Too often, we think of performance poetry as something different than the poems we write on the page. Poetry is meant to be heard, and we want our work to impact others. The best way to do accomplish this is to read our poems to others.
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That being said, we must tailor the poem to our audience. Select poems that are easily digestible, those that can be understood in the first reading. Poems that may not translate well for performance poetry are those that have multiple layers of imagery or complex themes that require multiple readings and time to reflect in order to grasp the poem's full meaning.
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You can do this!
What is Performance Poetry?
If you have ever read a poem aloud to someone else, you have performed poetry.
Nebraska Poetry Society's
2023 Open Poetry Contest
Starts June 15th 2023
Winners announced by December 31st.
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1st Place: $500
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2nd Place: $250
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3rd Place: $100
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Honorable Mentions: Up to 20 poems will be selected as honorable mentions.
All winners and honorable mentions will be published in the Nebraska Poetry Society’s online publication, The Poet Rabble.
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Guest Judge: Twyla Hansen
Twyla Hansen’s newest poetry book is "Feeding the Fire". She is a Larksong Writers Place board member, Humanities Nebraska writing presenter, and was Nebraska’s State Poet 2013-2018. Honors include the Nebraska Literary Heritage Award, Nebraska Center for the Book President’s Award, and Lincoln High School Distinguished Alumni Award. Her book "Rock•Tree•Bird" won the 2018 Nebraska Book Award and WILLA Literary Award. Twyla’s writing is published recently in Briar Cliff Review, Oakwood, Prairie Schooner, South Dakota Review, More in Time Tribute to Ted Kooser, Nebraska Poetry Sesquicentennial Anthology, Academy of American Poets, Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud, and more.
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Submission Guidelines:
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Submissions are open on June 15th, 2023.
Submissions will close when we receive 100 entrants or on October 31st, whichever happens first.
Submissions are only accepted through Submittable. You can access Submittable by clicking the black "Click here to Submit" button above or by clicking here.
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Eligibility:
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Submissions are open to anyone. You do not need a connection to Nebraska or a Nebraska Poetry Society membership.
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Only unpublished work is accepted, including self-published works (print or digital), personal blogs, social media, and other online platforms.
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Simultaneous submissions are accepted, provided you notify us immediately if the work has been accepted or received recognition in another contest.
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We accept all forms of poetry. No images, please, text only.
The nonrefundable submission fee is $20. This includes up to five (5) poems.
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Formatting: Please format your poem the way you want us to read it. We appreciate the use of a 12-point Times New Roman font. We also appreciate poems that are under three pages long. All entries must be in English. Please put each poem on a separate page with the title and upload it as a separate file. Do not include your name on the poem, as all entries will be judged blind.
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Winners will be announced by December 31, 2023. You will be notified of your submission as the contest progresses. Notification will be through Submittable using the name and email address you provide when submitting.
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The submission fee is a tax-deductible donation to the Nebraska Poetry Society, a non-profit organization whose mission is to make poetry accessible to all. The submission fee includes a subscription to our quarterly newsletter.
Nebraska Poetry Society's
2023 Performance Poetry Contest
Starts July 1st 2023
Winners announced by December 31st.
-
1st Place: $200
-
2nd Place: $100
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3rd Place: $ 25
-
Honorable Mentions: Up to 20 poems will be selected as honorable mentions.
All winners and honorable mentions will be published in the Nebraska Poetry Society’s online publication, The Poet Rabble.
​
Guest Judge: Jen Harris
Poet Jen Harris (she/her) is a writer based in Kansas City, Missouri.
Featured on NPR, Netflix Queer Eye, Creative Mornings, TEDx, and many more, Harris is the author of 3 books of poetry and the recipient of numerous accolades. A sought-after performance artist, Harris is the founder and host of The Writing Workshop KC, whose mission is to nurture creative curiosity and inspire confidence within prompt-based writing workshops. She hosts weekly classes and offers creative coaching to private clients. Additionally, Jen is one-half of the artist-to-artist indie podcast Confessing Animals. Her firstborn community love child, Kansas City Poetry Slam, sold out monthly for seven years.
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Submission Guidelines:
​
Submissions are open on July 1st, 2023.
Submissions will close when we receive 100 entrants or on October 31st, whichever happens first.
Submissions are only accepted through Submittable. You can access Submittable by clicking the black "Click here to Submit" button above or by clicking here.
​
Eligibility:
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Submissions are open to anyone. You do not need a connection to Nebraska or a Nebraska Poetry Society membership.
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You must be 18 years of age to enter.
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A printed copy must accompany the video, and both should be named identically with: firstname_lastname_titleofpoem
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Videos must be at least one minute long and no more than three minutes long.
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Video can only include your work. Do not start with an explanation of your work. Your poem should stand alone without any explanation. Trigger warnings are not necessary.
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You may submit as many poems as you wish, but you cannot submit the same poem more than once in any of our contests. In other words, if you submitted the poem to our “2023 Open Poetry Contest,” you cannot submit the same poem to the “2023 Performance Poetry Contest.”
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Videos can be in any language, provided it includes English subtitles. Printed copies must be in English.
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You may submit videos published previously on the internet or used in other competitions. Please be aware that the judge is looking for new and surprising work. If your video has been widely circulated online, it will not be new or surprising to the judge.
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Collaborative poems are accepted.
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All work MUST be original and written by the performing artist. The poet must own all rights to the submitted work, including text, audio, video, and images.
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Video montage of images is not accepted. We want to see you performing your work.
The nonrefundable submission fee is $10. This includes one (1) poem.
Formatting: On your printed copy, please use a 12-point Times New Roman font. Format the poem as you would like us to read it, using line breaks, etc. The poems are judged by the video only. The printed version lets the judge spend more time with your work, re-read it for clarity, etc. Most common video file types are accepted. Files must not exceed 1GB.
Winners will be announced by December 31, 2023. You will be notified of your submission as the contest progresses. Notification will be through Submittable using the name and email address you provide when submitting.
Video Tips:
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Please use high-quality audio and video to ensure the judge can correctly see and hear your performance.
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Film your video inside in a well-lit and quiet area with no distracting backgrounds. The judge should be focused on you and not an image in the background.
The submission fee is a tax-deductible donation to the Nebraska Poetry Society, a non-profit organization whose mission is to make poetry accessible to all. The submission fee includes a subscription to our quarterly newsletter.
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