Poetry Contest and Scholarships

July 9, 2012 admin Poetry Scholarships

If you enjoy writing poetry, there are numerous poetry contests and scholarships you can consider applying for. Prizes for poetry contests can vary and may include publication in a literary journal, cash prizes, and college scholarships. Regardless of whether you are a student or an adult, poetry contests and scholarships can present excellent opportunities.

The First Book Award offers a cash prize of $2,000 and publication of the winning submission. This poetry contest is sponsored by the Crab Orchard Series Review through Southern Illinois University Press. The contest is open from May 10th through July 7th. All submissions must be postmarked by no later than July 7th or may be entered electronically by the final deadline. A first book of poetry will be chosen for publication from the contest submissions. Applicants must not have published or committed to publish a book of poetry. Along with the cash prize of $2,000, the winner will also receive $1,500 as an honorarium for performing a reading at Southern Illinois University located at Carbondale.

The Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize is sponsored by Ruminate Magazine. The annual deadline for this poetry prize is typically May 1st, although the magazine may at times extend the deadline. All submissions must be previously unpublished. Contest applicants may submit up to two poems when entering this poetry competition. The winner of the contest will receive a cash prize of $1,000. In addition, the winner will have their winning submission published in an issue of the magazine. The second place winner will also have their work published in the magazine. Ruminate Magazine sponsors a total of four annual contests, including a nonfiction contest, short story contest, the poetry contest and art contest. Ruminate is one of the only Christian literary magazines in the country to sponsor such writing contests. Past winners of the contest have gone on to be recognized by notable publications and win other awards.

The New Letters Poetry Prize is sponsored by New Letters. Their Awards for Writers program was originally established in 1986 for the purpose of discovering and rewarding new writers as well as to encourage established writers to try new work or new genres in a competition venue. New Letters is published on a quarterly basis and dates back to 1936 when it was first published by the University of Kansas City. The contest is open to any writers. A cash award of $1,500 is issued to the winner of the New Letters Prize for Poetry. The prize will be given to the best group consisting of three to six poems.

New Letters also sponsors the Dorothy Churchill Cappon essay prize as well as the Alexander Patterson Cappon Prize for Fiction. Each winner of those contests will receive a $1,500 prize. First runners-up will receive a complimentary copy of a fiction or poetry volume from the contest’s affiliate press. Honorable mentions may also be chosen by the judges. The final deadline to apply for any of the contests sponsored by the New Letters Poetry Prize is mid-May.

The Crucible Poetry and Fiction Competition is available to all writers. All entries for the contest must be completely original and must never have been published. Manuscripts are only accepted through May 1st of each year. Winning entries to the contest will be published in an issue of the Crucible by the Barton College Department of English. All fiction submissions must be 8,000 words or less. No more than five poems may be submitted to the contest.

Barton College also sponsors the Sam Ragan Poetry Prize. These poetry contest and scholarships are open to all poets. A prize of $150 is awarded to the winner. All work that is submitted for publication will be considered for contest prizes. A second prize of $100 will also be awarded for poetry submissions. In addition, the contest will award a $150 first prize and a second prize of $100 for fiction submissions to the contest.

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Poetry Scholarships 2012 Poem Scholarships and Competitions