CASCADIA 2020: Deadline Extended to January 31st

Call for Submissions!

The Oregon Poetry Association sponsors CASCADIA 2020: Oregon’s annual K-12 student poetry contest.  Open for submissions October 15 through JANUARY 31, 2020

Cascadia, the Oregon Student Poetry Contest, serves to nurture poetic talent of young Oregonians by providing an opportunity for their poems to be widely shared, published, and celebrated.

Ten unranked winners in each of four age categories receive $10 cash prizes. All forty winning poems will be published in Cascadia: The Oregon Student Poetry Contest Anthology. Each winner will receive a certificate and a copy of the anthology at the award ceremony in April.

The ten winning poems in both the middle and high school divisions are eligible and may be sent to the annual Manningham Trust Student Contest sponsored by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NSFPS). This national competition also awards cash prizes and publication in an anthology.

Former Cascadia award winners include Sophia Mautz, Portland Youth Poet Laureate and Scholastic Art & Writing Awards fellow, as well as South Medford alumnus Kylan Rice, whose poetry can be sampled online at http://dailydoseoflit.com/2012/08/21/poem-kylan-rice/ and http://www.softblow.org/kylanrice.html. Winning poems have also been featured in Chalkboard, the newsletter of the Oregon Council of Teachers of English; read them at http://www.octe.org/uploads/1/7/8/6/17860185/chalkboard.2014.spring.pdf

Writing poetry to enter in the contest is often a class project organized by teachers in the various types of schools. OPA urges parents and teachers to encourage students to enter the contest. This is an excellent opportunity both to encourage and to reward creativity in Oregon students.

OPA is a not-for-profit association whose mission is to:

            • build and sustain a diverse community of Oregon poets

            • provide Oregon poets opportunities to exchange ideas and learn from one another

            • further the appreciation of poetry throughout the state

            • raise awareness of Oregon poets.

Visit us at wordpress-687676-2268923.cloudwaysapps.com  (See “Student Poetry Resources” under the RESOURCES tab)

Mail entries to:

Lisa E. Baldwin, contest chair
Cascadia Student Poetry Contest   
1252 Redwood Ave., PMB 136
Grants Pass, OR 97527-5592

Questions? Contact Student Contest Chair

2020 Cascadia Student Poetry Contest Guidelines

Poems accepted between October 15, 2019 and JANUARY 31, 2020 (new postmark deadline)

Division I: Kindergarten – Grade 2

Division II: Grade 3 – Grade 5

Division III: Grade 6 – Grade 8

Division IV: Grade 9 – Grade 12

Contest open to all K-12 students throughout the state of Oregon, including public, private, parochial and home school students.

Each winner will receive a certificate and a copy of Cascadia: The Oregon Student Poetry Contest Anthology, in which all 40 winning poems will be published. Winners will be announced in March 2020; there will be an award ceremony in Spring 2020, at which students will be invited to read their poems.

All winners in Divisions III and IV may be entered into the nationwide 2020 Manningham Trust Student Contest sponsored by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. This contest also awards cash prizes and a publication furnished to Manningham Contest winners.

Cascadia Student Contest Rules

  1. Submit one original poem (your own individual creative work) on any subject, in any style or form, with a maximum of 40 lines. The poem must be titled, except for haiku, senryu, or limerick.
  2. Type or word process your poem on a single sheet of standard 8 1/2 X 11 white paper, one side only, in a standard 10-12 point type face; no fancy fonts, graphics, or illustrations. Use black ink.
  3. Send two copies of your poem.

ON THE FIRST COPY, in the upper right hand corner, type your category (I, II, III, or IV) and grade level, name, school, school address and phone number, and the name (first and last)of your writing teacher. Also on this copy, type the following statement: This poem is my own original creative work and has not been copied, in whole or in part, from any other author’s work, including poems posted on the Internet. Then, sign your name below the statement of originality.

ON THE SECOND COPY, type the category and grade level only—check to make sure your name does not appear anywhere on this copy.

  • Mail to:

Lisa E. Baldwin, contest chair
Cascadia Student Poetry Contest                                              
1252 Redwood Ave., PMB 136
Grants Pass, OR 97527-5592

The deadline is JANUARY 31, 2020 (postmarked).

2020 Cascadia Student Poetry Contest Checklist

  • The one best poem you are submitting is your own original work and no more than 40 lines
  • Your poem is typed or word processed on one sheet of standard 8.5×11 white paper, black ink
  • Your poem appears on one side of the paper only in a standard 12-point font
  • You are sending two copies of your poem
  • One copy has your poem & in the upper right corner, the Division (I, II, III, or IV), your grade, your name, your school, your school’s address and phone, & your teacher’s first and last name
  • On that copy, beneath your poem, you have typed and signed the following statement: THIS POEM IS MY OWN ORIGINAL CREATIVE WORK AND HAS NOT BEEN COPIED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, FROM ANY OTHER AUTHOR’S WORK, INCLUDING POEMS POSTED ON THE INTERNET
  • On the second copy of your poem, in the upper right corner, you have typed only the Division (I, II, III, or IV) and your grade––with no name appearing anywhere on this copy.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top