2026 POETRY AND FICTION CONTEST WINNERS AWARDED
July 2026 Wisconsin People & Ideas Contest Winners Press Release
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters is proud to announce the winners of the 32nd annual Wisconsin People & Ideas poetry and fiction contests. This annual contest celebrates the state’s rich literary talent and supports established and emerging Wisconsin writers with cash prizes, publication, a five-day residency, and public readings.
2026 Poetry Winners and Finalists:
Winners:
First place: juj e lepe “Masculinity Study” (Madison)
Second place: Sam Niven “Low Tide” (Milwaukee)
Third place: Samantha Schoville “Why We Prayed” (Madison)
Honorable mention: Carly Davis “Reading Lorine Downriver” (Janesville)
Finalists:
Kassandra Palmer “Telepathy Practice” (Madison)
Jill Madden Melchoir “Dung Beetle Polka” (Green Bay)
Masarah Van Eyck “A Field Guide to the Birds” (Madison)
Carolyn Pralle “For Next Time” (Wisconsin Rapids)
Lynn Aprill “Dismantled” (Seymour)
Ryn Hintz “Women in Red at the Phillies” (Madison)
2026 Fiction Winners and Finalists:
Winners:
First place: Noreen McAuliffe “The End of the Apostrophe” (Madison)
Second place: David Heinen “Still Life” (Milwaukee)
Third place: Dan Lyksett “The River Waits” (Eau Claire)
Honorable mention: Scout September Holloway “Sleep Studies” (Madison)
Honorable mention: Allison Slavick “Balsam of Gilead” (Cable)
Finalists:
Jeff Oloizia “High Dive” (Madison)
Peter M. Sherrill “Back Then, Under the Lights” (Forestville)
Robert Russell “Split Shift” (Madison)
Todd Michael Cox “The Man in the Weeds” (Madison)
Timothy Walsh “Morning Glories and Dragonflies” (Madison)
Steve Fox “Otter Stone, Wolf Rock” (Hudson)
Exeter T. Stevens “Grandma Anne Would Approve” (Hartford)
Congratulations Winners and Finalists!
The winning poetry and fiction will be published by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters in Wisconsin People & Ideas magazines. Become a member to subscribe to WP&I to read the winners published in the coming issues.
First place contest winners also receive five days of room and board on the 2.5 acre campus of Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point, as well as $500 apiece. They will present at the Wisconsin Book Festival as part of a special reading on Wednesday, October 21st at 7PM at Madison Central Library.
“Wisconsin writers tell us that they appreciate these opportunities to participate and the chance of finding a statewide audience for their work,” says Erika Monroe-Kane, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Academy. “This year, our judging team included Wisconsin Poet Laureate Brenda Cárdenas and internationally beloved novelist Nickolas Butler, as well review committee members from writing communities around the state. They had the delightful but daunting task of reading an incredible number of submissions representing voices and perspectives that were fresh and interesting.”
In addition to the wonderful Brenda Cárdenas and Nickolas Butler, we would also like to thank the writing contest committee members who dedicated their time to reviewing all of the 2026 submissions.
2026 Poetry Review Committee
This year, 281 poets submitted work to the Wisconsin People & Ideas Poetry Contest. Thank you to Angela (Angie) Trudell Vasquez, Lalaina Chandanais, Kayla See, Emilie Lindemann, and Cathryn Cofell.
2026 Fiction Review Committee
This year, 175 writers submitted work to the Wisconsin People & Ideas Fiction Contest. Thank you to Chris Chambers, John Mulvihill, Eric Rasmussen, and Laura Anne Bird.
About the Contest
Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine has sponsored the premier annual poetry and fiction contest for Wisconsin writers since 1994. All contest judging is done blindly and the winning submissions are selected through criteria established by the individual judges, who serve for one year.
The 2027 window for submission opens January 15, 2027; deadline is March 31, 2027.
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