Do you have a story to share?
Ever imagined what it would be like to live in the past? Now is your chance to write about it.
In honor of our 20th anniversary, the Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) is hosting a creative writing contest based on historical content found in our digital collections. Using any item in the MDL collections as a prompt, participants will write a fictional short story, poem, or other creative piece and share it using this online submission form. Winners will be chosen from youth and adult categories, and the winning stories will be published in a special online exhibit on MDL’s website. The deadline to enter is November 30, 2025.
Guidelines
Find something to inspire you
Browse the digital collections in the MDL website to find an interesting photograph, letter, map, or postcard that piques your curiosity. Look for something that makes you wonder who the people are, what is going on, what just happened, or what might happen next, and use your creativity to come up with answers for those questions.
Not sure where to start? Use MDL’s Browse By Topic filter to start your search.
Be sure to save the link to the item you use as your story prompt because you will need it when submitting your story.
Write a story
Once you have found something in MDL to inspire you, the next step is to write a fictional piece based on what you discovered. Acceptable writing formats include short stories and poetry, or even an imaginary letter written by a person in the picture. The story must be 750 words or less.
We recommend using a Microsoft Word Doc or a Google Doc to draft your story. Use a basic font, regular spacing, and standard formatting.
Submit your writing
Complete the following Google Form and copy and paste your writing into the form where asked: MDL Creative Writing Contest Form.
Remember, the entry deadline is November 30, 2025. Be sure to submit your writing by then!
Judging
Submissions will be divided into two age categories: Youth (grades K-12) and Adult (ages 18+). A panel of volunteer judges will select the top entries with up to ten winners per category.
Winners will be contacted by MDL staff in January 2026 in order to plan the publication of their writing.
Publishing
Ten winning submissions from the youth category and ten winning submissions from the adult category will be published on MDL’s website in a special online exhibit. The exhibit will include a page for each creative writing piece along with the item that inspired it.
Terms and Conditions
There is no fee to participate in the Minnesota Digital Library Creative Writing Contest.
There is no restriction on the number of entries a participant can submit; however, each entry should only be about one item in MDL.
Entering the Contest grants the Minnesota Digital Library permission to make public and otherwise use an entrant’s name and written submission for publicity purposes.
The Minnesota Digital Library does not endorse the content of any fictional writing created for this Contest.
We have the right to reject submissions for violations of, but not limited to, inappropriate content, defamation, or copyright issues.
The Minnesota Digital Library reserves the right to disqualify any Entrant or Entry at its sole discretion.
The Minnesota Digital Library reserves the right not to select finalists if, at its sole discretion, no suitable entries are received.
Participation constitutes the entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules. By participating in the Contest, the entrant is representing and warranting that he/she has read and understood, and agrees to be bound by, these rules.
Image credit:
Woman seated at a desk at the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), Minneapolis, Minnesota, c. 1910. James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library.