C O N T E S T S
2024 Advent Poetry Contest:
Listening with Mary
Contest Information
Catholic Literary Arts (CLA) encourages you to write poems reflecting on what is meant by the phrase “listening with Mary” during the season of Advent for our 2024 Advent Poetry Contest.
The beginning date for this contest is October 14, 2024 and the ending date is 11:59 p.m. CST on November 19, 2024.
An entry for this contest is limited to 32 lines, not including the title and stanza breaks.
Each submission to the contest will be judged according to the effectiveness of the use of language, imagery, and Sacred Tradition.
This contest is part of CLA’s focused and ongoing efforts to encourage people to write new poetry which uses the rich traditions and images of the Catholic faith to bring God into today’s world through the original, contemporary writing.
This year’s 2024 Advent Contest Judge is Mary Cecelia Bowman.
Mary Cecelia Bowman, a fourth-generation native Arizonan, is a retired high school English and history teacher who has published poems in journals such as, The Christian Science Monitor and the Crimson Crane, and human-interest stories in The Arizona Daily Star. She received an MFA from Antioch University, Los Angeles.
Submission Guidelines:
All submissions must be:
typed in 12-point font and submitted through Submittable in a Word file of .doc or .docx.
all work is blind-judged which means that the judge must not see the name of the author. Therefore, the author’s name must not appear on the submission or in the document’s file name.
original work that has not been published online or in a hard copy journal, magazine, or book.
the work must be the original creation of the person submitting the work
there is a line limit of 32 lines, not including the title.
Submissions Period
This contest opens October 14, 2024 and closes November 19, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
Submittable Guidelines
The electronic submissions platform for this contest is Submittable.
In order to use Submittable, you will need to create an account on their website, if you do not already have one. Creation of an account within Submittable is free.
If you have questions or problems with Submittable, please contact their Customer Service directly via their website, submittable.com.
Each writer may enter one poem.
Entry Fees
The entry fee per submission is $10.
A writer may enter only one poem.
Prizes/Awards
Prizes will be awarded in the poetry category as follows;
First prize, $75
Second Prize, $50
Third Prize, $25
Winners must complete IRS Form W-9 to receive payment in U.S. dollars.
Please use the link above to submit one poem. The Submittable form will direct you how to pay the submission fee. You will be given the option in Submittable to pay by credit card or via your PayPal account.
Celebration for Winners and Finalists
Catholic Literary Arts invites you to a virtual event through Zoom to celebrate the Advent Writing Contest’s winners and finalists.
These celebrations occur in a joyous virtual community eager to hear and share the writing of today’s writers of Faith. You’ll walk away inspired to write more yourself, and, we hope, inspired to further reflect on listening with Mary along with members of the CLA nationwide community.
The virtual event will be Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 at seven p.m. CST. It will last 60 minutes.
Register here for this event.