Art Lit Lab

The Wisconsin Writers Awards are judged by a writing professional who resides outside the state (see judge info on individual award pages). All full-length book awards are accompanied by a prize of $1,000, all other awards are accompanied by a prize of $500.

Must be from Wisconsin: which is defined as a current resident of Wisconsin OR someone who has lived in Wisconsin for five or more years. 

All submissions for categories except the Lorine Niedecker Poetry Award (partially) must be published works. These works may be traditionally published or self-published by the author either in print or electronic form. Work published on a personal blog or personal website, however, will not satisfy the publication requirement.

Entries must have been published in the contest year. The publication date, not the copyright date, determines eligibility. (A work is published when it first appears in print and is made available to the public.)

A winner may not submit in the same category two years in succession.

Wisconsin Writers Awards

Norbert Blei/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award

Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award

Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award

Zona Gale Short Fiction Award

Kay W. Levin Short Nonfiction Award

For a group of five poems, one of which must be published in a literary journal or anthology in the contest year. Four of the five poems may be unpublished, self-published, appear in locally produced broadsides, or published this year or in a prior year.

Wisconsin Writers Awards

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