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First Annual Creative Writing Contest Announced

When is a good time to write?  Anytime!  So why not now? Mineral Area Council on the Arts announces its First Annual Creative Writing Contest.  MACOA has been making plans for this new event for several months, and now is the time to get the word out!

The theme for the Creative Writing Contest is “The Journey”.  All entries must relate to this theme.

The contest is open to two distinct groups from the MACOA service region which includes Iron, Madison, Perry, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, and Washington Counties in the state of Missouri.  Group number one is open to high school students who will be in the 10th – 12th grades in the 2020-2021 academic year.  One winner will be chosen from the high school group in each of these three categories:  poetry, short story, and essay.  Group number two is open to all other adults.  Likewise, one winner will be chosen from the adult group in each of these three categories:  poetry, short story, and essay.

Please see the official guidelines for more information and word limitations.  The six winning entries will receive a cash award and be given a public reading at ColJac Artisan Café on October 17, 2020.  Winning entries will be published on the MACOA website.  In addition to these six winning entries, one overall winner will be chosen.  The overall winner’s entry will receive the previous listed accolades and will also receive the honor of being published in the “Daily Journal”.

Entries will be accepted August 3 – September 30, 2020 by email at MACOACreativeWriting@MineralArea.edu or by mail at MACOA, P.O. Box 1000, Park Hills, MO 63601.

MACOA wants to support the literary arts in our area just as it does other fields of the arts.  We hope the writers out there will spend some quarantine time and summer free time writing.  We have had great support from the Mineral Area College English department and local published authors in planning this event and establishing the guidelines. We expect to receive many high quality entries!

Official entry forms and guidelines are accessible here.

Creative Writing Contest Entry Form

Creative Writing Contest Guidelines