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 2025 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 blind. 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. (2025 SDSPS members will also receive a copy of the chapbook as part of their membership benefits.) Rights return to the poet after publication.
The South Dakota State Poetry Society selects TWO poets for its Poet of Merit awards each year in which a new poet laureate is not named - one award for a living poet and one posthumous award.
Nominees must have been either born in South Dakota or have been a resident for five or more years. Ideally, if the nominee has moved out of state, he or she shall have maintained South Dakota ties.
The South Dakota Poet of Merit Award is a lifetime honor and may be granted regardless of whether or not the poet has served or may in the future serve as a South Dakota Poet Laureate.
Living South Dakota Poet of Merit Award winners will be invited to add copies of their work to the SDSPS Archives at SDSU’s Briggs Library. Works of South Dakota Poet of Merit winners in the Posthumous category may be collected by the committee and submitted to the SDSPS Archives at SDSU’s Brigg’s Library.
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 2025 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 blind. 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. (2025 SDSPS members will also receive a copy of the chapbook as part of their membership benefits.) Rights return to the poet after publication.
Pasque Press, under the board of direction of SDSPS, began publishing a series of full-length, single-authored poetry collections starting in 2021.
To submit a manuscript, a poet must be
· A current member of SDSPS; AND
· (1) A current resident of South Dakota writing about any topic/theme; OR (2) A South Dakota affiliated poet who has lived but is no longer living in the state but writing about South Dakota.
Selection Criteria:
- Excellence: Quality of craft; one manuscript will be selected for publishing by Pasque Press editor, Christine Stewart-Nuñez, and blind peer review: two people with at least one book published by a press with a national reputation.
- Commitment to Book Promotion: Upon manuscript submission, poet must outline commitment to marketing and promoting their book. This is important because publication of the next book in the series depends, in part, on profits of earlier books. The time between book publications depends upon the success of the previous book and results of any fundraising done by SDSPS.
- Submissions will be accepted via Submittable only.
- There is no fee to submit your manuscript, but the submission guidelines listed here must be met.
Manuscript Submission Guidelines
- 48-80 pages of poetry, with ONE poem per page unless a single poem takes more than one page.
- Individual poems may have been previously published in anthologies, chapbooks, print journals, online journals, etc., but cannot have appeared in any full-length collection, including self-published collections.
- Translations are NOT accepted.
- We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere.
- Spellcheck your manuscript carefully.
- Use one space after a period, not two.
- Paginate your manuscript.
- Use Times New Roman, 12 pt font, with one-inch margins on all four sides.
- Do NOT include photographs and drawings.
- Submit your manuscript in this order:
o Full title page—with your name
o Table of contents page(s)
o Manuscript pages
o Acknowledgments page
o About the Author—one-paragraph professional bio
In your cover letter, please affirm that you are a member of SDSPS and a South Dakota resident, OR you are a member of SDSPS and a South Dakota affiliated poet writing about South Dakota. If the latter, please describe your connection to the state and the ways you’re writing about South Dakota.
In addition, describe your commitment for promoting your book if it is selected. This could include plans for readings, book-signings, listing your book on your website and social media, etc. It could also include a description of your professional networks and how many books you anticipate buying (at a discounted author’s price) to sell on your own. If you’d like some advice and ideas, we highly recommend PR for Poets by Jeannine Hall Gailey. SDSPS will list your book on our website, include it in our proceedings at the South Dakota Festival of Books, and advertise it to the membership of the South Dakota State Poetry Society.