Cochise Newsroom

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 until Friday, March 13, 2026. 

   

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.