Annual Writing Contest

Welcome to the Cisco Writers Club 50th Annual Writing Contest! Thank you for your interest. A few things to remember:

The contest opens June 1, 2026, and it closes at midnight (Central Time) on July 31, 2026. Entries must be unpublished as of May 1, 2026, and must be your original work. No AI submissions.

Please note word count limits, age restrictions, and formatting in our contest. You may enter by mail or online. There are different formatting rules for paper entries vs digital entries.

Our contest is judged blind for greater impartiality. Ensure your name is not anywhere on a paper entry or digital entry. That includes file names and embedded file properties.

Acceptable digital files are types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf, and wpd. If you enter online, 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 3, 2026, at the Myrtle Wilks Community Center (Big Dam Room), 1498 IH-20, Cisco. Bring your own cheering section!

Rules and Details

WHEN: Entries may be made from June 1, 2026, to midnight CST July 31, 2026.

WHO MAY ENTER: Anyone, anywhere! You do not have to be a Cisco Writers Club member. Judges may enter any category except the one they are judging. You must be 15 years or younger (born on or after August 1, 2010) to enter Adventures in Writing.

CASH AWARDS: $100, $50, $10, and $5 respectively will be given to judges’ determinations of first, second, third, and honorable mention at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, September 3, 2026, at the Myrtle Wilks Community Center (Big Dam Room), 1498 IH20, Cisco, Texas 76437. Additionally, the David Autry Sweepstakes Award is $250; ten other special awards are $50 each. We award noncash prizes only for Adventures in Writing. (Last year, it was a 15-minute loop around Cisco in a private airplane, followed by a pizza party!)

FEES: $5.00 per entry; none for Adventures in Writing

CATEGORIES AND MAXIMUM LENGTHS:

1. Poetry (humorous, rhymed, unrhymed) – 30 lines
2. Publication Briefs: Anecdotes (as in Reader’s Digest) – 200 words; Columns – 750 words
3. Articles (general, inspirational, nostalgic) – 2000 words
4. Short Stories: For Children 12 and under – 1200 words; General – 2500 words
5. Books (fiction, nonfiction) – Brief synopsis and first two chapters
6. Adventures in Writing – Any genre, 1000 words maximum (age limit: writers must be 15 or under)

SELECTED JUDGES, competent in their categories, will be asked, but not required, to critique entries.

MANUSCRIPTS must be your original work, unpublished as of May 1, 2026. No AI-written entries; submissions are subject to screening by AI-detection software. Submissions must be appropriate for a PG audience and contain no offensive, inappropriate, or illegal content. Works published online are considered published. Entries must not have placed first previously in this contest. Enter as often as you wish. Submit manuscripts electronically (see SUBMIT link below), or mail a crisp, clear, typed copy by midnight, July 31, 2026, CST.

FORMATTING: Use standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper, printed on one side only. Margins should be no less than one or more than two inches all around. Please use 12-point Arial, Times New Roman, or Verdana font. Double space prose; poetry may be single spaced. Make book synopses brief summaries, covering basic plot or theme and revealing the ending.

ANONYMITY: DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN YOUR MANUSCRIPT, FILE NAME, OR FILE PROPERTIES. (*See footnote.)

FIRST PAGE: In upper right corner, place the category and word or line count. Double space eight times to center title; double space twice more to begin manuscript, book synopsis, or first chapter page. (Center chapter heading two double spaces below book title.)

SUCCEEDING PAGES: Title and page number should appear in upper right corner.

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS are preferred and must be file type PDF, doc, docx, txt, rtf, or wpd. (Make sure your file extension matches one of the above.) Credit, debit, and PayPal are accepted through our secure third-party provider, Submittable.com.

PAPER SUBMISSIONS may be hand delivered or mailed WITH COVER SHEET (see below) and a check or money order (no cash) to Cisco Writers Club Contest, 2301 County Road 169, Cisco TX 76437. Fasten cover sheet and manuscript with a paper clip. DO NOT STAPLE ANYTHING. Mail FLAT (in a large envelope). If you cannot pick up your mailed entries at the September meeting, please included a self-addressed, stamped envelope so any prizes, comments, and your manuscripts can be returned to you after September 3rd.

COVER SHEET (for paper submissions only): In the upper left corner, put your name, address, telephone number, and email address (if any). If you are entering Category 6 (Adventures in Writing), also put your age. In the upper right corner, put the name of the category and word count if prose (except for books) or line count if poetry. In the middle of the page, center the title. DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON ANY OTHER PAGE.

NOTE: Paper entries will be converted to digital files for the judging process.

BY ENTERING THIS CONTEST, you grant permission for Cisco Writers Club to use your name, town, contest placement, and/or photograph in our publicity. We may also contact you by mail or email regarding future contests, workshops, or other opportunities. You may opt out at any time.

RETAIN A COPY of your manuscript(s) for your records. Note: While Cisco Writers Club exercises reasonable precautions, it is not responsible for lost or stolen material.

*To learn more, visit Microsoft support, or for OpenOffice, visit OpenOffice Wiki.

When you are ready to submit your entry online (between June 1, 2026, and midnight CST July 31, 2026), click to go to our Submittable page: SUBMIT