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 2025, 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
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 2026 Kansas Storytelling Festival will be held at 3 events in September and October 2025.
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September 13, 2025 - Tonganoxie, KS. One qualifier will be selected. (More Information)
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September 20, 2025 - Wichita, KS. One qualifier will be selected. (More Information Soon)
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October 11, 2025 - Downs, KS. Two qualifiers will be selected. (More Information Soon)
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".
OTHER MASTER STORYTELLERS
Sam Seymour, Mike Nyhoff, Kenneth Lee, Allen DeBey, Keyta Kelly