Purple Paw Press is the publishing imprint of the Department of Languages & Literatures. It aims to recognize and celebrate student work and to give L&L students direct publishing experiences. PPP makes it possible for departmental programming, student-led initiatives, and class projects to be published and nationally distributed.
Since 2021, the Department of Languages & Literatures at the University of Northern Iowa has sponsored a writing competition for high school juniors and seniors across the state. Writers submit a variety of essays and creative pieces, and UNI scholarships are awarded to winning entries.
In this archive, you’ll find each year’s collection of winning, runner-up, and honorable mention entries in the categories of Creative or Critical Writing: Spanish, Creative Writing: English, and Critical Writing: English. Each collection is published by the department’s own imprint, Purple Paw Press, and often also features works by UNI student artists.
The contest and collection are made possible by several members of the UNI community. Faculty serving on the departmental Writing Committee promote the competition and act as judges, and UNI students in the Professional Writing Program create media campaigns during the contest. You also can find these titles on Purple Paw Press’ Amazon storefront. We hope you enjoy these works!
Go to the Purple Paw Press campus page to see their full list of collections and initiatives.
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The University of Northern Iowa Writing Competition for Iowa High School Students, 2025-26
Mallory Wulf, Raychel Willis, Hope Mehmen, Aiden Merrill, Jillian Sneddon, and A. P. Lamberti
Five years ago, the Department of Languages & Literatures at the University of Northern Iowa launched a writing competition for high school juniors and seniors across the state. Writers submitted a variety of essays and creative pieces, and UNI scholarships were awarded to winning entries.
In this year’s collection, you’ll find winning, runner-up, and honorable mention entries in the categories of Creative or Critical Writing: Spanish, Creative Writing: English, and Critical Writing: English. We’re also excited to showcase work by UNI student artists.
The contest and collection are made possible by several members of the UNI community. Faculty serving on the departmental Writing Committee promote the competition and act as judges, and UNI students in the Professional Writing Program create media campaigns during the contest. -
The University of Northern Iowa Writing Competition for Iowa High School Students, 2024-25
Michael Avina, Yana Kuryliak, Hannah Nelson, Amina Rechkemmer, Sophie Rivera, Grace Roth, and Luis Tapia
Four years ago, the Department of Languages & Literatures at the University of Northern Iowa launched a writing competition for high school juniors and seniors across the state. Writers submitted a variety of essays and creative pieces, and UNI scholarships were awarded to winning entries.
In this year’s collection, you’ll find winning, runner-up, and honorable mention entries in the categories of Creative or Critical Writing: Spanish, Creative or Critical Writing: French, Creative Writing: English, and Critical Writing: English.
The contest and collection are made possible by several members of the UNI community. Faculty serving on the departmental Writing Committee promote the competition and act as judges, and UNI students in the Professional Writing Program create media campaigns during the contest. -
The University of Northern Iowa Writing Competition for Iowa High School Students, 2023-24
Shelby Brubaker, Enrico Sartori Fernandes, Olivia Reisdorf, Bailey Runnells, Mateo Scacco, Sara Shannon, and Rosemary Yauk
Three years ago, the Department of Languages & Literatures at the University of Northern Iowa launched a writing competition for high school juniors and seniors across the state. Writers submitted a variety of essays and creative pieces, and UNI scholarships were awarded to winning entries.
In this year’s collection, you’ll find winning, runner-up, and honorable mention entries in the categories of Creative or Critical Writing: Spanish, Creative Writing: English, and Critical Writing: English.
The contest and collection are made possible by several members of the UNI community. Faculty serving on the departmental Writing Committee promote the competition and act as judges, and UNI students in the Professional Writing Program create media campaigns during the contest.
We hope you enjoy our latest collection! -
The University of Northern Iowa Writing Competition for Iowa High School Students, 2022-23
Magaly Kivi, Kadence Pape, Sara Shannon, and Rylee Zaehringer
Two years ago, the Department of Languages & Literatures at the University of Northern Iowa launched a writing competition for high school juniors and seniors across the state. Writers submitted a variety of essays and creative pieces, and UNI scholarships were awarded to winning entries. In this year's collection, you'll find winning and honorable mention entries in the categories of Creative Writing: English, Critical Writing: English, and Creative or Critical Writing: Spanish. The contest and collection are made possible by several members of the UNI community. Faculty serving on the departmental Writing Committee promoted the competition and acted as judges, and UNI students in the Professional Writing Program drafted book cover concepts and created media campaigns during the contest.
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The Iowa High School Writing Competition 2021-22
Elise Andersen, Brenda Koumondji, Ireland Laughlin, Nancy Nahra, Grace Reidy, and Skylar Zimmerman
In September 2021, the Department of Languages and Literatures at the University of Northern Iowa launched a writing competition for high school junior and seniors across the state. UNI scholarships were awarded to winning entries. Writers submitted pieces representing a variety of issues important to today's students. In this collection, you'll find the competition's winning, runner-up, and honorable mention entries. Both the contest and book were made possible by several members of the UNI community. Faculty serving on the departmental Writing Committee promoted the competition and acted as judges, and UNI students in the Professional Writing Program drafted a range of potential book covers and created media campaigns. We hope you enjoy the inaugural result of this project!
