The North Carolina Poetry Society sponsors annual contests for individual poems written by students and adults, two book contests for a published book and an unpublished manuscript, and a poetry fellowship.
The Pinesong Awards
The North Carolina Poetry Society holds an annual poetry contest, the Pinesong Awards, for individual poems. Awards are given to both adults and students (from 3rd grade through university and college undergraduates). See links below.
For information about our assorted Adult Contests, click here.
For information about contests for Student Poets, click here.
Get tips and additional information on the awards in our Pinesong Awards blog here.
To read the 2022 issue of Pinesong, click here.
To read the 2021 issue of Pinesong, click here.
The Jaki Shelton Green Performance Poetry Prize
Co-sponsored by the North Carolina Literary Review, the Jaki Shelton Green Performance Poetry Prize honors the best performance poem by a writer who fits the NCLR definition of a North Carolina writer: anyone who currently lives in North Carolina, has lived in North Carolina, or uses North Carolina as subject matter. Deadline for submissions is April 30. Poetry submissions do NOT have to relate to an issue’s special feature topic.
Book-Length Poetry Contests
The Brockman-Campbell Book Award is given each year to the best poetry collection by a native or resident of North Carolina. The winners are invited to read from their work at the September meeting of the North Carolina Poetry Society at Weymouth Center for the Arts in Southern Pines. Deadline for submissions is May 1. Click on the link above for contest guidelines.
The Lena M. Shull Book Contest is open to all North Carolina Poets for an unpublished book-length poetry manuscript. The winning manuscript is published by Redhawk Publications. The winning poet and book of poetry will be presented at the September NPCS meeting. Submissions are accepted from June 1st to July 1st. Click on the link above for more information and preliminary contest guidelines.
Meyers Poetry Fellowship Competition
The recipient of the Susan Laughter Meyers Poetry Fellowship at Weymouth will be awarded a one-week stay at Weymouth Center for the Arts in Southern Pines, a $500.00 stipend, publication of a poem in Pinesong (NCPS’s annual anthology of award-winning poems), and an opportunity to read or present a program at an NCPS meeting at Weymouth. For information and submission guidelines, click here.
Poetry in Plain Sight Program
Launched in Winston-Salem in 2013, Poetry in Plain Sight brings North Carolina poetry and poets to the public. Four poems are chosen monthly and displayed on posters in street-visible locations throughout arts districts and downtown areas in Winston-Salem and in our expansion cities. The goals are to bring poetry to a wider audience and to support North Carolina poets. This program is a collaborative effort with the North Carolina Poetry Society and Press 53. For further information and submission guidelines, click here.