Spring into Poetry Contest is open to poets of all ages and in any poetry style. Anyone can submit original, unpublished work to participate in the contest. The poems must not exceed 4500 characters, which include spaces and punctuation. Also, these poems must be suitable for all type of audiences with no explicit or mature content. There are five age groups, namely Children (0-7), Children (8-9), Pre-Teens (10-12), Teens (13-17), and Adults (18+). There will be three winners in each of the categories. Moreover, all winners and other selected works will be published on SJPL Short Edition online platform and in the Short Edition Dispenser at select locations. In addition, Short Edition will be considering all submissions for international publication in their 300+ Dispensers worldwide. The judging process is overseen by the library staff and volunteers.
Creative contests have been popular among all people of all ages. Contests that specifically require written works like poetry can improve writing skills. People can gain valuable feedback and improve their work. Moreover, placing in a contest can get entrants monetary prizes, promotions and recognition. Both amateur and professionals writers can use this prize money to invest in the writing. Additionally, even if the poems didn’t win the contest, individuals can use recycle the same work by using it in the next contest.
San José Public Library (SJPL), the largest public library system between San Francisco and Los Angeles, is located in Silicon Valley. It serves a culturally diverse population of over one million in the country’s 10th largest city named San Jose, California. SJPL is known as one of the busiest library systems nationwide, with an annual checkout rate of nearly fourteen million items. It has won many awards over the years, and the staff strives to ensure library services reflect the city’s rich diversity and that every library customer’s experience is exceptional. The primary address for this library is San José Public Library, 150 E. San Fernando St., San José, CA 95112.
Brief Description
Refer to the below table for more details of the scholarship:
| Organization | San José Public Library |
| Educational Level | All |
| Subjects | All |
| Amount | Varies |
| Access Mode | Online |
| Number of Awards | 15 |
| City | San José |
| Nationality | Domestic |
| Country | United States |
| Application Deadline | May 9, 2021 |
| Application Fees | N/A |
| Requirement | Poem |
Who May Be Eligible
- Open to writers of all ages and limited to amateur authors only.
How to Apply
Eligible individuals can access the official website, log in to their Google account, complete the form and submit their entries. People without Google accounts can submit their entries via email to shortstories@sjlibrary.org.
Supporting Documents
- Poem
Benefits
There are five age groups, namely Children (0-7), Children (8-9), Pre-Teens (10-12), Teens (13-17), and Adults (18+). There will be three winners, namely 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place in each of the categories. Moreover, all winners and other selected works will be published on SJPL Short Edition online platform and in the Short Edition Dispenser at select locations. In addition, Short Edition will be considering all submissions for international publication in their 300+ Dispensers worldwide.
Application Deadline
The deadline for SJPL’s inaugural Spring into Poetry Contest is now extended to May 9, 2021.
