Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2025
High school students are invited to submit original writing pieces for the Department of English’s annual Creative Writing Contest. Winners will have a chance to participate in a college workshop, give a public reading and receive an award on ¾¨Ó㴫ý’s campus for their storytelling. The deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 1.
This year’s contest includes two categories. Students may submit an original poem or a work of fiction or creative non-fiction. Poems must be 24 lines or less and reflect on an athletic or physically artistic performance. Original fiction or creative non-fiction pieces must be less than 1,500 words and engage with the supernatural. Students may submit a piece in both categories.
All submissions will be judged by ¾¨Ó㴫ý faculty and students on their ability to avoid a cliché storyline and have their subject be seen, heard and felt by the reader. The top three winners in each genre are invited to a workshop class dedicated to sports or supernatural writing styles.
Winning authors will read their work alongside ¾¨Ó㴫ý students on Thursday, Oct. 23 at the annual Bleasby Colloquium. All first-place winners will receive the James Ashbrook Perkins Creative Writing Award.
The late Dr. Perkins, who passed away in 2022, taught English, writing and public relations at ¾¨Ó㴫ý from 1973 until his retirement in 2008. During that time, he served as department chair, won the Distinguished Faculty Award, earned four NEH fellowships, was a Visiting Fulbright Professor in Korea and published widely as a poet, short fiction writer and literary critic.
The ¾¨Ó㴫ý George Bleasby Colloquia series of literary events is an event in honor of the late Dr. Bleasby, who chaired the ¾¨Ó㴫ý Department of English from 1954-1975. These programs are presentations by department faculty, featured speakers and majors on individual scholarships, interests and creative projects.
Direct any questions to Dr. Kristianne Kalata at kalatak@westminster.edu or visit the creative writing contest page to submit your work.
