The Fairbanks Arts Association is accepting entries for its 27th statewide poetry contest through the end of the week. Poets of all ages can participate and will be judged in four categories: primary, middle school, high school and adult.
“As a celebration of literary art, this contest aims to encourage, publicize and reward high-quality poetry writing in Alaska,” said a press release from Fairbanks Arts.
Contest winners will receive an instant prize and be invited to share their poetry during a virtual reading in April, as part of the celebration of National Poetry Month. Elementary and Middle School Division winners will receive $50 for first place, $30 for second place, and $15 for third place. In the High School Division, the first place winner will receive $100, the second place winner will receive $50 and the third place winner will receive $25. In the adult division, the first winner will receive $150, the second will receive $100 and the third will receive $50.
Applicants may submit a maximum of four poems. All poems must meet the following requirements: original, unpublished work; they cannot exceed 100 lines, excluding title and spaces; poems must be typed and submitted in 8.5 inch by 11 inch PDF format; the author’s name should not appear on the poem; and the poem filename must include the title of the poem and the submitter’s division.
Poems will be accepted until the end of the day on Friday. There is an entrance fee. Adults must pay $4 per poem or $13 for four poems. Elementary, middle and high school students must pay $3 per poem or $10 for four poems. If a class wishes to submit 10 or more poems at a time, each poem will cost $1.
