Creative Writing Contest Open to High School Writers

Do you think you might be the next Richard Wright? Or can channel your inner O’Connor with a flick of a pen? If so, you should enter your stories and poems for consideration in the Center for the Study of Southern Culture’s annual Eudora Welty Awards.

Students must be Mississippi residents. The competition is open to ninth through twelfth graders, and writing should be submitted through students’ high schools. Short stories should not exceed 3,000 words, and poetry should not exceed 100 lines. Winning students will be notified at least a month prior to award presentation. The first-place prize for each category is $500, and the second-place prize is $250. The winners will also be recognized at the opening of the 2019 Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference on the University campus in July.

Entry forms are available online at southernstudies.olemiss. edu. Click on the Academics tab, then click on High School – Eudora Welty Awards. Each entry should be accompanied by the entry form and postmarked by May 5, 2019. Faculty and staff from the Center for the Study of Southern Culture will judge the entries and select the winners. Application and submission requirements will be sent to all Mississippi public and private schools. If you know a Mississippi student currently enrolled in high school outside of the state or who is homeschooled, please e-mail rebeccac@olemiss.edu or call 662-915-3369 for a copy.

To see a list of past winners or to download the application, visit https://southernstudies.olemiss.edu/academics/high-school-eudora-welty-awards/.