The Georgia Poetry Society’s 2023 Contests

The Georgia Poetry Society would like to inform members of these competitions, which make up our 2023 contest cycle. Details on entering our contests follow these brief descriptions: 

The Ron Self Chapbook Award

A bi-annual contest honoring the late GPS Past President Ron Self, a master of the chapbook form, author of three award-winning chapbooks: Rich Man’s Son, The Art of War, and Requiem for the Unconvinced. This contest is open to GPS members and non-members (Entry Fee: $10.00 for Members, $25.00 for non-members).  One prize only will be awarded: $250.00 and 25 copies of the published chapbook.

Reach of Song Member Excellence Award 

The Reach of Song is the annual anthology published by the GPS. The anthology generally includes all contest winning poems, including the youth contest winners, as well as general poems by GPS members selected for publication by the ROS Editor from among all general submissions. All general submissions by Members will automatically be considered for these awards. No entry fee is required and no monetary prize will be included.  

The Georgia Poetry Society’s 2023 Contest Guidelines 

The Ron Self Chapbook Award Guidelines:

This competition is open to  GPS Members and non-members.  Theme: Any.  

The first prize winner will receive an honorarium of $250 and 25 copies of the winning chapbook. Only one prize is awarded and no ties will be awarded. The entry fee is $10.00 for GPS Members and $25.00 for non-members.  Life members of the Georgia Poetry Society pay no entry fees to enter any GPS Contests. Entry entitles all submitters to a copy of the winning chapbook. 

RULES GOVERNING THE RON SELF CHAPBOOK AWARD 

GPS strongly supports equal rights and treatment of all persons without regard to race, nationality, culture, gender, age, disability status or sexual orientation. Accordingly, manuscripts are disqualified if they are found to contain indecencies, obscenities, defamations, or other forms of hateful or discriminatory language. 

1.    Only one manuscript entry is permitted per poet. 

2. Winners of any GPS chapbook competition within the past five years may not enter. 
3. Previously published poems are acceptable. In fact, they are desirable. Be sure you hold the rights to republish these, should your manuscript be chosen. List previously published poems on the acknowledgements page. 
4. GPS determines chapbook production, including layout and design, using Kindle Direct Publishing. Publication rights rest with GPS for 12 months after publication. After that, rights revert to the author. 
5. All poems must be in English. We do not accept translations. 
6. Poems submitted must be the original work of the contestant. 
7. To enter the contest as a GPS Member, membership dues must be current at the time of entry.
8. All entries must be emailed to: contests@georgiapoetrysociety.org. 
9. In the body of your email, list the title of your manuscript and full contact information. Do not send biographical information in the body of your email or as attachment. Do not put your name or any other identifying information anywhere on your submitted manuscript, including the title page. 
10. Attach the manuscript as a file to the email. Attach it in .doc or .docx form. Do not use .pdf or other file formats. If we are unable to open your attachment, the entry is disqualified and no refund is given. 
11. On the “subject” line of your email, identify to which contest the manuscript is to be directed (GPS is running multiple contests simultaneously to the same email address). Use this format: RON, your last name, your first name. 
12. Manuscripts are accepted from September 1, 2023, at 12:01 AM to October 15, 2023, at 11:59 PM. Entries received outside this timeframe are not accepted. The winner will be announced at the January 2024 GPS quarterly meeting. 

        13.    Format Requirements 

a)  Manuscripts cannot be longer than 25 pages, not including a title page, table of contents page(s) and acknowledgments page(s). 

b)  Except for the title page, all pages must be numbered. 

c)  Poems must be composed single-spaced using a conventional, standard typeface, such as Times, in 12- point font. 

d)  Use upper and lower case boldface for titles, instead of all caps or underlines. Do not increase font size  of titles from body text. Do not center titles on the page. 

       d)  Do not center poems on the page. 

       e)  Do not include illustrations or photographs with the manuscript. 

              f)   Manuscripts may not be revised after submission. If withdrawn, no refunds of entry fees are made.

              g)  Judge(s) are selected by GPS and cannot be GPS members. The decision of the judge(s) are final.

h)  The Georgia Poetry Society assumes no responsibility for loss due to email or other online mishaps    beyond its control. 

i)  We reserve the right to consult with authors if there are questions about spelling, grammar or punctuation,  and to request emendations of such, unless they are integral to the construction or meaning of the poem or  manuscript. 

j) Manuscripts are deleted after the contests conclude and are not returned. Do not send your only copy. 

Reach of Song Member Excellence Award 

The Reach of Song is the annual anthology published by the GPS. The anthology generally includes all contest winning poems, including the youth contest winners, as well as general poems by GPS members selected for publication by the ROS Editor from among all general submissions. All general submissions by Members will automatically be considered for these awards. No entry fee is required and no monetary prize will be included.  

RULES GOVERNING The Reach of Song MEMBER EXCELLENCE AWARDS

1.    All general submissions by Members to The Reach of Song will automatically be considered for these  

       Awards. No specific entry or guidelines apply to this contest, other than those that apply to general  submissions for the anthology, which are listed on the GPS website.

        2.   From  among the poems accepted by the ROS Editor for publication, the Contest Judge (who will not be a           GPS Member) will select the Member Excellence Award winning poems.  There will be First, Second and  Third Prizes awarded and up to three Honorable Mentions. 

 3.   This contest is open to GPS Members only and entry is free. Submission Limit is 2 poems.  

  4.  Submissions will be welcomed from March 30, 2023, to May 15,2023. 

         5.  The anticipated publication date for The Reach of Song is March, 2024, but GPS hopes to advise poets that  their poems have been accepted for publication and announce the contest winners by December 31, 2023.

Georgia Poetry Society Award (for the National Federation of State Poetry Societies)

Administered by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS), this contest is sponsored by the Georgia Poetry Society for National Federation of State Poetry Society  Members only (GPS Membership automatically qualifies you as an NFSPS Member). Entry fee:  $1.00.  

Prize: $150.00 || 2nd Prize: $75.00 || 3rd Prize: $25.00. 

Rules Governing the GPS Award (for the NFSPS)

        1.  Entry fee: $1.00.  Limit: one poem. See rules for additional requirements at nfsps.com 

         2.  All fees are paid via PayPal to the Georgia Poetry Society. We do not accept cash, checks, or money orders    as payment. 

  3.  Payment must accompany submission. 

  4.  Life members of the Georgia Poetry Society pay no entry fees to enter any GPS Contests.

         5.  All poems must be in English. We do not accept translations. 

         6.  Poems may not be withdrawn or revised after submission. 

         7.  All poems must be titled. Judges are selected by GPS but cannot be GPS members. 

         8.  No ties are awarded. Decisions of the judges are final.