54rd MID-SOUTH POETRY FESTIVAL
SPONSORED BY THE POETRY SOCIETY OF TENNESSEE
MID-SOUTH POETRY FESTIVAL CONTESTS: DEADLINE: ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN
August 22nd, 2011.
CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM AND RULES
CONTEST
RULES
Our
rules are the same as those of the
National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS). Mail all entries
at one
time to Carol Sposto, Contest Coordinator, 1520 Kirby Parkway, Memphis,
TN
38120, e-mail: carol@sposto.com. All entries must be received by
Monday, August
22, 2011. All contest rules will be posted on our website at http://www.tpstn.org/.
1.
All poems
must be original and (except those entered in contest #2), unpublished.
2.
Unless
otherwise specified, a poem may be on any subject, in any form, and no
longer
than 40 lines. Please count lines carefully as rules are strictly
applied.
3.
Enter
only one poem per contest except in contests #1 and #2. Any number of
poems may
be entered in these two contests so long as proper fees are paid.
4.
Do not
enter the same poem in more than one contest.
5.
Type
poems on standard, 8 ½” x 11’ white paper; no
handwritten poems will be
accepted. Use a readable font style and print size, please. Staple
two-page
poems on upper left.
6.
Submit
two copies of every poem, one with identification in upper right
corner, the
other with no ID. Show ID on both pages of two-page poems; show title
and
number of contest on both, upper left.
7.
All
participants, present or absent, must pay a $10.00 registration fee.
Entries in
Contest #1 for members are $1.00 each and #2 are $2.00 each. Entries in
Contests #3-35 are $1.00 each.
8.
First place winners (except #2, which
allows published poems) will be published in the PST yearbook, Tennessee
Voices,
which sells for $5 (members) and $10 (non-members). It becomes
available in
October.
Special
Award. Best of the
Fest: $150 is contributed by
an
anonymous donor. The 35 first place winners in all Festival contests
will be
collected and sent to a special judge who will decide which of the
winning
poems in this year’s Festival deserve this special award.
Decision of the judge
will be final.
1. The
Benefactors’ Awards;
Prizes are $40, $30, $20, $15, $10. Donations were received
anonymously.
This contest, any subject, any form, 40 line limit, is open to all
Festival
participants. Any number of poems may be entered so long as proper fees
are
paid. $1 for members; $2 for non-members.
2. The
Poets’ Field Day
Award: Prizes depend on number of entries at $2 each. Entries may be
previously
published or unpublished. Any number of poems may be entered. All
fees
collected become “the pot”, of which the 1st place
winner gets 40%; 2nd place
winner,
20%, and the 3rd place winner, 10%. The remaining 30% will go
to PST to
pay Festival costs. Winners will be announced at the Festival party. Must
be
present.
3. The
Lyric Challenge
Award: Any subject appropriate to country music, song lyrics with
rhyme
(may use near or slant rhyme as in songs of Jim Croce and James Taylor,
40 line
limit. Sponsored by Charles K. Firmage. ($25, $15, $10).
4. The
Frances P. Denington
Memorial Award: Any subject, free verse, 24 line limit. Sponsored
by Mick
Denington. ($35, $25, $15)
5. The
Poetry Society of
Tennessee-NE Award: Subject: Theme about another country outside
the
U.S.A., any form, 40 line limit. Sponsored by Poetry Society of
Tennessee-NE
($25, $15, $10)
6. The Joan
T. Strauss
Memorial Award: Subject: Popular Music, (does not include Elvis or
Beatles), 10-30 lines. Sponsored by Russell Strauss ($25, $15, $10)
7. The
Francis Mah Memorial
Award: Any subject, any form, 40 line limit. Sponsored by Jeanine
Mah ($40,
$20, $10)
8. The
Bobbie Droebeck
Memorial Award: Subject: It Happened On the Bus, 10-30 line limit.
Sponsored by Russell Strauss (15, $10, $5)
9. The
Florence M. Gibbs
Memorial Award: Subject: Books, any form, 40 line limit. Sponsored
by Betty
Heidelberger ($25, $15, $10)
10. The
Rev. Melvin and Ruth
Brown Memorial Award: Subject: Country Preacher, Wife and
Children, free
verse, 20 line limit. Entry must be religious. Sponsored by JoAn
Howerton and
siblings. ($15, $10, $5)
11. The
Sarah Catherine
Anderson Memorial Award: Any subject, a pantoum, 24 line limit.
Sponsored
by Sarah Hull Gurley ($35, $25, $15)
12. The Jo
Elliotte Memorial
Award: Any subject, a pirouette form, 10 line limit. Sponsored by
J.
Pompford (Pete) Harris, ($25, $15, $10)
13. The
Sarah Hull Gurley
and Pat Crocker Double-Judged Award: Subject: Moving On, free
verse, 15-30
lines. Sponsored by Sarah Hull Gurley and Pat Crocker ($15, $10, $5) (2
sets of
prizes will be given)
14. The
Epigram Challenge
Award: Any subject, a rhymed epigram, 2-4 line limit. Sponsored by
J.
Pompford (Pete) Harris, ($20)
15. The
Florence Rogers Tuck
Memorial Award: An elegy (grief poem), 30 line limit. Sponsored by
Leslie
Blakeburn, ($25, $15, $10)
16. The
Katie Akin Honorary
Award: Subject: Best Friends Forever (poem must be about a
childhood
friend/adult friend ), free verse, 30 line limit. Sponsored by
JoAn
Howerton. ($15, $10, $5)
17. The
Glenda Tuck Mechtel
Memorial Award: Any subject, a limerick, 5 lines. Sponsored by
Leslie
Blakeburn. ($25, $15, $10)
18. The Pat
Crocker Award: Subject:
Any, a Heroic couplet (iambic pentameter), 12-24 line limit.
Sponsored
by Pat Crocker ($15, 10, $5)
19. The
Malra Treece
Memorial Award: Subject: Wisdom, any form, 40 line limit.
Sponsored by Dr.
Diane Clark ($30, $20, $10)
20. The
Cumberland Award: Any
subject, any form, 40 line limit. Sponsored by Elizabeth Howard ($25,
$15, $10)
21. The
Ophelia Dunn Moore
Memorial Award: Any subject, any form, 40 line limit. Sponsored by
Jeanine
Mah ($40, $20, $10)
22. The
Ruth Boyd Pell
Memorial Award: Any subject, a villanelle, 19 line limit.
Sponsored by
Elizabeth Pell ($25, $15, $10)
23. The
Orville Hancock
Memorial Award: Subject: Newspapers or baseball, any form. Given
by Ann
Carolyn Cates ($15, $10, $5)
24. The Sam
Sax Memorial
Award: Any subject, a SCOT,
4 lines.
see: www.poetryforms.blogspot.com for rules and example
of a SCOT)
Sponsored by Tom McDaniel ($75, $35, $25)
25. The T.
A. Dugger Jr.
Memorial Award: Any subject, a sestina, 39 line limit. (poem must
meet
strict criteria for the traditional sestina; see: www.poetryforms.blogspot.com
for rules and example of a traditional sestina)
Sponsored by
Benjamin A. Dugger ($45, $30)
26. The
Rose Klix Award:
Any subject, Lachesis form (see: www.poetryforms.blogspot.com for
rules and example of a Lachesis form) Sponsored by Rose Klix
($25, $15,
$10)
27. The
Anne George Memorial
Award: Any subject: Winning and/or losing, any form, 30 line
limit,
Sponsored by Malu Graham ($50, $25, $15, $10)
28. The Ann
Carolyn Cates
Picture Your Poetry Award: The poem must be accompanied by a
picture of
the subject of the poem. Any subject, any form, any line limit.
($15, $10,
$5)
29. The
Anthony Zarlengo
Memorial Award: Subject: Government, any traditional Form,
40 line
limit. Sponsored by Caroline Sposto ($40, $25, $15. $5)
30. The
Arkansas Poet
Laureate Award: Subject: “Growing Up in Tennessee”,
Shakespearean Sonnet,
14 line limit. Sponsored by Peggy Caudle Vining, Poet Laureate ($25,
$15, $10)
31. The
Ruby Storm Pirate
Days Award: Subject: Pirates (current, historical or fantasy), Any
form, 40
line limit. Sponsored by Angela Logsdon ($25, $15, $10)
32. The
Dorothy Virginia
Roden Memorial Award: Any subject, any form, 40 line limit.
Sponsored by
Llewellyn Brawner ($25, $15, $10)
33. The
Frieda Beasley
Dorris Memorial Award: Subject: The Floods (poem about the 1927,
1937,
2011 floods either alone or collectively), a dorsimbra, 12 line
limit.
Sponsored by her sister, Bess Wells ($25, $15, $10)
34. The
Winifred Corley
Sellers Award: Any subject, any form, 40 line limit. Sponsored by
Llewellyn
Brawner ($25, $15, $10)
35. The
Delta Poets Award: Subject:
War or wars, any form, 36 line limit. Sponsored by the Delta Poets
($15, $10,
$5)