North Carolina Poetry Society - Annual Adult Poetry Contest Rules

POET LAUREATE AWARD

Description: A single prize of $100 for a serious poem,
any subject, any style, maximum of 100 lines.

Eligibility: Open to poets currently residing in North Carolina.

Entry Fee: $5 for current NCPS members, $10 for non-members.

Note: The winning poem will be selected by the NC Poet Laureate.

Contest Rules: See the "Contest Rules" section below for details.

ADULT CONTEST AWARDS

Entry Guidelines:

— No fee if NCPS membership is active as of Dec. 1, 2009.
— Otherwise, the entry fee is $3 for each poem entered.
— Do not send membership dues with contest entries.
— Entrants do not have to be residents of North Carolina.
— See the "Contest Rules" section below for specifics.

Contest Categories:

1. THOMAS H. McDILL AWARD
— Any form, any style, maximum of 60 lines.
— First Place: $50; Second Place: $25; Third Place: $15
— Three Honorable Mentions.

   Awards for categories 2 through 8 are:
       First Place: $25; Second Place: $15; Third Place: $10;
       Three Honorable Mentions.

2. CALDWELL NIXON JR. AWARD
— Poems written by adults for children 2 to 12 years of age.
— Any form, any style, maximum of 32 lines.

3. JOANNA CATHERINE SCOTT AWARD
— Sonnet or other traditional form.
— Sestinas only may have 39 lines.
— Other forms, maximum of 32 lines.

4. MARY RUFFIN POOLE AMERICAN HERITAGE AWARD
— Any form, any style, on the theme of
American heritage, brotherhood/sisterhood, or nature.
— Maximum of 32 lines.

5. KATHERINE KENNEDY MCINTYRE LIGHT VERSE AWARD
— Any form, any style, including limericks.
— Maximum of 32 lines.

6. LYMAN HAIKU AWARD
— Haiku, three lines.

7. POETRY OF COURAGE AWARD
— Any form, any style, on the theme of courage or crisis.
— Maximum of 32 lines.

8. POETRY OF LOVE AWARD
— Any form, any style, on the theme of love.
— Maximum of 32 lines.

CONTEST RULES

Please do not send membership dues with your contest entries.
All NCPS membership questions AND DUES should go to:
Guy & Carolyn York, 315 N. Steele St., Sanford, NC 27330

1. Submit one poem per category. The same poem may not be entered into more than one category.

2. A contestant may not enter a category in which he or she won first place last year.

3. Each entry must be original, unpublished, and not currently submitted for publication or to another contest.

4. For each poem submitted, send two legible copies printed on one side only of 8½-by-11 paper.

5. On both copies type the name of the category in the upper left corner. On the duplicate copy only, type the author's name, address, phone number, and e-mail address (if applicable) in the upper right corner; nonmembers add "nonmember".

6. Winning poems will be published in the NCPS anthology Pinesong. Poems may be chosen as poem-of-the-month (with poet's permission) and posted on the NCPS website.

7. Entries must be postmarked by January 18, 2010. Mail entries to:

Beth Browne
PO Box 1612
Garner NC 27529-1612

8. All checks should be written payable to NCPS.

9. Entries should be sent in one package with one check for the correct amount. Winners who provide an email address will be notified by email.

10. Winners should be prepared to send an electronic copy of poems on request.

11. Mail delays are not the responsibility of the NCPS. Entries arriving more than 7 calendar days after the deadline will not be considered and checks will be returned.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

The North Carolina Poetry Society retains first publication rights for winning poems published in Pinesong, after which publication rights will return to the authors.

Winners will receive one copy of Pinesong and will be invited to read at Awards Day (May 15, 2010).

Winners will be notified in April, 2010. Contest results will be released to newspapers after Awards Day. Contest rules will be posted on www.ncPoetrySociety.org (the NCPS website).