MADISON — Two of Wisconsin’s literary leaders will help decide the winner of the Our Waters, Our Future writing contest. Peter Annin, journalist and author of Great Lakes Water Wars, and Fabu, as Madison’s third poet laureate is professionally known, have agreed to help select the top stories that imagine a positive future for water and people in south-central Wisconsin.

“We are leaving the century of oil and entering the century of water, which means water will become the most important natural resource in the world by 2100. Communication—especially writing—can play a key role in helping people understand just how important water is becoming on a regional, national and international level,” says Annin, who is also the co-director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College.

The contest seeks short stories that are solutions-oriented and, while fictional, are also scientifically plausible. Stories should take place in the year 2070 and in the region around the Yahara Watershed and/or the affiliated counties of Dane, Rock and Columbia. The winner and finalists will be announced at a World Water Day event—featuring Peter Annin and Jerry Apps—hosted by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters.

Despite this regional focus, the contest is open to all Wisconsin residents and students 18 years or older. Since the region contains the state’s capital and flagship university, thousands of acres of productive farmland and valuable water resources, including the Yahara river and lakes, the issues it faces have state-wide significance.

The deadline to submit stories is February 1, 2016. Complete contest details can be found at https://wsc.limnology.wisc.edu/writing-contest.

The contest encourages Wisconsinites to envision a desirable future and participate in building that future through storytelling. Representatives from Madison Magazine, which will publish the winning story, will also be part of the judges’ panel.