Just Earth – Cincinnati, Poetry Competition

Just Earth – Cincinnati is sponsoring a poetry competition for poets in the Greater Cincinnati area. The theme of the poetry competition is, “This Planetary Moment.”

The planet may well be at a tipping point, with climate change and its complicated environmental, cultural, and political effects accelerating. In response, we invite poets to seize the moment and to express in lyrical and narrative ways your personal dedication to, and alliance with, what Wendell Berry calls “those worthies”: earth, air, water, and light. Submit poems of warning, poems of celebration, poems of regret, poems of confession, poems of hope and exaltation over a healthy world and its life. Please follow exactly the submission guidelines listed below.

The competition will be at two levels; an adult level for poets, 19 and over and a high school level for students 13-18 years of age.
Submission Guidelines
Submission period: January 1, 2024 to Midnight, March 9, 2024.
Submit only 1 poem per person, any style, any form, 60 line limit.
Submissions must be in 12 pt., Times New Roman, single-spaced.
Submit only your original work that has not been previously published.
Submitted poems will not be returned.
Selected poems may be collected in a book. Authors retain copyright privileges.

Submission Instructions
Email your poem as an attachment in PDF format.
Provide your name, year of birth, school name (if applicable), and email address.
Email to: poetry@justearthcincy.org
Enter “Poetry Competition” in the subject line.

Poems will be judged both on the quality of the work and the creativity and insight with which the theme is addressed. A committee of local poets, writers and/or holders of advanced degrees in English literature will review all submissions and select the winners.
Awards at each level will be presented at an event scheduled for April 27, 2024
in the auditorium of Walnut Hills Branch of the Cincinnati Public Library
in conjunction with celebration of Earth Day 2024.
Prizes to be awarded at each level are as follows:
1st Prize – $500; 2nd Prize – $250; 3rd Prize – $100.