02/21/09

THE MARGERY CARLSON and MAREL BROWN PRIZES FOR YOUTH POETRY

Description:   The Margery Carlson Prize is awarded annually by the Georgia Poetry Society for poetic achievement by students in grades 1-5.  The Marel Brown Prize is a two-tier contest with prizes awarded annually by the Georgia Poetry Society for poetic achievement by students grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. 

Eligibility:  Any student in grades 1-12 enrolled in a Georgia public or private school or home-schooled at a permanent Georgia address.

Prizes (1^st/2^nd/3^rd): $15/ $10/ $5    (Margery Carlson, grades 1-5)

                                      $20/ $15/ $10  (Marel Brown, grades 6-8)

                                     $25/ $20/ $15  (Marel Brown, grades 9-12)

Entry fees: There are no entry fees for this contest.

Restrictions: Poems must be accompanied by entry form.  32-line maximum.  One entry per student.  Maximum of four poems per school.

Subject:  Any subject in good taste, any poetic form.  Poem must be student's original and unpublished work.  Teachers should ensure that works are not plagiarized.

Format of submission:   To guide submissions, please adhere to these format considerations:

          *Please type or word-process on standard 8.5x11 white paper.  Grades 1-5 may submit hand-written entries.  Please ensure legibility.

          *Please do not include illustrations. 

           *For readability by the judges, please select a standard font such as Times-Roman rather than some unconventional font (such as script fonts or Gothic).  Fonts no larger than 14-point, please.

           *One poem per page.  Poems must be in English.

           *Submit two copies of the poem, one without author identification.  The copy with identification should be taped, pasted or stapled to the entry form.  Keep a copy of the poem submitted as they cannot be returned.

           *Send all manuscripts from the same school in one envelope with school name and grade level on the envelope exterior.  No entries accepted from individual students unless home-schooled.  Winners will be posted on the Society website at the completion of competition.

          *Entry form below must accompany each poem and must be complete.  Form must be signed both by the student submitter and the sponsoring teacher.

          *No emailed or disk entries accepted.  Entries should be mailed to: 

Georgia Poetry Society,
Attn:  Youth Contests, P.O Box 2184, Columbus, Georgia 31902.

Deadline:  All entries must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2007.

Judges:  The Georgia Poetry Society will select qualified judges who receive the copies without author identification for judging.  Winners are announced at the April 2007 meeting of the Society.  Winners are invited, but are not required, to appear with parents and/or teachers to receive their awards.  The Georgia Poetry Society reserves the right to publish prize-winning poem in its annual anthology The Reach of Song.  Until published, rights rest with the Society.  After publication, or a decision not to publish, rights revert to the author.

The required entry form is posted here.

This site was last updated 02/21/09