest rules, guidelines, and submission details, visit www.pittsfieldlibrary.org, email childrens@pittsfieldlibrary.org with "Short Story Contest" in the subject line, or call the Children's Library at (413) 499-9480, option 5.

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15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports11:35AM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifteen people were displaced after 2-alarm home fires this weekend on Springside Avenue and Elaine Drive.

On Friday evening, the Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 209 Springside Ave., which took a four-hour battle to extinguish and resulted in a partial roof collapse. The next day, on Saturday evening, crews knocked down a fire at 121 Elaine Drive in about an hour.

The garage and part of the single-family home on Elaine Drive were gutted to the frame, along with a vehicle parked in the driveway. On Springside Avenue, the top level and porch of the multifamily were burned through.

A GoFundMe has been started for the family of the Elaine Drive home, which includes several young children. The fundraiser, with a $5,500 goal, explains they lost their home and all of their belongings. (iBerkshires.com does not confirm or endorse fundraisers; they are provided as information only.)

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries, and both incidents are under investigation. One dog was rescued on Springside Avenue.

On Oct. 10, around 6:15 p.m., PFD responded to the Springside Avenue home for a reported structure fire and saw a 2 1/2-story wood frame multifamily with a heavy blaze showing from the second-floor front porch, extending out.

The building suffered a partial roof collapse, which prolonged extinguishment. The fire was brought under control after about four hours.

“An aggressive offensive attack was mounted by first arriving crews stretching hose lines into the building as well as primary searches that proved negative. Ladders were placed around the structure to provide access as well as escape if needed. An off-duty Fire Captain had also been on scene early in the incident to help evacuate the structure and rescue a dog,” PFD wrote in a press release.

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