- Academics & Workforce
HVAC is a trending career in Arizona!Learn More - Admission & Aid
Get Help Paying for College from our friendly staff!Visit Financial Aid Page! - Community
AI for Educators: Classrooms Reimagined Series InformationLearn More - Student Experience
Get involved by volunteering in your community!Visit Cochise Cares - About Cochise
Cochise is Hiring!More Info
Creative Writing Celebration
The Cochise Community Creative Writing Celebration brings published writers in several genres, such as poetry, novels, creative nonfiction, juvenile fiction, and screenwriting, to present hands-on workshops to aspiring writers from the community. Celebration participants are also invited to enter a writing contest in three categories: poetry, short story (fiction) and memoir (nonfiction). Cash prizes will be awarded.
News Release: Writers of all ages invited to enter Cochise College’s 2026 Writing Contests
Entries are now open for the 2026 Cochise College Creative Writing Celebration Writing Contest and Kids Writing Contest. Writers can submit their entries online through the college website at https://www.cochise.edu/cwc/ until Friday, March 13, 2026.
“These contests get so many entries from so many talented writers in Cochise County,” said Alex O’Meara, director of both writing contests that are part of the Cochise College Creative Writing Celebration. “It’s exciting to see so much great work submitted each year.”
The Writing Contest takes entries from Cochise County in poetry, nonfiction and fiction. There are three cash prizes in each category with $50 for third, $100 for second, and $200 for first place. Additionally, each winning entry will be published in The Mirage (the Cochise College Literary and Arts magazine), and in the Herald/ Review Media.
Each entry in the Contest is also automatically considered for publication in the Mirage Literary and Arts magazine.
There are three categories for the Kids Writing Contest as well. They Contest takes entries from Cochise County residents age 18 and under and the categories are grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. The top three entries in each category receive a certificate of merit and the winning entry in each category will be published in the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review.
Complete rules and guidelines for both contests are available on the Cochise College website for the Creative Writing Celebration at https://www.cochise.edu/cwc/.
Anyone wishing to attend the Celebration on April 27, 2026, at the Cochise College Sierra Vista Campus can also register online.
Entries for the Writing Contest are judged by Cochise College faculty. Entries for the Kids Writing Contest are judged by librarians from several Cochise County libraries, including the Copper Queen Library and the Sierra Vista Public Library.
Contest Guidelines
Expand All +
Herald/Review Media Writing Contest - Creative Writing Celebration
Cochise County residents are invited to enter a writing contest sponsored by Herald/Review Media in three categories: poetry, short story (fiction) and memoir (nonfiction).
Cash prizes will be awarded in each category as follows:
- First place: $200
- Second place: $100
- Third place: $50
First place winners in each category (for the Writing Contest, but not for the Kids Writing Contest) will be published in The Mirage (the Cochise College Literary and Arts magazine), and in the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review.
The deadline for all entries to the contest is Friday, March 13, 2026.
Writing Contest Guidelines:
- The Writing Contest is open only to Cochise County residents.
- All submitted writing must be the original, unpublished work of the person entering the contest. Any work that has been previously published will not be considered for entry.
- All submitted work will also be considered for publication (and may be published) in The Mirage, the Cochise College arts and literary magazine. Entering the Writing Contest means each entrant agrees that their work can be published in The Mirage.
- There are three contest categories:
- Poetry: Each poetry entry may include up to three poems for a total of up to five pages
- Short Story (fiction): Limited to 10 double-spaced pages per entry
- Memoir (nonfiction): Limited to 10 double-spaced pages per entry (about 2,500 words
- Entries are accepted via email only.
Entries are only accepted online at:
The author's name should not appear on the attached work as entries will be judged anonymously. Each entry must include a separate title page bearing:
- title(s) and category of entry.
- author's name, address, phone number and email address.
There is no charge to enter the contest. Authors may enter more than one category, but the total number of submissions is three per entrant. There is no charge to enter the Writing Contest
DEADLINE: All contest entries must be received by Friday, March 13, 2026.
Online registration for the Creative Writing Celebration on Friday, April 10, 2026 is available in person or virtual.
Contest entrants are not required to attend the Creative Writing Celebration.
Winners will be announced and prizes will be awarded as part of Creative Writing Celebration events on Fri., April 10, 2065. Winners do not need to be present to win.
- The Kid’s Writing Contest is open only to Cochise County residents.
- Entrants must be 18 years or younger.
- The word limit on each entry is 200 words.
- Each entrant is allowed to submit only one entry per person.
- All submitted writing must be the original, unpublished work of the person entering the contest. Any work that has been previously published will not be considered for entry.
- The Kids Writing Contest is sponsored by the Copper Queen Library and the Sierra Vista Library.
- There are no cash prizes for winning entries
There are three contest categories by age:
- Grades K-4
- Grades 5-8
- Grades 9-12
The top three places in each category will receive a certificate of merit and first place winners in each category will be published in the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review.
Entries are only accepted online via:
The author's name should not appear on the attached work as entries will be judged anonymously. Each entry must include a separate title page bearing:
- title(s) and category of entry.
- author's name, address, phone number and email address.
DEADLINE: All contest entries must be received by Friday, March 13, 2026. There is no charge to enter the contest.
Online registration for the Creative Writing Celebration on Friday, April 10, 2026 is available in person or virtual.
Contest entrants are not required to attend the Creative Writing Celebration.
Winners will be announced and prizes will be awarded as part of Creative Writing Celebration events on Friday, April 10, 2026. Winners do not need to be present to win.
Creative Writing Celebration Workshop
Representing Crisis: Engaging with the Mess of the World through Creative Writing
April 10, 2026, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Though Neustadt tends to write about immigration, there are many fraught social and political problems that need our attention. To solve problems, we need first to understand them, and writing is one way to gather and process information. Writing, when done correctly, also provides a potential opportunity to inspire thought and to educate others. In spite of these advantages, many of us feel fearful or inhibited to write.
This workshop will explore the challenges and potential benefits of representing humanitarian crises through creative writing. Each participant will choose an issue that is of interest to them. We will discuss techniques to get started, nuances of specific genres of writing, and pitfalls that we may want to avoid. Through a number of thought experiments and writing exercises this workshop will aspire to 1) kickstart your writing, 2) have fun, and 3) fix the world!
Robert Neustadt, Professor of Spanish at Northern Arizona University, has published books and articles on performance, experimental art, and the political underpinnings of music in Latin America. During his journey to become an immigrant rights activist, he became a songwriter and recorded an album of (mostly) original songs, Voluntary Return: Songs of Solidarity with Migrants and Refugees. He has also published poetry and, in 2021, published a play, Border Voices (NoPassport Press). Bob is currently writing a book for Liverpool University Press entitled Music on the Line: Songs and Politics on the US/Mexico Border.
When: April 10, 2026, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Library Building, Horace Steele Room 901
Cochise College Sierra Vista Campus
901 N Colombo Ave, Sierra Vista, AZ
