2008 WPA Poetry Contest Submission Guidelines

2008 Annual Bart Baxter Award for Performance Poetry

The Washington Poets Association is pleased to announce the opening of submissions for the 11th Annual Bart Baxter Contest for Poetry in Performance.

Named for acclaimed Northwest poet Bart Baxter, this contest evaluates finalists based solely on the craft of their text, and names a final winner in a head-to-head performance competition. Entrants must submit two poems for consideration by a panel of judges. Once the eight finalists are determined, they will compete in a series of one-on-one Poetry Bouts on Tuesday April 8th, 2008 at the Richard Hugo House. Another panel of pre-selected judges will evaluate the one-on-one bouts, leading to a single Champion.

Last year's champion was Jeremy Richards. The fast-paced elimination rounds means the two finalists will read a total of 3 original poems each. The top three finalists will earn a total of $800 in cash prizes: 1st place - $500, 2nd - $200 and 3rd - $100.

Entrance is free for members of the Washington Poets Association. For non-members, there is a $20 entrance fee, which includes a one year membership to WPA. Deadline for entries is March 2, 2008, 9:00 PM PST (deadline has been extended by 1 day). Finalists will be notified by March 15th.

How to Enter

All entries are handled online. You will need to provide your name and email address, and upload a single MS Word or PDF file that contains two poems.

If you are not a member of the WPA, you will need to make a membership payment using our online payment system before your entry will be finalized.

Please see the online submission form for more information, and to begin the entry process.

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