Welcome to the Cisco Writers Club 48th Annual Summer Contest! Thank you for your interest. A few things to remember:
Contest opens June 1, 2024, and closes July 31, 2024. Entries must be unpublished as of May 1, 2024, and must be your original work.
Our contest is judged "blind" for greater impartiality. Ensure your name is not anywhere in the digital document you are uploading. That includes the embedded file properties.
(You may enter our contest via mail or in person, but formatting differs slightly. Please refer to applicable contest rules.)
Acceptable file are types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf, and wpd. Make sure your file extension matches one of these.
Judges are volunteers. They will be asked but not required to comment on your manuscript.
Prizes will be awarded at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, September 5, 2024, at the Myrtle Wilks Community Center, 1498 IH-20, Cisco. Bring your own cheering section!
Limit 2,000 words.
No cover sheet, please; just complete all questions below. DO NOT include your name anywhere in the manuscript or the embedded file properties.
Use standard formatting. Please review the guidelines on our Contest page.
All Articles are judged together. Entries receiving a First, Second or Third could also, if applicable, receive one of the following Special awards:
The Vida Killion Highest ranked Article of General Interest ($50)
The Lou Prange Highest ranked Article of Inspiration ($50)
The Irene Wylie Highest ranked Article of Nostalgia ($50)
Fiction or nonfiction; submit Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 and a short (1-2 page) synopsis showing plot and outcome.
No cover sheet, please; just complete all questions below. DO NOT include your name anywhere in the manuscript. This includes the embedded file properties.
Use standard formatting. Please review the guidelines on our Contest page. State if your submission is Fiction or Non-Fiction.
All Books are judged together. Entries receiving a First, Second or Third could also, if applicable, receive one of the following Special awards:
The Mary Carey Highest ranked Fiction Book ($50)
The Lela Latch Lloyd Highest ranked Non-Fiction Book ($50)
Limit 30 lines.
No cover sheet, please; just complete all questions below. DO NOT include your name anywhere in the manuscript. This includes the embedded file properties.
Use standard formatting. Please review the guidelines on our Contest page.
All Poems are judged together, but advise if your entry is Humorous, Rhymed or Unrhymed. Entries receiving a First, Second or Third could also, if applicable, receive one of the following Special awards:
The Jasper Cook Highest Ranked Humorous Poetry ($50)
The Christine Reich Highest Ranked Rhymed Poetry ($50)
The Dr. Joe Stamey Highest ranked Unrhymed Poetry ($50)
Limit 200 words -- Anecdotes (like those in Reader's Digest®)
Limit 750 words -- Columns of General Interest
No cover sheet, please; just complete all questions below. DO NOT include your name anywhere in the manuscript. This includes the embedded file properties.
Use standard formatting. Please review the guidelines on our Contest page.
Anecdotes (like those in Reader's Digest®) and Columns of General Interest are judged together. The highest-ranking Column of General Interest, receiving at least a Third, will also receive the following Special award:
The Julia Worthy Highest ranked Column of General Interest ($50)
Limit 1,200 words -- Stories for Children 12 and under
Limit 2,500 words -- General
No cover sheet, please; just complete all questions below. DO NOT include your name anywhere in the manuscript. This includes the embedded file properties.
Use standard formatting. Specify whether your submission is for Children 12 and younger, or for General. Please review the guidelines on our Contest page. Please state whether your submission if for children or general audience.
All Stories are judged together. The highest-ranking
Story for Children 12 and under, receiving at least a Third, will also receive the following Special award:
The Viola Payne Highest Ranked Story for Children ($50)
Young writers, get excited: There's NO ENTRY FEE!! However, this is for young writers: You must have been born on or after August 1, 2008, to be eligible.
Your entry can be any genre, 1,000 words maximum.
No cover sheet, please; just complete all questions below. DO NOT include your name anywhere in the manuscript. This includes the embedded file properties.
Use standard formatting. Please review the guidelines on our Contest page.
DO put your age on the top right corner of the first page.
All Adventures in Writing entries are judged together. Noncash prizes only will be awarded. Last year the top three winners receive a VIP flight in a small private plane, followed by a picnic with the pilots and CWC members. Transportation to the airport (in Cisco, Texas) is not included.