Tall Tales Competition
Exaggeration, hyperbole - or just plain outright lies!
Tall Tales are as American as baseball and mom's apple pie. You can find the legends of Paul Bunyan and his like in American traditions, and here at the Kansas Storytelling Festival, we celebrate this American genre.
WHAT IS A TALL TALE ? (click here)
The opening day highlight of the Kansas Storytelling Festival is most certainly the Tall Tales Competition.
Four amateur storytellers come together with their best tall tale stories, prepared to try to outdo each other and win the coveted traveling trophy
- A Shovel.
Tall Tale Contestants
Preliminary contests are held in September and October to select four contestants to vie for the traveling trophy, the storytelling shovel, at the April Festival. Beginning in the fall of 2026, contestants will be determined at three preliminary competitions. So get busy concocting your finest ideas into hilarious or hair-raising tales. Hear the polished result on Friday evening at the Kansas Storytelling Festival. Email us at kansasstorytelling@gmail.com for more information or to register for Wichita or Downs qualifiers.
YOU ARE INVITED TO TELL A TALL TALE
ALL amateur storytellers are invited to enter the Tall Tale competitions. Storytellers may compete in any or all of the events.
Preliminary Competitions for the 2027 Kansas Storytelling Festival will be held at 3 events in September and October 2026.
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September 19, 2026 - Tonganoxie, KS. One qualifier will be selected. (More Information)
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Special Tall Tale Workshop and Evening Concert by Bill Lepp
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October 3, 2026 - Wichita, KS. One qualifier will be selected. (More Information)
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October 17, 2026 - Downs, KS. Two qualifiers will be selected. (More Information)
The public is welcome to attend these free events.
EXTRA CHANCES !
Competitors who are not selected at one of the events, may compete at any of the following events.
Rules for Tall Tales Competition (click here)
Tall Tale Scoring Categories (Click here)
2025 Kansas Storytelling Festival
Tall Tale Competitors
Three time Champion
Rich White
With his 3rd Tall Tale Championship, Rich White earns the title of
Kansas "Master Storyteller".
KANSAS MASTER STORYTELLERS (have won the contest 3 times)
Terry Koops (dec.) 1997,1998,1999; Sam Seymour (dec.) 2000,2001,2005;
Mike Nyhoff 2002,2008,2012; Kenneth Lee 2010,2011,2014; Allen DeBey 2004,2009,2017;
Keyta Kelly 2015,2016,2019; Rich White 2021,2024,2025