Veterans Invited to Submit Entries to Story Contest
Veterans Invited
to Submit Entries
to Story Contest
The South Dakota Humanities Council (SDHC) is sponsoring a storytelling contest for veterans that will culminate with an awards ceremony at the South Dakota Festival of Books October 1-3 in Deadwood.
Written submissions will be accepted from July 1-31 for the Veterans Story Contest, which is open to veterans or current service members of any branch of the United States military who are living in South Dakota.
Submissions should consist of new, unpublished material addressing the military experience, such as recovery or lessons learned. Individuals may submit up to 1,500 written words in any genre — poetry, prose, fiction, creative nonfiction, etc. Only one submission per person. Entries must include name, address, phone and email.
During an interview with SDHC prior to his appearance at the 2017 Festival of Books in Deadwood, national book award-winning author Tim O’Brien said writing about war helps writers and readers find meaning in what happened.
“The word war is such an abstraction - it’s almost meaningless as a word,” O’Brien says. “It’s not until it’s something specific that it takes on any meaning, and often that’s through a story.”
Three finalists will be invited to Deadwood for a reading of their work with U.S. Army veteran and 2021 Festival author Colin Halloran, who will announce the winners and hold a workshop specifically for veterans. Halloran is one of many award-winning veteran authors who have appeared at the Festival of Books.
The South Dakota Humanities Council, a statewide humanities organization that hosts the annual Festival, will ask the finalists to attend the Festival October 1-3 in Deadwood. Writers do not need to attend the Festival of Books to submit work. A representative can read the author’s work on their behalf.
Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place.
Stories should be submitted to:
Carolyn Marshall-Speakman
1215 Trail Ridge Rd Ste A
Brookings, SD 57006
For more information or questions, contact SDHC at 605-688-6113 or visit sdhumanities.org.
