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NFSPS Contests: Deadline: March 15

As members of OSPA, you are automatically a member of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies, and you may enter their annual contest at the member rate.

The categories and rules are below. Be sure to follow all of the rules exactly so that your poems are not disqualified!

The deadline is March 15.

 

1. NFSPS Founders' Award [to honor Mary B. Wall]
Any subject. Any form. 100 line limit. Sponsored by NFSPS, Inc. 1st Prize: $1500, 2nd Prize: $500, 3rd Prize: $250. Entry fee for members and non-members: $5 per poem. Limit: 4 poems per contestant.

2. WINNERS’ CIRCLE AWARD
Any subject. Any form. 80 line limit. Sponsored by previous Prize winners in Contest 1-NFSPS Founders Award: Kaye Bache-Snyder, Helen Keith Beaman, Elaine Christensen, Shirley Elliott Cosby, Charmaine Pappas Donovan, Ida Fasel, Diane Glancy, Harriet Stoval Kelley, Margo LaGattuta,  Anne McCradyl, Polly Opsahl, Marion Brimm Rewey, N. Colwell Snell, Clarence P. Socwell, Pat Stodghill,  Pat Underwood, Pat Underwood, and Jeanne Wagner.
1st Prize: $500, 2nd Prize: $375, 3rd Prize: $260.

3. ALMEDA BOULTON MEMORIAL AWARD
Any subject.  Any form.  28 lines maximum.  Sponsored by the Almeda Boulton Memorial Fund. 
1st Prize: $500, 2nd Prize: $300, 3rd Prize: $200.

*4. DONALD R. STODGHILL MEMORIAL AWARD (*Members Only)
To honor the memory of Don Stodghill, who served as President of the Poetry Society of Texas and Legal Advisor of NFSPS. Any subject. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by Pat Stodghill.
1st prize: $200, 2nd prize: $100, 3rd Prize: $50.

*5. GEORGIA POETRY SOCIETY AWARD (*Members Only)
Theme: The American South--historical events, cultural aspects, landscapes, weather, etc.  Any traditional Rhymed and Metered form (state form on entry).10 to 75 lines. Sponsored by the Georgia Poetry Society 
1st Prize: $150, 2nd Prize: $75, 3rd Prize: $25. 

*6. POETRY SOCIETY OF TEXAS AWARD (*Members Only)
Any subject. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by the Poetry Society of Texas.
1st Prize: $100, 2nd Prize: $60, 3rd Prize: $40.

*7. UTAH STATE POETRY SOCIETY AWARD (*Members Only)
Subject: Heritage. Any form. 50 line limit. Sponsored by the Utah State Poetry Society. 1st Prize: $100, 2nd Prize: $60, 3rd Prize: $40.

8. FLORIDA STATE POETS ASSOCIATION, INC. AWARD
A Spoon River poem--a soliloquy on any subject delivered from the grave.  40 line limit.  Sponsored by the Florida State Poets Association, Inc.
1st Prize: $100, 2nd Prize: $50, 3rd Prize: $25.

*9. ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY AWARD(*Members Only)
Subject: Death by . . . (Poet's choice: Water, Chocolate, etc.).  Any form. 50 line limit. Sponsored by the Alabama State Poetry Society.
1st Prize: $75, 2nd Prize: $50, 3rd Prize: $25.

*10. CONNECTICUT POETRY SOCIETY AWARD(*Members Only)
A poem written in response to viewing a painting, photograph, sculpture, drawing or any other piece of visual art. Any form. 50 line limit. Sponsored by the Connecticut Poetry Society.
1st Prize: $75 2nd Prize: $50 3rd Prize $25

*11. MAX AND BEVERLY KEITH GOLIGHTLY MEMORIAL AWARD
(*Members Only)
Max C. Golightly served as President of NFSPS and the Utah State Poetry Society. Beverly Keith Golightly was the epitome of art. They were both poets. Any subject. any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by Mary Keith Boyack, Helen Keith Beaman and Karen Keith Gibson.
1st Prize: $75, 2nd Prize: $50, 3rd Prize: $25.

12. LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA POETS AWARD
Any subject. Form: Free Verse. 45 line limit. Sponsored by the League of Minnesota Poets.
1st Prize: $60, 2nd Prize: $40, 3rd Prize: $30.

*13. TWO LADIES FROM TEXAS AWARD (*Members Only)
Subject Domestic Cats - their endearing habits, intelligence, loyalty, beauty, etc. (no cruelty or abuse). Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by Nancy Baass and Mildred Vorpahl Baass.
1st Prize: $60, 2nd Prize: $40, 3rd Prize: $20.

14. JESSE STUART MEMORIAL AWARD
Any subject. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by the Kentucky State Poetry Society. 1st Prize: $60, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20.

15. INDIANA STATE FEDERATION OF POETRY CLUBS AWARD
Any subject. Any form. 42 line limit. Sponsored by the Indiana Federation of Poetry Clubs.
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20. 

16. ARIZONA STATE POETRY SOCIETY AWARD
Subject: The Rebel Within. Any form. 41 line limit. Sponsored by the Arizona State Poetry Society
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20.

17. WILLIAM STAFFORD MEMORIAL AWARD
In memory of William Stafford, Oregon's last Poet Laureate and twice Honorary Chancellor of NFSPS. Any subject. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by the Oregon State Poetry Association and the friends of William Stafford
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20.

18.NEVADA POETRY SOCIETY AWARD
Any subject. Form: Cinquain sequence. 30 line limit. Sponsored by the Nevada Poetry Society.
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20

19. NEW YORK POETRY FORUM AWARD
Subject: The Art of Poetry. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by the New York Poetry Forum.
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20.

*20. COLUMBINE POETS OF COLORADO AWARD (Members Only)
Subject: The Price of War. Any form. 28 line limit. Sponsored by the Columbine Poets of Colorado.
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20. 

21. MORTON D. PROUTY & ELSIE S. PROUTY MEMORIAL AWARD
In memory of Morton D. Prouty, Jr., who served as NFSPS Treasurer and Poet Laureate of Alabama, and Elsie S. Prouty.  A Nature poem. Any form.  40 line limit. Sponsored by daughters Catherine P. Horn and Carol P. Ostberg and their families.
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20.

22. POETS ROUNDTABLE OF ARKANSAS AWARD
 Any subject.  Any form.  40 line limit.  Sponsored by the Poets' Roundtable of Arkansas.
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20.

23. CSPS JAMES E. MacWHINNEY MEMORIAL AWARD
Any subject.  Form: Blank verse--iambic pentameter. 50 line limit.  Sponsored by the California State Poetry Society. 
1st Prize: $50.  2nd Prize: $30.  3rd Prize: $20.

24. OHIO AWARD
Any subject. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by the Ohio Poetry Association.
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $25, 3rd Prize: $15.

*25. HUMOROUS POETRY AWARD (*Members Only)
Any humorous subject. Form: Rhymed. 16 line limit. Sponsored by Colleen Stanley Bare.
1st Prize: $35, 2nd Prize: $25, 3rd Prize: $15.

26. OUR AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE AWARD
A poem relating to American Indians, past or present. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by the New Mexico State Poetry Society.
1st Prize: $35, 2nd Prize: $25, 3rd Prize: $15.

27. Minute Award
A Minute is a 60 syllable 12 line poem written in strict iambic meter; syllable count 8, 4, 4, 4, 8, 4, 4, 4, 8, 4, 4, 4; rhymed a, a, b, b, c, c, d, d, e, e, f, f; capitalized and punctuated like prose and capturing a slice of life. Sponsored by Verna Lee Hinegardner. 
1st Prize: $35, 2nd Prize: $25, 3rd Prize: $15.

28. MISSOURI STATE POETRY SOCIETY AWARD
Subject: Games.  Any form.  40 line limit.  Sponsored by the Missouri State Poetry Society. 1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

29. LOUISIANA STATE POETRY SOCIETY AWARD
Subject: Let the Good Times Roll.  Any form.  40 lines or less.   Sponsored by Pat Sipes Juelg, LSPS President
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15. 

30. BARBARA STEVENS MEMORIAL AWARD
Any serious theme. Any form. 12 line limit. Sponsored by the South Dakota State Poetry Society.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

*31. DORMAN JOHN GRACE MEMORIAL AWARD (*Members Only)
Any subject.  Form: Traditional Sonnet (state sonnet pattern on the entry). Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Poetry Society, Inc.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

*32. POETRY SOCIETY OF OKLAHOMA AWARD(*Members Only)
In memory of PSO Honorary Member Barbara Rasmussen. Theme: Spring. Any Form. 24 line limit  Sponsored by the Poetry Society of Oklahoma.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

33.SAVE OUR EARTH AWARD
In memory of David F. Balph. Subject: Environmental issues. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by Martha H. Balph
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

*34. BEN LOMOND POETS AWARD (*Members Only)
Subject: Mountains. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by the Ben Lomond Poets, a chapter of Utah State Poetry Society.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

35.  MASSACHUSETTS STATE POETRY SOCIETY AWARD
Any subject. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by the Massachusetts State
Poetry Society.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

*36. POETRY SOCIETY OF TENNESSEE AWARD (Members Only)  In memory of Patricia Smith.  Any subject.  Form verse: Pantoum. 16-32 lines. Sponsored by the Poetry Society of Tennessee.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

37. POETRY SOCIETY OF MICHIGAN AWARD
Any subject.  Form: free verse.   50 line limit.  Sponsored by the Poetry Society of Michigan.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

38. LIGHTEN YOUR LIFE AWARD
Any humorous subject. Any rhyming form, up to 12 lines. Sponsored by Wanda Blaisdell.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.
 

39. IOWA POETRY ASSOCIATION AWARD
Subject: Poetry for children. Any form. 32 line limit. Sponsored by the Iowa Poetry Association.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

*40.  NEW JERSEY POETRY SOCIETY AWARD (*Members Only)
Any subject. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by the New Jersey Poetry Society.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

*41.  WYOPOETS AWARD (*Members Only)
Subject: Wildlife.  Any form.  50 line limit.  Sponsored by the WYOpoets of Wyoming.  1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

*42. NEBRASKA STATE POETRY SOCIETY AWARD (*Members Only)
Subject: When trouble came to visit.  Any form.  30 line limit.  Sponsored by the Nebraska State Poetry Society. 
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

43. MISSISSIPPI POETRY SOCIETY AWARD
Any subject.  Form: Gloss.  An expansion of a well-known poet's quatrain in iambic tetrameter or iambic pentameter.  This quatrain, the text, must be given as an epigraph under the title of one's poem, along with the title of the poem it is from and the name of the poet who wrote it.  Following are four sextet stanzas.  24 lines, each stanza beginning with a line from the text, with four original lines added in a rhyme scheme of one's own choosing, and closing with the same line from the text.  Sponsored by the Mississippi Poetry Society, Inc. 
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

44. ILLINOIS STATE POETRY SOCIETY AWARD
Any subject.  Any form.  Between 40 - 60 lines.  Sponsored by the Illinois State Poetry Society. 
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.45.

*45.  GINGERBREAD POETS AWARD (*Members Only)
Subject: Music or a Musician(s). Any form. Sponsored by the Gingerbread Poets, a chapter of the Florida State Poets Association, Inc. and Caroline Walton, chapter president. 
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

*46. SAN ANTONIO POETS ASSOCIATION AWARD (*Members Only)
Subject: Circles or Rings. Any form. 32 line limit.  Sponsored by Valerie Martin Bailey on behalf of the San Antonio Poets Association, a chapter of the Poetry Society of Texas to honor SAPA's 31 years of stimulating, cultivating and perpetuating the art of poetry writing and its appreciation. 
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20. 3rd Prize: $15.

 47.  MAINE POETS SOCIETY AWARD
In honor of Maine poet Tom Carper. Subject: The Sea or Seacoast.  Any form.  40 line limit. Sponsored by the Maine poets Society.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15.

*48. MIRIAM S. STRAUSS MEMORIAL AWARD (*Members Only)
Subject: Learning or Education. Any form. 10-40 lines. Sponsored by Russell H. Strauss
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20. 3rd Prize: $15.

49. TWO MAGGIES AND KATE AWARD
Subject: Unrequited Love. Any form. 40 line limit. Sponsored by Natalie Johnston Doty.
1st Prize: $25, 2nd Prize: $20, 3rd Prize: $15

50. STUDENT AWARD
Any subject. Any form. 32 line limit. Sponsored by Kay Kinnaman Sims and Nancy Baass.
1st Prize: $50, 2nd Prize: $30, 3rd Prize: $20, 7 Honorable Mentions: $5 each.
No entry fee required. Open only to students in Grades 9 through 12. (Include Grade with name and summer mailing address on second copy only. See Contest Rule 11.)

CONTEST RULES (Any violation will disqualify entry.) 

  1. Any poem submitted must:

  1. be the original work of the contestant, unpublished in any form, including electronically, not under consideration or accepted for publication. (Award will be recalled if a winning poem is found to be in violation of rules before publication in the NFSPS anthology of prize poems, and lower prizes and honorable mentions will move up in classification);
     
  2. be written in English, be titled, unless a haiku;
     
  3. have a 40 line limit for all contests not stating line limit;
     
  4. be typed or computer generated (not handwritten or hand printed) without illustrations.
  1. Poets give NFSPS exclusive first printing rights to all poems entered in the NFSPS Annual Contests. Poems winning a cash prize of $15.00 or more will be printed in the NFSPS prize poems anthology, Encore, at the discretion of the editor.  (The editor reserves the right to alter line breaks in poems having more than 50 characters per line, including spaces.) Printing rights revert to the poet after the anthology is published (June 2012). Printing rights to poems winning less than $15.00 (or no prize) revert to the poet after the list of winners is published in the NFSPS newsletter, Strophes (See Rule 10). No poems will be returned, so poets should retain copies.
     
  2. An eligible poem may not be withdrawn after submission.
     
  3. Except as indicated in Contest 1-NFSPS Founders Award, a contestant may submit only one entry in any contest, and may not submit the same poem in any other contest.
     
  4. Check or money order enclosed must be made to NFSPS, Inc. (initials sufficient) rather than to any individual.
  1. Non-members may enter most contests at $1.00 each (except $5.00 for each entry in Contest 1-NFSPS Founders Award).  Non-members may not enter Contests 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 20, 25, 31, 32, 34, 36, 40,  41, 42, 45, 46, 47, or 48 (those marked with an asterisk, “ * ”. and “Members Only”).
     
  2. Members may enter up to 10 contests for $1.00 per poem or $10.00 total for entries in more than 8 contests (except for Contest 1-NFSPS Founders Award which is $5.00 per poem)
    .
  3. Entrants from outside the U.S. must send checks drawn on U.S. banks or branches, payable in U.S. funds, or send U.S. currency.
  1. First Prize winner in Contest 1-NFSPS Founders Award is not eligible to enter the following year. (NFSPS Founders Award only)
     
  2. Judges will be selected by NFSPS, Inc. No ties will be awarded, and the decisions of the judges will be final.
     
  3. When to submit poems:
  1. Contest starting date: entries must not be postmarked before January 1, 2011:
     
  2. Contest deadline: entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2011.
  1. “Members Only” eligible if a paid-up member of a state society, listed in alphabetical membership roll mailed by a state society along with NFSPS dues to:
    Lucille Morgan Wilson, NFSPS Treasurer
    2325 61st Street
    Des Moines, IA 50322
    by January 15, 2011 and updated as required by the Contest deadline.

     

  2. A list of winners will appear in 3rd quarter Strophes (August). All prize winners will be notified, and others may obtain a list of winners in August by sending $1.00 and a #10 SASE to:
    Bethany Ng, Strophes Editor
    5217 S. Heath Avenue
    Keams, UT 84118

  11.  How to submit poems:

  1. Send two clear copies of the poem, typed, photocopied, or computer-generated, on 8-1/2” x 11” white paper (no onionskin or tissue) in black ink, single-spaced. If poem is over one page, staple together all pages of each copy.
     
  2. On both copies, place number and name of contest in upper left corner.
     
  3. On second copy only, name and address of poet, state society membership or “NON-MEMBER NFSPS” in upper right corner. If a poem is over one page, number pages also on upper right corner (both copies).
     
  4. Separate originals from duplicates and stack in numerical order (1-50) with originals on top. Count them.
     
  5. Prepare a 3x5 file card with your name, address, phone number, e-mail address (if available), state/society membership (or “NON-MEMBER”). List on the card the number but not the whole title of each contest you are entering. List the total number of poems sent (from your count). Do not staple the card to entries or entry fees.
     
  6. Mail all entries at one time, unfolded, in a large envelope, including file card and entry fee. Send First Class or Priority Mail or any form of delivery NOT requiring a signature upon receipt to the Contest Chairman.

Mail entries to:

Mikki Pennington
NFSPS Contest Chairman
P. O. Box 7842
Moore, OK 73153

NFSPS, Inc. will not assume mailing costs and will not be responsible for any entries lost or delayed in the mail.