It is that time of year! The Lafayette Public Library is now accepting submissions for the 2018 Writes of Spring writing contest, an annual competition aimed at fostering creative writing among our area’s youth. All entries are due by Thursday, March 29, 2018.

The contest is open to students in grades K – 12 who reside in Lafayette or in the surrounding parishes: Acadia, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin and Vermilion. Students may submit their own original unpublished work (in English or in French) in only one of the following genres: short fiction, nonfiction, drama or poetry. One entry per student will be accepted. Submissions should be double-spaced with 12-point font.

This year, all students are encouraged to enter the writing contest using the online entry/submission form at LafayettePublicLibrary.org. Paper (non-digital) submissions will be accepted from students in grades K – 6 only, and can be dropped off at any Lafayette Public Library branch. All other eligible students (7 – 12 grad) are required to submit their entry electronically using the online form, which is a Google Docs form and requires the use of a Gmail account.

First, second and third place winners will be notified in late April before the awards ceremonies in early May. This contest is a collaboration of the Acadiana Writers Project, Sigma Tau Delta of UL Lafayette and the Lafayette Public Library.

For more details about the writing contest and for links to the entry forms, visit LafayettePublicLibrary.org.

Genre Submission Guidelines (see entry form for complete guidelines)
Poetry – 1-3 poems, 100 lines total
Fiction – K-6 graders: max. 750 words; 7-12 graders: max. 1500 words
Nonfiction – K-6 graders: max. 750 words; 7-12 graders: max. 1500 words
Drama/Screenplay – high school students only: max 1500 words