Poetry ContestHilda Simmons Levitt
The Hilda Simmons Levitt Poetry Contest, with more than $1,000 in prize money going to the winning poets, has been called one of the most prestigious in the state.
It was established in 1988 by the late Stanley Levitt to honor his wife’s memory, and her love of poetry and Midland College. Hilda Simmons Levitt graduated with honors in journalism from Louisiana State University where she also studied under poet Robert Penn Warren. In 1979, at the age of 62, Mrs. Levitt decided to pursue writing again. For the next seven years, until her death in 1986, she studied creative writing at Midland College.
The contest is now underwritten by Mrs. Levitt’s daughter Carol Schwartz, who lives in Washington, D.C.
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Eligibility
Any full-time or part-time student registered in English classes at Midland College
at any time in the past year is eligible to compete. Eligible students may submit
as many as five entries, but no contestant will be awarded more than one prize. Prior
Grand Award winners are not eligible.
Format Requirements
Your entry may be disqualified if you fail to follow format requirements listed below
on this page.
Entry Deadline
The entry deadline has been extended to April 10, 2020
Awards
- Grand Award: $600 and Award Plaque
- Second Place Award: $400 and Award Plaque
- Third Place Award: $200 and Award Plaque
- Fourth Place Award: $100 and Award Plaque
Note: Midland College reserves the right to withhold awards if entries are lacking in quality.
Awards Celebration
The Awards Celebration is held each year to recognize contest winners. This year, the awards will be announced electronically by May 8th.
Publication
Selected writings from the Hilda Simmons Levitt Contest will be published in Tableau,
an annual student publication produced through cooperation of the Departments of English
and Journalism and may also appear on the Midland College website. The material published
will be selected by the Hilda Simmons Levitt Poetry Contest Committee and approved
by the President of Midland College.
Formatting Requirements
Each poem should be submitted on a separate page in a Microsoft Word (doc,docx) document using the following guidelines:
- Use 1” margins on all sides.
- Center the title, capitalizing important letters (follow standard MLA guidelines for titles) one inch from the top of the first page. Do not include your name or any other identifying information.
- Double-space after the title and between stanzas. Otherwise, single-space throughout.
- Place the title and the page number in a header in the top right corner every page.
- Do not include your name anywhere in the entry.
- Your filename should be the title of the entry.
ENTRIES
Contestants may enter a maximum of five poems written in any form and any length.
Questions?
Brendan Egan
(432) 685-4638
began@midland.edu
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