The Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) holds members-only contests through the year. Contests winners receive monetary prizes, and first place poems are published in PST's anthology, Tennessee Voices. See publications page for information on past and forthcoming editions and how to purchase a copy.
2023/2024 MEMBERS-ONLY CONTESTS
WINNERS
Congratulations to winners and many thanks to sponsors, judges and all entrants in our 2022-2023 members contests. Get the list of 2023-2024 and 2022-2023 monthly contest winners.
CONTEST SPONSORSHIPS FULL
Thanks to our generous sponsors, our Members-only Contest and Festival contest sponsorships are currently full.
When sponsoring a contest, you can complete a sponsor application online or by mail. You need not be a member to sponsor a contest.
2023/2024 MEMBERS-ONLY CONTESTS
- July: Two contests sponsored by Russell Strauss. Submit a pantoum and/or a Dorsimbra. One winner for each contest with honorable mentions. Any subject. $20 for 1st and $5 for HM awarded for each form.
- August: "As Summer Fades" sponsored by Lisa Kamolnick. Write a poem about reflections of summer, especially as the season transitions into fall. Any form. 50 line limit. $55/$30/$15 Special instructions: Email and mail entries will be accepted.
- September: An ekphrastic poem, sponsored by Janet Qually. Send in your poems in response to her artwork. 5-15 lines. $15/$10/$5.
- October: An Apostrophe form, sponsored by Howard Carman. About the form: a poetic apostrophe is turning to and addressing an absent person as though he were present, an object as though it were a person, or an inanimate thing as though it were alive. Example poem: "Speak to Me, Oh Gentle Waters" by Viola Berg. Special instructions: the apostrophe should be metered and rhymed.Line limit 8-40. $25/$15/$10 Special instructions: Email and mail entries will be accepted.
- November: A free verse poem on the subject "Memories of Childhood Thanksgivings" sponsored by JoAn Howerton. Your poem must have "Thanksgiving" in the title. Line limit 30. $25/$15/$10. Email and mail entries will be accepted.
- December: Write about "Harmony" sponsored Dr. Diane Clark. Any form, line limit 40. $30/$20/$10. Email and mail entries will be accepted.
- January: "Memories of a Tennessee city or small town" sponsored by William Hill Art and Poetry. Any form, line limit 40. $20/$10/$5. Email and mail entries will be accepted.
- February: A rubaiyat, sponsored by Russell H. Strauss. Any subject, line limit 3-5 stanzas. $20/$15/$10
- March: Write about "Grands" (grandchildren or grandparents), sponsored by Dr. Emory Jones. Any form, line limit 10-40. $15/$10/$5
- April: "Tennessee Music" sponsored by Anna's Pet Sitting. Any form, line limit 40. $20/$10/$5. Email and mail entries will be accepted.
WINNERS
Congratulations to winners and many thanks to sponsors, judges and all entrants in our 2022-2023 members contests. Get the list of 2023-2024 and 2022-2023 monthly contest winners.
CONTEST SPONSORSHIPS FULL
Thanks to our generous sponsors, our Members-only Contest and Festival contest sponsorships are currently full.
When sponsoring a contest, you can complete a sponsor application online or by mail. You need not be a member to sponsor a contest.
MEMBERS-ONLY CONTEST RULES **UPDATED**
1. Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) members may enter (dues owed must be paid in full). Not a member? Join us.
2. Unless otherwise specified in a contest, the following rules apply:
a. Each contest opens for submission on the 1st of the prior month (e.g., the August contest opens for submissions on July 1). Entries postmarked or emailed before this date will not be considered.
b. Submission postmark/email deadline is the 15th of the prior month (e.g., for the July contest, postmark/email poems by June 15).
c. Only one entry per contest per member.
d. Your work must be original, created without use of Artificial Intelligence assisted technologies.
e. Your work must not have been previously published.
f. No simultaneous submissions.
g. While PST welcomes a variety of themes and topics, we do not accept explicitly violent or sexual content for our contests.
3. Contests are judged blind. Send an ID copy and a Blind copy in accordance with submission guidelines. The ID copy will be forwarded to the Contest Chair; the Blind copy will be forwarded to the judge. Please ensure no identifying information is included on the blind copy.
4. PST publishes first-place poems in Tennessee Voices Anthology. 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 if the work is published elsewhere in the future.
FORMAT
1. Entries must be single spaced, typed or computer generated in 12-point Times New Roman or similar font.
2. Unless otherwise specified, line count does not include the title or one space below the title. All other lines, including blank lines, are included.
3. We do not accept hand-written poems or poems on onion skin paper.
4. We accept these formats for digital entries: .doc. .docx, .pdf and .txt.
5. If your poem is selected for publication, we will maintain format if at all possible. Should lines exceed 55 characters including spaces, we will reformat. We reserve the right to make minor revisions to works (e.g., spacing conventions for em dashes, correction of typographical errors, and the like).
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Prepare an ID Copy and a Blind Copy as follows:
1. ID Copy: Include ID information on all pages of the ID copy. List the month and name of the contest in the upper left side of the entry. Place the poet's ID information in the upper right side of the entry: name and address. For mailed copies, an address label/sticker is acceptable.
2. Blind Copy: Place the month and name of the contest in the upper left side of the entry. Do not place any identifying information on this copy.
3. Entries must be postmarked or emailed during the open period for the contest: unless otherwise specified, between the 1st and 15th of the prior month; e.g., entries for the July contest, poems must be postmarked or emailed no earlier than June 1 and no later than June 15.
MAILED ENTRIES
1. Unless otherwise noted, contests accept mailed entries.
2. Be sure to submit both an ID and Blind Copy.
3. Poems two pages or longer must be stapled.
4. Submitting in a regular business envelope is fine.
5. Send mailed entries to the Monthly Contest Chair: Russell Strauss, 18 S. Rembert Street Memphis, TN 38104.
E-MAILED ENTRIES
1. Individual contest sponsors may elect to accept emailed entries. Contests will note if email entries will be accepted.
2. Submit your entry via email to pstsubmissions@gmail.com.
3. For the email subject line, type "Submission for [Month] Contest-[Last Name]"
4. In the body of your email, list the month and name of the contest, followed by your name, address and title of your poem.
5. Attach an ID Copy and a Blind Copy to your email.
a) For the ID Copy we recommend a file name of Month_Last Name_Title (e.g., July_Manning_Tree to Sawdust).
b) For the Blind Copy we recommend a file name of Month_Title (e.g., July_Tree to Sawdust). Ensure no identifying information appears in the document or file of your Blind Copy.
HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED HELP?
Ask us. We’re eager to help. Email poetrytennessee@gmail.com with the subject line: CONTEST INFO PLEASE.
Especially for our digital non-natives: Need help getting your poem single-spaced in Word? Not sure how to attach a file to email? Other technology questions about your submission? Reach out. Email poetrytennessee@gmail.com with the subject line: CONTEST INFO PLEASE
Questions on poetic forms? You’ll find member-expert Florence Bruce's Blogspot and several other resources on our resources page.
Get a printer-friendly version of our guidelines here.
1. Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) members may enter (dues owed must be paid in full). Not a member? Join us.
2. Unless otherwise specified in a contest, the following rules apply:
a. Each contest opens for submission on the 1st of the prior month (e.g., the August contest opens for submissions on July 1). Entries postmarked or emailed before this date will not be considered.
b. Submission postmark/email deadline is the 15th of the prior month (e.g., for the July contest, postmark/email poems by June 15).
c. Only one entry per contest per member.
d. Your work must be original, created without use of Artificial Intelligence assisted technologies.
e. Your work must not have been previously published.
f. No simultaneous submissions.
g. While PST welcomes a variety of themes and topics, we do not accept explicitly violent or sexual content for our contests.
3. Contests are judged blind. Send an ID copy and a Blind copy in accordance with submission guidelines. The ID copy will be forwarded to the Contest Chair; the Blind copy will be forwarded to the judge. Please ensure no identifying information is included on the blind copy.
4. PST publishes first-place poems in Tennessee Voices Anthology. 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 if the work is published elsewhere in the future.
FORMAT
1. Entries must be single spaced, typed or computer generated in 12-point Times New Roman or similar font.
2. Unless otherwise specified, line count does not include the title or one space below the title. All other lines, including blank lines, are included.
3. We do not accept hand-written poems or poems on onion skin paper.
4. We accept these formats for digital entries: .doc. .docx, .pdf and .txt.
5. If your poem is selected for publication, we will maintain format if at all possible. Should lines exceed 55 characters including spaces, we will reformat. We reserve the right to make minor revisions to works (e.g., spacing conventions for em dashes, correction of typographical errors, and the like).
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Prepare an ID Copy and a Blind Copy as follows:
1. ID Copy: Include ID information on all pages of the ID copy. List the month and name of the contest in the upper left side of the entry. Place the poet's ID information in the upper right side of the entry: name and address. For mailed copies, an address label/sticker is acceptable.
2. Blind Copy: Place the month and name of the contest in the upper left side of the entry. Do not place any identifying information on this copy.
3. Entries must be postmarked or emailed during the open period for the contest: unless otherwise specified, between the 1st and 15th of the prior month; e.g., entries for the July contest, poems must be postmarked or emailed no earlier than June 1 and no later than June 15.
MAILED ENTRIES
1. Unless otherwise noted, contests accept mailed entries.
2. Be sure to submit both an ID and Blind Copy.
3. Poems two pages or longer must be stapled.
4. Submitting in a regular business envelope is fine.
5. Send mailed entries to the Monthly Contest Chair: Russell Strauss, 18 S. Rembert Street Memphis, TN 38104.
E-MAILED ENTRIES
1. Individual contest sponsors may elect to accept emailed entries. Contests will note if email entries will be accepted.
2. Submit your entry via email to pstsubmissions@gmail.com.
3. For the email subject line, type "Submission for [Month] Contest-[Last Name]"
4. In the body of your email, list the month and name of the contest, followed by your name, address and title of your poem.
5. Attach an ID Copy and a Blind Copy to your email.
a) For the ID Copy we recommend a file name of Month_Last Name_Title (e.g., July_Manning_Tree to Sawdust).
b) For the Blind Copy we recommend a file name of Month_Title (e.g., July_Tree to Sawdust). Ensure no identifying information appears in the document or file of your Blind Copy.
HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED HELP?
Ask us. We’re eager to help. Email poetrytennessee@gmail.com with the subject line: CONTEST INFO PLEASE.
Especially for our digital non-natives: Need help getting your poem single-spaced in Word? Not sure how to attach a file to email? Other technology questions about your submission? Reach out. Email poetrytennessee@gmail.com with the subject line: CONTEST INFO PLEASE
Questions on poetic forms? You’ll find member-expert Florence Bruce's Blogspot and several other resources on our resources page.
Get a printer-friendly version of our guidelines here.
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.
