Diann Blakely Poetry Competition/ Submission Guidelines (Prize: $500)

The Diann Blakely National Poetry Competition is an annual poetry contest held in the fall and judged by the Diann Blakely Visiting Poet.

The competition offers poets the chance to win $500 and 25 broadsides of their poem. The poem will also be archived on the competition website.

The 2024-2025 competition will be judged by Vivek Narayanan. If you are having a problem with your writing, please read this article: How to Overcome Writer’s Block (10 Tips + Personal Examples) 

 

Submission Guidelines For Diann Blakely Poetry Competition

• Submissions must be written in English.

• Poets may submit only one poem per year.

• Each entry should be 50 lines or fewer.

• No simultaneous submissions are allowed.

• Submissions must be original and unpublished in any form.

• Entries will be read anonymously, so the poet’s identifying information must not appear on the poem or in the file name.

What They Want

• The contest seeks a single poem submission from each poet.
• Poems should not exceed 50 lines, you might want to read this article on editing poetry.
• Each poet may only submit once per year.
• All entries will be judged based on merit by the year’s Visiting Poet.

Eligibility Criteria For Diann Blakely National Poetry Competition

• The contest is open to all poets except for those affiliated with the University of Georgia, including students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

• Intimate friends, relatives, colleagues, and former or current students of the judge are also ineligible.

• Past winners must wait three years before entering again.

Author Rights

By submitting, the author grants the University of Georgia a non-exclusive right to use the poem for judging, permanent storage, and presentation on the English Department’s website. The poem may also be used for advertising and promoting the competition, though the University is not obligated to do so.

Payment

The winner of the Diann Blakely National Poetry Competition will receive a cash prize of $500 and 25 broadsides of their winning poem.

Deadline

Submissions for the 2024-2025 contest open on November 1, 2024. While the exact deadline has not been specified, previous contests have remained open for one month. Click here to submit.