51st 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 Kent County. Submissions are accepted every February and winners are selected in the spring. Winners selected in three age categories have their poems published in Voices, receive a cash award, and participate in a reading during the Festival of the Arts in June, held at the Main Library.
Funded by:
2019 National Judge
Nancy Huang
Nancy grew up in America and China. She is a winner of the 2016 Write Bloody Poetry Chapbook contest, an Andrew Julius Gutow Academy of American Poets Prize, a James F. Parker Award in Poetry, a 2015 YoungArts Finalist prize, and more. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Vinyl, Bodega Magazine, TRACK//FOUR, Winter Tangerine Review, The Shade Journal, and others. She is an alum of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop summer graduate session and a VONA, Tin House, and Pink Door fellow. Her debut poetry collection, Favorite Daughter, is out by Write Bloody Publishing.
Divisions and Awards
First Division – Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $75
3rd Place: $50
Second Division – High School through Undergraduate
1st Place: $125
2nd Place: $100
3rd Place: $75
Third Division – Graduate Student through Adult
1st Place: $150
2nd Place: $125
3rd Place: $100
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.
Eligibility
- Open to Kent County, Michigan residents of all ages.
- Open to students attending classes within Kent County, including GVSU.
- Free to enter.
- One poem per person will be accepted. The poem must be original and unpublished.
Submissions Accepted
- February 1 – 28, 2019
- Read the complete submission guidelines.
Resources for Teachers
- Looking to submit poems for your class? View our teacher’s guide.