Library & Information Services

Dr. Gordon D. & Brenda Bush High School Writers' Contest

Contest Rules

Eligibility

• Contestants must be high school juniors or seniors enrolled in a school located in Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, St. Clair, or Washington County.
• Entries may be written as part of a class assignment.
• Entries must be original, unpublished work and may not be edited by anyone prior to submission.

Categories & Prizes

All prizes awarded through this competition are SIUE scholarships. Scholarships are contingent upon enrollment at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville within twelve months of the recipient’s high school graduation date. Failure to enroll within this period will result in forfeiture of the scholarship. Scholarships will be awarded only after the recipient has officially enrolled and begun attending classes at SIUE.

Contestants may submit one entry per category and may enter multiple categories. A contestant may win in only one category. 

• Fiction (3,000 words or fewer): First Prize: $1,000 scholarship; Second Prize: $500 scholarship 
• Nonfiction (2,000 words or fewer; no research papers): First Prize: $1,000 scholarship; Second Prize: $500 scholarship
• Poetry (rhymed or unrhymed; 40 lines or fewer): First Prize: $1,000 scholarship; Second Prize: $500 scholarship

Manuscript Preparation

• Manuscripts must be typed with numbered pages and submitted as a PDF.
• Fiction and nonfiction must be double-spaced; poetry may be single-spaced. 
• Do not include the student’s name or school in the manuscript; this information should appear only on the entry form.
• The file name of your manuscript entry must follow the following file name format: Last Name, School, Category. For example, John Wilson from Trinity High School entering into the category of Poetry should save their entry as a PDF with the file name: WilsonTrinityPoetry.
• Entries must be the first submitted copy of the contestant’s original work.

Submission & Deadlines

• Entries must be submitted by a teacher using the online form no later than February 28, 2026.
• Winners will be notified by April 3, 2026.
• Awards will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, April 25, 2026.

Judging & Publication

• Final judging will be conducted by faculty from the SIUE Department of English.
• Entries that do not comply with contest rules will be disqualified. 
• Winning entries will be published in a contest booklet. 
• Winning authors and their sponsoring faculty will receive a copy of the booklet.
• First serial rights belong to SIUE; authors retain all other rights.
• Sponsoring teachers of winning entries will receive a gift of appreciation.

How to Enter

1. Make sure that your manuscript entry adheres to the Contest Rules detailed above, that the text of your manuscript does not contain your name or school affiliation, and that the file you intend to enter into the contest is saved as a PDF with the correct file name.
   
   
2. Complete the entry form and upload your entry. If you are making submissions in multiple categories, you will need to fill out the form separately for each submission.

Contest Entry Form

If you have any questions about the Dr. Gordon D. & Brenda Bush High School Writers' Contest, please contact Marlee Graser, Dean of Library and Information Services, at magrase@siue.edu. 

   This contest is made possible through the generosity of Dr. Gordon D. and Brenda Bush and the Friends of Lovejoy Library High School Writers' Contest endowment.