Time is almost up for the aliens.

Or at the very least, time is almost up for children and teens to write about aliens as they vie for prizes in Junior Dispatch's short story contest.

The creative writing contest, which asks children up to age 18 to write a short piece of fiction about aliens, ends on Aug. 1. Prizes are available in three age categories -- 7 and under, 8 to 12 and 13 to 18.

In each category, young writers can place in first through third. First-place winners earn a $50 Regal Cinemas gift card and a $50 gift certificate from the York Emporium. Second place earns a $20 Regal card and $20 from the York Emporium. Third place winners get $10 from both.

All the contest entries are being put online at juniordispatch.com in its "Special Events" section. Junior Dispatch is a website for kids created by The York Dispatch. Junior Dispatch also features daily updates of kid-friendly news, videos and event announcements. Kids can also find games, coloring pages and reading projects at the site.

The York Emporium, 343 W. Market St. in York, is a used bookstore that features thousands of titles.

For more details on the contest, visit juniordispatch.com 's contest page here.