Cultivating and advancing Virginia's poetry
We received more than 1,100 submissions for the
2023-2024 PSV Annual Contests!
We'll need more coffee ...
Check back for results by April 20, 2024
2023-2024 Poetry Society of Virginia Contests Are Now CLOSED
PSV Annual Contests provide a win-win for both participating poets and the Poetry Society.
-
We get to hear new voices, read amazing poems, continue a PSV tradition, and welcome new members to our community.
-
Poets get to enter as many contests as they qualify for; some get feedback from judges.
-
Winners in each category get a monetary prize, recognition across our social media sites, and a chance to read and meet other poets at an awards ceremony.
​
View guidelines below for full descriptions of categories, and reach out to us if you have any questions. We look forward to reading your work!
2023-2024 Contest Categories & Guidelines
Two-side brochure.
List format.
You will need a Submittable account to enter the next PSV Annual Contests. Create your account ahead of our 2024-2025 competition.
Contest questions:
Membership questions:
2023-2024 Endowed Categories
Click on the square of Edgar Allan Poe to launch a slideshow of categories or just hover over each square.
Any form. No line limit. Awards: $100 $50 $25
Sonnet in rhyme and meter. Any subject. Awards: $100 $50 $25
Any form. 48-line limit Subject: Friends and friendship. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Any form. Subject: Farm Life or working the earth. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Any form. Subject: Heroism. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Sonnet or other form poetry. Any subject. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Any form. Subject: A woman or women. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Any form. Subject: Encourages reflection on inter-ethnic relations. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Any form, any subject. 64-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
2023-2024 Individually Sponsored Categories
Click on the first square to launch a slideshow of categories or just hover over each square.
Subject: Instruction, debate, or proverbial slant. Any form. 36-line limit. Awards: $50, $30, $20
Iambic pentameter. Subject: specific work of art other than poetry (identify the work). 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Narrative poem. Any form. Any subject. 64-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Celebrating women in science and technology. Any form. 48-line limit. Awards: $75 $50 $25
Any form. Subject: honoring fathers and/or their sacrifices. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Subject: a work of art other than poetry. (Include a copy of the work or a link to it.) Any form. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $40 $30
2023-2024 Poetry Society of Virginia Members Only Categories
Click on the first square to launch a slideshow of categories or just hover over each square.
New Voices. Poets who have never received a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prize in any PSV contest. Any form. Any subject. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Subject: sense of place—man-made, natural, personal, or historical. Any form. Any subject. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Any form. Subject: social commentary. 48-line limit. Awards: $75 $50 $25
Any form. Subject: inspired by an artist or a creator across disciplines. Alexandra was inspired by Vincent van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Three to four related haiku (a series). Any subject. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Any form. Subject: Climate change crisis and the vulnerable state of our environment. 48-line limit. Awards: $50 $30 $20
Any form. Subject: family. 48-line limit. Awards: $100 $50 $25
Any form. Subject: celebrating the world and its many languages and peoples or commenting upon the world in which we live. 48-line limit. $50 $30 $20
Video of up to 4 poets reading/reciting an original poem 2-4 minutes in length. Format: MP4. Awards: $100 $50 $25