Council for Wisconsin Writers Sponsors Contests

The Council for Wisconsin Writers (CWW) is accepting submissions and nominations for a number of contests as 2009 comes to a close and 2010 kicks off.

In one contest, CWW invites submissions of writing published in 2009 by Wisconsin authors in the following eight contest categories: book-length works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; short fiction and nonfiction; children’s literature; outdoor writing; and a set of five individual poems (two of which must have been published in 2009). The submission period closes on January 31, 2010, the postmark deadline. All submitters must be current residents of Wisconsin. An award of $500 and a weeklong residency at Edenfred, in Madison, will be made in each category. Entry fee is $15; out-of-state judges will make the selections.

The CWW also sponsors an Essay Award for Young Writers (1,500 word maximum) for Wisconsin high school student writers; there is no entry fee, and the award is $250 (for this year only, thanks to an anonymous donor; no residency is included). Members of the board will judge this contest, and the deadline is January 31, 2009.

Nominations are also open for the $500 Christopher Latham Sholes Award, recognizing a Wisconsin resident or organization for outstanding encouragement of Wisconsin writers.

Specific guidelines, entry forms, and important additional information are available on the Web site, http://www.wisconsinwriters.org, or by writing contest co-chair Marilyn L. Taylor, 2825 E. Newport Ave., Milwaukee 53211.