2027 United Tribes American Indian Unity Conference
March 3-6, 2027

Writing Contest

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SUBMISSIONS WINDOW: October 1, 2026 – January 31, 2027

DEADLINE: 11:59 pm, January 31, 2027

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WRITER ELIGIBILITY

To enter, applicant must be an enrolled member of a federally or state recognized American Indian tribe and currently residing in North Carolina, or live in another state but are enrolled in a North Carolina federally- or state-recognized tribe. A copy of tribal enrollment card must be attached with application. Youth under 18 who do not have a tribal enrollment card but participate in an Indian Ed program may submit a letter from the student's Indian education office to verify that the student is enrolled with a complete, active 506 form on file. Entry will be disqualified if no proof of tribal membership in a federally or state-recognized tribe (card or proof of active 506) is provided with application.

*NC federally- and state-recognized tribes: Catawba Nation, Coharie Tribe, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Meherrin Indian Tribe, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Sappony, Waccamaw Siouan Tribe. 

 

AGE DIVISIONS

Entries will be judged in four age divisions:

• 10 years old and under

• 11-14 years old

• 15-17 years old

• Adult (18+)

 

GENRE CATEGORIES

• Poetry (Not to exceed 32 lines)

• Inspirational/​Religious/​Spiritual (Not to exceed 1,000 words)

• Fiction- fantasy, sci-fi, romance, mystery, historical fiction, or mainstream short story (Not to exceed 1,000 words)

• Non-Fiction - current issue, informational, historical non-fiction (Not to exceed 1,000 words)

• Memoir (Not to exceed 1,000 words)

 

ELIGIBILITY OF ENTRIES

• Entry must be the original work of the writer entered in the competition.

• Entry must be an individual piece by the writer entered into the competition.

• Entries must adhere to the word count rules specified for each genre.

• Writer is limited to three entries, one per category. 

• Writer’s name must be at the top of each page of the entry.

• All entries must be received online by January 31, 2027. No late entries or paper entries accepted. 

 

AWARDS: 

• Ribbons will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, 3rd place in each category. 1st place winner in each category and in each age group will receive $25.00 for first place only (example: 1st place in Age 10 and under in the Poetry category receives $25.00; 1st place in Age 10 and under in the Fiction category receives $25.00. etc.).  

• Winners will be announced during the morning General Assembly Awards Breakfast on Saturday, March 6, 2027. 

• Winning pieces will be published in next year’s Unity Conference program booklet.

 

For questions, please contact Becky Locklear at beckylocklear75@gmail.com