For more information about the South Dakota State Poetry Society (SDSPS) and our other publications and contests, please visit our website at sdpoetry.org.
Submission Period: 2/15 to 5/1
Contest open to South Dakota residents only.
Chapbook Contest 2024 Rules and Guidelines:
- Submit up to 30 pages of poetry.
- No more than one poem to a page, but a poem may be longer than one page.
- Individual poems may have been published elsewhere, but the chapbook as a whole must not have been published anywhere else.
- Poems may be on any subject and in any form other than prose.
- Chapbooks must be submitted electronically through Submittable.
- Poets may enter more than one manuscript, but each entry must be submitted separately, with a separate reading fee. The reading fee for SDSPS members is $15 per manuscript, and the reading fee for non-SDSPS members is $20 per manuscript. To join SDSPS, please visit sdpoetry.org/shop.
- Manuscripts will be judged blindly. NO PERSONAL INFORMATION should appear anywhere in the manuscript and will disqualify a submission if it appears in the manuscript.
- Each manuscript should include:
- Table of Contents with no personal information (numbered pages).
- Title Page with just the chapbook title and no personal identification.
- A manuscript of poetry with no personal information (only the poem title, page number, and the poem).
Current SDSPS Members are eligible to submit nominations via Submittable for the Poet of Merit Award. If you are not a current member, but wish to join or renew, please do so via our website here: https://sdpoetry.org/shop/
To nominate a Poet of Merit in either or both categories (living or posthumous), SDSPS members should submit the following by April 1.
a) a cover letter stating why the poet deserves the honor;
b) a sample of the poet’s work, not to exceed 15 pages or 10 minutes of recorded audio and/or video. (If poems are published, indicate where and when.); and
c) a bio of the poet, not to exceed three typed pages. (Note: At their discretion, the committee may choose to further read or research the Poets’ writing and accomplishments in addition to considering the submitted nomination materials.)
Submission Period: 2/15 to 5/1
Contest open to South Dakota residents only.
Chapbook Contest 2024 Rules and Guidelines:
- Submit up to 30 pages of poetry.
- No more than one poem to a page, but a poem may be longer than one page.
- Individual poems may have been published elsewhere, but the chapbook as a whole must not have been published anywhere else.
- Poems may be on any subject and in any form other than prose.
- Chapbooks must be submitted electronically through Submittable.
- Poets may enter more than one manuscript, but each entry must be submitted separately, with a separate reading fee. The reading fee for SDSPS members is $15 per manuscript, and the reading fee for non-SDSPS members is $20 per manuscript. To join SDSPS, please visit sdpoetry.org/shop.
- Manuscripts will be judged blindly. NO PERSONAL INFORMATION should appear anywhere in the manuscript and will disqualify a submission if it appears in the manuscript.
- Each manuscript should include:
- Table of Contents with no personal information (numbered pages).
- Title Page with just the chapbook title and no personal identification.
- A manuscript of poetry with no personal information (only the poem title, page number, and the poem).
- An acknowledgements page listing poems that have been published previously, as well as the periodical, anthology or book, and date of publication.
Please also include a cover letter that includes a brief bio and the title of your chapbook entry.
Only one winning manuscript will be accepted for publication. Should the contest be cancelled, all entrants will be refunded their reading fee. The winning poet will receive publication and ten author's copies. (2024 SDSPS members will also receive a copy of the chapbook.) Rights return to the poet after publication.