The Wrangell Mountains Storytelling Festival

August 10, 2025 6pm-9pm

McCarthy, Alaska

One night to compete!

hosted by WMC’s very own Joey boots-ebenfield

The Wrangell Mountains Storytelling Festival seeks to catalyze local storytellers and celebrate the art of grassroots storytelling in our community.

evening schedule

  • 6PM - SALMON CHOWDER FUNDRAISER AND KIDS HOUR!

For a $20 donation to the WMC, enjoy a hearty meal of salmon chowder, freshly baked bread, salad fresh from our garden, and a homemade dessert. Come in, get your dinner and get settled for what’s next!

We invite MXY/Kennicott kids (under 12) to tell your stories on stage and compete for a prize! Don’t worry - every kid’s considered a winner!

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  • 7PM - COMPETITION BEGINS! Sign up opens at 6:45pm!

Make sure you come early to sign up- there will only be time for less than 10 storytellers in the Family Friendly storytelling hour of the evening. Please be mindful that stories should be no more than 8 minutes. If they go over 9, you’ll be disqualified from the competition. Remember - this is an all-ages audience!

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  • 8PM - “BLUE HOUR”

Can’t tell your story without a bit more mature content? This hour is dedicated to the more dicey stories not suitable for an all-ages audience. Parents- you will be warned before we head into Blue Hour.

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  • 9 PM - Judges Deliberate

Once all storyteller scores have been added, our judges will narrow down the final 3 contestants. Then, it’s up to the audience to decide who’s story is worthy of the cash prize!

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Competition sign up opens at 6:45pm! Competition will start promptly at 7pm. All stories should be under 8 minutes!

$500 Winer’s Prize!

Guidelines and Judge’s Criteria below.

Prompts and Story Ideas for tall tales competition

You know who tells the best stories? You! Consider joining the storytelling fray. You could win a cash prize or hear your story on our podcast — or just enjoy being part of the action. There’s something exhilarating, enriching, and even therapeutic when you share your story in the company of people who can’t wait to hear it.

Here are a few ideas to get ya’ thinking…

The Classic: We always love hearing your story of arriving in McCarthy. For most of us, our stories of how we made it to the Wrangells and what happened when we got here are abso-freaking-unforgettable…

The Wild: Share your wild story, which may or may not involve the wilderness…

Eros: It may be cold up here, but the audience always warms to tales of love and romance in the Far North…

Pathos: Share your most unnerving, white-knuckle travel adventure…

Logos: Tell a tale of that life-altering situation that shifted and changed your perception of yourself and the world: that moment of personal epiphany…

And The Rest Is History: We love a good historical yarn, local Kennicott-McCarthy history or a chapter from Alaskan days of yore…

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Tall Tales Competition Guidelines

  1. Stories must be under 8 minutes. 5 points will be deducted for stories over 8 minutes and stories over 9 minutes will be disqualified. 

  2. This event will be open to children. If your story has explicit content (drug or alcohol use, language, sex, etc) please inform Jon or Sabrina so that we can place you further down in the signup sheet for Blue Hour. Additionally, please give a trigger warning before you share so that parents have the opportunity to vacate with their children.

    PARENTS- you are responsible for vacating your children from the event during Blue Hour and after a trigger warning.

  3. We do not want to censor stories, however- stories containing content that fall under these categories will not be tolerated: Hate, bigotry and/or discrimination based on gender, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, political leaning; Sexual harassment and/or misconduct; Nonconsensual acts of any kind.


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Judge’s Criteria


1) Meets time limit? 5 points awarded if under 8 minutes. Zero Points if over 8 minutes. Disqualified if over 9 minutes.

2) Audience rapport: To what extent was the storyteller engaging/entertaining to the audience

3) Narrative Voice/characterization: Did the storyteller stay in character? Did they have a consistent/compelling and believable voice?

4) Originality: Was the story original, surprising, not predictable? Or was it obvious, boring or cliché?

5) Presentation Skills: Was the storyteller at ease engaged with their full body and vocals? Voice projection, Body language, Body movement, Costumes and other forms of presentation, etc.

Big Thank You to our 2025 Sponsors and supporters

  • Howard Mozen: Donating salmon for the Chowder Fundraiser

  • Joey Boots-Ebenfield: Being our amazing MC!

  • Cynthia Shidner: Organizing Kids Hour

  • Our hard-working WMC Summer Staff for hustling to coordinate and put the events together

  • And of course, big thanks to all the storytellers who participate in the event

 

Photo by Dave Sabell - 2021 storytelling at the Old Hardware Store

 

The Stories We Share

Photo by Dave Sabell

Stories are the soul of our mountain community, and the Wrangell Mountains Center has always been committed to this ancient art form

We believe in the power of community and the stories we share –stories that hold us together, during times of joy and times of change.

 

Photo by Dave Sabell - 2021 Tall Tales (Old Hardware Store)

 

Aboev: Bill Mann telling his winning story at the Old Hardware Store (2022) Left: Winning storyteller, Madz on the West Side stage (2022). Photos by Dave Sarbell

 

Email info@wrangells.org for more information