Patten Library opens annual writing contest for Sagadahoc residents

The Patten Free Library in Bath launched its 2026 Annual Writing Contest in mid-January, offering a structured opportunity for local youth and adults to publish and be recognized for original work. The contest, open to residents and cardholders within the library service area, spans three age groups and three genres, and includes measures intended to protect fairness and originality.

Entries are accepted in three divisions: Grades 6–9, Grades 10–12, and Adults. In each division writers may submit short fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry. Fiction and creative non-fiction pieces may run up to 1,500 words; poetry entries are limited to 30 lines. Submissions are judged blind, with one entry allowed per author per category. Previously published material is not eligible, and the use of generative artificial intelligence to produce entries is explicitly prohibited.

The contest structure offers one winner and one honorable mention in every category. Winners receive a small honorarium in the form of a Gift of Bath gift card and publication in Pharos, the Patten Free Library literary magazine. Poetry winners may also be selected to appear in the library’s Poetry Walk, and all winners will be honored at a reception in April. The library accepts both electronic and print submissions and provides a contact phone and email on its submission page for questions.

For Sagadahoc County, the contest represents more than prizes. It creates a visible pipeline from classroom and kitchen-table drafts to the library’s pages and public programming, spotlighting local voices across Bath, Woolwich, Arrowsic, Georgetown, and West Bath. The age-based divisions encourage teen participation at a formative stage, while publication in Pharos and the Poetry Walk extend work beyond the page into community spaces and seasonal programming.

The contest rules also raise governance and access considerations. The requirement that entrants live in or attend school in the service area or hold a Patten library card ties creative opportunity to residential and institutional boundaries; residents without cards or those outside the listed towns should confirm eligibility well before submissions open. The ban on generative AI mirrors a growing trend among literary competitions to protect human authorship, but it also places responsibility on entrants and judges to verify originality.

Writers interested in entering should mark Feb. 1–March 1, 2026 on their calendars, review the word and line limits, and check the library’s submission page for electronic and print instructions and contact information. For local readers, the contest is a chance to see Bath-area stories and poems move from draft to display, and to support emerging and established writers at the library’s April reception.