The Liminal Essay Contest criteria

Submissions open January 1, 2026 and close March 1, 2026

• High school contestants must be enrolled in high school (or homeschool) and college contestants must be enrolled in an undergraduate program at an accredited college or university for spring semester 2026. Scholarship winners must send proof of enrollment prior to receiving funds.

• Contestants shall submit an essay of 700-1,000 words on an aspect or aspects of liminality in “Goodbye, Bonavento” from S. K. Kruse’s short story collection, Tales From the Liminal. Download a free copy of the story here. (No purchase required.)

• Contestants must fill out and submit the online form and essay by 11:59 pm CST, March 1st, 2026. Submission form can be found below.

• The decisions of the judges are final and binding.

• Past winners, as well as friends, students, and relatives of the judges are ineligible to apply.

• AI USE POLICY: This is a contest for human-generated ideas and articulations. You may use AI tools to help you copy edit your paper or tighten a sentence or two, but be sure to limit your use of AI tools to these purposes for this contest. We expect (and want!) to hear YOUR IDEAS in YOUR VOICE. Thank you in advance for your integrity in this matter.

  BE SURE TO:

• Remove ALL identifying information from essay document

• Include ONLY YOUR INITIALS with essay title and page number in header of each page

• MATCH essay title in form field to essay title in document and filename

• Use standard MLA formatting

• Select correct entry level in submission form: High School or College

High school and college essays will be judged in separate competitions. In March of 2026, contest winners will be notified and shared on skkruse.com and social media, as well as with contest winners’ school and relevant media outlets. A picture and short bio of the winners will be requested at that time. In addition, S. K. Kruse will schedule a live virtual author visit with the winning classes, offering students the opportunity to discuss the contest, writing, and the power of the liminal in literature and life.

College Awards

$250 1st Place

$75 2nd Place

$25 3rd Place

HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

$250 1st Place

$75 2nd Place

$25 3rd Place

So, what is THE LIMINAL, anyway?

THE LIMINAL is a time, place, or state of being that’s betwixt and between. Neither here nor there. If it’s a time, it might be a summer of travel, a year of illness, or a period of war. If it’s a place, it might be a staircase, airport, or refugee camp. If it’s a state of being, it might be the experience of not fitting into the world’s tidy categories and feeling like you exist somewhere between them. Or it might be the experience of no longer fitting into your own tidy categories but feeling unable to find your way out of them yet. If this is the case, you didn’t end up there by accident. Something new is emerging in you, and for that to happen, some old things need to fall away. Darkness, confusion, and disorientation are to be expected. Just make sure you let the liminal do its work in you. You’ll be glad you did.

New This Year

A Free Ready-To-Use Introductory Lesson on the Liminal!

Give your students—or yourself—the gift of the liminal! Whether you’re a teacher looking for classroom-ready resources or simply curious about the liminal, this FREE Betwixt & Between Resource Packet is for you.

Inside you’ll find:

• a presentation you can use for your own study or a riveting discussion in the classroom.

• a Teacher Guide with individual and group activities, writing assignments, and more.

• a complete set of tools to help you or your students explore liminality in depth.

• a great introductory lesson for the Liminal Essay Contest or the Tales from the Liminal Study Edition.

Watch a brief preview below. Please note that the presentation you’ll download is a click-through PowerPoint file you control. The zipped Resource Packet is 250 mbs, and the link will take you to Google Drive for download. Enjoy!