Writing Contests

POETRY

• Maximum 75 lines
  
• Any form, genre, or style

SHORT STORY

• Maximum 3,000 words
  
• Fiction genre
  

SHORT STORY
(18 and younger)

• Maximum 2,000 words
  
• Fiction genre
  
• Open to 18 years old and younger

PERSONAL ESSAY

• Maximum 2,500 words
  
• Non-fiction genre
  

Eligibility:

• Wisconsin resident OR
• Wisconsin student OR
• Registered participant of 2023 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 2023 Lakefly Writers Conference, May 5-6 in Oshkosh.
• Winners will receive their prize and certificate in the mail shortly after the conference.
• A PDF of the winning entries will be available on the Lakefly website after the conference.

• Contest submissions will be accepted January 15, 2023 through March 3, 2023.
• Entries must be original and unpublished; Electronically or self-published works are ineligible.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. If entering the Short Story Contest for 18 and younger please include your age and grade level.
• Submissions will not be returned.
  

• 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, March 3, 2023

Mailed submissions:

• Mail to:
  Lakefly Writing Contests
  c/o Oshkosh Public Library
  106 Washington Avenue
  Oshkosh, WI 54901
• Entries must be postmarked by midnight, March 3, 2023