Submissions

Submissions are open!  The deadline for each year’s contest is March 1.  Note: submissions are happily taken at any time.  Poems received after March 1 will be held in reserve and considered during the next years project.

Eligibility:

  • Submissions are open to anyone, of any age, living in the State of Minnesota.

Submissions:

  • Submit up to four poems. Each poem must be 18 lines or less and each line can be no more than 40 characters (spaces, punctuation and blank lines count!). Titles do not count as one of the lines, but should be no more than 25 characters long.
  • Submissions should be emailed as attachments (PDF, .doc, .docx) or in the body of the email to contest@southernmnpoets.org.
  • Submissions must include the following information:
    • First and last name
    • Email and/or phone number
    • Address including zipcode
    • Age range:
      • Up to 3rd grade
      • 4th-7th grade
      • 8th-12th grade
      • Adult

Additional Guidelines:

  • Submissions can also be mailed via post to MPWR, 1131 E. Main Street, Mankato, MN 56001. Mailed submissions must be postmarked by February 28th to be considered for the current year’s exhibit.
  • Entries must be the original work of the entrant.
  • Entries can be previously published or unpublished.
  • No vulgar, abusive, violent, or sexually explicit language will be accepted.
  • Poems can be about any topic. Some ideas: CityArt sculptures; Mankato history/culture; nature (river, lakes, bluffs, fields of Southern Minnesota); relationships and family; exercise, movement, biking, walking, skiing, skating, or other physical activities.

Poems that do not follow the guidelines above will be disqualified. Writers whose poems are selected for publication will be invited to perform at an evening reading in Mankato, MN.  Please contact us at contest@southernmnpoets.org with any questions.