The 12th Annual Missouri Liars Contest

The Missouri Liars Contest is a lighthearted storytelling competition where contestants compete to tell the most entertaining, believable, and wildly exaggerated tall tale. The goal isn't to deceive people, but to celebrate the tradition of humorous storytelling and creative imagination.
The contest is organized by the Missouri Storytelling Association (MO-TELL), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of storytelling throughout the state. Each year, the event rotates to a different Missouri community.
How it works

Contestants can compete in two categories:

Spoken stories – Participants perform an original tall tale before a live audience.

Written stories – Writers submit an original fictional story filled with outrageous exaggeration.

The stories are judged on factors such as:
Creativity
Originality
Delivery (for spoken entries)
Humor
How convincingly the impossible is presented

The best lies usually begin with something that sounds perfectly plausible before gradually becoming more and more outrageous.
The 2026 Missouri Liars Contest is especially notable because it is being held in Joplin for the first time.

The event includes:
Friday evening: A storytelling concert with live music.
Saturday morning: A storytelling workshop led by award-winning storyteller Elizabeth Ellis.
Saturday afternoon: The spoken-word Missouri Liars Contest.
The contest takes place at the Joplin Avenue Coffee Company on July 10-11, 2026. Admission is free.