Adult Writing Contest
Our Adult Writing Contest is back!
The theme of this year’s contest is Pathways. As a literary theme, "pathways" reflects on the journeys, choices, or directions that characters take in life. It may explore human experiences of personal growth, destiny, or the consequences of the decisions we make. Pathways can be physical, emotional, or spiritual.
Submission Guidelines
The 2026 writing contest is open May 4th – May 30th. Submissions must be received by 11:59 pm on May 30th to qualify.
Participants must be 18+ and a resident of Clark County, Nevada.
Entries can be a short story (2,000 words or less), a creative nonfiction piece (2,000 words or less), or a poem (45 lines or less).
Must be an original, unpublished work (has not appeared in physical form or on any digital platform); AI generated content does not qualify.
One entry per person.
Entries must be digitally produced and submitted as attachments to the online entry form. Paper copies are not accepted. Attachments must be Word or PDF. We do not accept scans or photos of works.
Submissions must have a connection to the contest’s theme. It is up to the author how obvious or subtle that connection is, but it must be discernible.
Submissions must be “publication ready” and properly formatted:
Authors should include the title and their name centered at the top of the first page of the story (No separate title page). All subsequent pages should have the title (but not the author) in the upper right corner. Use the “header” feature to insert.
For multi-page works, include page numbers in the lower right corner of each page. Use the “footer” feature to insert.
For short stories and nonfiction, proper formatting means: double-space, indent, and no extra space between paragraphs. Use 12-pt font in Times New Roman, Calibri, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia.
Poems are limited to 45 lines and may not exceed 3 pages.
Do not use colored font.
Do not include a title page
What's next?
Judging
All entries will be scored anonymously based on content, originality, and quality of expression.
Writers do not receive feedback on their submissions.
Judges’ decisions are final.
- Winners will be announced on or around June 22nd
If selected
As part of the submission process, writers sign a licensing agreement giving Henderson Libraries the right to publish and distribute the selected work indefinitely.
Authors still retain copyright of their individual work.
Publication
Our intention is to publish top-scoring entries from each category in the online zine New Beginnings, the library’s annual digital magazine.
This anthology will provide local authors with the opportunity to build name recognition and readership/viewership.
Winners
There will be one winner in each submission category.
Each winner receives a $50 gift certificate.
Adult Writing Contest Entry Form
