DOWAGIAC — Artists and writers in grades seventh through 12th could start off the new year showcasing their talents in a writing challenge.

The Southwest Michigan Teen Creative Writing Challenge is accepting entries until Jan 31. Students from anywhere can enter their pieces in five categories: comics, cover art, fiction, flash fiction and poetry. Only one entry can be made per category. The top entry in each category will win a $100 prize.

The teen creative writing challenge began in 2016 and was sponsored first by the Van Buren District Library. The following year in 2017, to make the challenge a county-wide initiative organizers, added Lawton Public Library, Paw Paw District Library and South Haven Memorial Library. To make the challenge more regional, Van Buren added Cass County libraries:  the Dowagiac District Library and Cass District Library were added.

Kay McAdam, the adult education and community relations coordinator for Van Buren District Library, said the challenge has seen incremental growth over the years.

“The first year, it was 20 [entries]. The next year it was 42. Then it went up to 61. Then last year was 91,” she said. “We wanted to continue to add more libraries so more students would have a chance to participate.”

McAdam said the five separate categories attract the widest number of possibilities for students. Each entry is divided by grade levels, so a seventh grader would not have their artwork or writing competing against a senior in high school, she said.

The contest is not limited to students from the areas served by the libraries, McAdam said.

“If a student in the Upper Peninsula saw this online and wanted to compete they could submit an entry as well,” she said.

Currently, Van Buren District Library, Paw Paw District Library, Dowagiac District Library, Cass District Library, Lawton District Library and Marcellus TWP Wood Memorial Library are all sponsors.

The role of sponsoring libraries is to work with their respective school districts to get children interested. The sponsoring libraries also help raise funds, provide prize money, contact judges and organize the writing challenge, McAdam said.

Melissa Phillips, the youth services coordinator at the Dowagiac District Library, has already noticed students interested in submitting their works. Phillips has also helped reach out to judges, including Rich and Teri Frantz, who formerly lived in Dowagiac before moving to Buchanan. Both were involved in the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival, and Rich helped found the Beckwith Theatre Company. They will judge the fiction and flash fiction entries.

“They are my favorite people in the whole world,” Phillips said.

Phillips has also helped contact Jake Rohdy, of Dowagiac, who will judge the comics portion of the challenge. Monica Luke, a teacher at Buchanan Middle School, will also help judge the flash fiction portion of the challenge.

McAdam is handling the selection of cover art judges. So far, she has painter David Baker, who used to teach at Southwestern Michigan College, and Mary Brodbeck, a wood block printer from Kalamazoo.

Phillips said last year, Dowagiac had two winners. Their pieces were featured in a book containing all the winning entries. This year, another book for the 2020 Southwest Michigan Teen Creative Writing Challenge will be created.

The winners will be announced in April with an awards ceremony to take place at 2 p.m. on June 20 at the Dowagiac Performing Arts Center.