McNeese State University > 2026 District Literary Rally

2026 District Literary Rally

DateTask
November 7, 2025McNeese District Registration form opens & emails will go out to Coordinators
TBA
State Rally hosts High School Coordinator Zoom meeting
*State Rally will send out the invite if you have registered your school with them

January 30, 2026
Registration entry form and fee payment in the mail.
SWLRA attn: Madison Owens
McNeese State University
Box 90175
Lake Charles, LA, 70609

Divisions I, II, & III        $80/school
Divisions IV & V           $55/school    

All checks made payable to SWLRA.
February 13, 2026Submit District Contestant Entry forms for ALL competitors
All Literary contestants must be registered on the excel file and email it back to me by 12:00 pm to mowens@mcneese.edu. I will only accept the excel template for entries.
February 27, 2026Deadline for Literary Substitutions – 12:00 pm (Substitutions need to be emailed to mowens@mcneese.edu)
March 6, 2026District Rally Special Accommodation Forms due
(link to be provided soon)
March 14, 2026Southwest Louisiana Literary Rally @ McNeese Test start at 9:00AM SHARP!!!
April 18, 2026State Rally, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Check the LSU State Rally Website for location and times lhsra.org

** McNeese’s Spring Preview Day is the same day as Literary Rally. March 14, 2026 – All students are invited.

Questions or Concerns? Call Madison Owens at 337-475-5615 or mowens@mcneese.edu

Rally Day Reminders:

  • Students need to bring their own #2 pencils/NO pencil sharpeners will be available on rally day, so bring extras. 
  • Students should dress in layers(some classrooms are cold as others are warm).
  • All of the test start at 9:00am sharp, so please make sure to arrive early.  Students only have an hour to take their test.  
  • Students need to know how to properly fill in a scantron answer sheet.  The scantrons will be provided by the test proctors.  Make sure to print your name legibly on the scantron answer sheet so it may be scored.
  • Know which test are allowed to use calculators & which calculators are allowed. Visit the State Rally website for info  https://lhsra.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Calculator-use-policies-2024.pdf
  • Unofficial results will be posted outside of the Burton Conference Center (#26 on Campus Map) the day of rally starting around 10:30am until all tests are turned in, which are normally completed around noon.  Students please remember that these are unofficial results, so remember that a lot can change once test packets are double checked the following Monday & Tuesday.  Once results are finalized, official results will be posted on the district rally website (which won’t happen until probably Wednesday, March 18th).
  • The McNeese District Rally Coordinator will then email State Rally (LSU) our districts results, so they know who is eligible to attend the State Rally Test on April 18, 2026.
  • Students can participate in Spring Preview Day on rally day if they are able to. Visit this link to see the agenda https://www.mcneese.edu/admissions/previewday/
  • The University Bookstore(# 20 Bookstore) will be open from 8:30am-11:30pm in the Student Union.

*School Buses should unload the students on campus and then park at either the softball field or football field. We have several events occurring on campus this day and will need access to all of the parking lots.