For forty years, the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University has aimed to bring poetry to everyday lives by fostering meaningful conversations and engaging diverse audiences around the world, empowering individuals to share their voice across divisions of language, age, and culture. The list below contains the current calls, contests, scholarships, and surveys for which we are currently accepting submissions.

The Maggie Anderson Endowment Fund aims to assist talented writing students at Kent State University with writing-related travel expenses. Funds may be used to offset the costs of writers’ conferences, workshops, and travel.

 

Guidelines:

  • You must be a current Kent State University student.
  • You must not have received a Maggie Anderson Endowment scholarship in the past.
  • Submissions must include 10 pages (or poems) of a creative writing sample.
  • All entries must be original and may be simultaneously submitted to other publications.
  • Submissions must include a separate cover letter explaining why and how a scholarship would assist you and your writing-related travel.
  • Submissions must include a detailed budget for how the requested funds will be spent.

 

The application period for the scholarship is between November 1, 2024 and April 1, 2025. Once we receive the submissions, a selection committee will review all applications and make a recommendation for funding to David Hassler, executive director of the Wick Poetry Center. 

$7.00

The 43rd annual William Carlos Williams poetry competition, sponsored by the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), opens on September 6, 2024 and will accept submissions through December 31, 2024. New this year, we will be awarding prizes in two categories: a medical student category, open to students enrolled in MD and DO programs in the US, Puerto Rico, or Canada, and a physician category, open to any rank of physician (MD or DO) at any career stage, from residency to retirement, in the US, Puerto Rico, or Canada.

Please preview the Submission Details and Eligibility criteria for each category below before submitting your work. Submissions will be judged on the merits of craft, originality, and content. First-, second-, and third-place winners in each category will receive a cash prize and will be considered for publication in the Journal of Medical Humanities. Winning poets will be notified by March 1, 2025. 

Consult NEOMED's poetry competition website for more information and please direct all queries to wcw@neomed.edu.

Submission Details:

· Online submissions must be received before midnight (eastern time) on December 31, 2024.

· All entries will undergo blind review and should contain no identifying information other than the title of the poem; a cover sheet including name and contact information will be submitted separately.

· Contestants may submit up to three poems; one poem per page.

· Each poem submitted is not to exceed 750 words.

· Poems must be written in English.

· Poems may address medical and/or non-medical subjects. 

Eligibility Criteria: 

· Entrants for the Medical Student prize category must be actively enrolled in programs leading to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) degree in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada.

· Submissions must be original, unpublished (with the exception of college publications), and must not have won a contest at the time of submission.

· Previous monetary winners of the WCW student competition are not eligible to compete in the student category again in the 2024-25 competition. If otherwise eligible, previous monetary winners of the WCW student competition may submit to the physician category.

$20.00

The 43rd annual William Carlos Williams poetry competition, sponsored by the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), opens on September 6, 2024 and will accept submissions through December 31, 2024. New this year, we will be awarding prizes in two categories: a medical student category, open to students enrolled in MD and DO programs in the US, Puerto Rico, or Canada, and a physician category, open to any rank of physician (MD or DO) at any career stage, from residency to retirement, in the US, Puerto Rico, or Canada.

Please preview the Submission Details and Eligibility criteria for each category below before submitting your work. Submissions will be judged on the merits of craft, originality, and content. First-, second-, and third-place winners in each category will receive a cash prize and will be considered for publication in the Journal of Medical Humanities. Winning poets will be notified by March 1, 2025. 

Consult NEOMED's poetry competition website for more information and please direct all queries to wcw@neomed.edu.

 

Submission Details:

· Online submissions must be received before midnight (eastern time) on December 31, 2024.

· All entries will undergo blind review and should contain no identifying information other than the title of the poem; a cover sheet including name and contact information will be submitted separately.

· Contestants may submit up to three poems; one poem per page.

· Each poem submitted is not to exceed 750 words.

· Poems must be written in English.

· Poems may address medical and/or non-medical subjects. 

 

Eligibility Criteria: 

· Entrants for the Physician prize category must have received their medical degree (MD or DO) prior to the submission deadline of December 31, 2024. Physicians at any career stage, from residency to retirement, and in any career role (patient care, education/academic medicine, administration, etc.) are welcome to submit

· Submissions must be original, unpublished (with the exception of college publications), and must not have won a contest at the time of submission.

· Previous monetary winners of the WCW physician competition are not eligible to compete in the physician category again in the 2024-25 competition. If otherwise eligible, previous monetary winners of the WCW student competition may submit to the physician category.

$1,000 in scholarships will be awarded for the best poetry submitted by  Kent State University Honors students. 

  • These awards are nonrenewable. Undergraduates may reapply.
  • The competition is open to any Honors undergraduate currently enrolled at Kent State University.
  • The scholarship awards are to Kent State University only. 
  • All entries must be original and unpublished.
  • Each entrant may submit one poem only.
  • The poem should be no more than 100 lines long.
  • The poet’s name should not appear on the poem. 
  • In the cover letter section of this form, poets must write their name, address, email and telephone number.  
  • Entries must be submitted between November 1, 2024 and April 1, 2025. 
  • WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY MAY, 2025.

     

A total of $3,000 in scholarships will be awarded for the best poetry submitted by Kent State University undergraduates.

  1st Place - $1,500

  2nd Place - $1,000

  3rd Place - $500
 

  • These awards are nonrenewable. Undergraduates may reapply.
  • The competition is open to any undergraduate currently enrolled at Kent State University.
  • The scholarship awards are to Kent State University only. 
  • All entries must be original and unpublished.
  • Each entrant may submit one poem only.
  • The poem should be no more than 100 lines long.
  • The poet’s name should not appear on the poem. 
  • In the cover letter section of this form, poets must write their name, address, email and telephone number.  
  • Entries must be submitted between November 1, 2024 and April 1, 2025. 
  • WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY MAY, 2025.





     

Thomas Michael Freeman was a graduate of Kent State University. His grandfather, Tom Freeman Sr., and family have established an endowed scholarship in Tom's honor to support Kent State University students. The Thomas and Mimi Freeman Family Endowed Scholarship supports students who share Tom's love of nature, dedication to others, belief in the goodness of people and sense of gratitude for all life has to offer. This will be an annual, one-time award granted to one or more students

This $1,000 scholarship will support a writing project for one or two students each year. 

GUIDELINES

  1. All Kent State University undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at least part-time and in good standing at the university are eligible to apply. 
  2. Submit 5 pages of original poetry and a two-page essay in which you describe your personal writing philosophy in relationship to nature, environmental advocacy, or a similar theme.
  3. Do not include your name or any other identifying information in your submission, including the file name. The scholarship award is judged blindly. Any identifying information will disqualify the scholarship application.
  4. In the cover letter section, include all of your current contact information.
  5. Applications open on November 1 and close on April 1 of each year.
  6. Scholarship winner will be notified in May.
     


Maj Ragain (1940-2018) was a beloved creative writing professor and mentor. In memory of his many years serving the Kent community, his family has established the Maj Ragain Poetry Scholarship. Each year, under the leadership of the Wick Poetry Center, a committee comprised of Kent State creative writing faculty and Wick Poetry Center staff will award 1 Kent State student (undergraduate or graduate) the Maj Ragain Poetry Scholarship. This $1,000 scholarship will support the student leading community poetry workshops and organizing a yearly poetry reading at Last Exit Books. 

GUIDELINES

  1. All Kent State University undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at least part-time and in good standing at the university are eligible to apply. 
  2. Submit 5 pages of original poetry and a two-page essay answer the question: “What is the value of poetry to a community?”
  3. Do not include your name or any other identifying information in your submission, including the file name. The scholarship award is judged blindly. Any identifying information will disqualify the scholarship application.
  4. In the cover letter section, include all of your current contact information.
  5. By applying, applicants confirm that they are available to lead TEN one-hour writing workshops in the Kent community (time, date, location TBD) during the school year. Applicants confirm that they are also available to organize a poetry reading at Last Exit Books in the late spring. 
  6. Applications open on November 1 and close on April 1 of each year.
  7. Scholarship winner will be notified in May.
Wick Poetry Center