The ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø Humanities Department launched the Creative Writing Contest in 2018. The purpose of the annual ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø Creative Writing Contest is
- To offer opportunities for those interested in creative writing (poetry, short story, and memoir) to share their writing talent with others.
- To honor outstanding creative writing examples of prose and poetry.
- To celebrate literary talents of ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø students.
9th Annual ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø Creative Writing Contest
Open to current ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø Students.
CATEGORIES:
- Poetry (one primarily English language poem, any length, any form)
- Short Story or Memoir (one primarily English language prose story, 2,500 words max)
Submission deadline March 2, 2026, by 11:59 PM CST.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Work must be original. Any borrowed ideas or language must be appropriately acknowledged.
- One submission per participant, per category. Participants are allowed to submit to both categories.
- All entries must have one-inch margins and page numbers.
- Short stories, creative non-fiction, and poems may be spaced and arranged according to the author’s intent.
- Proofread work carefully for standard American English conventions.
- Submissions will be judged on originality of content, imaginative insight, sensitivity to language, development, control of formal elements (e.g. point of view, dialogue, etc.), style, and mechanics.
SUBMISSIONS:
Submit to Trey Jansen at tjansen@wc.edu
Attach the submission as a .docx or .rtf file. Identify the submission category in the subject line of the email; in the email body, identify yourself, your student ID number, the title of the work, and the total word count of your submission.
On the submission itself, include your student ID number as a header but no other identifying information. If submitting to more than one category, a separate email must be sent for each category. Your filename should be the title of the entry.
All participants agree to the use of their name and the title of their work in promotional materials, including the possibilities of winning entries being recognized at an event, on the internet, across social media, and/or in print/online publication.
Judges are part of the Humanities Department Faculty. Once the judging is complete, notifications will be sent by email. Winners will be announced before graduation in May 2026. Prizes vary but usualy include certificates, ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø swag, and ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø bookstore gift certificates.