Writing Contest to Honor 100th Anniversary of the Astoria Column
In 1926, high above the meeting of river and sea, the Astoria Column was dedicated as a monument to the layered history of place: Indigenous presence, exploration, migration, industry, and resilience. For one hundred years, it has stood watch over Astoria, rising above forest and fog, a spiral story cast in concrete.
To celebrate the Column’s 100th anniversary in 2026, Friends of Astoria Column, in partnership with The Writers Guild, invites writers to contribute new work that reflects on history, place, memory, and what it means to stand at this turning point.
We seek original, unpublished writing in the following genres:
✦ Poetry
Up to 3 poems per entrant, 50 lines maximum per poem.
✦ Memoir / Personal Essay
Up to 2,000 words.
Theme: Submissions should engage in some way with the Astoria Column: its history, symbolism, physical presence, or the vantage point it offers. Writers might explore themes of arrival, migration, inheritance, legacy, resilience, storytelling, landscape, or the spiral nature of history itself. Work may be contemporary or historical, intimate or expansive.
We welcome work attentive to the many layered stories of the Lower Columbia region.
Judges include:
Ellen Waterston, Oregon Poet Laureate
Cheryl Strayed, renowned memoirist
Marianne Monson, Guild Executive Director
Submission Guidelines
Deadline: May 31, 2026
Open to writers of all ages and backgrounds who live in Oregon and Washington. Categories include: Adults (18+), Children (7-13), and Teenagers (14-17)
One submission per genre per writer.
Include your name, contact information, and a brief third-person bio (50 words or fewer).
Email your submission to: info@thewritersguild.org
Prizes include:
$100 gift card to Lucy’s Bookstore and an Astoria Column Centennial commemorative gift package for each category.
Chosen work will be on display at the Community Celebration on July 18th, as well as on the Astoria Column Centennial website.