• Contest is CLOSED.
• Open to all CWC members and to non-member residents of the North and South Carolina.
• Contest is for poetry of fewer than 50 lines; haiku excluded.
• Entries must be original and unpublished.  This includes blogs, Facebook, websites and any other digital media.
• Poems must be single-spaced.
• Please follow guidelines in General Manuscript Requirements, Eligibility & Submission Information.
• Multiple entries are NOT allowed. Choose your best poem to submit.
• Entry Fee: CWC Members: $15, Non-members: $20, Undergraduate students: $10
• Prizes: First Place (one will be awarded in both the general and undergraduate categories): $150, Second Place: $75, Third Place: $25
• Prizes will be awarded in April at the CWC general meeting.
• For inquiries or questions, contact Mack Staton, Contest Chair.

Poetry Contest Judge   

Ashley Lumpkin

Ashley Lumpkin is a Georgia-raised, Carolina-based writer, editor, actor, and educator. She is the author of five poetry collections:  At First Sight, Second Glance, Terrorism and Other Topics for Tea, #AshleyLumpkin, and Genesis. Her book "I Hate You All Equally.", is a collection of conversations from her years as a classroom teacher. A lover of performance as well as the written word, she has been a competing member of the Bull City Slam Team since 2015 and currently serves as its assistant coach. She co-curated the series "First Draft," a reading of new works and works in progress. She is one-fifth (and only Slytherin member) of the Big Dreams Collective and currently serves as a member-at-large on the board of the North Carolina Poetry Society.

 

Above all else, Ashley considers herself a teacher, poet, and fryer of food. She is a lover of mathematics and language. She loves you too. 

Poetry Contest Past Winners

Deane Ritch Lomax Poetry Prize Past Winners

Anthony Abbott Poetry Competition Past Winners