2020 Teen Writing Contest

Short Story Contest Rules:

The short story contest is open to 6th – 12th graders who live or go to school in Shorewood, WI. Submissions are due Monday, March 9th, 2020 and must be original works of no more than 3,500 words. They must be typed in 12 point font and double spaced. Stories can be submitted electronically to splteen@mcfls.org or in person to a librarian at the Shorewood Public Library (3920 N Murray Ave., Shorewood, WI). All entries must include a title page with the author’s first and last name, grade, school and contact information (phone number or e-mail). If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Quintero at splteen@mcfls.org. Only one entry per category will be accepted per contestant.

Poetry Contest Rules:

The poetry contest is open to 6th-12th graders who live or go to school in Shorewood, WI. Submissions are due Monday, March 9th, 2020 and must be original works. They must be typed in 12 point font and double spaced. Poems can be submitted electronically to splteen@mcfls.org or in person to a librarian at the Shorewood Public Library (3920 N Murray Ave., Shorewood, WI). All entries must include a title page with the author’s first and last name, grade, school and contact information (phone number or e-mail). If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Quintero at splteen@mcfls.org. Only one entry per category will be accepted per contestant.

Winners will be announced Monday, April 6th, 2020

Contest Judges

Dan Agacki started his literary journey penning lyrics for his fake band in elementary school. Throughout high school and college he worked on school newspapers. Eventually, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing from UW-Milwaukee. In the past he has contributed to Furrow Literary Journal, Punk Planet, Third Coast Digest, and other local publications. Currently he is freelancing for The Shepherd Express, Milwaukee Record, and Explain.news. 

Kavon Cortez-Jones was born on September 26th, 1994 in a city he calls, Paris of the Midwest. He is a Milwaukee homegrown Renaissance poet and storyteller who grew up in all around Milwaukee. Young Kavon was inspired to write poetry in 7th grade thanks to local mentors Kwabena Nixon and Muhibb Dyer. They performed at his school when he was 13-years-old, and wowed a gymnasium full of angsty-hormonal teenagers with poetic storytelling. Their stories touched on subjects such as losing loved ones to gun violence to jumping rope, particularly Double-Dutch as a lost art form. Lupe Fiasco’s Superstar, a 2007 hit song around the time was another catalyst to indulge him into the scribe culture.

Liza Wiemer is the author of the upcoming YA contemporary novel, The Assignment, Delacorte Press, 2020. Her debut YA, Hello?, was a Goodreads Best Book of the Month. The author of two non-fiction books, Liza had short stories included in the New York Times Bestselling Small Miracles Series. She's an award-winning educator with a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Although she no longer has her own classroom, Liza loves traveling around the globe speaking and conducting workshops for students of all ages. She loves crazy socks, rooftops, the Green Bay Packers, and is the mother of two sons and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband. For more info: lizawiemer.com

Prizes

1st place for each category: $50 gift card

2nd place for each category: $25 gift card