2020 Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest Now Open
Eugene V. Shea (1925-2016)
Autumn has fallen in all her crisp colorful splendor. Do you know what that means? The annual WyoPoets Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest opened October 1 for submissions! Submit your finest unpublished poems for a chance at recognition and even a monetary prize.
Entries will be accepted through the postmark deadline of December 31, 2019. (Sorry, no electronic submissions.)
This contest is named in honor of the late Eugene V. Shea, a longtime member of WyoPoets. Eugene was a prolific writer who was beloved by many in WyoPoets. He ran the organization's national contest for many years, and his dedication to the written word, to encouraging other writers, and to WyoPoets will forever be appreciated.
The contest is quite popular, and there are a lot of splendid entries from a lot of splendid poets. Hence, submissions that don’t adhere to the guidelines (below or download) will be rejected.
Good luck! I look forward to your submissions!
- Nicholas Trandahl, Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest Chair
Entries will be accepted through the postmark deadline of December 31, 2019. (Sorry, no electronic submissions.)
This contest is named in honor of the late Eugene V. Shea, a longtime member of WyoPoets. Eugene was a prolific writer who was beloved by many in WyoPoets. He ran the organization's national contest for many years, and his dedication to the written word, to encouraging other writers, and to WyoPoets will forever be appreciated.
The contest is quite popular, and there are a lot of splendid entries from a lot of splendid poets. Hence, submissions that don’t adhere to the guidelines (below or download) will be rejected.
Good luck! I look forward to your submissions!
- Nicholas Trandahl, Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest Chair
2020 Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest Guidelines
You can also download the guidelines as a PDF.
TIMELINE: BEGINS: October 1, 2019. ENDS: Postmark deadline-December 31, 2019.
PRIZES: 1st PLACE: $100.00. 2nd PLACE: $50.00. 3rd PLACE: $30.00. Up to five Honorable Mentions, at the judge’s discretion, will be awarded.
FEES: ENTRY FEE: $1.00 per poem submitted to contest (Example: 5 poems for $5.00). Limit 20 poems per person. Checks and money orders for physical submissions must be made out to WyoPoets.
SUBMISSION:
MAILING: Send physical submissions with entry fee to Eugene V. Shea Contest, Attn: Nicholas Trandahl, PO Box 74, Upton, Wyoming 82730. Do not send entries that require a signature upon receiving.
INFORMATION: Contact Nicholas Trandahl at nrtrandahl@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/WyoPoets/
JUDGING: Judging will be done by a qualified poet not affiliated with WyoPoets. Judge’s decisions are final. Winners and Honorable Mentions will be invited to read their winning poems at the 2020 WyoPoets Spring Workshop. No entrant can win more than one monetary prize but can win additional Honorable Mentions. Contest entrants will be notified by email, at the email address included on the upper right corner of their submission.
RIGHTS: All rights remain with the poet. No entries will be returned.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Not following the above guidelines will result in disqualification.
TIMELINE: BEGINS: October 1, 2019. ENDS: Postmark deadline-December 31, 2019.
PRIZES: 1st PLACE: $100.00. 2nd PLACE: $50.00. 3rd PLACE: $30.00. Up to five Honorable Mentions, at the judge’s discretion, will be awarded.
FEES: ENTRY FEE: $1.00 per poem submitted to contest (Example: 5 poems for $5.00). Limit 20 poems per person. Checks and money orders for physical submissions must be made out to WyoPoets.
SUBMISSION:
- Poems must be original and unpublished, written in English, and may be about any subject.
- Photocopies accepted if clear and legible.
- Poems must be titled.
- One poem per page
- Poems must be single-spaced, use black 12 pt. Times New Roman font, on 8.5x11-inch white paper with one-inch margins. No pornographic or discriminatory language. Simultaneous submissions permissible.
- Submit two copies of each poem: one copy for the judge with no identification on it; one with name, mailing address, email address, and phone number in the upper right corner of each page.
- Do not include author bios.
MAILING: Send physical submissions with entry fee to Eugene V. Shea Contest, Attn: Nicholas Trandahl, PO Box 74, Upton, Wyoming 82730. Do not send entries that require a signature upon receiving.
INFORMATION: Contact Nicholas Trandahl at nrtrandahl@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/WyoPoets/
JUDGING: Judging will be done by a qualified poet not affiliated with WyoPoets. Judge’s decisions are final. Winners and Honorable Mentions will be invited to read their winning poems at the 2020 WyoPoets Spring Workshop. No entrant can win more than one monetary prize but can win additional Honorable Mentions. Contest entrants will be notified by email, at the email address included on the upper right corner of their submission.
RIGHTS: All rights remain with the poet. No entries will be returned.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Not following the above guidelines will result in disqualification.
2019 Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest winners
Winners:
1st Place: "At Least" by Sharon Owen, El Paso, Texas
2nd Place: "From the Gallery of My Life: Imagine III" by Reatha Thomas Oakley, Gillette, WY
3rd Place: "Grandmother" by Lyndi Water, Kaycee, WY
4th Place: "December Tan" by Bart Ringer, Riverton, WY
Honorable Mentions:
Contest Chair Carol L. Deering adds, "A huge thank you to everyone who submitted to this contest!"
1st Place: "At Least" by Sharon Owen, El Paso, Texas
2nd Place: "From the Gallery of My Life: Imagine III" by Reatha Thomas Oakley, Gillette, WY
3rd Place: "Grandmother" by Lyndi Water, Kaycee, WY
4th Place: "December Tan" by Bart Ringer, Riverton, WY
Honorable Mentions:
- "Conversations" by Linda Ruhle, Prunedale, CA
- "Painting Pansies" by Katharyn Howd Machan, Ithaca, NY
Contest Chair Carol L. Deering adds, "A huge thank you to everyone who submitted to this contest!"
2018 Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest winners
The 2018 WyoPoets Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest received 436 poems from poets living in 14 U.S.states, Canada and England. Contest Chair Kathleen Smith thanks everyone for submitting their outstanding writing. The top poems selected are:
1st Place: "Poem Than Mentions Only One Amputation" by Lyndi O'Laughlin, Kaycee, Wyoming
2nd Place: "Freed" by Linda Ruhle, Prunedale, California
3rd Place: "A Wolf I Met" by Nicholas Trandahl, Upton, Wyoming
4th Place: "Bivouac" by Betsy Bernfield, Wilson, Wyoming
Honorable Mentions
1st Place: "Poem Than Mentions Only One Amputation" by Lyndi O'Laughlin, Kaycee, Wyoming
2nd Place: "Freed" by Linda Ruhle, Prunedale, California
3rd Place: "A Wolf I Met" by Nicholas Trandahl, Upton, Wyoming
4th Place: "Bivouac" by Betsy Bernfield, Wilson, Wyoming
Honorable Mentions
- 1st "The Admirable But Doomed Optimism of a Veal Calf and the Nice Ladies From St.Marks Cathedral" by Lyndi O'Laughlin, Kaycee, Wyoming
- 2nd "There's a Clinic in Frankfurt" by Lyndi O'Laughlin, Kaycee, Wyoming
- 3rd "Unrequited Love Using a Fully Hydrated Gazelle as an Example," by Lyndi O'Laughlin, Kaycee, Wyoming
- 4th "Something I Can't Pretend to Understand" by Nicholas Trandahl, Upton, Wyoming
- 5th "Sahara Vignette" by Marsha Warren Mittman, Spearfish, South Dakota
2017 Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest winners
The 2017 WyoPoets Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest received 308 poems entered by 69 poets, so our contest judge, John Calderazzo, had much fine work to choose from. The top poems selected are:
1st Place: "Caskets" by Eileen Malone, Broadmoor Village, CA
2nd Place: "Rain on Craters of the Moon" by Betsy Bernfeld, Wilson, WY
3rd Place: "Decent/Descent" by Nick Sweet, Shepherd, TX
4th Place: "Gone" by Myra Peak, Green River, WY
Honorable mentions
1st Place: "Caskets" by Eileen Malone, Broadmoor Village, CA
2nd Place: "Rain on Craters of the Moon" by Betsy Bernfeld, Wilson, WY
3rd Place: "Decent/Descent" by Nick Sweet, Shepherd, TX
4th Place: "Gone" by Myra Peak, Green River, WY
Honorable mentions
- 1st: "Gravity" by Betsy Bernfeld, Wilson, WY
- 2nd: "No Rescue from Drowning" by Myra Peak, Green River, WY
- 3rd: "Sexed on a Kona Balcony" by Ellaraine Lockie, Sunnyvale, CA
- 4th: "Le Salles-du-Gardon" by Katharyn Howd Machan, Ithaca NY
- 5th: "When the Moose Come to Town" by Betsy Bernfeld, Wilson, WY
2016 Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest winners
1st Place: "10 Years After Katrina" by Mary Jo Maguire, Englewood, CO
2nd Place: "George Faulkner, Dying at Daysboro" by Sandra Lake Lassen, West Jefferson, NC
3rd Place: "Breaking Point" by Barb Blanks, Garland, TX
4th Place: "Enjambment" by Marian Kaplun Shapiro, Lexington, MA
Honorable Mentions
Honorable mentions are in no particular order
2nd Place: "George Faulkner, Dying at Daysboro" by Sandra Lake Lassen, West Jefferson, NC
3rd Place: "Breaking Point" by Barb Blanks, Garland, TX
4th Place: "Enjambment" by Marian Kaplun Shapiro, Lexington, MA
Honorable Mentions
Honorable mentions are in no particular order
- "Inheritance" by Marian Kaplun Shapiro, Lexington, MA
- "John Walters" by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL
- "King of Barnhill" by Barbara Brannon, Lubbuck, TX
- "How to Lose Your Mind" by Cathy Moran, Little Rock, AR
- "A Rumor of Coyotes" by Christina Kamnikar, Cheyenne, WY
2015 Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest winners
