The Wisconsin People & Ideas Fiction Contest

2026 Submissions: CLOSED

The 2027 window for submission opens January 15, 2027; deadline is March 31, 2027.

Eligibility 

• Authors must be age 18 or older and reside or attend school in Wisconsin.
• All submissions must be original and previously unpublished work. Authors attest that they are the sole authors of the work and that AI was not implemented in its creation. 

• Current Wisconsin Academy staff, board, and Foundation board members are not eligible. If you have questions about eligibility, please be in touch: [email protected].
   

Fiction Guidelines

• Submissions must be fewer than 6,000 words.
• Cover page must include
  
  1. story title
  2. word count
  3. author's name
  4. address
  5. phone number
  6. email address 
• Fiction manuscript must be typed and double-spaced with 1” margins using a 12-point, clearly readable font. For example: Times New Roman, Garamond, etc.) 
• Please number pages and include a header on each page with the title of the story. Do not include your name on the manuscript.
• Only include one story per entry. You may submit multiple entries - each additional entry requires additional contest fees.
• All submissions are judged anonymously. 

Thank you to everyone who participated this year. We look forward to receiving your submission for the 2027 Wisconsin People & Ideas Writing Contest.

Thank you to our sponsors!