We are proud to announce the first annual Kettle Moraine School for Arts and Performance Short Story Contest!

This contest offers an opportunity for middle school writers in surrounding areas to create and submit their own short stories! Submissions due February 14th!

2025 KETTLE MORAINE SCHOOL FOR ARTS AND PERFORMANCE SHORT STORY CONTEST

Who are we?

Located in Wales Wisconsin, Kettle Moraine School for Arts and Performance (KM Perform) is an interdisciplinary high school for writers, actors, musicians, and artists of all skill levels and abilities. Our school is designed with an emphasis on collaboration and leadership to prepare students for further education and careers in all fields ranging from the arts to medical and law fields, and provides students the opportunity to participate in unique and engaging experiences that go beyond the classroom.

Short Story Contest Information and Guidelines

We are pleased to present the 1st annual Kettle Moraine School for Arts and Performance Short Story Contest.

Middle school students (grades 6-8) are invited to write an original fictional or narrative short story on any topic of their choosing.

Criteria

Narrative or fictional short story about a topic of your own choosing.
Stories must not exceed 1,500 words.
Story must be submitted in Times New Roman 12-point font, double spaced.
Student name, school, grade, and school email address must be listed in top left hand corner of the first page.
Story must follow all guidelines and restrictions to be considered for the contest (e.g. word limits, formatting guides, restricted material, etc.).

Submission and Approval

Follow these guidelines to submit your work:

Submit your short story to this Google Form and answer ALL questions. Include an Artist Statement.
- You may enter up to two short stories. A separate Google Form must be completed for each entry.
Editors of the KM Perform Short Story Contest, composed of students and teachers, will review all submissions and choose a winner.
ALL students who submit to the contest will be notified via email of the winner of the contest.
Winners will be contacted by editors and staff to communicate prizes and further recognition.

Prizes

One grand prize will be awarded for the winning entry:

$100 Amazon Gift Card
Excerpt of the story published in the KM Perform’s award-winning literary magazine, Ampersand Pages

!!! Copyright Disclaimer !!!

When writers submit their work, they grant the Kettle Moraine School for Arts and Performance Short Story Contest and Ampersand Pages permission to publish their work, name, grade, and school online and in print. Any profits from the sale of the print journal will support the KM Perform Writing Program. Ownership rights will always reside with the artist. In addition, by submitting their work, artists assert that the work is original. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be reported to the KM Perform staff.

The deadline to enter the contest is February 14, 2025 @11:59 p.m.

Additional Contest Guidelines

In addition to following the submission criteria, these guidelines must be followed in order for the entry to be considered for the contest. Please look over the guidelines before submitting to ensure your short story does not break any of our rules or risk disqualification. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in disqualification from the contest, eliminating your chances at winning the grand prize.