2026 NCPS STUDENT POETRY CONTESTS
Contests for NC student poets will open on December 1, 2026 and close on February 1, 2027.
Each winning student poem will be published in the NC Poetry Society’s annual Pinesong anthology, which features all of the contest winners and their poems. For more information about current and past issues of Pinesong, click here.
Prizes
Undergraduate Award
1st Place winners receive $100 check
2nd Place winners receive $50
3rd Place winners receive $25
Honorable Mention winners (up to three per contest) are also chosen.
Jordan, Scott, Chilton, and Pruitt Awards
1st Place winners receive a $60 check
2nd Place winners receive $40
3rd Place winners receive $25
Honorable Mention winners (up to three per contest) also are chosen.
All winners and honorable mentions receive an NCPS award certificate and a free copy of Pinesong.
What are the contest categories?
The Travis Tuck Jordan Award
Endowed by Dorothy and Oscar Pederson
Judge: Molly Bolton
- for students in Grades 3 — 5.
The Joan Scott Memorial Award
Endowed by contributions in memory of Joan Scott and by the Board of the NC Poetry Society
Judge: Jennifer Newhouse
- for poems about the environment
- for students in Grades 5 — 9.
The Mary Chilton Award
Sponsored by Tori Reynolds
Judge: Tresha Haefner
- for students in Grades 6 — 9.
The Sherry Pruitt Award
Endowed by Gail Peck
Judge: Tyree Daye
- for students in Grades 10 — 12
The Undergraduate Award
Judge: Mackenzie Kozak
- for students whose parents or guardians live in the state of North Carolina or are attending a North Carolina college or university.
- Please note that the guidelines for the Undergraduate Award are the same as for the Adult contests.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- Entries must be original, unassisted by artificial intelligence, and unpublished, either in print or online.
- Submit only ONE poem per category.
- Do not enter the same poem into more than one contest.
- Do not send a concrete poem (one whose shape matches its subject) because of formatting issues.
- Do not include pictures or images with your poem.
- Poems can be typed flush left; you do not need to center them on the page.
- Type your poem in 12-point Times New Roman font.
- Poem length must be 32 lines or fewer, including the title and any blank lines, such as breaks between stanzas.
- You may submit your poem simultaneously elsewhere, but it if is accepted, inform the student contest coordinator that you are withdrawing it.
When will I know if I have won an award?
Winners will be notified in late March 2027. Winners will be invited read at our Awards Day in May.
What about other poetry opportunities?
Winners and honorable mentions in college, high school, or middle school are invited to apply to become Student Poets in the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series.