Nikki Hanna Literary Challenge

The Nikki Hanna Literary Contest is closed for 2025. Thank you to all the writers who submitted! Winners will be announced April 4th, 2025.

Woody Barlow Poetry Contest

Contest Status

Submissions are now open for the 2025 Woody Barlow Poetry contest!

About the Contest

In Mark Twain’s short story, Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven, Captain Stormfield arrives in Heaven and spends like 10 million years looking for the gate where they let in white people. After he arrives, he finds out that they are having a big parade for an old blacksmith from TN. It turns out, the blacksmith is God’s favorite poet, a guy no one has ever heard of, dies and goes to heaven, and they have this giant parade for the man. He’s totally bewildered and has this deer-in-the-headlights look. I saw a similar look on Woody's face when someone praised him for his talents, whether it was his poetry or his ability to replace a rotted banister or weathered door or answer a call to a fire in mid-winter. It was just one of Woody’s many endearing characteristics, what I like to call heroic qualities. An ordinary man sharing his extraordinary poetry. He was selfless in his actions, always looking to help others and share his gifts without asking for anything in return.

Woody Barlow's poetry taught that language, in its most beautiful and powerful form, has the potential to heal, to connect, and to inspire. Through this poetry contest, we continue Woody's legacy by providing a platform for new and diverse voices to be heard and celebrated, just as he did throughout his life.

Submission Requirements

1. All entries must be original unpublished works.
2. Poems must be in English. Poems may be in another language if accompanied by an English translation.
3. There will be a $15.00 entry fee for each packet of poems submitted.
4. Packet should include no more than 3 poems. Each poem should be submitted in a separate document.
5. Poems should be no more than 30 lines.
6. All entries should be in Times New Roman 12 pt font.
7. All submissions must left justified with standard formatting. Due to the limitations of our online platform, we are unable to accept concrete or visual poems (poetry that uses words to form shapes and images through formatting).
8. All entries must be in a doc or docx file.
9. To ensure blind judging, there can be no identifying names on the poems or the file names.

Past Winners