Dr. Maya Angelou and Alltel Wireless have celebrated Black History Month over the last five years with the "Words of Wisdom" essay contest. The contest is open to students, in any year, who are enrolled at a historical black college. Students must write an essay, using poetry or prose, to answer the following question: "How are you being called to answer the new spirit of change?" Students are asked to write about how this change can affect them on a local level. Ten winners receive $10,000 scholarships to continue their education. Also, each winner gets a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas to meet May Angelou.
Alltell Wireless
1 Allied Drive
Little Rock, Arkansas 72202
501-905-8000
alltel.com
The Lotus Press Naomi Long Madgett Award, named after the press' founder, is given to African-Americans who write poetry. The award is granted whether the poet has been published or not. Each year aspiring poets are awarded $500 and publication of their manuscript by Lotus Press. Manuscripts must contain 60 to 90 pages of poetry. Also, manuscripts that are submitted for the competition cannot be submitted to other publishers. However, they may be submitted to other competitions. To submit an entry, make a copy of your manuscript and enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard to receive notification that your manuscript has been received. Mail your manuscript, first-class priority, to the following address:
Lotus Press
c/o Constance Withers
P.O. Box 21607
Detroit, Michigan 48221
313-861-1280
lotuspress.org
The Live Poets Society of New Jersey operates a national poetry contest for high school students. The contest began in 1998 as a way to inspire and encourage young poets to continue writing and pursuing their education. Twelve scholarships are presented ranging from $150 to $1,000. The contest has two prize categories: national winner and editor's choice winner. National winners have their poems published in the "American High School Poetry: Just Poetry" anthology in addition to receiving scholarship money. Conversely, the "Editor's Choice" award is only given to one writer. However, there is no scholarship allocations for the winner.
Live Poets Society of New Jersey
P.O. Box 8041
Turnersville, NJ 08012
highschoolpoetrycontest.com