Wisconsin Writers Association

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Contest Entry Dates: June 1, 2016 - August 1, 2026

Eligibility:

Contest is open to anyone writing in English, age 18 or older
Original unpublished submissions (“published” includes in print, digital, or online-- including blogs or social media) AND not accepted for publication elsewhere at the time of submission.
Human generated: Use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create the manuscript is strictly prohibited.
May not have previously placed in the Jade Ring contest.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed; please be aware, however, that WWA reserves the right to publish all placing entries. (If a different publication requires first or exclusive publishing rights, they should be made aware of our intention to publish your piece—which may supersede their publication.)
Please do not include gratuitous cursing, explicit violence (especially sexual in nature), or hate speech.
WWA reserves the right to cancel any category that does not meet the minimum level of entries, in which case fees will be refunded.

Questions

Submission Guidelines:*

Submission portal: Duosuma account required. Online submissions and payments only.

Fees to enter:

Member fee: $20
Non-member fee: $30
Optional additional fee for paid critique by the judge: $20

Manuscript Format Requirements*

Blind judging: Author name may not appear anywhere on the manuscript or in the document name.
Word document: 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, paginate
Text only
To name your document:

Title(underline)category (e.g.; TaleofTwoCities_fiction.doc) or Title_category_critique, if you are purchasing a paid critique option (e.g.; TaleofTwoCities_fiction_critique.doc);
For poetry, as many titles as submitted, complete title of first poem, and, as applicable, the first word (after 'the', 'a', etc.) of the title of the second and third poems, (e.g., MerryWives_Rain_Pretty_poetry.doc, or Merrywives_Rain_Pretty_poetry_critique.doc).

Additional formatting information

	Prose	Poetry
Heading at the top of page 1	Title Word Count	Title of individual poem
Length max	2,000 words	Up to 3 separate poems Each poem must fit on one page (see font size/margin guidelines above)
Spacing	Double	Single

*Entries that fail to follow guidelines will be disqualified, no refund.

Publication Rights:

Entrants automatically grant WWA one-time rights to publish the work (should it win or place) in Creative Wisconsin magazine. If you do not wish your piece to be published in our magazine, do not enter the contest.
Editors of Creative Wisconsin magazine will copy edit winning entries prior to publication.

Awards Announcement/Ceremony:

Winners and placers will be informed of their status prior to the public announcement of awards at the Jade Ring banquet on Fri. Oct 23, 2026, Manitowoc, WI. Jade Ring 1^st Place Winners are invited to read 3-5 minutes of their winning piece at the banquet (optional). The signup link will be made available prior to the conference.

Paid critiques will be emailed in mid-October.

Prizes:

First Place (in each category)

Jade Ring
$250 cash
Publication in Creative Wisconsin magazine.
One-week residency at Write On, Door County in 2026, https://writeondoorcounty.org/residency/ to be scheduled. (The residency does not include travel or meal expenses.)

Second Place (in each category)

$200 cash
Publication in Creative Wisconsin magazine

Third Place (in each category)

$150 cash
Publication in Creative Wisconsin magazine.

Honorable Mention (up to three in each category, per judge’s prerogative)

One year membership (or gift card for lifetime members) to WWA
Publication in Creative Wisconsin magazine

Special note: Please add contest@wiwrite.org to your contact list to ensure timely emails that do not disappear into spam or junk folders.

Meet the Judges

Non-Fiction - Janet Burroway

Janet is the author of poems, plays, essays, children’s books, and nine novels including THE BUZZARDS, RAW SILK, OPENING NIGHTS, CUTTING STONE (all Notable Books of New York Times Book Review) and the new SIMONE IN PIECES (University of Wisconsin Press, 2025), which the New York Times Book Review called "dazzling" and "slyly eloquent." Her WRITING FICTION is now in its tenth edition and IMAGINATIVE WRITING in its fifth. She is Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Emerita at the Florida State University and winner of the Florida Humanities Lifetime Achievement Award.

https://janetburroway.com/

Fiction - Sandra J Scofield

Sandra is the author of eight novels, a book of short stories, a chapbook, and two memoirs. Her book BEYOND DESERVING was a finalist for the National Book Award. She was one of the founding faculty for both the Iowa University Summer Writing Program (20 years) and the Solstice MFA Program (19 years). Her THE SCENE BOOK and THE LAST DRAFT are enduring craft books for fiction writers. She lives in Missoula, Montana in a multigenerational household. Sandra is also a painter.

Poetry - Cathy Cultice Lentes

Cathy is a poet, essayist, and children’s writer. She has been writing and publishing since the age of eight when her first poem appeared in a small-town Ohio newspaper. Cathy’s work appears in various literary journals, magazines, and anthologies including EVERY RIVER ON EARTH: WRITING FROM APPALACHIAN OHIO (Ohio University Press, 2015), QUARRIED: THREE DECADES OF PINE MOUNTAIN SAND & GRAVEL (Dos Madres Press, 2015), and I THOUGHT I HEART A CARDINAL SING, OHIO’S APPALACHIAN VOICES (Sheila- Na-Gig Editions, 2022). In 2003, Ohio community and state officials recognized her as a Woman Making a Difference in the Arts. Cathy is a 2013 graduate of the Solstice MFA Program, and the author of GETTING THE MAIL (Finishing Line Press, 2016) and co-author with poet, Wendy McVicker, of STRONGER WHEN WE TOUCH (The Orchard Street Press, 2023).

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