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February 2006
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Welcome to our February newsletter. This is the companion to our online database, The Best Free Poetry Contests. It alerts you to upcoming contests and important contest changes. Now for your convenience, this newsletter links directly to individual contest profiles.
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RECENT HONORS FOR OUR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS
Congratulations to Mara Rose Balaban, age 11, winner of third place in the 4th Killie Writing Competition. Her entry was "Lady of the Night".
RECENT HONORS FOR POETRY CONTEST INSIDER SUBSCRIBERS
Congratulations to Dianna Robin Dennis. Her poem, "Colours of the Earth", was selected for publication in the Leaf In Love/Out of Love anthologies. Dianna writes, "Thanks for all your work on the website—which has been more than helpful, and I have spread the word here in Galway, Ireland."
Congratulations to Tracy Koretsky. She won second place in the Poets on Parnassus contest. We are big fans of Tracy's self-published novel, Ropeless, which itself just won its 14th prize.
Congratulations again to Cheryl Loetscher, winner of the first annual Wild Goose Poetry Review contest. She writes, "This is the second significant prize I have won this month, both from contests listed by Winning Writers. What a fine resource!"
Congratulations to Lois Roisman, winner in the Comic category of this year's Petra Kenney Poetry Competition. Her entry was "The Ladies Luncheon".
TRY POETRY CONTEST INSIDER
Get profiles on over 750 poetry contests, plus over 100 of the best prose contests. Search and sort contests by deadline, prize, fee, recommendation level and more. Interviews and links to award-winning work help you refine your craft. Explore Poetry Contest Insider for 10 days on us. If you like it, you'll pay just $6.95/quarter. If it's not for you, cancel and pay nothing. Winning Writers is one of the "101 Best Web Sites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005). Start your trial of Poetry Contest Insider today.
Jendi Reiter Wins Award from Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund
Winning Writers editor Jendi Reiter has just won one of the $2,500 third prizes in the 2005 Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg contest for her poem "Sedona". The poem can be read on the contest's website by clicking the link to the 2005 winners in the left sidebar. This annual competition offers prizes of up to $7,500 for unpublished lyric poems "celebrating the spirit of life." Entries for the next contest, open now, must be received by November 6, 2006. Entrants must be under 40 as of the deadline.
SPONSORS' MESSAGES
Last Call!
Utmost Christian Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: February 28
The Utmost Christian Poetry Contest seeks poems from
Christian poets. Over US$3,000 in cash prizes will
be awarded in our 6th annual contest, including a first
prize of US$1,000. There are many special categories,
including "Best Poem by an Unpublished Poet", which
will be awarded US$200. Winning entries will be published
at www.utmostchristianwriters.com. Entry fee is US$15 per poem (Can$15 for Canadians). Entries are now being accepted. This is the largest annual poetry prize in North America available exclusively to poets of Christian faith. Please see the complete rules and submit using our entry form:
http://www.utmostchristianwriters.com/poetry-contest/poetry-contest.htm
Closing Next Month
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest
Postmark Deadline: March 31
Now in its 14th year. Prizes of $1,000, $600 and $400 will be awarded, plus four High Distinction awards of $250 each. The top entry will be published in a triennial anthology. Other entries may also be published. Submit any type of short story, essay or other work of prose, up to 5,000 words. You may submit work that has been published or won prizes elsewhere, as long as you own the anthology and online publication rights. $12 entry fee. Submit online or by mail. Early submission encouraged. Winning Writers is assisting with entry handling for this contest. Judges: John H. Reid and Dee C. Konrad. Guidelines:
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/tomstory/ts_guidelines.php
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Deadlines: February 16-March 31
Here is a summary of upcoming free poetry contests. New feature: For your convenience, we've now linked the contest names directly to their profiles within The Best Free Poetry Contests database. (On your first click of the day, you may be asked to login before being taken to the contest profile.)
As always, you may also login to The Best Free Poetry Contests here and click the Find Free Contests link to search for contests by name.
2/24: New Words Poetry Competition +
Neutral free contest for Ohio residents offers prizes of $125, $100 and $75 for 1-3 unpublished poems, maximum 5 pages total. Series judge is award-winning poet Elton Glaser.
2/28: Chistell Writing Contest +
Neutral free contest offers top prizes of $200 for short fiction and $100 for poetry, for writers who have never been published in a major publication. Chistell is an independent publisher of popular literature with a focus on African-American women. Send 1-2 poems or one story; online submission only.
2/28: GLCA New Writers Awards ++
Recommended free contest offers $300 and a reading tour of 12 midwestern colleges for the author of a book of fiction or poetry that is the author's first published book in that genre. One winner in each category. Publisher should submit 4 copies of book along with publicity material. Selection process seems to favor recipients of major first-book awards.
2/28: Toronto Book Awards +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest for published books of literary or artistic merit that are evocative of Toronto. C$15,000 will be awarded in all. Each shortlisted author (usually 4-6) receives C$1,000 and the winning author is awarded the remainder. There are no separate categories: novels, short story collections, books of poetry, biographies, histories, social studies, books about sports, children's books, photographic collections, etc. are judged together.
3/1: Beverly Hopkins Memorial Poetry Contest for High School Students +
Neutral free contest for high school students living within 100 miles of St. Louis offers prizes of $50 and $35, plus reading at annual poetry concert in May. Send 1-3 poems, any length, that are unpublished and not previously awarded a prize. Entries should be typed, single-spaced, signed with pseudonym only; include a 3"x5" index card with author's real name and pseudonym, address, phone number, email, high school name and poem titles.
3/1: Brenda L. Smart Grand Prize for Poetry +
Neutral free contest offers $500 for poems by North Carolina residents with no published books. Send 2 copies of 1-3 poems. Previous winners and tenured UNC faculty may not enter.
3/1: Collision Poetry & Creative Nonfiction Contest +
Entries must be received by this date
Twice-yearly neutral free contest (March 1, November 15) from Collision, the University of Pittsburgh's creative nonfiction magazine, offers prizes of $150, $100, $50, plus publication, for poetry and creative nonfiction by undergraduate or graduate students anywhere in the world. Entries should be 3,000 words maximum. Prizes are across all genres, not per genre (personal essays and narratives, travel pieces, feature articles, and poems).
3/1: Eastern Shore Regional Poetry Contest +
Neutral free contest offers top prize of $100 per age division (children, student, adult, senior) for poems by residents, students or employees from the following Maryland counties: Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's or Talbot. Send 2 copies of 1-2 poems, 20 stanzas or 3 pages maximum per poem.
3/1: Milton Kessler Poetry Book Award ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest from Binghamton University offers $1,000 for the best book of poetry published in the previous calendar year by an author over 40, minimum press run 500. Publishers should send 3 copies of published book (no galleys) plus entry form.
3/10: Jo-Anne Hirshfield Memorial Poetry Awards +
Neutral free contest offers prizes of $100, $50 and $25 in each of 3 age categories: children (grades K-8), high school students, and adults. Open to Chicago-area teens and adults and Evanston, IL elementary school students. Send 2 copies of 1-5 unpublished poems.
3/10: Lynn DeCaro Poetry Contest +
Neutral free contest offers prizes of $75, $50, $25 for unpublished poems by Connecticut high school students (public, private, home-schooled or alternative) in grades 9-12. Send 2 copies of 1-3 poems, maximum 40 lines each. No simultaneous submissions.
3/15: Howard Nemerov Creative Writing Awards ++
Recommended free contest for US high school juniors and seniors offers three prizes of $250 in each genre (poetry and fiction). One entry per person per genre. Sponsored by Washington University in St. Louis.
3/15: Ray Bradbury Creative Writing Contest +
Neutral free contest offers top prize of $100 in each age category, high school students and adults. Alternates annually between poetry (even-numbered years) and prose (odd-numbered years). For the 2006 contest, send 1-2 poems, maximum 2 single-sided typed pages each.
3/15: Sunken Garden Poetry Festival's Young Poets Competition ++
Recommended free poetry contest for Connecticut high school students. Four to six winners will receive a summer of mentoring with a professional poet; be aired over five Connecticut public radio stations; be published in a special edition chapbook; and be invited to participate in the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at the Hill-Stead Museum in the summer. Send 1-5 pages of unpublished poetry.
3/17: Ottakar's & Faber Poetry Competition +++
Entries must be received by this date
Highly recommended free contest for UK residents offers top prize of 500 pounds for adults, 100 pounds for youth, plus runner-up and regional prizes. Send one poem, maximum 40 lines. Ottakar's is a British bookstore chain. The contest is co-sponsored by Faber & Faber, a venerable British publishing house.
3/31: Mattia Family Poetry Contest +
Neutral free contest runs several times yearly, offering prizes of C$100, C$50 and C$25 plus web publication for the best poem under 200 words. Online entry only. You may post up to 2 poems per day until selected for the "Fina-List" from which the editors will pick a winner.
3/31: Mildred Kanterman Memorial Award for Best First Book of Haiku +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest from the Haiku Society of America offers $500 for the best first book of haiku, or primarily haiku, published in the previous calendar year. Books should be at least 24 pages. Also see website for the Annual Merit Book Awards, open to poets of all experience levels, not just first books. Both prize and fee for the latter contest were eliminated in 2005; winners now receive only publicity in Haiku Society materials. Early entries encouraged. Email Michael Dylan Welch for details.
3/31: Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest for African-American poets offers $500 and publication for a poetry manuscript, 60-90 pages. Authors who have already had books published by Lotus Press are not eligible. Note new submission period for 2006 (formerly January 1 to March 25).
3/31: Word Works Young Poets Competition +++
Highly recommended free contest for high school students in the Washington, DC region offers two winners an honorarium plus reading at Rock Creek Park with an established poet. Send 5-6 poems, published or unpublished. The Word Works also runs a prestigious manuscript prize for adults.
Login
to The Best Free Poetry Contests now to view these and all our profiles of free contests. You can browse contests by deadline date, name, recommendation level and more.
Key to Ratings
Highly Recommended: +++
Recommended: ++
Neutral: +
All deadlines are postmark deadlines unless otherwise specified.
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A CLOSE LOOK AT THE CREATIVE COMMUNICATION CONTESTS
We have received inquiries about whether the poetry and essay contests sponsored by Creative Communication are deceptive in the manner of poetry.com. Creative Communication does have some of the characteristics of a vanity contest:
- Low selectivity (45% of entrants are published)
- Except for the top winners, published authors are not given a free copy of the anthology
- Advertisements emphasize the large aggregate value of the prizes awarded ($70,000 annually); a diligent search of their website reveals that the value of most individual prizes is under $100
- Short line limits permit more poems to be packed into the anthology, creating many more potential customers
In their defense, Creative Communication editor Tom Worthen was responsive to our questions, sending us materials to demonstrate the value of his enterprise. We are satisfied that this contest is not a scam.
Unlike poetry.com, Creative Communication is upfront about the contestant's status, does not flatter authors with misleading "semifinalist" letters, and does not use publication as a lure to sell ancillary products (plaques, trophies, etc.) apart from the anthology. In addition, if five or more students from a teacher's class are accepted into the anthology, the teacher gets a free copy. On the other hand, only 55% of the entries are rejected. Most legitimate contests reject 90% or more of the entries they receive. Where the Creative Communication acceptance letter claims that "most" contestants' poems are rejected, this is a stretch.
We found value in the Creative Communication Poetic Power online newsletter, which shares creative ideas from poetry teachers nationwide. The newsletter contains useful writing exercises and advice for getting students to appreciate poetry. Creative Communication also provides grants (averaging $250 each) to schools for poetry education.
Still, we cannot recommend their contests without reservation. The work in their anthologies was generally amateurish. In particular, we were concerned that the older students were writing below grade level. They did not demonstrate the psychological and verbal sophistication that one finds in the winners of more prestigious youth contests, such as the Poetry Society of America's Louise Louis/Emily F. Bourne Student Poetry Award or the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award from the UK's Poetry Society. Winning a Creative Communication contest is unlikely to provide much lift to a young author's career.
Worthen says that he accepts so many poems because he feels that an accessible contest encourages young writers. It's true that seeing one's work in print can be gratifying when one is starting out. However, as the student learns to distinguish between good and bad poetry, and perhaps becomes disillusioned with the quality of the anthology, will such "self-esteem awards" ultimately be counterproductive, making him doubt the value of any praise he receives? Alternately, will the winners become satisfied with their work as it is, rather than exert themselves to meet a more rigorous challenge? Before recommending this contest to their students, teachers should order a sample anthology and decide whether it furthers their objectives.
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SPONSORS' MESSAGES
Bringing Home the Bacon, Eggs, Etc.
Fictional forays into home grocery service. A student working part-time to help meet expenses gets more than bargained for in making the rounds: Miss Ann Swope, who at times seems more like "Miss Ann Thrope"; the mysterious occupant of a jalopy who hangs out on the perimeter of the local airport and at a nearby park; Colonel Riant, collector of classic automobiles, whose tranquil retirement is suddenly disrupted by vandalism—or worse; Chef Rudi, seeking to launch a new restaurant after stints in New York and Philadelphia, loses his longtime companion and unexpectedly gains an angel.
www.edalbaugh.com
Sheila Bender's Writing It Real and LifeJournal for Writers
Author of eight writing books for Writer's Digest Books and other presses, poet and essayist Sheila Bender puts her knowledge and classroom-tested writing exercises, discussion, and revision techniques to work for Writing It Real subscribers. Visit www.writingitreal.com to read five sample articles, learn about LifeJournal for Writers software for building an effective writer's journal, and browse previews of recent articles to experience the magazine. On the homepage, you'll also learn how to study with Sheila online or in person. Subscribe now for access to three years of archives as well as a year of new weekly articles.
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Closing Next Month
2006 Key West Robert Frost Poetry Festival and Contest
Postmark Deadline: March 28
The 12th Annual Robert Frost Poetry festival will be held April 21-23, 2006 in the Heritage House Garden, Robert Frost Cottage, and at select Key West venues. The festival again will feature poetry and haiku workshops and readings, an art and film event, and an international poetry and haiku contest. Featured poets are Dr. Michael Wyndham Thomas, Birmingham, England; Lee Gurga, Editor of Modern Haiku; Key West author and poet Rosalind Brackenbury; and Rebecca Seiferle, author of Bitters. For further information and registration details, please visit heritagehousemuseum.org or write to The RFPF, 410 Caroline Street, Key West, FL 33040.
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Abroad Writers' Conference Spring Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: April 1
Abroad Writers' Conference is announcing our Springtime Poetry Contest. The first place winner will read their work as a guest of honor at our July 3 Writers' Conference and Writing Workshops in France. US Poet Laureate Billy Collins will attend. This prize is valued at $2,750 (airfare not included). You'll also have your work published in the literary journal, Driftwood. Second Place: $500. Judge: Hettie Jones, How I Became Hettie Jones. Poems must be unpublished. Submit a group of five poems with a reading fee of $20, payable to Abroad Writers' Conference. Please include a SASE for notification. Winners will be notified by May 1. Mail to: ABROAD—Poetry Contest, 17363 Sutter Creek Road, Sutter Creek, CA 95685.
Annual Milton Dorfman Poetry Prize 2006
Postmark Deadline: April 30
Sponsored by Rome Art & Community Center, Rome, NY. Open to the public. First Prize $500, Second Prize $250, Third Prize $150. Submit original, unpublished poems. Entries must be typed on 8.5" x 11" paper, with author's name, address and phone number appearing on back of entry. Entry fee: $15 per poem. Winners will be notified by telephone no later than May 31. Winning entries will be published in regional publications and read during the awards ceremony. Mail your entry and fee to:
Milton Dorfman Poetry Prize
c/o Rome Art & Community Center
308 West Bloomfield Street
Rome, NY 13440
Please make your check payable to Rome Art & Community Center. US funds only. Questions? Please call Lauren Getek at 315-336-1040.
Writecorner Press
$1,100 E.M. Koeppel 2006 Short Fiction Award and P.L. Titus $500 Scholarship
Postmark Deadline: April 30
First place: $1,100. Editors' Choices: $100 each. Maximum Length: 3,000 words. Seeks unpublished stories in any style or theme. Winners will be published on the literary website www.writecorner.com. After publication, writer retains all rights. $15 fee for one story, $10 for each additional story. If the winning writer is attending a college, school or university when the story is submitted, he or she will also receive the P.L. Titus $500 Scholarship, for a total student award of $1,600. Send submissions to our new address: Writecorner Press, P.O. Box 140310, Gainesville, FL 32614. Complete guidelines: http://www.writecorner.com/award_guidelines.asp
Now Open
Perigee 2006 Fiction Contest
Postmark and Online Submission Deadline: May 31
This year our popular fiction contest features increased cash prizes totaling $400, with additional chances to win. Send us fiction with something at stake. All three winning entries will be published in our autumn 2006 issue. All styles and subject matters are welcome, but please only send fiction of 3,500 words or fewer. Reading fee: $10 per story. Writers may make multiple submissions at $10 each. Results will be announced on July 15th. To read guidelines, submit directly through our web site, and explore our latest issue, visit www.perigee-art.com
Now Open
Artists Embassy International Poetry Contest
to further understanding and goodwill through the universal language of the arts
Postmark Deadline: June 1 (early entries encouraged)
Three $100 grand prizes and a video of your poem being performed at the Dancing Poetry Festival in October, plus cash awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes. Reading fee is $5 for one poem, $10 for three poems. Each poem may have up to 40 lines. Send two copies of each poem. Put your name, address and phone number on one copy only. The anonymous copy will go to the judges. Please send your entries to: Judy Cheung - Chair, 704 Brigham Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. No entries will be returned. Complete guidelines: http://www.dancingpoetry.org/dancingpoetrycontest.htm
Now Open
The Litchfield Review Summer Contest
Postmark Deadline: July 30
The Litchfield Review seeks original, unpublished poems, essays and short stories for its current contest. We provide a forum to both emerging and established writers; our only criterion for acceptance is excellence. We look for good stories beautifully told, quality poetry of substance, and creative nonfiction that lingers long in the minds of readers. The overall winner will receive $250. Other prizes of $100 may also be awarded. The reading fee is $10 per essay, short story, or set of 1-3 poems; or $15 to submit an unlimited number of prose and poetry entries. All prizewinners will be published in The Litchfield Review. Runners-up may also be published. All writers we publish will receive a free copy of the issue in which they appear.
Please submit two copies of your manuscript and make your reading fee payable to The Litchfield Review. Essays and short stories may be up to 3,000 words long. Poems may have up to 45 lines. Your entry should be typed, double-spaced, on one side of letter-size sheets of paper. Staple multiple pages together. Include a cover page with your name, address, phone number, email address (if available) and title for each submission. Indicate the word count (prose) or line count (poetry) on the cover page.
Mail your submission to: The Litchfield Review, 7 Bonna Street, Beacon Falls, CT 06403.
You may submit the same work simultaneously to this contest and to others. Please notify The Litchfield Review if the work you submit is accepted elsewhere. Questions? Please email Theresa C. Vara-Dannen.
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These free prose contests with deadlines between February 16 and March 31 are included as a bonus in The Best Free Poetry Contests. New feature: For your convenience, we've now linked the contest names directly to their profiles within our database of free contests. (On your first click of the day, you may be asked to login before being taken to the contest profile.)
As always, you may also view these contest profiles by logging into The Best Free Poetry Contests here. After you login, please click the Find Free Contests link, then search by Prose Contest Type to find prose contests.
2/28: Anchoring Sea Enterprise Essay Contest +++
Highly recommended free contest from the US Naval Institute offers a $15,000 top prize, other large prizes, for essays of 3,500 words maximum on this theme: "Write an essay for this contest that addresses barriers to change and how to remove them, proposed mechanisms to incentivize Sea Enterprise activity that motivates meaningful change, and/or new opportunities for Sea Enterprise engagement at the corporate or activity level that will help make our Navy the right force, at the right readiness, for the right price!" One entry per person; no simultaneous submissions. Anyone may enter, but only Department of the Navy employees—active military, reserve and civilians—are eligible for the cash awards.
2/28: Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook Children's Story Competition ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest seeks unpublished stories for children aged 9-12 on the theme of "Secrets", maximum 2,000 words. Prize is 500 pounds, or A&C Black books worth 1,000 pounds, plus publication in the Times Educational Supplement and on the A&C Black website. A&C Black publishes the Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, an annual directory of markets in all areas of children's media (similar to the Writer's Market series from Writer's Digest in the US). Online submission only.
3/1: Commonweal Theological Essay Prize +++
Entries must be received by this date
Highly recommended free contest from progressive Catholic magazine Commonweal offers prizes of $5,000 and $2,500 for essays on "how theological thinking can sharpen, broaden, and deepen our understanding of the moral, spiritual, social, or political challenges we face.... We are looking for writing that is theologically sophisticated yet accessible to the general reader." Essays should be 2,500-5,000 words. One entry per person. Submit by email to luceprize@commonwealmagazine.org as an MS Word attachment. Entrants must have been born on or after January 1, 1956.
3/1: Harold U. Ribalow Prize ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest offers $3,000 for a published book of fiction on Jewish themes. Publishers should submit 3 copies of an English-language book published in the previous calendar year. Two copies should be sent to Hadassah Magazine's NYC office, the other to their chief screener in Israel. Sponsored by Hadassah: The Women's Zionist Organization of America. Early entries strongly encouraged. Email Ian Marks with questions.
3/1: John Gardner Fiction Book Award ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest from Binghamton University offers $1,000 for the best book of fiction published in the previous calendar year, minimum press run 500. Publishers should send 3 copies of published book (no galleys) plus entry form.
3/1: Judith Siegel Pearson Award +
Neutral free contest offers annual awards averaging $250 for the best creative or scholarly work on a subject concerning women. Award categories rotate each year. The 2006 contest is devoted to essays. Fiction is slated for the 2007 contest, drama and nonfictional prose for 2008 and poetry for 2009. Essay length limit is 20 double-spaced pages.
3/1: Newsweek "My Turn" Essay Contest +++
Highly recommended free contest for college-bound US high school students offers $5,000 top prize plus publication in Newsweek, as well as other large prizes, for unpublished personal essays of 500-1,000 words on a topic of significance to them. Style should resemble the "My Turn" column in Newsweek magazine. See website for details on formatting, eligibility and judging criteria.
3/1: Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize ++
Recommended free contest for college students in the US and Canada offers $1,000 and online publication. Send one story, maximum 7,500 words, and proof of current enrollment for the academic year in which the deadline falls. Asian students especially encouraged to enter. Sponsored by SUNY-Stony Brook.
3/1: Sylvia K. Burack Award ++
Recommended free contest for personal essays by full-time undergraduates in the US or Canada. Prize is $500 and publication in The Writer, a monthly magazine with advice and markets for creative writers. Submit a 600- to 800-word personal essay in English on a topic you feel passionate about. Entrants must be 18 or older.
3/15: Robert Traver Fly-Fishing Fiction Award ++
Recommended free contest from Fly Rod & Reel, a bimonthly magazine for fly-fishing aficionados, offers $2,500 and publication for the best short story up to 3,500 words that "embodies an implicit love of fly-fishing and a respect for the natural world."
3/17: Nelson Algren Awards +++
Highly recommended free contest offers top prize of $5,000, three prizes of $1,500, plus publication in the Chicago Tribune newspaper, for short fiction of 2,500-10,000 words. Maximum 2 entries per person.
3/20: Anthem Essay Contest for High School Students +++
Highly recommended free contest for 9th and 10th graders offers top prize of $2,000, other large prizes, for essays on Ayn Rand's novella Anthem. See website for essay topics and background on Rand's rationalist, libertarian worldview. Length limit is 600-1,200 words.
3/31: L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest ++
Recommended free contest for emerging writers of short science fiction, fantasy and horror offers quarterly prizes of $1,000 plus an annual $4,000 grand prize for one of the four winners. Send only one story per quarter, maximum 17,000 words. See website for eligibility rules.
3/31: Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Award +++
Entries must be received by this date
Highly recommended free contest offers $10,000 for a novel first published in Spanish after 2004 by a female author. Winner also receives publication in English by Curbstone Press, and travel expenses to the award ceremony at the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico. Send 6 copies of the published Spanish-language book, a curriculum vitae, and copies of any reviews that the book received. Contact David Unger for details.
Login
to The Best Free Poetry Contests now to view these and all our profiles of free contests.
Key to Ratings
Highly Recommended: +++
Recommended: ++
Neutral: +
All deadlines are postmark deadlines unless otherwise specified.
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Susan B and Me
Postmark Deadline: March 15
Girls and women are invited to submit poetry, other brief writings and photos for inclusion in Susan B and Me, a proposed anthology in coffee-table book format dedicated to the spirit of women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony. Send your reflections on the female experience—lives, loves, relationships, families, personal struggles and triumphs, self and society. Email Patti Ronsvalle for guidelines. No fee to enter.
Court Green: Call for Submissions
Postmark Deadline: May 1
Political poetry is requested for an upcoming issue of Court Green, an annual poetry journal published by Columbia College Chicago. "Each issue of Court Green features a dossier on a special topic or theme. Occasional or topical poetry is a fraught genre, but we live in fraught times, and understand that poetry can be a way to negotiate our relationship to the current political situation. For issue 4, we are accepting submissions of poems that seek to expand the definition of commonly held notions of 'political poetry'. All styles and subjects welcome, but special consideration will be given to poems that aim to explore and complicate rather than teach or hold forth." Court Green is edited by Arielle Greenberg, Tony Trigilio and David Trinidad. Their submission period is Febuary 1-May 1. Send your work to Editors, Court Green, English Department, Columbia College Chicago, 600 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605. See guidelines at: http://english.colum.edu/courtgreen/
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ASBPE Editorial/Magazine Publishing Resources
The American Society of Business Publication Editors' website offers this extensive page of links for journalists, including trade associations, reference sites, job markets and legal basics.
Bob Newman: An Irish Lament
Reflections on the conflict in Northern Ireland. Visit Mr. Newman's website for more poems and an excellent glossary of poetic forms from the common to the obscure.
BookCatcher
Post a press release about your book or announce an upcoming reading (free registration required). Browse articles about book marketing in their Reading Room, or search for literary events on their daily calendar.
Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference
Unique conference designed to set poets with a manuscript-in-process on a path towards publication. Led by award-winning poets Joan Houlihan and Fred Marchant. Includes meetings with editors from leading poetry presses such as Tupelo Press and BOA Editions. Their first conference, scheduled for March 31-April 3, is now sold out, but another is planned for August 18-21. Colrain is a town in Western Massachusetts.
Cowboy Poetry
Folksy rhymes set in the rural West, great for reading aloud. Site contains large archive of classic and contemporary cowboy poetry, articles on the genre, and news about upcoming poetry festivals and programs.
Duotrope's Digest of Fiction Fields (Markets for Writers)
Free searchable database of over 475 print and online periodicals that publish fiction. Profiles can be sorted by genre, submission policies, pay scale and more. Poets will also find it useful. Unlike many link directories, this site is updated daily and fact-checked every week. You can sign up for their Weekly Wire e-newsletter to receive new listings in your inbox.
Earthlink News: Print on Demand and Ebooks
Resources to get you started on self-publishing, plus list of sites where you can download free ebooks in various formats. From Earthlink's email newsletter.
Jessie Wallace Hughan: Three Antiwar Poems
Hughan was a pacifist activist during World War I and founded the War Resisters League.
Judith Goldhaber
Award-winning formalist poet, playwright, science writer and journalist. Her collection Sonnets from Aesop, a retelling of 100 fables in verse (beautifully illustrated by Gerson Goldhaber), is available from Ribbonweed Press.
Modern Haiku
An independent journal of haiku and haiku studies. Publishes original poetry in Japanese forms, book reviews, and essays. Also sponsors the Robert Spiess Memorial Award ($100), annual deadline in March.
OwnMade AudioBooks
Create your own audiobook from your published or unpublished book. Reasonable fees.
Troopnet
Forum sponsored by veterans' advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America was conceived as a "virtual VFW hall" where vets and troops can create profiles, find buddies and share stories of their combat experiences.
University of Virginia Library's Etext Center
Download free ebooks to your handheld (Microsoft and Palm Reader formats available) from this well-stocked site, which includes books in numerous languages as well as a good selection of English classics.
Vera Rich: Two Poems of World War II
Evocative war poetry by the editor of the British literary journal Manifold.
Writer Beware Blog
Authors/scam hunters Victoria Strauss and A.C. Crispin give advice on avoiding scam contests, working with editors and agents, and understanding your legal rights. Writer Beware is a project of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Committee on Writing Scams.
WW2 People's War
BBC-sponsored forum where users can read and contribute personal stories of their experiences in World War II, either battlefield or homefront. Also includes lesson plans, historical resources, timelines and maps, and tips for researching your family history.
See all our resources now at http://www.winningwriters.com/resources/ur_web.php. This is also the gateway to our recommended books, magazines, service providers, advice for writers (with manuscript tips) and poetry critiques.
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The Feast: Prose Poem Sequences
By Walter Bargen. A modern-day Jonah leads us from the belly of the whale into surreal cityscapes, sinister carnivals, and intersections with the world of Greek myths. Winner of the 2005 William Rockhill Nelson Award for best poetry book by a Missouri writer. Read more of Mr. Bargen's work on our 2005 War Poetry Contest winners page.
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MORE SPONSORS' MESSAGES
Closing Next Month
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest
Postmark Deadline: March 31
Now in its 14th year. Prizes of $1,000, $600 and $400 will be awarded, plus four High Distinction awards of $250 each. The top entry will be published in a triennial anthology. Other entries may also be published. Submit any type of short story, essay or other work of prose, up to 5,000 words. You may submit work that has been published or won prizes elsewhere, as long as you own the anthology and online publication rights. $12 entry fee. Submit online or by mail. Early submission encouraged. Winning Writers is assisting with entry handling for this contest. Judges: John H. Reid and Dee C. Konrad. Guidelines:
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/tomstory/ts_guidelines.php
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest - No Fee
Online Submission Deadline: April 1
Now in its fifth year. Sponsored by Winning Writers. Prizes of $1,190, $169, $60 and 5 honorable mentions of $38 each. A humor contest with a special twist. No fee to enter. Judge: Jendi Reiter. Submit online:
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War Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: May 31
Sponsored by Winning Writers. We seek original, unpublished poems for our fifth annual contest on the theme of war. Submit 1-3 poems, up to 500 lines in total. $3,000 in prizes will be awarded, including a top prize of $1,500. The entry fee is $12. This fee includes three months of online access to the Poetry
Contest Insider database, a $6.95 value. Judge: Jendi Reiter. Submit online or by mail. Guidelines:
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/war/wa_guidelines.php
Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse
Postmark Deadline: June 30
Now in its third year, this contest seeks poetry in traditional verse forms such as sonnets and haiku. 30 cash prizes totaling $3,500 will be awarded, including a top prize of $1,000. All winners of cash prizes will be published in an anthology. The entry fee is $6 for every 25 lines you submit. Enter online or by mail. Early submission encouraged. You may submit poems that have been published or won prizes elsewhere, as long as you own the anthology and online publication rights. Unpublished work is also welcome. Winning Writers is assisting with entry handling for this contest. Judges: John H. Reid and Dee C. Konrad. Guidelines:
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/margaret/ma_guidelines.php
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: September 30
Now in its fourth year, this contest seeks poems in any style, theme or genre. 30 cash prizes totaling $3,500 will be awarded, including a top prize of $1,000. All winners of cash prizes will be published in an anthology. The entry fee is $6 for every 25 lines you submit. Enter online or by mail. Early submission encouraged. You may submit poems that have been published or won prizes elsewhere, as long as you own the anthology and online publication rights. Unpublished work is also welcome. Winning Writers is assisting with entry handling for this contest. Judges: John H. Reid and Dee C. Konrad. Guidelines:
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/tompoetry/tp_guidelines.php
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2006 Poet's Market
The 2006 edition of Poet's
Market is on sale for $16.49 at Amazon. Published each August by Writer's Digest, this is the best annual guide to 1,800 journals, magazines, book publishers, chapbook publishers, websites, grants, conferences, workshops and contests. Helps you find publishers who are looking for your kind of work. Also updated are Novel & Short
Story Writer's Market and Writer's Market for works of prose. Writer's Market is "the most valuable of tools for the writer new to the marketplace," says
Stephen King in On Writing.
WriteSuccess Newsletter
Sign up now for WriteSuccess's free newsletter for freelance writers. Editor Mary Anne Hahn has a knack for finding the most interesting literary sites and markets. It's easy to feel lonely as a freelancer. Mary Anne's inspiring attitude and success notes from readers create a sense of community.
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This month, Critique Corner is pleased to present "No RSVP" by Ron Dean.
If you would like a chance to be critiqued, please email your poem to me at critique@winningwriters.com.
Send the poem in the body of your email message (no attachments) and put "poetry critique" in the subject line. One submission per poet per month. Thanks!
NO RSVP
by Ron Dean
He won't worry about how to help,
what tie to wear with which shirt color,
how center pieces fit with dishware,
if gifts might be necessary. She
doesn't care in which chair he may sit,
should a gravy spill blot his clothing,
if such worry's worth it. Thoughtlessly
guests resume games throughout the evening,
take dessert, crumbs dropping to carpet,
during her home vigil. Still she
did plan space for him in an event
knocks upon her door materialize,
should it freeze in hell. He looked a damn fool
lying in sand without a face, breath-
less, with arm and leg remaining, no,
not even requesting vacation,
leaving quite unannounced. What matters
to anybody; who now could care?
In spite, he should've shown! For she, sweet
hostess, shall greet no gentle-caller,
table-head, soldier, friend nor lover.
Copyright 2006 by Ron Dean
Critique by Jendi Reiter
This month's critique poem, Ron Dean's "No RSVP", subtly employs irony and misdirection to channel our outrage at the intrusion of violent death into our carefully constructed lives. By pretending that a dinner-party faux pas is the most important thing about this soldier's absence, the poem mocks the narcissism and misplaced priorities that permit war to continue.
"No RSVP" reminded me of a famous war poem, Arthur Rimbaud's "Le Dormeur du Val" (English translation). Both poems set a scene that initially appears benign, to heighten the reader's shock and sense of wrongness when death breaks in. We're tricked into complaining against the writer for ruining a pretty picture, only to realize that we may be perpetuating ugliness by refusing to see it....
critique continues here
This poem, our critique and contest suggestions for poems in this style appear in full at:
http://www.winningwriters.com/resources/critiques/2006/urc_0602dean.php
See
all of our 2005-2006 poetry critiques
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COMING IN OUR MARCH 1 SPRING SUPPLEMENT
Links to New Award-Winning Poems
Special Offers for Poets and Writers
COMING IN OUR MARCH 15 NEWSLETTER
The Best Free Poetry Contests for March 16-April 30
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