The Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) holds poetry contests for its annual poetry festival. Related activities may include multiple individual contests, a special call for submissions, or some combination, at the discretion of the PST Board. Contest winners receive monetary prizes, and first place poems are published in PST's anthology, Tennessee Voices. Additional poems may be published at PST's discretion. See publications page for information on past and forthcoming editions and how to purchase a copy.
69TH ANNUAL POETRY FESTIVAL CONTESTS
** UPDATED OCT 14, 2025: MORE CONTESTS! **
Unless otherwise specified, contests have a 40-line limit. Standard line count does not include the title or blank line following but all other lines, including blanks, count. Some contests may not consider blank lines in line count. Review categories carefully.
** UPDATED OCT 14, 2025: MORE CONTESTS! **
Unless otherwise specified, contests have a 40-line limit. Standard line count does not include the title or blank line following but all other lines, including blanks, count. Some contests may not consider blank lines in line count. Review categories carefully.
PST BOARD CONTESTS
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BEST OF THE FEST AWARD
PRIZE: $250 An outside judge will select one poem from all festival contest 1st place poems (except contest 2) for this award. The judge’s decision will be final. 1. TENNESSEE VOICES Eligibility: Tennessee resident or PST members only. Entry Fee: $2 for a single poem. One entry only. Form: Any / Topic: Any Prizes: 1st $150/ 2nd $100 / 3rd $50 |
2. PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
Eligibility: PST members only. Entry Fee: $2 per entry. Up to 5 entries. Form: Any / Topic: Any Special Instructions: Any previously published poem. Note where poem was published on your entry. Do not combine multiple entries into a single file. PRIZES: to be determined by number of entries 3. THE LEGACY AWARD In memory of and appreciation for our legacy: the members who have contributed to the society since its founding in 1953. Eligibility: PST members only. Entry Fee: FREE. Form: Any / Topic: Any Special Instructions: For this contest, title and all blank lines are not included in line count. Poetry, epigraph and supplemental information are included in line count. PRIZES: 1st $25/ 2nd $15 / 3rd $10 |
SPONSORED CONTESTS
(selected and funded by individuals or organizations)
(selected and funded by individuals or organizations)
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4. PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Form: Any / Topic: Sacred Lines: 50 lines max Sponsor: Lisa Kamolnick Prizes: 1st $50 / 2nd $30 / 3rd $20 Reflect on that which is sacred. What and/or who do you hold sacred, and why? How does something become sacred? 5. SUMMER STORMS Form: Any / Topic: Summer Storms Sponsor: Howard Carman Prizes: 1st $50 / 2nd $30 / 3rd $20 6. HOWL Form: Any / Topic: Howl Sponsor: Deborah Z. Adams Prizes: 1st $25 / 2nd $15 / 3rd $10 7. HAIKU Form: Haiku sequence / Subject: Any Line: per form Sponsor: Connie Jordan Green Prizes: 1st $25 / 2nd $15 / 3rd $10 5 - 7 related haiku with a double space between each 3-line haiku 8. APPLES
Form: Any Subject: Apples Sponsor: Sarah Cummins Small Prizes: 1st $25 / 2nd $15 / 3rd $10 9. FREEDOM (EKPHRASTIC) Form: Any / Topic: Freedom Sponsor: Janet Qually Prizes: 1st $25 / 2nd $15 / 3rd $10 Special Instructions: poem must be in response to Janet’s artwork “Freedom.” 
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10. JOAN & SHERON STRAUSS MEMORIAL AWARD
Form: Any / Subject: a "how to" poem instructing the reader on how to do anything the poet chooses Line: 10-30 Sponsor: Russell H. Strauss Prizes: 1st $25 / 2nd $15 / 3rd $10 11. BOBBIE DROBECK MEMORIAL AWARD Form: Narrative poem / Topic: Any Line: 20-30 lines Sponsor: Russell H. Strauss Prizes: 1st $25 / 2nd $15 / 3rd $10 12. “BRIEFLY” Form: Any / Subject: Any Sponsor: Anonymous Prizes: 1st $15 / 2nd $10 / 3rd $5 Line: no more than 12 lines (excluding title and blank lines) 13. RICHARD TILLINGHAST HONORARY AWARD Form: Any rhymed form Subject: A medal or medals Sponsor: Dr. Diane Clark Prizes: 1st $35 / 2nd $25 / 3rd $15 Line: no more than 36 lines, lines between stanzas not counted Special instructions: specify the form being used on your submission 14. THE WIND In memory of Kristy Wogomon Subject: The Wind / Form: any Sponsor: Jennifer Smith Prizes: 1st $25 / 2nd $15 / 3rd $10 15. GRANDS Form: Any Subject: Grandchildren or grandparents Sponsor: Dr. Emory Jones Prizes: 1st $30 / 2nd $20 / 3rd $10 16. TENNESSEE WRITERS Form: Any Subject: Any Tennessee poet Sponsor: Dr. Emory Jones Prizes: 1st $30 / 2nd $20 / 3rd $10 17. DORSIMBRA Form: Dorsimbra / Subject: Any Sponsor: Bill Hill Art & Poetry Prizes: 1st $25 / 2nd $15 / 3rd $10 |
CONTEST GUIDELINES
DEADLINE AND ENTRY FEES
PST Board Contest entry fees are noted on the contest. Pay one fee to enter any or all Sponsored contests: $10 for members, $15for non-members. Please note: some contests have eligibility restrictions. Review contests carefully.
A poet may submit one packet of entries. Contest opens for submissions October 15, 2025, and entries must be emailed or postmarked by Sunday, December 15, 2025. Follow instructions carefully. No simultaneous submissions.
Questions? Contact Festival Contest Chair Deborah-Zenha Adams at [email protected].
PRIZES AND PUBLICATION
1. PST publishes first-place poems in Tennessee Voices Anthology. Second and third place winners may be published at the discretion of the Editorial Board.
2. In addition to prizes, honorable mentions are given as merited by the number of entries in each individual contest and the quality of the material submitted. Published poets, sponsors, and non-sponsor judges will receive a complimentary anthology copy.
3. By submitting an entry, you agree to give PST first publishing rights should your poem be selected for publication. Following publication, all rights revert to the author. You also grant PST non-exclusive electronic permission to post this work in archives and share it through social media and/or live presentations. We ask that you credit Tennessee Voices Anthology, 2025-2026 if the work is published elsewhere in the future.
4. The Tennessee Voices Anthology Editorial Board reserves the right to alter line breaks in poems having more than 50 characters per line, including punctuation marks and spaces. We reserve the right to make minor revisions to works (e.g., spacing conventions for em-dashes, correction of typographical errors, and the like).
5. Pseudonyms of winning poets will be honored in Tennessee Voices Anthology and on winner’s lists; however, legal names are required for issuing checks.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Unless otherwise indicated, contests are open to all poets. Please review each contest carefully to ensure you are eligible to participate in a particular contest.
2. Unless otherwise specified, all poems must be the exclusive work of the contestant, unpublished in any form, including electronically and placed on exhibition, and not under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere. Your work must be created without use of Artificial Intelligence assisted technologies. Your entries must not have previously won a prize valued at $15 or more. NOTE: Prize requirements are exempted for contests seeking previously published poems.
3. The same poem may not be entered in more than one contest.
4. Unless otherwise specified, a poet may not enter more than one poem in a single contest.
5. No simultaneous submissions.
6. While PST welcomes a variety of themes and topics, we do not accept explicitly violent or sexual content for our contests.
7. Entries which do not conform to these rules will be disqualified:
a. Poets who violate publication and/or simultaneous submission rules will be disqualified. If awarded prize money, poet will be asked to refund any prize money that has been issued for poem(s) in violation of guidelines.
b. Poems which do not meet membership or other criteria specified in specific contest instructions will be disqualified from that contest.
c. Poets will not be notified if poems are disqualified.
FORMAT AND SUBMISSION
1. Entries must be single spaced, typed or computer generated in 12-point Times New Roman or similar font.
2. No graphics unless specifically required by contest instructions or integrated into the poetry form. If submitting a poem style with integrated art (e.g., tanka art, erasure poetry) please specify form for judge. Do not submit original art as entries will not be returned (color copies are acceptable, but if accepted for publication, the piece will appear in grayscale in the anthology).
3. Unless otherwise specified, line count does not include the title or one space below the title. Unless otherwise specified, all other lines, including blank lines, epigraphs and supplemental information are included in line count.
4. We do not accept hand-written poems or poems on onion skin paper.
5. In order or preference, we accept digital entries formatted as .docx, .doc, .pdf, and .txt.
6. Prepare your submission packet with each of the following:
a. Summary Sheet: on a separate piece of paper (you may use the body of your email if submitting via email) include an entry summary with your name, address, phone number, and email address and a list of contests you are entering. In the contest entry list, note contest number, contest name, and the title of the poem you are submitting. Also include a brief bio in third person (no more than 70 words).
b. ID Copy of Poem: For each poem entered, in the upper right, show the poet’s name, mailing address, email address (if available) and note if PST Member or Non-Member. Include information on all pages of the ID copy. In the upper left list contest title, contest number and form of poem (e.g., Free Verse, Blank Verse, Villanelle).
c. Blind Copy of Poem: For each poem entered, in the upper left of each entry list contest title, contest number and form of poem (e.g., Free Verse, Blank Verse, Villanelle). Do not place any identifying information on this copy or (if submitting by email) in the file name.
d. Brief bio (no more than 70 words) in third person. (In the event your poem is selected for publication, this bio will appear in the anthology.)
ENTRIES BY EMAIL (Also see “Format and Submission”)
Email your submission packet to [email protected]
1. Include your Summary Sheet in a separate document or in the body of your email.
2. Below the summary, include a brief bio (no more than 70 words) written in third person. (In the event your poem is selected for publication, this bio will appear in the anthology.)
3. Attach two documents (ID Copy and Blind Copy) for each contest you enter. Do not consolidate your entries into a single file.
4. For poems 2 pages or longer, place the title on all pages.
5. For the ID Copy we recommend a file name of contest number_Last Name_Title (e.g., 10_Manning_Tree to Sawdust).
6. For the Blind Copy we recommend a file name of contest number_Title (e.g., 10_Tree to Sawdust).
7. Ensure no identifying information appears in the document or file of your Blind Copy.
ENTRIES BY MAIL (Also see “Format and Submission”)
Mail your submission packet to:
Contest Coordinator / Deborah-Zenha Adams
232 Morning Glory Way Waverly TN 37185
1. Poems 2 pages or longer must be stapled. Note the title on all pages.
2. No paperclips with submissions.
3. Separate originals from duplicates and stack in numerical order (1-20) with originals on top.
4. Submit in 8 1/2 x 11 or 9 x 12 envelope; folded submissions will not be accepted.
PAYMENT
Pay your entry fee by mail or online:
DOWNLOADABLE / PRINTER-FRIENDLY CONTEST LIST WITH GUIDELINES
PST Board Contest entry fees are noted on the contest. Pay one fee to enter any or all Sponsored contests: $10 for members, $15for non-members. Please note: some contests have eligibility restrictions. Review contests carefully.
A poet may submit one packet of entries. Contest opens for submissions October 15, 2025, and entries must be emailed or postmarked by Sunday, December 15, 2025. Follow instructions carefully. No simultaneous submissions.
Questions? Contact Festival Contest Chair Deborah-Zenha Adams at [email protected].
PRIZES AND PUBLICATION
1. PST publishes first-place poems in Tennessee Voices Anthology. Second and third place winners may be published at the discretion of the Editorial Board.
2. In addition to prizes, honorable mentions are given as merited by the number of entries in each individual contest and the quality of the material submitted. Published poets, sponsors, and non-sponsor judges will receive a complimentary anthology copy.
3. By submitting an entry, you agree to give PST first publishing rights should your poem be selected for publication. Following publication, all rights revert to the author. You also grant PST non-exclusive electronic permission to post this work in archives and share it through social media and/or live presentations. We ask that you credit Tennessee Voices Anthology, 2025-2026 if the work is published elsewhere in the future.
4. The Tennessee Voices Anthology Editorial Board reserves the right to alter line breaks in poems having more than 50 characters per line, including punctuation marks and spaces. We reserve the right to make minor revisions to works (e.g., spacing conventions for em-dashes, correction of typographical errors, and the like).
5. Pseudonyms of winning poets will be honored in Tennessee Voices Anthology and on winner’s lists; however, legal names are required for issuing checks.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Unless otherwise indicated, contests are open to all poets. Please review each contest carefully to ensure you are eligible to participate in a particular contest.
2. Unless otherwise specified, all poems must be the exclusive work of the contestant, unpublished in any form, including electronically and placed on exhibition, and not under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere. Your work must be created without use of Artificial Intelligence assisted technologies. Your entries must not have previously won a prize valued at $15 or more. NOTE: Prize requirements are exempted for contests seeking previously published poems.
3. The same poem may not be entered in more than one contest.
4. Unless otherwise specified, a poet may not enter more than one poem in a single contest.
5. No simultaneous submissions.
6. While PST welcomes a variety of themes and topics, we do not accept explicitly violent or sexual content for our contests.
7. Entries which do not conform to these rules will be disqualified:
a. Poets who violate publication and/or simultaneous submission rules will be disqualified. If awarded prize money, poet will be asked to refund any prize money that has been issued for poem(s) in violation of guidelines.
b. Poems which do not meet membership or other criteria specified in specific contest instructions will be disqualified from that contest.
c. Poets will not be notified if poems are disqualified.
FORMAT AND SUBMISSION
1. Entries must be single spaced, typed or computer generated in 12-point Times New Roman or similar font.
2. No graphics unless specifically required by contest instructions or integrated into the poetry form. If submitting a poem style with integrated art (e.g., tanka art, erasure poetry) please specify form for judge. Do not submit original art as entries will not be returned (color copies are acceptable, but if accepted for publication, the piece will appear in grayscale in the anthology).
3. Unless otherwise specified, line count does not include the title or one space below the title. Unless otherwise specified, all other lines, including blank lines, epigraphs and supplemental information are included in line count.
4. We do not accept hand-written poems or poems on onion skin paper.
5. In order or preference, we accept digital entries formatted as .docx, .doc, .pdf, and .txt.
6. Prepare your submission packet with each of the following:
a. Summary Sheet: on a separate piece of paper (you may use the body of your email if submitting via email) include an entry summary with your name, address, phone number, and email address and a list of contests you are entering. In the contest entry list, note contest number, contest name, and the title of the poem you are submitting. Also include a brief bio in third person (no more than 70 words).
b. ID Copy of Poem: For each poem entered, in the upper right, show the poet’s name, mailing address, email address (if available) and note if PST Member or Non-Member. Include information on all pages of the ID copy. In the upper left list contest title, contest number and form of poem (e.g., Free Verse, Blank Verse, Villanelle).
c. Blind Copy of Poem: For each poem entered, in the upper left of each entry list contest title, contest number and form of poem (e.g., Free Verse, Blank Verse, Villanelle). Do not place any identifying information on this copy or (if submitting by email) in the file name.
d. Brief bio (no more than 70 words) in third person. (In the event your poem is selected for publication, this bio will appear in the anthology.)
ENTRIES BY EMAIL (Also see “Format and Submission”)
Email your submission packet to [email protected]
1. Include your Summary Sheet in a separate document or in the body of your email.
2. Below the summary, include a brief bio (no more than 70 words) written in third person. (In the event your poem is selected for publication, this bio will appear in the anthology.)
3. Attach two documents (ID Copy and Blind Copy) for each contest you enter. Do not consolidate your entries into a single file.
4. For poems 2 pages or longer, place the title on all pages.
5. For the ID Copy we recommend a file name of contest number_Last Name_Title (e.g., 10_Manning_Tree to Sawdust).
6. For the Blind Copy we recommend a file name of contest number_Title (e.g., 10_Tree to Sawdust).
7. Ensure no identifying information appears in the document or file of your Blind Copy.
ENTRIES BY MAIL (Also see “Format and Submission”)
Mail your submission packet to:
Contest Coordinator / Deborah-Zenha Adams
232 Morning Glory Way Waverly TN 37185
1. Poems 2 pages or longer must be stapled. Note the title on all pages.
2. No paperclips with submissions.
3. Separate originals from duplicates and stack in numerical order (1-20) with originals on top.
4. Submit in 8 1/2 x 11 or 9 x 12 envelope; folded submissions will not be accepted.
PAYMENT
Pay your entry fee by mail or online:
- online: online payment option available at https://bit.ly/pstpaynow.
- by mail: Make check payable to Poetry Society of Tennessee and mail to Contest Coordinator / Deborah-Zenha Adams, 232 Morning Glory Way Waverly TN 37185.
DOWNLOADABLE / PRINTER-FRIENDLY CONTEST LIST WITH GUIDELINES
PAST FESTIVAL CONTEST RESULTS
MORE CONTESTS
The National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) offers contests annually, including:
Get details on NFSPS and other state society contests.
The National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) offers contests annually, including:
- Annual poetry contests
- Blackberry Peach: a contest for page and stage
- College Undergraduate Competition: chapbook competition
- Manningham Trust Student Poetry Contest (for grades 6 through 12)
- Stevens Poetry Manuscript Competition
Get details on NFSPS and other state society contests.