The Wisconsin Writers Awards, established by the Council for Wisconsin Writers in 1964, have a new home with Art+Lit Laboratory (ALL). The eight categories include four awards for books, three awards for short-form works including short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, and one special prize for writing by a Wisconsin high school student. The awards celebrate works published in 2022 by Wisconsin writers.

This year’s judges are Harriet Brown, Alison Stine, Mark Turcotte, Michelle Houts, Dipika Mukherjee, Ed Kemmick, and Tara Betts. First-place winners will receive $500 and a one-week writer’s residency at Shake Rag Alley Center for Arts and Crafts in Mineral Point. Honorable mentions also receive a cash prize and a one-week stay at Painted Forest in Valton, WI.

Deadline for adult categories is January 31, 2023. The Young Writers Award deadline is May 20, 2023.

Winners for all categories will be announced at a reading and celebration on May 20, 2023 at ALL.

More information: https://artlitlab.org/wisconsin-writers-awards

Concrete poems, sometimes called shape poems, are poems written in a format that reflects the subject of the poem.  A poem about spring might take the shape of a kite, for example. For this exhibit we are looking for poems that have a visual as well as a verbal presence.

Send 1 or 2 concrete poems as attached PDF files to kserley@dwave.net. Put “Concrete Poem: your last name” in the subject heading. Include your name with the poem. Send your email address and street address in the body of the email. Due date is March 1, 2023. Selected poems will be printed on poster board and hung in CVA’s display window for the month of April to celebrate National Poetry Month.

The sijo is a traditional three-line Korean poetic form organized technically and thematically by line and syllable count. Using the sijo form, write one sijo poem in English on a topic of your choice. *Only one entry per applicant is permitted.

Eligibility: Current residents of Wisconsin

• Adult division (age 19 & older)

• Senior division (high school)

• Junior division (8th grade and younger)

Past winners of the Wisconsin Sijo Competition are not eligible.

Submission Deadline: January 16, 2023

Submit your sijo poem using our online portal

Prizes: 

• Adult division: Grand Prize ($400), two Runners-Up ($200 each)

• Senior division: Grand Prize ($300), two Runners-Up ($150 each)

• Junior division: Grand Prize ($200), two Runners-Up ($100 each)(The judges may decline to award a prize.)

The Wisconsin Writers Awards, established by the Council for Wisconsin Writers in 1964, have a new home with Art+Lit Laboratory (ALL). The eight categories include four awards for books, three awards for short-form works including short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, and one special prize for writing by a Wisconsin high school student. The awards celebrate works published in 2022 by Wisconsin writers.

This year’s judges are Harriet Brown, Alison Stine, Mark Turcotte, Michelle Houts, Dipika Mukherjee, Ed Kemmick, and Tara Betts. First-place winners will receive $500 and a one-week writer’s residency at Shake Rag Alley Center for Arts and Crafts in Mineral Point. Honorable mentions also receive a cash prize and a one-week stay at Painted Forest in Valton, WI.

Deadline for adult categories is January 31, 2023. The Young Writers Award deadline is May 20, 2023.

Winners for all categories will be announced at a reading and celebration on May 20, 2023 at ALL.

More information: https://artlitlab.org/wisconsin-writers-awards