2026 Writing Contest

Submissions close on Feb. 23, 2026. Sorry, Wisconsin residents only!

Contests this year

Submit your craft in one of the following contests:

YOUTH CONTEST

  • Must be 18 years old or younger.
  • Between 250-750 words
  • Fiction or non-fiction; any genre

SHORT STORY

  • Maximum 2,000 words
  • Fiction or non-fiction
  • Any genre

FLASH PROSE

  • Between 250-750 words
  • Fiction or non-fiction
  • Any genre

POETRY

  • Maximum 50 lines
  • any form, genre or style

Eligibility

  • Wisconsin resident OR
  • Wisconsin student OR
  • Registered participant of 2026 Lakefly Writers Conference*

*Members of the Lakefly Conference Planning Committee are NOT eligible to enter.

Winners

  • Prizes include: 1st place: $100; 2nd place: $75; 3rd place: $50 cash
  • Winners will be announced at the 2026 Lakefly Writers Conference, May 1 and 2, in Oshkosh. You do not need to be present to win.
  • Winners will receive their prize and certificate in the mail shortly after the conference.

Submitting your manuscript

Note: Please do not include identifying information, such as your name, on any page other than the cover page.

Entry information

  • Contest submissions will be accepted through Feb. 23, 2026.
  • Entries must be original and unpublished; Electronically or self-published works are ineligible.
  • There is no entry fee.
  • Limit one entry per author per category.
  • Entrants should include a biography written in third person, maximum 100 words.
  • Submissions will not be returned.

Formatting

  • Format: Double spaced; Times New Roman, or Courier; 12 point font
  • Cover page: name, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, submission title, word or line count, category
  • At the top of each subsequent page: title and page number
    (Example: The Dark Night, page 1 of 3)

Electronic Submissions

  • Send to: LakeflyContests@gmail.com
  • Attach your submission as a PDF file
  • Entries must be time stamped by midnight, Feb. 23, 2026

Mailed submissions

  • Mail to:
    Lakefly Writing Contests
    c/o Oshkosh Public Library
    106 Washington Avenue
    Oshkosh, WI 54901
  • Entries must be time stamp by midnight, Feb. 23, 2026

Send questions to lakeflycontests@gmail.com, or call the Oshkosh Public Library at 920-236-5203 and ask for Ruth.

 

Scroll to Top