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Creative Writing Celebration
The Cochise Community Creative Writing Celebration brings published writers in several genres, such as poetry, novels, creative nonfiction, juvenile fiction, and screenwriting, to present hands-on workshops to aspiring writers from the community. Celebration participants are also invited to enter a writing contest in three categories: poetry, short story (fiction) and memoir (nonfiction). Cash prizes will be awarded.
Writing Contest Guidelines
Please contact writingcontest@cochise.edu with any questions about the contest.
1. All submitted writing must be the original, unpublished work of the person entering the contest. There are three contest categories:
- Poetry: Each poetry entry may include up to three poems for a total of up to five pages
- Short Story (fiction): Limited to 10 double-spaced pages per entry
- Memoir (nonfiction): Limited to 10 double-spaced pages per entry (about 2,500 words)
2. Entries are accepted via the following submission forms.
3. Must be a Cochise County resident to enter.
4. There is no charge to enter the contests. Authors may enter more than one category, but the total number of submissions is three per entrant. The limit on entries is 3 per category.
5. DEADLINE: All contest entries must be received by Friday, March 14, 2025.
Creative Writing Celebration Event
Aspiring writers and young storytellers are invited to showcase their talents and participate in Cochise College’s annual Writing Contests, part of the Creative Writing Celebration set for Friday, April 4, 2025. This opportunity offers cash prizes for adult participants and a Kids Writing Contest for anyone 18 years old or younger.
Work for the Writing Contest can be submitted at no charge in three categories: poetry, short story (fiction), and memoir (nonfiction). Winners in each category will receive $200 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third place.
This celebration event also includes a writing workshop, lead by Mishka Shubaly. Mishka Shubaly is a New York Times bestselling author, a shipwreck survivor, Moth storyteller, and a clue on Jeopardy! His writing has been translated into five different languages and his storytelling has featured on NPR's The Moth Radio Hour. Jeff Bezos wrote the foreword for his recent collection The Long Run & Other True Stories. For the last ten years, he has taught a summer nonfiction writing workshop at Yale. He lives in Phoenix with his wife.
Cant make the in-person event? Sign up for Virtual Registration!
Congratulations to all the Winners!
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Memoir
Second place ($100)- Edward “Jay” Matchett for “The Long Run”
Fiction
First place ($200)- Gretchen Hill for “The Company of Other Men”
Second place ($100)- Seamus Dignan for “Hold This for Me”
Third place ($50)- Joseph Bertuca for “Christmas Goat”
Poetry
First place ($200)- Tina Durham for “Instead of the Border Patrol Helicopter”
Second place ($100)- Beth Henson for “It’s 8:15”
Kids Writing Contest
Grades K-5 category
First place- Lilly Messina for “Space”
Second place- Lilly Messina for “Winter Nights”
Third place- Emerson Casale for “The Cheese Book”
Grades 6-8 category
First place- Rylan Bonar for “The Tree at the End of the Road”
Second place- Rylan Bonar for “Music’s Simple Soul”
Third place-Barbara Lao for “The Call of the Pack”
Grades 9-12 category
First place- Emma Wilson for “The Teenage Mind”
Second place- Selena Aguilar for “Sweeties”
Third place – Victoria Hoffman for “Tumbleweed” and Armani Ramirez-Sperle for “Tomorrow”
Contest winners will be published in the Herald Review/Media newspaper. The top winners in each category of the Writing Contest will be published in the Cochise College Literary and Arts Magazine, The Mirage.
