Welcome to Camp Hiawatha: A literary journal featuring poems and short fiction related to the theme of camping. Our name is inspired by the Hiawatha National Forest in northern Michigan, and we are open for submissions to our Words for the Wild | Camp Hiawatha 2026 Print Journal Contest (a project of Vilas Avenue).

The Camp Hiawatha editorial team is creating a physical, pocket-sized chapbook for distribution at campgrounds and outdoor organizations across the country. We want your campfire tales and trail-side reflections to be part of the journey!

The Details: 

• ~15–20 creative works will be selected for the inaugural print edition
  
• Every accepted author will receive one physical contributor copy of the printed journal
  
• Grand Prize: One accepted author will be chosen at random to receive a $100 Top Prize (plus a contributor copy)
  
• $5 submission fee via Buy Me a Coffee 

Submission Guidelines: 

Theme: Anything in the wheelhouse of Nature, camping, the great outdoors, related or tangential topics will be considered

Submission Format: A single packet containing up to 3 poems or up to 3 micro-fiction pieces. These can be typed or handwritten and included in a single attachment submitted via email to CampHiawatha@hotmail.com

Deadline: April 15th, 2026.

Notification: Accepted authors will be notified by August 30th, 2026.

Publication Schedule:  Early winter 2027

How to Submit:

1. Email your submission: Send your packet to CampHiawatha@hotmail.com with the subject line: “Chapbook Contest.”

2. Support the Project: Camp Hiawatha is a community-supported initiative of Vilas Avenue. To be eligible for the $100 cash prize drawing, please visit https://buymeacoffee.com/vilasavenue to contribute your $5 entry fee. We cross-reference the Vilas Avenue donor list with our Camp Hiawatha submission inbox—no need to send a separate receipt! These funds go directly toward the prize pot, operating costs, and the production of the journal.


A Note on Our First Print Run

By submitting creative works for consideration authors grant Camp Hiawatha/Vilas Avenue first North American Serial Rights to publish the work in print and digital formats. All rights immediately revert to the author upon publication. This is our first time moving from digital to print, and we want to make sure the final result is something we—and you—are incredibly proud of. Because we’re committed to a high-quality physical journal, Camp Hiawatha and Vilas Avenue reserve the right to extend the deadline or, in a worst-case scenario, cancel the contest if we don’t receive enough viable work to fill a full book. We’re dreamers, but we’re also pragmatists: if the project doesn’t meet the minimum threshold to move forward, we’ll be open and honest about it. In the event of a full cancellation, every single entry fee will be refunded via Buy Me a Coffee. We want to set this series up for long-term success, and we appreciate you taking this first step with us. 

See below for Camp Hiawatha’s digital archives. We’ll see you around the campfire.

Digital Archives (2025-2026)

Digital Archives (2023-2024)

fulltext available at https://campliterary.wordpress.com/online-journal-2/