Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition
Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition
About the Annual Kent County Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition
The Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition was started in 1968 by poet James Allen at the urging of John Hunting, the founder of the Dyer-Ives Foundation, to encourage excellence in writing and to provide recognition for local work of high quality. The annual contest is open to poets ages 5 through adult who reside in or attend school in Kent County.
Submissions are accepted every February, and winners are selected in the spring. Winners selected in different categories have their poems published in Voices, receive a cash award, and participate in the annual Awards Reading Ceremony.
Submissions accepted February 1 - 28, 2026
Divisions and Awards
Elementary School
Grades K – 2
1st Place: $25 & publication
2nd Place: $10 & publication
Grades 3 – 4
1st Place: $25 & publication
2nd Place: $10 & publication
Middle School
Grades 5 – 6
1st Place: $50 & publication
2nd Place: $20 & publication
Grades 7 – 8
1st Place: $50 & publication
2nd Place: $20 & publication
High School
Grades 9 – 10
1st Place: $75 & publication
2nd Place: $25 & publication
Grades 11 – 12
1st Place: $100 & publication
2nd Place: $50 & publication
Undergraduate
1st Place: $100 & publication
2nd Place: $75 & publication
3rd Place: $50 & publication
Adult
1st Place: $150 & publication
2nd Place: $125 & publication
3rd Place: $100 & publication
2026 National Judge
Sun Yung Shin
Sun Yung Shin was born in Seoul, Korea and was raised in the Chicago area. She is a poet, writer, and cultural worker. Shin is the author of the poetry collections The Wet Hex (2022); Unbearable Splendor (finalist for the 2017 PEN USA Literary Award for Poetry, winner of the 2016 Minnesota Book Award for poetry); Rough, and Savage; and Skirt Full of Black (winner of the 2007 Asian American Literary Award for poetry), and the memoir Heart Eater forthcoming with Black Lawrence Press. She is co-editor of Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption, and author of bilingual illustrated book for children Cooper’s Lesson. She is the editor of What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories on Food and Family (2021) and of A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota. She lives in Minneapolis where she co-directs the community organization Poetry Asylum with poet Su Hwang.
Voices Publication
Voices is published annually to highlight the winners of the Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition.
Questions
If you have questions about the competition, email us or call 616.988.5400.
Teacher Resources
Eligibility
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- Open to Kent County, MI residents of all ages.
- Open to students attending classes within Kent County, MI, including at GVSU.
- Open to students who are residents of Kent County but attend school elsewhere.
- Free to enter.
- One poem per person will be accepted. The poem must be original and unpublished.
Submission Guidelines
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- Submissions accepted February 1 – 28, 2026.
- Submit one unpublished poem via our Submittable portal.
- Note that your name should not appear anywhere on the uploaded document.
- Poems in languages other than English are accepted for consideration with inclusion of an English translation.
- Winners will be notified by the beginning of May 2026.
- Improperly submitted entries will not be considered, and any submissions not under consideration will not be returned.
Sponsors
Special thanks to the Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation — Dyer-Ives Foundation Poetry Fund for their support of this program.
