RALEIGH, N.C. — Entries are now being accepted for the 2020 N.C. State Poetry Contest, which is a free literary competition open to all North Carolina residents.
- 2020 N.C. State Poetry Contest is a free literary competition open to all North Carolina residents
- Grand prize winner will receive $500
- The competition remains the largest free-to-entry poetry contest in the South
The annual competition is the largest free-to-entry poetry contest in the South, according to officials. In addition to being open to all N.C. residents, out-of-state and international students enrolled in a North Carolina university are also eligible to enter.
According to a release, this year's contest will be judged by award-winning poet Anders Carlson-Wee and will feature a $500 grand prize.
The following contest rules apply:
1. The contest is open to all North Carolina residents except:
a. Tenured/tenure-track professors in the University of North Carolina system; creative-writing instructors teaching at North Carolina State University (but teaching assistants and graduate students are eligible);
b. Writers with a published book of poetry (if we can buy your book online or from a publisher or bookstore, we consider you published); and
c. Previous winners. Previous finalists must submit poems that have not been previously submitted.
2. Contestants may submit up to three poems.
a. There is no limit as to genre or length.
3. Entries may not have been previously published anywhere, in print or online (including personal blogs/websites).
4. All entries must be typed and titled.
5. Contestants should not include their name on their poems so that their work can be judged anonymously. Instead, contestants should include their name, address, telephone number and email address on a separate cover sheet.
6. No emailed entries are accepted. Please either:
a. Mail entries to: NC State Poetry Contest, Department of English, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8105, Raleigh, NC 27695-8105; or
b. Drop off entries in person at the Department of English, 221 Tompkins Hall, by the postmark deadline.
7. The postmark deadline is Feb. 24, 2020.
Officials say the winners will be announced at the 2020 N.C. State Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m. The ceremony will be held in the Caldwell Hall Lounge on the N.C. State campus, and will feature a literary reading by Anders Carlton-Wee.
For additional information, click here.