COCC Annual Writing Contest

Announcing COCC’s Fifth Annual Student Writing Contest! The Humanities Department wants to celebrate and promote excellent student writing at COCC. Winners will have their work published on the Humanities Department website, receive a gift card prize to a local bookstore, and be invited to participate in a public reading on the Bend campus during Week Ten of Spring Term 2026.

Submission guidelines: We are looking for original, unpublished writing from current COCC students. This year, there will be a winner and a runner-up determined in four separate categories: academic nonfiction, creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. One entry per category permitted (one complete poem, story, or essay). Maximum of 2000 words for each submission. Excerpts of a longer work such as a novel or memoir are permitted, but should be self-contained.

Submission deadline and details: April 24th, 2026 at 11:59 PM through the Student Writing Contest Submission Form. The form will ask you to include your name, major or area of study at COCC, which category you are submitting your work to, and any necessary context about your work. All submission documents must have a title at the top of the first page, and please do not include your name anywhere on the document or file. Attach your submission to the form as a Word document or PDF file.

Questions? Email Eileen Sather at writingcontest@cocc.edu.

2024-2025 Student Winners

Academic Nonfiction

• First Place: Talia Stockwell
• Second Place: Delenn Snyder

Creative Nonfiction

• First Place: Wyatt Cecrle
• Second Place: Christian Hunter Edwards

Poetry

• Xanthos Fairham
• Elizabeth Viramontes

Fiction

• First Place: Ray Randall
• Second Place: Lindsey Spakousky