With National Poetry Month drawing to a close in a few days and the turmoil going on in the world around us, I wanted to share with you this wonderful contest from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)3 organization based in Santa Barbara, California.
Please note that I am not affiliated with the organization or poetry awards in any way. If you have questions about the contest, please direct them to the email address in the information below.
Good luck!
The 2018 Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards
The Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards is an annual series of awards to encourage poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit. The Poetry Awards include three age categories: Adult, Youth 13-18, and Youth 12 & Under. The deadline for entries is July 1, 2018.
The annual contest is open to people worldwide. Poems must be original, unpublished, and in English.
Deadline
All entries must be postmarked (or emailed) by July 1, 2018.
Awards
Adult Winner – $1,000
Youth (13 to 18) Winner – $200
Youth (12 and under) Winner – $200
We may award Honorable Mentions in each category.
Entry Fee
Adults – $15 for up to three poems
Youth (13 to 18) – $5
Youth (12 and under) – no fee
If submitting on paper, please make checks payable to Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Cash and money order are also accepted.
Procedures (to submit online)
Any entry that does not adhere to ALL of the contest rules will not be considered for a prize.
Adults
1. You may submit up to three unpublished poems. Maximum of 30 lines per poem.
2. Include name, “adult category,” address, email and telephone number in upper right-hand corner of each poem.
3. Title each poem.
4. Email your poem(s) in a Microsoft Word attachment (.doc or .docx) to cwarner@napf.org.
5. Please keep copies of your Word files.
6. Click here to pay your $15 entry fee online.
Youth (Ages 13-18)
1. You may submit up to three unpublished poems. Maximum of 30 lines per poem.
2. Include name, age, address, email and telephone number in upper right-hand corner of each poem.
3. Title each poem.
4. Email your poem(s) in a Microsoft Word attachment (.doc or .docx) to cwarner@napf.org.
5. Please keep copies of your Word files.
6. Click here to pay your $5 entry fee online.
Youth (12 and Under)
1. You may submit up to three unpublished poems. Maximum of 30 lines per poem.
2. Include name, age, address, email, telephone number, school name and teacher’s name in upper right-hand corner of each poem.
3. Title each poem.
4. Email your poem(s) in a Microsoft Word attachment (.doc or .docx) to cwarner@napf.org.
5. Please keep copies of your Word files.
Procedures (to submit on paper)
1. Send two copies of up to three typed unpublished poems. Maximum of 30 lines per poem.
2. Include name, address, email, telephone number, and age (if 18 or under) in upper right-hand corner of one copy of each poem. Adults, please write “adult category” in upper right-hand corner.
3. For the Youth (12 and under) category, in addition to the information in #2, please also include your school’s name and your teacher’s name.
4. Title each poem.
5. Do not staple individual poems together.
6. Please keep copies of all entries as we will be unable to return them.
7. Send entries to:
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
PMB 121, 1187 Coast Village Road, Suite 1
Santa Barbara, CA 93108-2794
Any entry that does not adhere to ALL of the contest rules will not be considered for a prize.
Judging
Judging will be done by a committee of poets selected by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Copies of the winning poems from previous years are available here.
Winners
Winners and Honorable Mentions will be announced by September 21, 2018 on the NAPF website. Winners will be notified by email and/or mail. Past years’ winning poems can be found here.
Book Offer
Please include an additional $10 if you would like to receive a copy of Never Enough Flowers: The Poetry of Peace II, a collection of first-place and honorable mention poems of the Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards from 2003-2010.
Cupertino Poet Laureate 