From staff reports

The 30th annual creative writing contest is in full swing at the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library.

To enter

The deadline to submit entries for the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library’s creative writing contest is 4 p.m. March 6. Winners will be notified in April, and will be recognized at a reception at 7 p.m. April 13 at the library, 700 Veto St. For information, call 601-636-6411.

Sponsored by Friends of the Library, it was initiated 30 years ago by former assistant director of the library, Pam Gee, and has been taken over by Jennifer Smith, current assistant director.

“It’s the highlight of my year,” said Smith, who added that she enjoys reading the submissions.

The area contest is offering fifth- through 12th-graders the opportunity to show off their writing skills in two categories — prose of 350 to 1,000 words and poetry with no word limit.

The judging will be broken up into three groups — grades 5-6, 7-9 and 10-12. 

Judges will be picked from the community, and judging will be based on originality, creativity and neatness. No names will appear on the entry. The deadline is 4 p.m. March 6.

Winners will be notified in April, and a reception will be at 7 p.m. April 13 — during National Library Week. Winners of each category will read their works aloud.

First and second place awards of $25 and $15 will be given to winners in each category of each group, along with honorable mention certificates. The library will publish the winning entries in a book that will be given to them at the reception. 

“This is a great way for students to begin their writing careers by sharing their talents with others,” said Smith.