Do you write poetry? Are you a Highline student or alumnus? Enter Highline College’s annual Poetry Contest for a chance to win a cash prize and have your poem published.
Prizes will be awarded to ten poets; award amounts range from $125 (first prize) to $50 (seven finalists).
The contest is a prelude to Highline College’s celebration of National Poetry Month that will take place throughout April 2017. Each poem will be displayed on a broadside in the Highline Library’s Exhibit and Art Gallery. Contest winners and finalists will have their broadsides hang alongside nationally recognized poets.
What Is a Broadside?
Loosely defined as single sheets of paper printed on one side, broadsides were the most diverse form of brief, single-occasion publishing before the Civil War.
Although broadsides were first introduced in England, they became a prime means of communication in the United States, often posted in the town square.
Advertisements, song lyrics, commentaries, cartoons, and poems were printed and posted in towns across the nation. Later, Harlem Renaissance, Concrete, and Beat writers claimed the broadside as a below-the-radar way to get their words out onto the streets.
Deadline for Submission
“Hello, Kidney Disease” earned Rebekka Paulsen first place in Highline’s 2016 Poetry Contest.
Submission Guidelines
Follow these guidelines to have your poem(s) judged in the 2017 Poetry Contest:
- Submit poems about any subject.
- Keep poem length to no more than 20 lines. Poems must be able to fit onto an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. Poems can be shorter than the 20 line maximum.
- Type your submission.
- Submit up to three poems that have not been previously published.
- Include name, email address and phone number on each submission.
- Submit your poem(s) by February 17, 2017, at 4 p.m. by email only to dmoore@highline.edu; include Poetry Contest 2017 in the subject line. You can also use the Submit My Poem button above.