The Society of Classical Poets is holding a poetry contest with a monetary prize! Metered and rhythmed poetry is preferred but not required. They usually do not publish love poems, free verse, or overly dark poems that don’t teach a positive lesson. Poems are judged based on both form and character. The poem should ideally be written in 2016, but does not have to be. It is okay if you have submitted it to other contests or posted it on your blog.

The poems must be within the four themes used by the Society, and at least one poem must be in the “Issues of Our Age” theme:

(1) Beautiful & Sublime: Beauty in human nature, culture, the natural world, classical art forms, and the divine.

(2) Humor & Riddles: Clean humor only please.

(3) The Issues of Our Age:

A. Terrorism. Terrorists and their ideology plague the world like a hate-filled cancer that does not seem to go away. How can the world defeat such an invisible foe?
B. The Environment. Though debate remains over climate change and GMOs, environmental pollution undeniably compromises our water and air. Nature’s beauty and purity plays victim to technology and industrialization.
C. Human Rights in China. In a globalized world, the human rights violations in China are essentially in our own backyard. Particularly heinous is the persecution of the peaceful meditation practice Falun Gong. Poetry in this category may also be submitted here.

(4) Great Culture: Good figures, stories, and other elements from classical (pre-1900) history and literature. Grand prize is $500 and there is a high school prize of $100. (Look to the site for additional prizes.) The deadline is December 31, 2016 with winners announced February 1, 2017. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.