YHS Online Poetry Contest  

We’re launching this platform to give an outlet to aspiring and experienced poets. Sharing your work with us will encourage you to develop your writing skills. We encourage you to continue to be creative and unleash your talents!

Wondering if you’re eligible to enter?

The YHS Poetry Contest is open to everyone regardless of experience or previous publication. Employees and agents of Young Haitian Scholars, Inc. and their immediate families are ineligible and may not enter. Each entrant may submit one poem of no more than 30 lines on any subject, and in any style. No Poet should plagiarize for entry in this contest. We prohibit the use vulgar or offensive language in the contents. Do not employ profanity. Submitted text should be the original, individual work of the entrant. All submissions become the property of YHS and might be considered for publication in a forthcoming anthology and may appear on this website. Entrants retain copyright on his/her own individual work.  Entrant can submit a maximum three texts but have to pay a subscription for all 3 texts. All entries should be done via our website, and no blanks should be left on the form. Entrants must complete the entry form in its entirety to qualify for the contest.

Contest Dates

The YHS Poetry Contest will run throughout the year every 3 months.

First contest – January-March

Second contest – April-June

Third contest – July-September

Fourth contest – October- December

Our Selection Process

Poems are judged based on originality, creativity, and artistic quality.  Poems not meeting the requirements for line limitation are automatically disqualified. Poems containing profanity, vulgarity or offensive material are automatically disqualified.

Cash Prizes   

1^st Place – $150

2^nd Place – $100

3^rd Place – $50

Our Decision Process

The panel of judges consists of members of YHS Poetry Committee.  All decisions made by the judges are final.

Entrance Fee

There is a fee of $10 to enter the contest. Copyrights: The author retains all copyrights to the submitted poem.  Winning poems will appear on this website with the copyright notice intact and may be published in a forthcoming anthology. By entering the contest, you consent to the publication of your poem if it is selected as a winning entry.

How will you find out who’ve won?

Winners are announced via our Facebook & Instagram accounts every third Saturday of the third month of the contest period.  Winners are notified by phone, email, or standard mail.  Names of the winners and their respective poems may appear on this website.

Our Privacy Policy

YHS collects personal information for the purpose of notifying contest winners.  All information submitted is kept in confidence, and used solely for notification purposes and shall not be made public by YHS. YHS does not lease, sell, or share personal information collected.  Children under 18 years of age must have parental permission to enter the contest. The YHS Poetry Contest is sponsored by Young Haitian Scholars. All rights reserved. All information provided herein pertains to the 2016 YHS Poetry Contest. This information may updated or changed for future contests.