THE IOWA POETRY ASSOCIATION'S
71st Annual Contest
General Rules For All Divisions
Note: FAILURE TO OBSERVE RULES MAY DISQUALIFY ENTRIES.
- Contests are open to all persons with Iowa residence. (See College exception) No entry fee. No membership or book purchase requirement.
- Poems must be original and unpublished (including on-line and self publication). If copying a significant portion of another's work is detected, entries will be immediately disqualified.
- Poems must be submitted by their author, except for student poems, which may be submitted by teacher or parent.
- Any subject or form, except categories where special requirements apply. Vulgarity or pornography is NOT accepted.
- Up to 5 poems may be submitted by one author. All poems except haiku must have titles. 20-line limit for each poem does not count title nor spaces between stanzas. (See Adult rules about Humorous Verse.) If lines exceed width of book page (about 60 characters) editor may make arbitrary line breaks.
- Each poem (even haiku) should be on a separate full-size (8 1/2×11") sheet of paper, preferably typed or computer printed, with name, complete mailing address and e-mail address in upper right corner. E-mail submissions are NOT accepted.
- Mail after January 1, 2016 to editor for your division. Postmark deadline: February 28, 2016. Mail all entries together in one envelope. (Business-size, #10 preferred) Do NOT send registered mail, please.
- Winners and others to be published in Lyrical Iowa 2016 will be notified by mail in late summer, or as soon as all judging is completed. No one will receive more than one award. No more than one poem will be printed per author. IPA has first publication rights; all other rights automatically revert to each author AFTER our publication in October.
- Poems may not be withdrawn after submission.
ADULT DIVISION
It is not necessary to specify category. Most appropriate category should be obvious within the poem. Include a self-addressed #10 envelope with sufficient postage for winners list and return of unused poems. On a separate note, please indicate if you are a first-time entrant in an Iowa Poetry Association contest.
Each of the following categories are judged independently by different judges. Honorable mentions are awarded as merited.
GENERAL: Any subject in good taste, any form. $60.00, $35.00, $20.00.
NATIONAL/WORLD EVENTS: Should focus on an event, not a general situation. $25.00, $15.00, $10.00.
HAIKU: A configuration of 5/7/5 syllables does NOT make it haiku without other haiku characteristics. $25.00, $15.00, $10.00.
SONNETS: Shakespearean (English), Petrarchan (Italian), or other traditional sonnet forms. $30.00, $20.00, $10.00.
POEMS FOR CHILDREN: Poems written by adults in style and content appropriate for reading by or to children. $20.00, $12.00, $8.00.
HUMOROUS VERSE: In addition to other entries, adult contestants may submit a reasonable number of humorous verses. These must be rhymed and metered and have an eight-line limit. $20.00, $12.00, $8.00.
Send only ADULT entries to:
Lucille Morgan Wilson
2325 61st Street
Des Moines, IA 50322
COLLEGE DIVISION
All general rules apply.
Prizes: $25.00, $15.00, $10.00. Honorable mentions as merited.
Students whose homes are in Iowa but are studying outside the state are eligible to enter, as well as out-of-state students attending Iowa schools. (Graduate students should enter the adult division.) Give name and location of your school; include both your school and home mailing addresses, since results of the contest may not be determined until June.
Please include a #10 self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage for winners list and return of unused poems.
Send only COLLEGE entries to:
Rustin Larson
105 North D
Fairfield, IA 52556
NFSPS College/University Level $500 Awards
To access VERY specific rules and application form for this national contest, go to http://www.nfsps.com/scholarship.htm or send SASE to Lucille Morgan Wilson (address under Adult Division) with request for the "national college" rules.
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION (Grades 9 through 12)
All general rules apply.
On each poem sheet, in upper right corner, please include:
- Your name & home address,
- grade in school
- name of teacher
- name and mailing address of school
Incomplete information causes delay and may disqualify your entries.
Poems may be submitted by student, teacher or parent. No school poems are returned.
Prizes: $20.00, $12.00, $8.00, plus honorable mentions.
Send HIGH SCHOOL poems to:
Joy Lyle
17844 330th Street
Keota, IA 52248
ADDITIONAL STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
9-12 grade students may enter the National Federation of State Poetry Societies Student Competition. Note these rules differ from those of the IPA contest and should be followed carefully. Any subject, any form. One poem only. 32-line limit. No entry fee. Send TWO copies of poem, with your name, grade and summer mailing address on second copy only. On both copies put "#50. Student Award" in upper left corner.
1st prize – $50.00; 2nd prize – $30.00; 3rd prize – $20.00. Seven honorable mentions – $5.00 each.
Send entries between January 1st and March 15, 2016 (postmark deadline) to:
Mikki Pennington, Contest Chair
P.O. Box 7842
Moore, OK 73153
Also, some high-ranking 2016 IPA poems from grades 9-12 and 6-8 will be selected to represent Iowa in a 2017 national competition. If one of your poems is chosen for this honor, you will be notified and asked to certify the originality of your poem.
GRADE SCHOOL DIVISION
All general rules apply.
On each poem sheet, in upper right corner, please include:
- Your name & home address
- grade in school
- name of teacher
- name and mailing address of school.
Incomplete information causes delay and may disqualify your entries.
Poems may be submitted by student, teacher or parent. No school poems are returned.
Grades K-4 and 5-8 are judged separately. Prizes are $15.00, $8.00 and $5.00, plus honorable mentions in each section.
Send only GRADE SCHOOL entries to:
Della Weems
32944 K Ave.,
Adel, IA 50003