The deadline for students to enter the Mississippi Poetry Society (MPS) Student Contest is Feb. 16.
Contest details are as follows:
- There is no entry fee for the MPS Student Contest. The contest is open to all Mississippi students from first grade through college undergraduates. Public, private, and homeschools are eligible. There must be at least six entries in a category for it to be judged.
- Only one poem per student can be entered in this contest. Entries must be on regular white 8.5” x 11” paper, either computer-generated or typed and should not exceed 35 lines including title and space lines with no line having more than 60 characters including spaces and punctuation. Every poem entered should appear on a single sheet. Do not staple the two copies of the poem together.
- There should be no large or unusual fonts or illustrations. Times New Roman is the suggested font. No font larger than 12 point should be used.
- There are five levels in this contest. Level 1 encompasses Grades 1 – 3; Level 2 encompasses Grades 4 – 5; Level 3 encompasses Grades 6 – 8; Level 4 encompasses Grades 9 – 12; Level 5 encompasses College Undergraduates.
- Participants should submit two (2) copies of the poem with the following requirements: (a) The first copy only must show the student’s name, mailing address, email address, school name, mailing address, student grade level, student’s English/Language Arts teacher’s name and email address in the upper right corner. (b) Put the Level Name in the upper left corner of both copies. The second copy must have only the Level Name but no ID information. Do not send a copy with any other markings.
- Place winners in Levels 1-3 will be awarded a certificate and monetary prize of $30 for first place, $20 for second place, and $10 for third place. Place winners in Levels 4 and 5 will be awarded a certificate and monetary prize of $35 for first place, $25 for second place, and $15 for third place. Honorable Mentions will be awarded as merited. The poems that place in each category will be published in the annual MPS Contest Journal. Winners will be notified that they are contest honorees (but not specifically how they placed) and asked to read their poems when the winners are announced in April at the MPS Festival. The festival will be held at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on April 24-26. Student reading time will be on Saturday, April 25 (specific time to be decided). Awards will be mailed to those who cannot be present. Winners will receive a free copy of the journal.
- There is a postmark deadline of February 16, 2026. SEND ENTRIES to:
Janice Canerdy
P.O. Box 613
Potts Camp, MS 38659
Contact email address for Ms. Canerdy at jlcanerdy@yahoo.com.
- The following statement should appear ONLY on the bottom of the FIRST copy with the student’s name and ID information.
“I certify that this poem is my original work and has not been copied in whole or part from any author’s poems in print or posted on the Internet.”
Signed: _________________________________________________