2026 WP&I Fiction Contest

Entry fee: $10 Academy members / $15 non-members

Entry deadline: March 31, 2026

First-place winners of the Wisconsin People & Ideas Poetry Contest will receive a one-week artist residency at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point. Winners will receive $500 (first place), $250 (second place), and $100 (third place) and read their work at the 2025 Wisconsin Book Festival. First- through third-place winning poems will also be published in print and online issues of Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine. 

Eligibility

Poets must be age 18 or older and reside or attend school in Wisconsin. All submissions must be original and previously unpublished. One entry consists of up to 3 poems. You may submit more than one entry; each entry must include its own cover page and entry fee.

Current Wisconsin Academy staff, board, and Foundation board members are not eligible. 

Submission Guidelines

• Cover page with: poem titles, author's name, address, phone number, email address
• Typed, single-spaced, one (1) poem per page, up to three (3) poems
• 12-point serif typeface (Times New Roman, Garamond, etc.) 
• 1” margins 
• 45 lines maximum per poem
• Do not include your name on the manuscript pages. 

Electronic Submissions

Electronic submissions (and judging) will be managed via AirTable. After registering, participants in the contest will receive a link to submit their entry.