The Lawrence Arts Center and The Raven Bookstore are co-sponsoring the Langston Hughes creative writing awards, and the judges have started accepting submissions.

Langston Hughes dealt with the complexities of living in a racist society by writing poetry, drama, fiction, memoir, and narratives in various literary styles. This award seeks to support individuals who express their understanding of life experiences in a creative way by writing poetry, prose or non-fiction narrative works.

Two awards of $500 are given to the winners of the contest, one for a poetry entry and another for a fiction writing entry. Participants must be Lawrence residents or a resident for at least one year before submission date.

No more than 5,000 words are accepted, and multiple pieces should be submitted in one document. Published writers of book-length works are not eligible. Self-published works are exempted.

The admissions deadline is Dec. 10. For more information on eligibility requirements and submission guidelines, and to enter the contest, visit langstonhughesaward.submittable.com.