Missoula Writes
The 18th annual contest will kick off in January 2026.
2026 Official Rules
Please read the rules and follow them closely. Double check your work before submitting. Please call us at (406)721-2665 or contact the Reference Department at refdesk@missoulapubliclibrary.org with any questions regarding Missoula Writes.
Eligibility
- Open to all full-year and part-year residents of Montana
- One entry per category per age group. Categories are fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Age groups are 8-10, 11-14, 15-18, and 19+
- Must be an original work not previously published; no pseudonyms; plagiarism results in disqualification
- Author’s name must not appear anywhere on the entry or in the file name
Deadlines
- Review Deadline: All entries submitted by 5 PM, Sunday, February 1, 2026 will be reviewed for formatting compliance. Contestants will then have until the final deadline to resolve any issues and resubmit their work, if needed.
- Final Deadline: 5 PM, Sunday, February 15, 2026
Submission Process
- Submit entries electronically via Submittable.
- Entries will be judged by professional writers, editors, educators, librarians, and booksellers
- Winners will be notified in late March/early April
- Awards Reception details will be announced at a later date
- Prize checks will be awarded in each category for each age group: 1st Place - $100, 2nd Place - $50, 3rd Place - $25. Winners must provide their Social Security Number in order to receive a prize check; otherwise, the prize will be issued as a Missoula Downtown Association gift card.
- Winners’ names will be submitted to the local newspapers and published on the various Missoula Public Library social networking sites and our own webpage
Entry Format
- Prescribed formatting MUST BE FOLLOWED in order to qualify!
- Entries must be in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format
- Entry must be typewritten and double-spaced (poems may be single-spaced).
- Use an easy to read font; do not use ALL CAPS, cursive, or bold fonts
- Please do not number the pages
- Fiction and non-fiction entries must be 2,000 words or fewer; poetry entries may be one original work of no more than 3 pages
- Entry must be self-contained (i.e. not a single chapter from a longer story, an excerpt, or a story that is ‘to be continued’)
- Do not include the author’s name anywhere on the entry
- Entry must be uploaded and submitted electronically
For assistance with uploading an entry please contact the Reference Department at refdesk@missoulapubliclibrary.org.
Attention teachers and parents. If you are encouraging children to submit an entry, please stress to them the importance of following the entry format and submission guidelines. To avoid disqualification, review their entries prior to submission.
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