First Annual Provo Poetry Contest–Cash Prizes!
Send your short/micro poems to help promote poetry in Utah!
DEADLINE: February 1, 2018
ENTRY FEE: Free to enter.
PRIZES: A winner will be selected for each of two categories: Short Poems and Micro Poems.
JUDGE: Lance Larsen – Utah’s poet laureate from 2012-2017
This year’s judge is Lance Larsen, poet laureate of Utah from 2012-2017. His work appears widely in venues such as Poetry, Slate, Southern Review, New York Review of Books, Poetry Daily, and Best American Poetry. He has received a number of awards, including a Pushcart Prize and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. A professor at BYU, he is the author of four poetry collections, with a fifth, What the Body Knows, forthcoming from University of Tampa in early 2018.
SHORT POEM CATEGORY (20 lines or less):
- 1st PLACE – $100 cash and an optional feature reading at Speak for Yourself Open Mic at Enliten Bakey and Café in historic downtown Provo
- 2 HONORABLE MENTIONS: $25 gift certificate for Pioneer Book
- POEMBALLS: All poems entered into the contest will be considered for inclusion in POEMBALL machines in Provo!
MICRO POEM CATEGORY (3 lines or less):
- 1st PLACE – $50 cash and an optional feature reading at Speak for Yourself Open Mic at Enliten Bakey and Café in historic downtown Provo
- 2 HONORABLE MENTIONS: $10 gift certificate for Pioneer Book
- UTAH VALLEY MARATHON: All micro poems entered into the contest will be considered for printing on race bibs for the Utah Valley Marathon! Runners will have the option of wearing a poem throughout the race.
CONTEST GUIDELINES:
- Poets must have lived or spent significant time in Utah at some point in their lives.
- Poems must be appropriate for a general audience (rated PG).
- Provo Poetry is an all-inclusive community. Do not send poems with topics/speech related to hate, shaming, or cultural appropriation.
POEM LENGTH: Short poems of about 20 lines or less. Micro poems of 3 lines or less (think Haiku, but any form is fine).
NUMBER OF POEMS: Send up to ten poems.
EMAIL POEMS: We prefer a separate attachment/document for each poem sent in a single email to provopoetry@gmail.com.
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED: Previously published poems are permitted.
ACCEPTED POEMS: You will be notified via email if your poems are accepted for inclusion in the POEMBALL machines or for Utah Valley Marathon bibs. POEMBALL machines are located at Pioneer Book and Enliten Bakery and Café in downtown Provo. Accepted poems will be printed for distribution into the community in and around Provo. Poets names will be mentioned on the poems.
Distribution methods may vary. No monetary payment will be provided to poets other than the winners as noted, but please know your contribution is important and appreciated! The key objective of Provo Poetry is to instill the love of poetry within the general community, bring poems to a wider audience, and to support local poets.
HUGE thanks to David G. Pace of 
Provo Poetry 