The Submission Deadline Has Passed for the Wisconsin People & Ideas / Wisconsin Book Festival 2010 Short Story and Poetry Contests
Wisconsin People & Ideas is the only quarterly magazine in the state that regularly highlights Wisconsin poetry and fiction and is the proud host of an annual poetry and short story contest. Annual contest winners will receive cash and publication in
Wisconsin People & Ideas. First-place winners will receive a one-week stay at
Edenfred creative arts residency in the Madison Highlands, courtesy of the Terry Family Foundation. Winners are also invited to read their work at the
Wisconsin Book Festival and at other local venues. The first-prize short story contest winner also receives a private manuscript review by a literary agent of national note.
About the Short Story Contest
Winners will receive prizes of $500 (first place), $250 (second place), and $100 (third place). Their works will be published serially beginning with the first-prize story in the summer issue of
Wisconsin People & Ideas. The first-place story will be reviewed by a noted literary agent, and the author will receive a one-week stay at Edenfred, a creative arts residency owned by the Terry Family Foundation.
About the Poetry Contest
Winners of the
Wisconsin People & Ideas / Wisconsin Book Festival Poetry Contest receive cash awards of $500 (first place, the John Lehman Poetry Award), $100 (second place), and $50 (third place). Winning poems by the top three winners appear in the spring 2009 issue of
Wisconsin People & Ideas, with 10 runners-up in the summer 2009 edition. The first-prize poet receives a one-week stay at Edenfred and a three-hour CD recording/editing session at Abella Studios.
The top three winners of both contests will be invited to read their work at a special event at the Wisconsin Book Festival. The
Wisconsin People & Ideas / Wisconsin Book Festival Short Story Contest is supported by the
Wisconsin Humanities Council, Avol's Bookstore, and Wisconsin Public Television.
CONTEST RULES
The deadline for both contests is December 15, 2009, at 5:00 pm. Submissions are no longer accepted.
Short Story
- Authors must reside in or attend school in Wisconsin.
- Stories must be between 2,500 and 5,000 words in length.
- Authors must submit three copies of a story (photocopies are fine).
- Each story must be accompanied by a $20 entry fee (non-Academy members) or $15 (Academy members, including those who join while submitting an entry) payable to Wisconsin People & Ideas Short Story Contest.
- Writers may submit more than one entry, but each story must be mailed in separately with its own cover letter (see Rule 9) and entry fee.
- Entries must be postmarked on or before December 15, 2009. Entries may be hand-delivered to the Wisconsin Academy (1922 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53726) by 5:00pm on December 15. Entries postmarked after the deadline will not be considered and the entry fee will be retained to cover handling.
- Previously published stories (online or in print) are not eligible.
- Each manuscript must be typed, double-spaced, in standard 10- or 12-point type. Each page must include the title of the story as a header. All pages must be numbered with both an individual page number and the total number of pages (e.g., Stormy Night, page 1/15, Stormy Night, page 2/15, Stormy Night, page 3/15, etc.).
- The author's name may not appear anywhere on the manuscript itself. The manuscript must be accompanied by a letter bearing the story title; the author's name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address (if available); and the story word count. Every contestant must be able to provide an electronic version of the story if needed, either on disk or via e-mail.
- Keep a copy of your manuscript. Manuscripts will be recycled, not returned. Do not send an SASE.
- Contest winners will be announced on www.wisconsinacademy.org and notified by the end of March 2010. The three winners will be published in the summer 2010, fall 2010, and winter 2011 issues of Wisconsin People & Ideas.
Poetry
- Poets must reside or attend school in Wisconsin.
- Poets may submit up to three poems per entry. No poem may be longer than one page.
- Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of $10 (non-Academy members) or $8 (Academy members, including those who join while submitting an entry), payable to the Wisconsin People & Ideas Poetry Contest.
- A poet may enter more than one submission of up to three poems each, but additional submissions must be accompanied by a separate entry fee and cover letter. (See Rule 7.)
- Contest deadline is December 15, 2009. Entries may be hand-delivered to the Wisconsin Academy (1922 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53726) by 5:00pm on December 15. Entries postmarked after the deadline will not be considered and the entry fee will be retained to cover handling.
- Previously published poems (online or in print) are not eligible. All work must be original. Any style or theme is welcome.
- The poet's name or address may not appear anywhere on the poems. Poems must be accompanied by a cover letter bearing the poem title/s, the poet's name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address (if available).
- Keep a copy of your poems. Entries will be recycled, not returned. Do not send an SASE.
- Contest winners will be announced on www.wisconsinacademy.org and notified by the end of February 2010. Top three winners will be published in the spring 2010 issue of Wisconsin People & Ideas, which appears at the end of March 2010, in time for National Poetry Month (April). Ten runners-up will be published in the summer and fall 2010 issues of the magazine.