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. 

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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+)

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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)

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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. 

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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.

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