The James Applewhite Poetry Prize competition is now open for submissions. The competition is available to all North Carolina writers (anyone who has lived or currently lives in North Carolina). A one-year subscription to the North Carolina Literary Review is required for those who wish to submit one to three poems and a two-year subscription or membership in the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association is required to submit four to five poems. Submissions to this competition do not need to relate to the issue’s special feature topic. The author of the winning poem will receive $250 and a Pushcart Prize nomination; the winning poem will be published in the next issue of the North Carolina Literary Review. Submissions are due by April 30.
This year’s final judge is Jessica Jacobs, author of unalone; Take Me with You, Wherever You’re Going; and Pelvis with Distance. She is also executive director and founder of Yetzirah: A Hearth for Jewish Poetry. Read more about her at https://jessicalgjacobs.com/about/.
The Applewhite Poetry Prize Competition was established in 2011 by the North Carolina Literary Review. It is named for James Applewhite, an eastern North Carolina writer who has published a number of poetry collections and is Professor Emeritus at Duke University. The winner of the 2023 James Applewhite Poetry Prize was Janice Harrington for her poem “That Lake, That July Sun,” forthcoming in the 2024 print issue, due out this summer. An additional 19 poets had poems selected for publication from last year’s competition. For eligibility guidelines and submission instructions, go to: https://nclr.ecu.edu/submissions/applewhite-guidelines/
The 2024 Jaki Shelton Green Performance Poetry Prize is also now open for submissions. The competition is available to all North Carolina writers (anyone who has lived or currently lives in North Carolina). Submissions do not have to relate to an issue’s special feature topic. Poets must be either NCLR subscribers or members of the North Carolina Poetry Society to submit. Poets who are both can submit two performance video recordings. The winning performer receives $250, and the performance will be uploaded to NCLR‘s Youtube channel and shared publicly via the NCLR Online Fall issue. Submissions are due by April 30.
This year’s final judge is speaker, educator, and poet Dasan Ahanu. From Raleigh, NC, he is an active poetry slam participant and co-founder of Durham’s Black Poetry Theatre. Read more about him at www.dasanahanu.com/
The Jaki Shelton Green Performance Poetry Prize is named for the first African American and third woman appointed North Carolina Poet Laureate. Green’s poetry and spell-binding readings have captivated diverse audiences in North Carolina and worldwide through live performances and recorded media. Through the Jaki Shelton Green Performance Poetry competition, NCLR and the North Carolina Poetry Society will showcase what we hope will be some of the best work by emerging and preeminent performance poets in North Carolina. Read more about the premiere prize here: https://issuu.com/eastcarolina/docs/2023-nclr-online-fall/106. For eligibility guidelines and submission instructions, go to: https://nclr.ecu.edu/submissions/green-guidelines/
