Tennessee State Poetry Society Sonnet Contest
Deadline: August 21, 2006
Type: Sonnet
Theme: Any
Eligibility: International Open to all ages
Prizes: 50$, 30$, and 20$ plus three honorable mentions and publicaiton in the Tennessee State Poetry Society”s Annual Anthology.

Description:Sonnets must be Petrarchan, Elizabethan(Spensarian, or Shakespearean. Email poetunbarred@yahoo.com for registration form.

That announcement led me on a little detective spree that wound up introducing me to the National Federation of State Poetry Societies home page. NFSPS annually sponsors fifty poetry contests with total prizes of more than $6,000 – but that”s only the start of what the organization – and its state branches – do. The stated purpose of NFSPS is to recognize the importance of poetry with respect to national cultural heritage. It is dedicated to furthering poetry on a national level and facilitating the union of poets in friendship and understanding. Begun in 1959 and incorporated in 1966, today there are 36 member states in the national organization (you can find information on how to start a state chapter if your state doesn”t have one on the NFSPS web site). Each year, in addition to the fifty contests sponsored by the national organization, NFSPS also sponsors the Stevens Poetry Manuscript Award, which awards $1,000, publication and fifty copies of the published book to one manuscript of 35-60 pages. This year”s deadline for entry is October 15, 2006. More details are available here.