© Council for Wisconsin Writers 2013
Council for Wisconsin Writers
Council for Wisconsin Writers
Contest Code of Ethics
At the Council for Wisconsin Writers (CWW), we support the Council of Literary
Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Contest Code of Ethics for our contests.
CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to
connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of
guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1)
conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers,
judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines — defining conflict of interest for all parties
involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that
different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this
Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute
to a vibrant literary heritage.
Since all our contests require prior publication (with the except of the Student Essay Contest) CWW does not use
blind judging. However our judges are chosen from a pool of qualified writers and teachers who reside outside the
state of Wisconsin.