2022 Dandelion Cottage Story Contest Accepting Submissions

The Dandelion Cottage Young Writers Contest is now looking at works of short fiction by students in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for its 2022 contest.

The contest deadline is January 31, 2022, and students of 5th to 12th grades, who attend school or are being homeschooled in an Upper Peninsula School District, can submit their short stories to the contest. Per rules of the contest, submissions are accepted in two categories: 5th through 8th grades, and 9th through 12th grades. Up to two short stories per grade-segment can be nominated by a teacher in the Upper Peninsula School District.

Dandelion Cottage Story Contest Prizes

Winners of the Dandelion Cottage Young Writers Contest get prizes, ranging from $250 for first place senior division winner and $150 for junior division winner, as well as acknowledgments. The top three prizewinning stories from high school writers and the best story from 5th through 8th grade will be included in the volume #6 of the U.P. Reader, an anthology of short stories and poetry from UPPAA members.

2021 Dandelion Cottage Award
Winners of 2021 Dandelion Cottage Award: Kyra Holmgren (Senior Div.) and Annabell Dankert (Junior Div.). Image @ Victor R. Volkman

“We are proud to have the Dandelion Cottage Story Contest winners featured in the new audiobook editions of all issues of the U.P. Reader,” says Victor R. Volkman, President of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA), the organizer of the contest. “The audiobooks as narrated by the U.P.’s Brandy Thomas really make the stories come alive in a new dimension as well as being important for the visually impaired and anyone who has difficulty reading for any reason.”

The contest is free to enter for all eligible writers. It aims to empower young writers with real recognition and validation for their creative talents.

About the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA)

Established in 1998 to support authors and publishers who live in or write about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, UPPAA is a Michigan nonprofit association with more than 100 members, many of whose books are featured on the organization’s website at www.uppaa.org. UPPAA welcomes membership and participation from anyone with a UP connection who is interested in writing and publishing books.