WORDFEST OC Writing Contest
High school and college students, community writers, and Saddleback College students, faculty and staff are invited to submit their creative work for the opportunity to share their stories and poems at WORDFEST OC. Five winners will be selected from among submissions in the following categories: Short Stories, Creative Nonfiction, Personal Narratives, Novels, and Screenplays. Entries will be judged based on originality of voice, compelling use of language, and quality of content.
The winners will each receive a $100 gift card and read from their work during the Writing Contest Award Ceremony at WORDFEST OC. Dr. Shellie Ochi, a professor of English at Saddleback College and the Writing Contest Coordinator, will serve as host of the ceremony. The event is being sponsored by Friends of the Library at Saddleback College.
Deadline: May 15, 2025
Submission Guidelines
Each work must be an original, unpublished piece (without any use of artificial intelligence) that is no longer than 3 typed double-spaced pages. Poems can be submitted in their entirety. Excerpts from short stories, personal narratives, novels, and screenplays should be able to stand alone as representative of the work as a whole. Each writer may submit only one entry. Winners of last year's WORDFEST OC Writing Contest are not eligible to enter this year.
Entries will be judged based on originality of voice, compelling use of language, and quality of content. Winners will be selected in the following divisions:
Best High School Student Entry
Best College Student Entry
Best Saddleback College Student Entry
Best Saddleback College Faculty or Staff Entry
Best At Large Entry
Winning entries will be notified by July 15.
Your submission should include the following:
· The entry itself typed in 12-point easily legible font with your name removed and the document labeled with the title of the entry
· A short bio of no more than 3 sentences that describes your academic/professional background; literary/artistic interests and goals; honors/achievements
· Submit all these materials to the following email address:
scWordFestOC@saddleback.edu
For questions, please send a message with the subject line WORDFEST OC WRITING CONTEST to scWordFestOC@saddleback.edu