The 9th Annual Washington State Zine Contest is now open!

Submission Guidelines:

Participants must be Washington State residents.
Zines must be created in 2023 or 2024 and be at least 8 pages long.
Submissions will be read by people of all ages; please only non-offensive content in your zine.
Make at least 7 copies of your zine. Submit 5 and keep the others for yourself. Sharing and trading is a traditional aspect of zine culture! Entries will not be returned and may be added to a library’s collection or used in promotional materials.
By submission, the participants grant permission for the library to display, photograph & reproduce the submitted work for publicity purposes and to add copies to library collections.
Please remember to cite your sources and credit the work of other people for any parts of your zine that are not your own original work.
Entries may be dropped off at the Washington State Library @ 6880 Capitol Blvd. SE, Tumwater, WA 98501 (during open hours) or mailed to us @ WSL Zine Contest, PO Box 42460, Olympia, WA, 98504-2460
Entries must be postmarked by March 29, 2024.
Prizes will be awarded to a winner in each age/grade group: pre 4th grade, grades 4-6, 7-9, 10-12 and adults of all ages!
Zines will be judged on: Creativity/Originality, Visual and Aesthetic Appeal, Quality of Writing/Readability, and Design/Format/Layout.
For more information email [email protected].

Click on the poster image above to download and print PDF copies of the poster.

Physical copies of the winning zines and honorable mentions will be added to the collections at the Washington State Library, King County Library System, The Seattle Public Library, and the Timberland Regional Library. We will also be digitizing these zine so that people across our state (and beyond!) can have access to these wonderful zines created by Washingtonians.

Try Washington State Digital Collections History Resources online, the Library of Congress Digital Collections, or visit the Washington State Library, Washington State Archives and/or your local library to find fantastic materials and inspiration for your creating your own zines!

A Few Zine Libraries in WA State

How to Make a Zine Video

Links to digitized copies of honorable mentions will be added to this site after the zines are digitized.

Pre-4th Grade
Nobody Knows Me Better Than I Know Myself by Ofelia Thompson Gilbert
Grades 4-6
Washington Haiku by Spencer B. Ward
Grades 7-9
Lead Head by Gina Tran
Grades 10-12
The Letter by Iris Iverson
Adults
Wednesdays by Stephanie Smith

Pre 4th Grade
Awesome Fossils! by Manya Saxena
Helpfulness by Adeline Makela
The Secret of Fungi by Alicia Pan
Grades 4-6
The Renton Reader by Cora D’Addario
“To Use the World Impossible with the Greatest Caution” by Dashwood Davis
Volcanoes at Your Doorstep: Mt. Rainier by Janelle Pyant
Grades 7-9
Don’t Bug the Bugs by Lavender McMillin
Onigiri! by Asha Tummeti
Grades 10-12
The Chronicles of Speen by Zara Van Bronkhorst
Queer Love Stories by E. Wentzel
Adult
Expectations and Other Natural Disasters by Daisye G. Orr
How to Survive Death Errands by Chelsea Evans
In the Summer by Bre Jané

Past Winners:
2021


Pre-4th Grade	Grades 4-6	Grades 7-9	Grades 10-12	Adult
Kids Waited William K. Gault Shoreline	Mental Health Matters Catalina Roach Pasco	How to Make a Pokémon Deck Conner Goodsel Pasco	Bus Stop Love Zoe Kelton Shoreline	Mole Mackenzie Lew Seattle