Deadline

January 19, 2024 (Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday) at 11:59 pm EST.

We welcome and are grateful for donations to PSV during the contest entry process! 

Entry Fees

• Members of PSV pay no entry fee. 
• Payment online for non-members of PSV occurs during the submission process. Non-members pay a separate fee for each category entered -- $6 per poem. 
• You may join PSV for $40 at the same time you enter the contest. 
• There is a $3 charge for paying through Submittable ($43 total).

Entries

• Electronic entries only. 
• You may enter as many categories as you wish. 
• To submit an entry, you must create an account in Submittable. Search for Poetry Society of Virginia and navigate to the current contest.
• All entries must be in English, typed, unpublished, original, and not scheduled for publication before May 2024. 
• All poems are presented anonymously to judges. Submit one copy of each poem with no identifying information.
• Type the entry category in the upper right-hand-side and note whether you are a member of PSV (does not matter if you are a current member, lifetime member, or just joined for the contest). 
• DO NOT ENTER THE SAME POEM IN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. Categories have varying requirements. Match the forms, lengths, and subjects of your poems to the criteria for each category.
• 1st and 2nd place winners from the previous contest year SHOULD NOT submit to the categories in which they won in the last year. We would like to give others a chance to enter the field. You may submit to your previously won categories after the current year. 
• All entries not in compliance with category specifications and general instructions above will be disqualified. 

Awards & Recognition

• Poets will be honored and invited to read their winning poems on Zoom or in person at our annual awards ceremony in spring 2024. 
• All 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winning poems/poets will receive a certificate and cash prize, according to the amounts specified in each category. 

Publication

• 1st and 2nd place poems will be published on the PSV website and in the annual anthology of prize-winning poems. 
• Your entry implies acceptance of publication unless otherwise communicated in writing at the time of submission to PSV Annual Contests.

2023-2024 Annual Adult Contests

ENDOWED CATEGORIES

OPEN TO ALL

1. EDGAR ALLAN POE MEMORIAL. Any form. No line limit. Awards: $100, $50, $25. Sponsored by Poetry Society of Virginia.

2. SARAH LOCKWOOD MEMORIAL. Sonnet in rhyme and meter. Any subject. Awards: $100, $50, $25.  

3. BESS GRESHAM MEMORIAL. Any form. Subject: friends and friendship. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. 

4. CARLETON DREWRY MEMORIAL. Any form. Subject: farm life or working the earth. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. 

5. BRODIE HERNDON MEMORIAL. Any form. Subject: heroism. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. 

6. NANCY BYRD TURNER MEMORIAL. Sonnet or other traditional form. State the form. Any subject. Awards: $50, $30, $20. 

7. CENIE H. MOON PRIZE. Any form. Subject: a woman or women. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. 

8. JUDAH, SARAH, GRACE, AND TOM MEMORIAL. Any form. Subject: encouraging reflection on inter-ethnic relations. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. 

9. CHARLOTTE WISE MEMORIAL. Any form. Any subject. 64-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. 

10. ROBERT S. SERGEANT MEMORIAL. Any form. Subject: birds. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. 

11. ANNE SPENCER MEMORIAL. Any form. Subject: overcoming adversity. 64-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by the Poetry Society of Virginia.

12. HANDY ANDY AWARD. Limerick. Awards: $25, $15, $10

INDIVIDUAL SPONSORSHIP

OPEN TO ALL

13. STRONG POINT OF VIEW. Poem centered on Instruction, Debate, or Proverbial Slant (make your light shine). Any form. 36-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by anonymous member. 

14. ELIZABETH NEUWIRTH MEMORIAL. Iambic pentameter. Subject: a specific work of art other than poetry (identify the work in the title, or in the poem, or in an epigraph.). 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by Claudia Gary. 

15. JOE PENDLETON CAMPBELL MEMORIAL. Narrative poem. Any form. Any subject. 64-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by Paula Savoy. 

16. DR. LUCILE E. THOMPSON MEMORIAL. Celebrating women in science and technology. Any form. 48-line limit. Awards: $75, $50, $25. Sponsored by Dr. Kathleen P. Decker. 

17. HONORING FATHERHOOD AWARD. Any form. Subject: honoring fathers and/or their sacrifices. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by Bill and Michelle (MiCKi) O'Hearn in memory of Theodore Tomala, Jr.

18. EKPHRASTIC POETRY AWARD. Subject: a work of art other than poetry. (Either send a copy of the work or include a link to it.) Any form. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $40, $30. Sponsored by Terry Cox-Joseph. 

OPEN TO POETRY SOCITY OF VIRGINIA MEMBERS ONLY 

19. JOANNE SCOTT KENNEDY MEMORIAL. New Voices. Open only to poets who have never received a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prize in any PSV contest. Any form. Any subject. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by Sofia Starnes. 

20. ELIZABETH J. URQUHART MEMORIAL. A sense of place. Places— man-made, natural, personal, or historical— inform poetry with the power to evoke the past and transcend the present. Any form. Any subject. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by Mary DeLara and Guy Terrell.

21. JEFFREY HEWITT MEMORIAL. Any form. Subject: the theme of social commentary. 48-line limit. Awards: $75, $50, $25. Sponsored by Friends of Jeff Hewitt, former President of the Poetry Society.

22. ALEXANDRA “ZAN” DELAINE HAILEY MEMORIAL. Any form. Subject: inspired by an artist or a creator across disciplines. Example: Alexandra's Poet Laureate Project was inspired by Vincent van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by the Hailey family.

23. HARDY HAIKU. Three to four (3 – 4) related haiku (i.e. a series). Any subject. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by anonymous long-term member. 

24. CLIMATE CHANGE. Any form. Subject: the gravity of the climate change crisis and the vulnerable state of our environment. 48-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by anonymous member. 

25. FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS. Any form. Subject: family. 48-line limit. Awards: $100, $50, $25. Sponsored by Diana Kincannon. 

26. RUSS AND ELLEN NOTAR WORLD VISION POETRY AWARD. Any form. Subject: celebrating the world and its many languages and peoples, or commenting upon the world in which we live. 48-line limit. $50, $30, $20. Sponsored by Susan Notar.

27. PSV SPOKEN WORD & VERSE VIDEO CONTEST. A video of a poet/poets (not more than 4 poets) reading/reciting an original poem 2-4 minutes in length. Videos may be submitted in MP4 format through Google Drive or YouTube link. The poet/poets reading/reciting the original poem must be visual in the video for at least 50% of the duration. Pans to natural backgrounds are allowed but NO USE OF ANIMATION, SPECIAL EFFECTS OR MUSIC IS PERMITTED. Video poems will be judged on the following categories: 

• 1. Quality, originality of poem. 
• 2. Vocal intonation and expression. 
• 3. Balance of gesture & speech. 
• 4. Quality and clarity of video.
•  Awards: $100, $50, $25. 

Sponsored by Nathan Richardson.

PSV Student Contests 2023-2024 Rules

• DEADLINE: January 19, 2024, 5:00 p.m. (Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday)
• All entries must be in English, typed, unpublished, original, and not scheduled for publication before May 2024.
• All poems are presented anonymously to the judges.
• Submit one copy of each poem with no identifying information. Enter a category by selecting it from the drop-down box through Submittable. Only ONE poem may be submitted per category, but students may qualify to enter more than one category, depending on their age.
• We accept submissions ONLY through Submittable ONLINE.
• We encouraged teachers to join PSV through our website: https://poetrysocietyofvirginia.org/ 
• Categories 1-5 are open to any student locally or internationally. Free to enter, but classroom or student memberships are encouraged.
•  One entry per student in each eligible category. NO poem may be entered in more than one category. Poems must be 35 lines or less.
• All entries not in compliance with category specifications or age range will be disqualified.
• Poets can read their winning poems in-person or on Zoom at our annual awards ceremony in Spring 2024.
• Spoken Word: 3 min. Submit text of poem or recording (MP4 or .3gp) by contest deadline, Jan. 19, 2024 Judging will take place at Spoken Word Zoom Contest (live or recorded) on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 at 3 p.m. Details will be sent out to those who submit. Students must be Virginia residents.
• Prize winners will be published on our website (entry implies acceptance of publication)—and if they are of minor age, permission of a legal guardian. 
• At the discretion of the editor, older students may be offered publication in our annual anthology of contest-winning poems.
• Poems may be submitted by students themselves, through their own initiative, or by their writing teachers.
• While teachers are welcome to submit work from an entire class, we prefer that to some degree they vet such entries and encourage students to send us their best writing.
• All 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winning poems and poets receive a certificate and cash prize, according to amounts specified in their categories.

2024 Student Contest Categories

Categories S-1 through S-6 are open to any student locally or internationally.

S-1 Grades 3-4

Any form. Any subject.

35-line limit

Awards: $25, $15, $10

S-2 Grades 5-6

Any form. Any subject.

35-line limit

Awards $25, $15, $10

S-3 Grades 7-8

Any form. Any subject.

35-line limit

Awards $25, $15, $10

S-4 Grades 9-10

Any form. Any subject.

35-line limit

Awards $25, $15, $10

S-5 Grades 11-12

Any form. Any subject.

35-line limit

Awards $25, $15, $10

The Jenkins Prize

Sponsored by Amber, Alyssa, & Annika Jenkins

For 9th and 10th grades

Any form. Any subject.

35-line limit.

Awards: $25, $15, $10

Additional Opportunities for Virginia Students

The Poetry Society Prize

Sponsored by a Poetry Society of VA member

Exclusively for Virginia students in Grades 6-8

Any form.

Subject: Sports or other challenge you faced

35-line limit.

Awards: $25, $15, $10

The Virginia Student Prize

Sponsored by a Poetry Society of VA Member

Exclusively for Virginia students in Grades 9-12

Any form. Any subject.

35-line limit.

Awards: $50, $30, $20

Spoken Word Prize

Exclusively for Virginia students

3 min. maximum (.3gp or MP4 formats)

Submit the text of poem or recording by contest deadline, January 19. Judging will take place at the Spoken Word Zoom Contest on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, at 4 p.m. You may perform live on Zoom or play your recording. Zoom details will be sent out to those who submit.

First Prize only: $25.