Adult Writing Contest

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• Must be an original, unpublished work (has not appeared in physical form or on any digital platform); AI generated content does not qualify.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 page 1. 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.

• Because of the large number of entries submitted, library staff are unable to respond to questions about whether an entry was received. The online submission form will send a confirmation email.

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.

• Henderson Libraries will not be hosting a reception at this time. Winners will be asked for a photo op when they pick up their prize.