Creative Writing Festival

$50    Students/Teacher with submission*

$40     Students/Teachers without submissions*

Students who do not wish to submit a manuscript for evaluation in a workshop are still welcome to attend the Festival. These students are encouraged to participate in discussions of the work being considered in the various workshops. Students may not submit a manuscript for evaluation if they do not attend the Festival. Please submit one check from the school or adviser to cover all students attending.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Creative Writing Program and College of Letters & Sciences has funds to help eligible schools with transportation costs and student registration fees on a need-based basis. If you or your program is looking for assistance of this kind, please contact the directors of the Creative Writing Festival, Professor Barrett Swanson (swansobe@uww.edu) and Professor Nicholas Gulig (gulign@uww.edu), for more information.

*See payment options available below.

For the Students
Workshops are designed for students in grades 9-12.
Students' work will be discussed in assigned workshops.
Workshops are limited, and student writers will be assigned in advance to the workshop in which their work is critiqued.
Non-submitting participants may attend any session.
Each submission will be carefully read and considered.
A professional writer will make written comments on the original manuscript.

The schedule designating the workshop assigned and meeting link will be available via the link in your registration confirmation, one day before the event.
Note: Because of the great number of entries in some categories such as poetry, our faculty cannot always discuss every work submitted.

For the Teachers
UW-Whitewater staff members and visiting writers will coordinate special teachers' writing workshops to be held concurrently with the students' workshop. Offerings are subject to interest and facilitator availability. Teachers who wish to submit their own work for consideration in a Teachers Writing Workshop should submit their work by the submission deadline.

At the final step of registration, you may make payment by check or credit card. Learn more about balance due dates.

A 2.85% surcharge applies to all credit/debit card payments to cover processing fees. Payment by check is exempt. Checks should be made payable to "UW-Whitewater" and mailed to:

UW-Whitewater Camps and Conferences
800 West Main Street, Andersen Library Room 2124
Whitewater, WI 53190

Payment Deadline & Policy
Full payment is due 21 days prior to the event start date. Registrants with outstanding balances after this deadline may be removed from the event roster without a refund. If there are extenuating circumstances affecting payment, please contact Continuing Education Services at cesevents@uww.edu before the deadline.

All registration fees must be paid in full 21 days prior to the event start date. Registrants with unpaid balances after this deadline may be removed from the roster without a refund. If you anticipate payment issues due to extenuating circumstances, please contact Continuing Education Services at cesevents@uww.edu before the deadline.

No refunds are available for this event. All cancellation requests must be submitted to cesevents@uww.edu.

We reserve the right to cancel any event for any reason. In such cases, all fees paid will be refunded.

Your online registration and payment are always safe and secure. We accept MasterCard and Visa credit card payments in our online registration system. We will NOT accept credit card payments over the phone. We will accept checks made out to "UW-Whitewater" and mailed to UW-Whitewater Camps and Conferences, 800 West Main Street, Room 2124 Andersen Library, Whitewater WI 53190.

Confirmation Emails
Once you register to attend an event (including waitlisted), a confirmation email will be sent to the email address you registered with. Contact cesevents@uww.edu if you do not receive this confirmation email. You must have a working email address on file with us to be able to receive important announcements and updates about this event.

For participants who will be receiving a sponsorship to attend this event, please follow these steps to redeem your sponsorship:

• Register for the event and use the promo code provided by your sponsor during checkout.
• The sponsorship amount will be deducted from your invoice. Any remaining balance will be the participant's responsibility.
• If you need to cancel your registration, please note that the sponsorship funds will be returned to the supporting organization.

Please note that any qualifying discounts given by the event will not be applied after you have paid in full. Be sure to use the promo code during checkout to receive your discount. You will be charged if you do not qualify for the requested discount at the start of the event.

If a refund is issued due to overpayment on your account, a processing fee will be assessed.

If you have received an award or scholarship without a promo code or want to use two promo codes, please call Continuing Education Services at 262-472-3165 or email cesevents@uww.edu before registering to avoid overpayment fees.

Want to Sponsor a Registrant?
If you would like to sponsor a registrant and cover all or partial fees, you can request a promo code to give to your chosen registrant. Get more information about sponsoring a registrant.

By registering for an event, you agree to our Registration Terms and Conditions. UW-Whitewater will hold all registrants responsible for their conduct. Serious misconduct or disruption will lead to immediate dismissal from event. Registrants dismissed from the event will not receive a refund. Please review the Terms and Conditions for more details.

Be aware that we recommend that all portable electronic devices be left at home, but ultimately it is your decision. We know that parents and children value the ability to be able to call each other at a moment's notice. For that reason, we do not prohibit cell phones at camp, but ask that cell phone use does not interfere with the event and other participants. Parents are responsible for setting clear guidelines for cell use with their child. We will not be responsible for any lost or stolen items.

Children's Literature (CL)

• Kate Holthe, Sorry, But — Outstanding
• Rosie Hall, The Buddy Bench — Superior
• Malia Matthias, Never a Happy Ending — Distinguished
• Chesta Singh Bisht, Untitled — Distinguished

Drama/Screenplay (DR)

• Collin Narens, Doors — Outstanding

Essay Expository (EE)

• Athena Gregerson, Beautiful Enough — Outstanding
• Eternity Hopper, A Meteor in My Sky — Distinguished

Essay Personal (EP)

• Isaiah Hamdorf, The Meaning of Education — Outstanding
• Makayla Robelia, Pumped Up Kicks: The Song We Skip Before We Enter the School Building — Superior
• Christopher Quick, The American Sleep Crisis — Distinguished
• Kyle Henderson, Education: A Walk Through Life — Distinguished

Fan Fiction/Science Fiction/Fantasy (FS)

• Quince Clark, Apathy — Superior
• Madiha Bhimani, Finding Annalise — Distinguished
• May Holcomb, Glass Rain — Distinguished

Horror & Mystery (HM)

• Lauren Forbush, The Woods — Outstanding

Poetry (P)

• Sophia Pan, Triptych for How I Open — Outstanding
• Elysia Lee, Hmong Daughter — Outstanding
• Grace Miller, Time Flies & Good Person — Superior
• Cass Stadler, Candles — Distinguished
• Mila Quarles-Pierce, I Am From — Distinguished

Prose Poem/Flash Fiction (PF)

• Camila Monjaraz, Fallout — Outstanding
• Payton Kim, Rondo — Superior
• Susan Garcia, Oh, That's a Baseball! — Distinguished

Short Fiction (SF)

• William Corcoran, L'Équipe de Nuit — Outstanding
• Alexis Davis, Time Turning Older — Outstanding
• Lizzy Feldmann, Locked in the Library — Superior
• Olivia Geishecker, A New Life — Superior
• Genesis Golinkin, Falling — Distinguished
• Josie Lauer, Come Hell or High Water — Distinguished
• Melanie Rosario, Love, Beyond the War — Distinguished

• A participant may submit in only one category (poetry may have up to three titles per submission). See below.  
• Participants will submit one file online using the Creative Writing Festival - Submission and Proof of Originality Form.  A link will be available in the confirmation receipt and email once registration is completed.
• All manuscripts must include the author's name, and title of the piece, be double-spaced, and adhere to file name requirements, and to category page lengths.
• Submission must be saved as a pdf or mp3 file (not to exceed 25,000 KB) with category code, last name, and first name as the file name.  Codes are found next to the categories below.  Example:  P.Doe.Jane would be the file name for Jane's poetry submission.  
• Files exceeding 25,000 KB must be posted on a website and a link provided in a pdf for submission.  YouTube can be used.
  Drama/Screenplay entries must submit a video of the screenplay. It is suggested to post the recording on a website (Youtube or other)  and provide the screenplay in a pdf for submission.
• Submissions must be received by deadline. Entries submitted after the deadline will not be considered for review.
• Participants can bring hard copies of their submissions for those auditing to read. Ten (10) copies are often sufficient.
• Submitting students must attend the session they are assigned to.
• All students will receive written feedback via email from the facilitators after their workshop sessions.
• At times, a facilitator is unable to attend their assigned session, due to unforeseen circumstances or technical difficulties.  We will do everything possible to find a replacement and prevent needing to cancel a session.
• UW-Whitewater is required to report any submissions that indicate neglect, abuse, violence towards others, or self-harm.

• Children's Literature (CL) - Maximum: 10 pages, Works written and appropriate for children ranging from toddler to roughly age 10. No topic restrictions other than appropriateness. Work may also include illustrations.
• Drama/Screenplay (DR) - Maximum: 10 pages; submit recording/videos. A work (fiction or non-fiction) written in a fashion that can be performed; i.e., primarily comprising dialogue and some stage/screen direction and exposition.
• Essay Expository (EE) - Maximum: 5 Pages. Non-fiction, non-poetical short works. Genres generally include, but are not limited to: Personal Narrative (tells a story), Descriptive (paints a picture in words).
• Essay Personal (EP) - Maximum: 5 Pages. Non-fiction, non-poetical short works. Persuasive (attempts to persuade reader to a specific point of view).
• Fan Fiction/Science Fiction/Fantasy (FS) - Maximum: 5 pages. SciFi (science fiction) is prose fiction based on imagined future technological and/or scientific advances, frequently employing significant social or environmental changes, space travel, time travel, and/or alien life forms. Fantasy, also prose fiction, employs magical or supernatural qualities of the characters, plot, setting, or theme. While fantasy can employ any time setting, it is frequently set in worlds resembling ancient or medieval Earth. Fan Fiction, a new but growing genre, is a work of fiction set in a pre-existing world created by another author. For example, popular fan fiction works use the characters from a TV/movie series like Star Trek or Harry Potter, but use those characters in new ways or takes them on new adventures that are imagined by the fan fiction author.
• Horror & Mystery (HM) - Maximum: 5 pages. Like fantasy fiction, tales of terror often incorporate supernatural beings, events, and settings, but differs in that its primary intent is to induce horror or terror. Tales of terror need not employ supernatural elements, though in a non-supernatural setting, the genre still creates an aura of eeriness or fright. Tales of mystery can employ many of the same elements as tales of terror, but its impact is intrigue rather than terror, or it offers an outré tale, or it can simply be a piece of crime fiction like a murder mystery. 
• Poetry (P) - Maximum: 3 poems (one pdf file for all three). A piece of writing that employs some combination of lyrical, metrical, rhythmic, illusory, or imaginative power, frequently employing vivid or suggestive language/imagery or literary devices like similes and metaphors. 
• Prose Poem/Flash Fiction (PF) - Maximum: 3 pieces. A prose poem is a non-poetical piece that still embodies certain poetic qualities such as prominent rhythms, imagery, compactness, and intensity, though without necessarily rhyming or following a set metrical pattern. Flash fiction is an extremely brief (generally no more than a few hundred words) piece of prose fiction.
• Short Fiction (SF) - Maximum: 5 pages. Prose writing that presents imaginary people and events.
• Teacher (T) - Maximum: Refer above for each category. All creative writing by teachers

Prize money has amounted to approximately $800 in previous Creative Writing Festivals.  Awarding of prizes will depend on the number and quality of submissions per genre.

Check In

Check-in will take place in University Center. 

• 8:00 am Check-In
• 9:00 am Welcome/Convocation
• 10:00 am Workshop Session One
• 11:00 am Workshop Session Two
• 12:00 pm Workshop Session Three
• 1:00 pm Workshop Session Four/Open Mic (only 1 session)
• 2:00 pm Awards Ceremony
• ~3:00 pm Event Concluded

• Lunch is not provided.  Please feel free to bring your own or plan to purchase your lunch.
• Water Bottle (optional)
• 10 copies of Submission (optional)

By registering for an event, you agree to our Registration Terms and Conditions. UW-Whitewater will hold all registrants responsible for their conduct. Serious misconduct or disruption will lead to immediate dismissal from event. Registrants dismissed from the event will not receive a refund. Please review the Terms and Conditions for more details.

Be aware that we recommend that all portable electronic devices be left at home, but ultimately it is your decision. We know that parents and children value the ability to be able to call each other at a moment's notice. For that reason, we do not prohibit cell phones at camp, but ask that cell phone use does not interfere with the event and other participants. Parents are responsible for setting clear guidelines for cell use with their child. We will not be responsible for any lost or stolen items.

We receive many questions from registrants. We have prepared a page with answers to our frequently asked questions about registering and attending an event.