NPR Seeks Sports Inspired Poetry

NPR wants to read how sports has touched your life — in poetry form.

NPR Muse-Feed

Maybe a home run is like getting your dream job – or asking your sweetheart for a first date felt like a Hail Mary pass. Maybe you find inspiration in E. Ethelbert Miller’s poem, If God Invented Baseball — or NPR’s poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander’s basketball poem, The Show.

You can use sport as a metaphor for our lives — or simply write about the game or team you love. And don’t feel constrained by poetry type. It can be a haiku, a sonnet, a rhyming couplet — even free verse.

Find details here and share your sports-inspired poem by following this link and it could be featured in an upcoming Morning Edition segment with Alexander. Deadline: 11/15.

Foyle Young Poets Award

Deadline: July 31, 2019

Prizes:

  • All 100 winners will be invited to a prestigious Awards Ceremony in London.
  • The top 15 winners will have their poems printed in the winners’ print anthology, over 20,000 copies of which are distributed to school libraries and poetry enthusiasts. The anthology is also available online.
  • The 85 commended poets will have their work published in an online anthology and their names in the print anthology.
  • The top 15 Winners will be invited to attend a life-changing residential writing course at one of the prestigious Arvon Centres, or receive mentoring from a professional poet (age dependent).
  • All 100 winners receive a year’s Youth Membership of The Poetry Society.
  • All 100 winners will receive a goody bag full of books and other treats donated by our generous supporters.

Entry: Register here to enter. Entry is free.

Eligibility: Any young poet, writing in English, aged 11-17 as of the deadline.

Guidelines:

  • You must be aged 11-17 on the closing date of the 31st July 2019 (inclusive) in order to enter.
  • Individuals may enter more than one poem, however we strongly advise that you concentrate on drafting and redrafting your poems and send only a selection of your very best. Remember, quality is more important than quantity.
  • The competition is free to enter and poems can be of any length and on any theme.
  • Your work is accepted on the basis that this will be its first publication anywhere in the world. This includes:
    • anthologies, magazines, solo collections, school prints;
    • online, including blogs and online magazines;
    • social media such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram;
    • any regional, national or online TV station or via any radio platform.
  • Poems cannot have won any other competition.
  • Poems must be the original work of the author (we do run checks for plagiarism on all selected poems).
  • Poems must be in English.
  • You cannot enter a poem written by more than one author.
  • Entries will be accepted from anywhere in the world.
  • If you are 11-12 your parent or guardian will need to give permission for you to enter. Permission can be given online or by sending in the parent or guardian permission form.

New York Times TEEN ESSAY CONTEST

New York Times Teen Essay ContestThis teen essay contest invites high school students to connect a topic studied in the classroom with a New York Times article, video or podcast. Explore connections, draw parallels or explain the topic’s relevance for today.

Eligibility: Ages 13 – 19

Prize: Publication in The New York Times

Read Previous Winners:  See New York Times article by Katherine Schulten:  “Making Connections: 50 Teenagers Suggest Creative Ways to Link Classic Texts to the World Today”

How to Enter: Find link in above article.

Full New York Times Contest Calendar: Found HERE via the Learning Network.

Guidelines:

  1. Choose some piece of academic content: something you’ve been reading, discussing or learning about in school. It may be a work of literature, an event in history, a concept in civics, a phenomenon in science or something else entirely. It can be as small as a single haiku or as large as a world-changing event like the Industrial Revolution.
  2. Find something published in The New York Times in 2018 or 2019 (article, Op-Ed, image, video, graphic or podcast, etc.) that you think connects to your chosen subject in some interesting, meaningful way, and explain how.
  • What relevance does your academic content have to our world today?
  • What does it have to do with your life and the lives of those around you?
  • What parallels do you see between it and something happening in our culture or the news?
  • What lessons does it offer for us today?
  1. Tell us in 450 words or fewer, how and why the two things connect.

Deadline: January 21, 2019

Ploughshares Emerging Writers Contest

Ploughshares Emerging WritersEmerging Writer’s Contest

Since 1971, Ploughshares has been committed to promoting the work of up-and-coming writers. Over the years, Ploughshares has helped launch the careers of great writers like Edward P. Jones, Sue Miller, Mona Simpson, Tim O’Brien, and many more.

In the spirit of the journal’s founding mission, the Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. One winner in each genre per year will receive $2,000 and publication in the literary journal.  We consider authors “emerging” if they haven’t published or self-published a book.

The Emerging Writer’s Contest is now open. See the full guidelines to submit.

DEADLINE: May 15th NOON EST.

Glimmer Train Short Story Award

SHORT STORY AWARD FOR NEW WRITERS

Prairie Schooner Book Prize

Book Prize2018 Prairie Schooner Book Prize Contest

Deadline: March 15
Prize: $3000 and publication through University of Nebraska Press
Entry Fee: $25
Eligibility: Living writers, published or unpublished, including non-US citizens, writing in English, excluding past or present paid employees of Prairie Schooner or the University of Nebraska Press or current faculty or students at the University of Nebraska.
Questions: Email PSBookPrize@unl.edu
Journal Submission Guidelines: submission guidelines
Book Contest Guidelines: prairieschooner.unl.edu/book-prize

Contest Guidelines:

  • Fiction manuscripts (entirely short stories or one novella plus short stories) of at least 150 pages. No novels, single novellas or novella collections.
  • Poetry manuscript of at least 50 pages.
  • No previously published manuscripts, including self-publication.
  • Writers may enter both contests.
  • Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify immediately if accepted elsewhere.

Continue reading “Prairie Schooner Book Prize”

The Apprentice Writer

ELIGIBILITY: Grades 9 – 12
SUBMIT: Poetry, fiction, memoir, personal essay
AWARD: Publication in the The Apprentice Writer

GUIDELINES:

  • Electronic submission via www.apprenticewriter.com
  • Submit as a Word document. Each Word document should include only 1 submission.
  • Each document should include your first and last name, and email address at the beginning of the document. It should also include your name in the header/footer section of each page for multiple page works.
  • Poetry should be single-spaced, prose double-spaced, both in 12pt Times New Roman. (We may not be able to accommodate special formatting for poetry work.)
  • Documents should be titled as follows:
    • Last Name, First Initial (Genre) Submission Title
    • ex.: Doe, J (Fiction) A Yeti’s Tale
    • Do NOT include symbols such as #, $, <, *, /, : and @ in document title.

WEBSITE: www.apprenticewriter.com
QUESTIONS:  Contact Codie Nevil Sauers at nevil@susqu.edu.
DEADLINE: March 15, 2018

Glimmer Train New Writer Short Story Award

SHORT STORY AWARD FOR NEW WRITERS

Grace Period Extended Until March 10, 2018

Glimmer Train New Writers Shorty Story AwardDeadline: The Short Story Award for New Writers is held three times per year: February 28 | June 30 | October 31. A one-week grace period follows each deadline.

Eligibility: New writers whose fiction has not appeared, nor is scheduled to appear, in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. (Entries must not have appeared in print, but previous online publication is fine.)

Length: Most entries run from 1,000 to 5,000 words, but any lengths up to 12,000 are welcome.

Entry Fee: $18 per submission

Prizes:

  • 1st place: $2,500 | publication in Glimmer Train Stories | 10 copies
  • 2nd place: $500*
  • 3rd place: $300*

*Or, if accepted for publication, $700 and 10 copies of that issue

Announcement: Winners will be contacted directly one week prior to public announcement in our bulletins:

  • January/February contest announces May 1.
  • May/June contest announces September 1.
  • September/October contest announces January 1.

Recent winners:

  • 1st-place: Courtney Knowlton for “Mean Blonde Ponytail Girl”
  • 2nd-place: Alexandra B. Chang for “Tomb Sweeping Day”
  • 3rd-place: Amanda S. Torres for “Fortuna”

Website: GlimmerTrain.com

Guidelines: glimmertrain.com/pages/writing_guidelines.php

Sign up to receive Glimmer Train monthly bulletins!

SUBMIT YOUR STORY HERE

Interlochen Review Call for Submissions

The Interlochen Review

An online literary journal edited by creative writing students of Interlochen Arts Academy

Deadline: March 1, 2018
Eligibility: Grades 9-12 or high school postgraduate year.
Judges: Students of the Interlochen Arts Academy
Guidelines: 
Submit up to 6 pieces total. See full guidelines here: interlochenreview.org/submit/
Website: interlochenreview.org/

  • Fiction— 5,000 word max
  • Poetry— Long form poems are welcome
  • Nonfiction— 5,000 word max
  • Hybrid Genre— Flash fiction, prose poetry, lyric essay, film essay/poem, photo essay, new media writing, performance documentation, mixed-media experiments, singer-songwriter compositions or any other hybrid work.
  • Scripts/Screenplays— 40 page max. Standard format.

BIO: All submissions must be accompanied by a brief author bio. DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME anywhere on the submission EXCEPT for in the bio statement.
 The Interlochen Review accepts work recognized by Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and YoungARTS. They DO NOT accept previously published work from other journals, online or in print.

Crazyhorse Literary Prizes 2018

crazyhorse literary prizesCrazyhorse Literary Prizes

Entry Fee: $20
Website: http://crazyhorse.cofc.edu

Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Crazyhorse are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Vijay Seshadri will judge in poetry, Kelly Link will judge in fiction, and Jo Ann Beard will judge in nonfiction. Using the online submission system, submit up to three poems or a story or essay of up to 25 pages with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Crazyhorse, during the month of January. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Crazyhorse, Literary Prizes, College of Charleston, English Department, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424.

Deadline: January 31, 2018

NCTE 2018 Achievement Award for Superior Writing

NCTE 2018 Achievement AwardNational Council of Teachers of English High School Writing Award for Juniors

Deadline: February 15, 2018

Eligibility: Current high school JUNIORS are eligible to be nominated by their school’s English department. Nominations should be based on whether the writer exhibits power to inform and move an audience through control of a wide range of the English language. Entries are only accepted from teachers (i.e. the Head of the English Department).

Purpose:  To encourage high school students in their writing and to publicly recognize some of the best student writers.

Submit:

  1. Best Writing – one sample which you consider your best work. The best writing may be in any genre or combination of genres (poetry, narrative, argument, expository). An excerpt from a larger piece of writing is acceptable with a paragraph explaining the piece from which the excerpt was taken. Maximum length for the best writing is six (6) pages. Your name and “Best” must appear in the upper left-hand corner of each page.
  2. Themed Writing – must be written based on this year’s theme: “Changing the narrative.” See details here. Maximum length for the themed writing is four (4) pages. Your name and “Themed” must appear in the upper left-hand corner of each page.

Essay Prompt:Changing the Narrative.

Website: NCTE.org

Flyer: NCTE-10008-2018-WritingAward

NJ Young Playwrights Contest

NJ Young Playwrights Contest

WHAT: The Writers Theatre of New Jersey invites NJ middle and high school students in grades 4-12 to submit plays to the NJ Young Playwrights Contest and Festival.

DIVISIONS: Elementary (4-6) | Junior School (7-9) | High School (10-12)

LENGTH: Plays up to 20 pages or 20 minutes.

TYPE: Plays with “realistic” structures and inventive work. Judges look for strong plot, characterization, dialogue, conflict, theme, & originality.

THEMES: Plays may be on any topic, but there is a special category, “Living with Disabilities” designed for plays either written by an author with a disability, or a play with themes or characters dealing with disabilities.

FORMATTING: Instructions may be found under the Submissions Guidelines tab.

WINNERS RECEIVE:

  • Staged reading production of play with actors, a director, and dramaturg from WTNJ.
  • New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education (10-12 grades only).

DETAILS: Writers’ Theatre of New Jersey: org/nj-young-playwrights-contest

Deadline: Monday, January 15, 2018

Writing Conference, Inc. Contest

Writing Conference IncA Kansas nonprofit established in 1980, the Writing Conference Inc. hosts an annual national writing contest for middle and high school students.

Deadline: January 15, 2018
Eligibility: Elementary through high school students
Entry Fee: None
Submit: Each student may submit ONE entry: a poem, personal essay or narration (short story or play).
Theme: “Competition.”  We are trained for competition from the grade school playgrounds to the Olympic fields, from the classroom to the boardroom. What values from competition are we learning and teaching our children? How do our practices of competition influence the academic, moral, philosophical, and political frame works of our society?
Formatting: Entry form required. Read guidelines carefully.
Prize: Award winning pieces will be published in The Writers’ Slate whose audience is comprised of students and teachers at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels. Submissions should be appropriate for this audience.
Past Winners: Read 2016-2017 winners here.
Website: writingconference.com/wpwritingconference/

JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest

JFK Essay ContestProfile in Courage Essay Contest

Deadline: Postmarked by January 4, 2018

Eligibility: Grades 9-12

Entry Fee: None

Topic: Describe and analyze an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917, the year John F. Kennedy was born. Include an analysis of the obstacles, risks, and consequences associated with the act. The essay may concern an issue at the local, state, national, or international level.

Requirements:

  • 700 – 1,000 words
  • At least 5 varied sources such as government documents, letters, newspaper articles, books, and/or personal interviews
  • Demonstrate an understanding of political courage as described by John F. Kennedy in PROFILES OF COURAGE.
  • Include registration form
  • Bibliography with proper citations

Role of Nominating Teacher:

  • Provide students with support and advice during the writing of their essay.
  • Make suggestions for improvement before essays are submitted to the contest.
  • Review essays for syntax, grammatical, typographical and spelling errors and ensure the essay meets the contest requirements listed above.

Award: Ceremony at John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.

Website: jfklibrary.org

Poetry Society of America Student Award

PSA Student AwardLouise Louis / Emily F. Bourne PSA Student Award

Deadline: December 22, 2017
Eligibility: Grades 9-12
Entry Fee: $5 if submitted by student. $20 for an unlimited number if submitted by teacher. Checks made payable to Poetry Society of America. (Membership not required).
Award: One of the most prestigious awards available to poets. $250.
Submit: One unpublished poem
2018 Judges: Meena Alexander, Daniel Borzutzky, Eduardo C. Corral, Donika Kelly, Dorianne Laux, Lynn Melnick, Dean Rader, Paisley Rekdal, Maggie Smith, Jillian Weise, and Mark Wunderlich.
Previous Winners: See winning poems here.
Website:  poetrysociety.org

About:

Endowed under the wills of Louise Louis Whitbread and Ruth M. Bourne, this prize is awarded for the best unpublished poem by a student in grades 9 through 12 from the United States. Teachers or administrators may submit an unlimited number of their students’ poems, one submission per student.

Instructions:

•  Only one entry per student.
•  Previous PSA winners cannot be re-submitted.
•  Previously published work cannot be submitted.
•  No translations.
•  No poems by multiple authors.
•  Entry must have 1 cover page and 2 collated copies of your poem.

Cover Page:

Name
Address
Email (if available)
Phone
Name of the Award
Title and First Line of first poem in submission
Your name should not appear anywhere else besides this cover sheet.

Cover Sheet Template: It’s not a requirement, but you might find it helpful to use our cover sheet template.

Mailing Address:

Poetry Society of America
Annual Award Submission
15 Gramercy Park
New York, NY 10003

Rider University 38th Annual HS Writing Contest

Rider University HS Writing Contest

HS Writing Contest

Deadline: December 15, 2017
Eligibility:  Grades 9-12
Entry Fee: None
Award: $100 and possible publication in Venture Magazine
How to Enter: Guidelines
Judge: Dr. Roberta Clipper
Previous Winners: 37th Annual Contest Winners
Website: rider.edu

SUBMIT:

  • ESSAY: Personal essay, labeled ESSAY, any topic. Max 5 double-spaced pages.
  • FICTION: Short story, labeled FICTION. Max 5 double-spaced pages.
  • POETRY: One poem. Max 50 lines.

RULES:

  1. Type on the entry:
    Your Name and address
    Grade
    Teacher’s Name
    School Name and address
  2. Include a letter from a teacher stating that the work is original and by you.
  3. Entries must be typed.  Stories and essays must be double-spaced. Please give your story, essay and or poem a title.
  4. Only one entry per category will be considered.  Choose your best writing and send only one.
  5. Mail your entry postmarked no later than December 15, 2017 to:
    Dr. Roberta Clipper
    English Department
    Rider University
    2083 Lawrenceville Road
    Lawrenceville, NJ  08648

Entries cannot be returned.  Winners will be announced by May 2018. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish to receive a list of winners. GOOD LUCK!

25th Annual Letters About Literature Contest

Letters About LIterature

Deadlines: Find your state here.
NJ Deadline: Saturday, December 9, 2017
Eligibility:  Grades 4–12
Entry Fee: None
Award: Regional & National Honors
Submit: Personal essay in the form of a letter to an author, living or dead. See guidelines.
How to Enter: Guidelines
Previous Winners: Click here for national and state-level winners
Website: Letters About Literature

Letters About Literature is a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the author (living or dead) about how the book affected them personally. Letters are judged on state and national levels. Tens of thousands of students from across the country enter Letters About Literature each year. If you are in grades 4-12, you are eligible to enter the Letters About Literature reading and writing contest.

The 2017-18 Letters About Literature contest for young readers is made possible by a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, which promotes the contest through its affiliate Centers for the Book, state libraries and other organizations.

Continue reading “25th Annual Letters About Literature Contest”

Scholastic Writing Awards

Scholastic Writing Awards

Regional Deadlines: Click for deadlines.
NJ Writing Deadline: Extended to December 7, 2017
NJ Art Deadline: January 3, 2018
Eligibility: Public, private, or home-school students in the U.S., Canada, or American schools abroad enrolled in grades 7–12
Entry Fee: $5/regular submission. $20/ Senior Writing Portfolio
Award: Regional, National Awards and Scholarship Opportunities
Categories: For a full list of category descriptions, click HERE.
SignupCreate an account
Previous Winners: Scholastic online galleries
Original work only: See website for copyright and plagiarism FAQ
Blind Judging: Submissions may not contain your name or personal information.
Judging Criteria: Originality, technical skill and personal voice.
Website: ArtandWriting.org

Writing Categories:

POETRY: Set of 1-5 poems with combined line count of 20 – 200 lines
FICTION: 1,000 – 3,000 words
FLASH FICTION: 1,000 words max.
PERSONAL ESSAY/MEMOIR: 500 – 3,000 words
CRITICAL or PERSUASIVE ESSAY: 500 – 3,000 words (cite sources)
JOURNALISM: 500 – 3,000 words
DRAMATIC SCRIPT: 500 – 3,000 words.
NOVEL WRITING: Excerpt up to 3,000 words plus 250 word summary.
SCI/FI or FANTASY: 500 – 3,000 words
HUMOR: 500 – 3,000 words.
SENIOR PORTFOLIO: Seniors only: 8 distinct works that demonstrate versatility as a writer and diversity in writing technique and styles, plus writer’s statement. See website for further details.

Manuscript Details:

  • No names on manuscripts or work will be disqualified
  • Put the title at the top of the first page only
  • No names of real people
  • Parent, teacher & student signatures required on entry form
  • Do not double submit to different categories unless the 2nd submission is for the senior portfolio

Steps to Submit Work for NJ Region Only:

  1. Work must be uploaded before December 7, 2017 in order to obtain your teacher’s signature on the entry form (Ms. James, Ms. Gabb or your English teacher).
  2. Once your work has been uploaded, download your entry form and print it out.
  3. Have the form signed by your parent, your teacher and yourself.
  4. Mail the form via the U.S. Post Office (see address below). You may enclose a check or pay online. The fee is $5 per individual submission and $20 per Senior Writing Portfolio.
  5. Make the check payable to: NEWARK PUBLIC LIBRARY. (Checks made payable to the Scholastic Awards or Scholastic cannot be cashed and the student’s application will not be accepted. One check may be written for multiple submissions). Scholastic also accepts payment via Either form of payment is acceptable, but entry forms must be physically mailed.
  6. DEADLINE – Forms and fees must be POSTMARKED by December 7, 2017.
  7. DO NOT mail your manuscripts. Those are uploaded electronically. DO mail signed entry forms and checks to:

Attn: Maisy Card
Newark Public Library
O. Box 630
Newark, NJ 07101-0630

Gregory Djanikian Scholars Program

Gregory Djanikian ScholarsThe Adroit Journal annually recognizes
six emerging student or non-student poets as
Gregory Djanikian Scholars.

Deadline: December 15, 2017
Eligibility: Anyone, student or non-student, who has NOT published a full-length collection of poetry
Entry Fee: $9
Award: $100 & portfolio publication in The Adroit Journal
Submit: Up to 6 poems, 10 page max
Guidelines: Simultaneous and previously published submissions acceptable if stated in cover letter. See details.
Questions: editors@theadroitjournal.org
Website: theadroitjournal.org

Gregory Djanikian was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and came to the United States when he was eight years old. He has published six poetry collections, the latest of which is Dear Gravity (CMU Press, 2014). His poetry appears in American Poetry ReviewBest American PoetryBoulevardPoetrySouthern Review, and TriQuarterly, among others. Until retiring, he was the longstanding Director of Creative Writing at the University of Pennsylvania, where he still teaches poetry workshops.

Greg’s insight and instruction has greatly enriched both the Adroit Journal as well as its staff of emerging writers. We’d like to recognize and encourage the gift of such support by offering it ourselves, to six writers in need of affirmation and support. In honor of Greg’s contribution to emerging student and non-student writers at Penn and around the world, we hope to recognize talent from around the world and open them to a long future in writing. 

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIPS

We will be annually recognizing six emerging student or non-student poets as Gregory Djanikian Scholars. All emerging writers who have not published full-length collections are eligible (regardless of age, geographic location, or educational status), and are encouraged to submit.

Gregory Djanikian Scholars receive $100 and publication of their portfolios of poems in a future issue of the Adroit Journal. Finalists will be awarded copies of Greg’s latest collection, Dear Gravity, and a list of semifinalists determined by the editors will be released with results.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions may include up to six poems (maximum of ten pages single-spaced). Simultaneous submissions, previously published submissions, and submissions recognized by outside organizations are accepted, provided that a) a full catalogue of publication history for enclosed poems is included in the submission and b) at least one poem in the submission remains unpublished. Submitters should reach out promptly via email (editors@theadroitjournal.org) if work acknowledged as unpublished in the cover letter is accepted elsewhere.

Writers are welcome to additionally submit enclosed work to the Adroit Prizes as well as through our general submission portal. However, each writer may not send more than one entry per year for the Gregory Djanikian Scholars designation.

As mentioned above, all emerging writers who have not published full-length collections are eligible (regardless of age, geographic location, or educational status), and Gregory Djanikian Scholars will receive $100 and publication in a future issue of the Adroit Journal. Additionally, finalists will be awarded copies of Greg’s latest collection, Dear Gravity, and a list of semifinalists determined by the editors will be released with results.

To accommodate this while offering free online issues, we have set a non-refundable submission fee of $9. If you require financial assistance, you may submit a fee waiver by downloading this form and following the instructions. Due to fee waivers’ processing time, fee waivers will only be accepted until one week before the deadline (postmarked).

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT.

Please direct any questions to editors@theadroitjournal.org