The Mississippi Poetry Society, Inc. 2027 Student Contest is open to all Mississippi students in first grade – 12thgrade, where they are in public, private or homeschool. The deadline to enter is Feb. 16, 2027.
There must be at least six entries in a level for it to be judged. There are four levels: Level 1 encompasses grades 1–3; Level 2, grades 4–5; Level 3, grades 6–8; and Level 4, grades 9-12.
Only one poem per student can be entered. Entries must be on regular white 8.5” x 11” paper, either computer-generated or typed and should not exceed 35 lines of poetry, with no line having more than 60 characters, including spaces and punctuation. There should be no illustrations. Please use 12-point Times New Roman. Stanzas should be single-spaced; there should be one blank space after each stanza. Older students who can type should type their own poems.
A poem of more than one page should be stapled. Submit two copies of the poem, both with the level (1, 2, 3, or 4) in the upper left. One copy should also have the student’s name beside the level number. The two copies should not be stapled together. There are no restrictions on topic or style/form. However, judges have the right to disqualify poems that contain inappropriate language and/or violence and poems that don’t follow the guidelines.
Please submit the cover sheet.
Place winners in Levels 1-3 will be awarded a certificate and a monetary prize of $30 for first place, $20 for second place, and $10 for third place. Place winners in Level 4 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; those receiving Honorable Mentions will be given a certificate. The poems that place in each category will be published in the annual MPS Contest Journal. Before the MPS Festival in April, honorees will be notified that they are contest honorees (but not told specifically how they placed) and asked to read their poems when the winners are announced at the festival (details to be provided later). 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 Feb. 16, 2027. Mail entries to:
Janice Canerdy
P.O. Box 613
Potts Camp, MS 38659
Students and teachers, if you have questions, contact Ms. Canerdy at jlcanerdy@yahoo.com.
The Mississippi Poetry Society’s Student Contest is for Mississippi students only.