We Read Youth Voices Writing Contest

media release: The WE READ Youth Voices Writing Contest will open for submissions on May 1, 2025 with the opportunity for youth 18 and under to get published and to win up to $500 in cash prizes thanks to support from the Madison Public Library Foundation. 

This annual contest, hosted by Madison Public Library in collaboration with Forward Madison FC and the Wisconsin Book Festival, is for kids in the Madison area. The library accepts submissions in English, Spanish, Hmong and other languages, and writing can be in the form of short stories, songs, poems, comics, graphic novels, and more.

Contest Details: Submissions for the contest will be open May 1 - June 30, 2025. The top six stories will win cash prizes and the top 50 stories will be published in the fourth edition of the WE READ Youth Voices Anthology. 

Age Groups:

• Ages 9 and under | 250 words or less
• Ages 10-13 | 750 words or less
• Ages 14-18 | 1,000 words or less

Authors should limit themselves to their single best piece for submission. 

"We are excited for another edition of the WE READ Youth Voices Writing Contest with the Madison Public Library! This has been a fantastic community initiative for us,” said Forward Madison FC Director of Business Operations Kyler Donovan. “We are also thrilled to have our very own Wallis Lapsley join the contest as a Judge for this year." 

Wallis Lapsley is a goalkeeper for the team, and will serve as one of the community judges for the contest later this year. The WE READ Youth Voices Writing Contest Youth Ambassador chooses the theme for the contest each year, encourages youth to apply, serves as a judge, and writes the foreword for the  WE READ Youth Voices Anthology in the fall. 

"We're excited to welcome Justin Festge Russell, Madison's Youth Poet Laureate, as the Youth Ambassador for this year's contest," said Madison Public Library's Youth Services Manager Tammy Ocampo. "Justin is enthusiastic about fostering the next generation of writers in Madison, and he's a shining example of a young person who has accomplished so much by pursuing their creative passions." 

Russell recently attended a Wisconsin Book Festival school visit alongside fellow UW-Madison First Wave alum and poet Nate Marshall to help lead writing workshops for kids at LaFollette and Shabazz High Schools where he encouraged them to submit their work to the contest when it opens in May.

Russell will also attend the kick-off event at Breese Stevens to kick out the first ball, announce the contest at halftime, and share a few words about the theme he’s chosen for the 2025 contest. 

“Inspired by Madison Public Library's 150th Anniversary, this year's Youth Voices Writing Contest theme is all about Roots,” said Russell. “Whether your story is about going back to your roots to examine your personal history and revisit moments that were worth holding on to, exploring moments of conflict where you had to get to the root of the issue, or planting new ideas and growing together from the roots up, we want to hear them!”

Prizes

Submissions will be judged by a panel of community judges representing different education, writing, and literacy organizations around Madison. Three talented writers will be recognized for their achievements by: 

• Being recognized on the field at Forward Madison's game on August 21, 2025
• Receiving a prize package of Forward Madison swag
• Having their stories published in the fourth annual WE READ Youth Voices Anthology, which will be available in every Madison Public Library location and Madison Metropolitan School District library location across the city
• Featuring them at the  Wisconsin Book Festival Fall Celebration.
• Having their work be shared via social media, the Forward Madison FC and Madison Public Library newsletters, and other community channels. 

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER also receives a $500 cash prize, while the two runners-up receive $250, and the three age category winners receive $100 each courtesy of the  Madison Public Library Foundation. These prizes serve as investments in youth - the winner and their families are left to determine the best way to spend or save the funds.

The WE READ program is funded by Madison Public Library Foundation, Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation, Friends of the Madison Public Library, Roots & Wings Foundation, and Jane Doughty & David Wood.