Foothills 6th Grade Writing Contest - 2026

The Foothills Writers Group is delighted to announce this year's Foothills 6th Grade Writing Contest!

The participants for this year's contest are 6th Grade students drawn from schools across Foothills County, including Okotoks, Diamond Valley, High River, and Cayley. As they are every year, participants are encouraged to submit an original piece of writing (300–1000 words) that showcases their creativity, their imagination, and their unique voice.

All submissions will be evaluated on March 28th by our panel of Volunteer Judges from the Foothills Writers Group, along with this year's Guest Judges—Rae-Lynn from Yooneek Books in Okotoks, Erin from Spisherbocker Books in Diamond Valley, and last year’s overall winner—will select this year’s finalists.

Winning entries will be publicly recognized & their stories will be featured in the Western Wheel - both in the paper and at Okotoks Online - as well as being featured on Foothills Writers Group website & our social media.

Of course, none of this would be possible without our wonderful volunteers!

Over the past few months, Members from the FWG have been visiting classrooms to invite students to take part in this year's contest, coordinating with teachers & school administrators, and inspiring a whole new generation of local writers & artists. None of this would be possible without our members volunteering their time & labour to make the 6th Grade Writing Contest a reality.

We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our generous local sponsors! Their support & commitment to supporting literacy, youth creativity, and their local community is deeply appreciated!

Okotoks Sponsors

Yooneek Books
Okotoks Dawgs Baseball Club
Sobeys Okotoks
Safeway D'Arcy Crossing
Save-On-Foods Okotoks
Millennium Lanes Bowling

Diamond Valley Sponsors

Spisherbocker Books
Chuckwagon Cafe

High River Sponsors

Margins Bookstore
Sobeys High River

If you want to contribute to next year's Foothills 6th Grade Writing Contest, or if want your school to participate in next year's contest, feel free to reach out to us at fwg@foothillswritersgroup.ca, or send us a message on Instagram or Facebook.