2026 the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), and the Virginia Outdoor Writers Association (VOWA) – WRITING CONTEST
Image: Courtesy of Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), and the Virginia Outdoor Writers Association (VOWA)
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), and the Virginia Outdoor Writers Association (VOWA) invite writers to submit an original, unpublished piece (essay, feature, poetry, etc.) that focuses on what they enjoy about the outdoors in Virginia.
Winners from each category—Youth and Adult—will be published in the January/February 2027 issue of Virginia Wildlife, and the top three in each category will be published on the VOWA website and receive other prizes. All submissions will be judged by the following criteria: portrayal of the value of the outdoors, clarity, spelling and grammar, and creativity.
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All entries must be original works by the entrant, in English. Plagiarism of any portion will result in disqualification. The entrant’s work must be created in its entirety by the entrant and cannot be generated, in whole or in part, by Artificial Intelligence.
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One entry per contestant allowed.
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Submissions must be in Word or RTF format.
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Submissions must be emailed to editor@dwr.virginia.gov with submission and completed entry form attached.
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The contest is divided into two age categories: Adult (18 and over) and Youth (17 and under). Please indicate age at time of submission on entry form.
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Submissions must be received by Noon EDT on Monday, August 3.
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Your submission must not have been published previously.
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Word limit for submissions is 1,200 words, excluding title.
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Entries must include a title and the author’s name and email on first page.
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Submission of an entry grants permission for Virginia Wildlife/DWR and VOWA to publish the entered work in either print or online.
2026 APPLICATION (PDF)*
* Application must be download to use autofill option.
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