The Poetry Society of Tennessee is pleased to announce their Tennessee Student Poetry Contest and Tennessee Collegiate Poetry Contest are now open for submissions.
The contests are free to enter and open to Tennessee-based students in grades 2-12 and at any level of college study. Winners will receive prizes, and first place poems will be published in Tennessee Voices Anthology, 2025-2026, PST’s anthology of winning and other selected poems.
The society invites students, teachers and parents to become involved in the Tennessee Student Poetry Contests. These contests accept entries from public, private and home-based schools and from organizations and individuals. High School (grades 9-12) and Middle School (grades 6-8) division contests seek a single free verse poem.
The Elementary (grades 2-5) division contest is open to any poetry form. Email or postmark deadline for this competition is February 10, 2026. Find guidelines at poetrytennessee.org/pststudentcontests.html.
The society invites college students of all levels to enter their Tennessee Collegiate Poetry Contest. This competition, open to college students across Tennessee, seeks a single poem relating to life in Tennessee.
Entries must be submitted via email by November 1, 2025. Guidelines are available at poetrytennessee.org/pstcollegiate.html.
One of the society’s central values is to encourage new generations of poets. “Through our contests, people of all ages can discover and further explore the art, craft, and magic of poetry,” reflects PST President Lisa Kamolnick. “Developing poets have an opportunity not only to learn but also to gain recognition alongside award-winning poets in an anthology that has been published for more than 60 years.”
For more information about the society or the contests, visit www.poetrytennessee.org.