Don’t let your writing sit in a dusty drawer… Share it with us!

Here at Missoula Public Library, we’re not just about books. We’re about writing too. January 9, 2012 marks the start of the library’s 4th annual writing contest. Entrants are encouraged to submit original works of writing no longer than 2,000 words, either fiction or nonfiction. There are four age categories in the contest: 8-10 years old; 11-14 years old; 15-18 years old; and 19 years old and over. Entries will be judged by professional writers, editors, and educators.

2012 Writing Contest Winners

Fiction 8-10
1st    Matilda Beltz, Wind-borne – Missoula, MT
2nd    Alexis Deden, Nashville – Missoula, MT
3rd    Carlie O’Keefe, Only a Dream – Owens Cross Roads, AL

Nonfiction 8-10
1st (tie)    Matilda Beltz, Nantucket: A Memoir of Summers with My Family in a Special Place – Missoula, MT and Zoe Wilson, The Blessings of Blizzard – Missoula, MT
3rd    Hanna Huang, My First Visit to the Eye Doctor – Missoula, MT

Fiction 11-14
1st    Danielle Dodge, No Greater Love – Missoula, MT
2nd    Anastasia Halfpap, The Angel of Mercy – Missoula, MT
3rd    Tessa Huston, The Monster in Me – Missoula, MT

Nonfiction 11-14
1st    Vanessa Kent, Overcoming Obstacles – St. Ignatius, MT
2nd    Anastasia Halfpap, Kiss Me – Missoula, MT
3rd    Danielle Dodge, Hope Uncompromised – Missoula, MT

Fiction 15-18
1st    Laura Vonessen, Damsel in Distress – Missoula, MT
2nd    Stephanie Uhlenbruck, The Ceremony – Missoula, MT
3rd    Katherine Hood, The Watcher, of the Good and the Bad – Condon, MT

Nonfiction 15-18
1st    Iris Olson, Suicide Daycare – Missoula, MT
2nd    Giacomo Ranieri, Towel Excursion – Missoula, MT

Fiction 19+
1st     Christy McDougall, Verzhin the Miserable – Missoula, MT
2nd    Luke Johnson, Leaping Lambies and Horse Feculence – Missoula, MT
3rd    Ismael Pallares, Jr., Blind – Missoula, MT

Nonfiction 19+
1st    Cathy Anderson, Becoming – Huson, MT
2nd    Emma Crowe, Drive, She Said; Drive, He Said  - Missoula, MT
3rd    Jack Shifflett, The Human Hunger – Missoula, MT

Submissions for the contest must be in by 5 p.m. on February 24. Winners will be notified in early April and a gala awards event recognizing the winners will be held Sunday, May 6 at the library. Prizes will be awarded in both the fiction and nonfiction categories in each age group. First place is $100; second place is $50; and third place is $25. Sponsors of the Missoula Public Library Writing Contest include a generous anonymous donor, Altrusa International, Inc. of Missoula, Boom Swagger Salon, and Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers. Winners’ names will be submitted to local newspapers and published on the Missoula Public Library Webpage. All entries will be bound in a copy available for check-out at the library. Last year’s writing contest entries are available for you to look at in the library.

Get a rules brochure and entry form online or pick them up at Missoula Public Library or any of its six branches.  For more information on the writing contest email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .