Both Wittenberg University and Clark State Community college hold their annual writing contests in the Spring. This year they both offer monetary prizes, though submissions closed for Wittenberg’s in early April.
“Creative writing, though more difficult to find work in, will become increasingly important in a world where artificial intelligence will take work from humans,” says Christopher Bays, Professor at Clark State. He continued to explain that many professors are retiring and there are opportunities for writers of all types to start building credentials.
Clark State Community College holds its yearly poetry contest for local High School and College students. The Voices of the Valley Poetry Contest prizes are $100 for First, $50 for Second, and $25 for Third with three honorable mentions. These and other submissions will be published in their journal of the same name “Voices of the Valley.” This year’s theme is “Perceptions of reality” which includes topics like surrealism, realism, delusion, and dreams. Submissions close Friday, April 29.
“There is nothing more encouraging than getting recognition for something you’ve created,” says Kylah Tucker, a former Clark State student published in the 2019 journal.
In addition, each year Wittenberg holds contests for the Ostrom Awards in multiple categories, as well as the Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award for a portfolio of creative work. Prizes for each category are $300 for First, $100 for Second, and $50 for Third place. This contest is for Wittenberg students who meet the class requirements and are enrolled for the current semester. The window for submissions closed on Friday, April 1.
The winners of the Wittenberg Literary Awards will be announced at the department’s annual Literary Pub Fest.
For the Clark State Poetry contest, students can contact Professor Chris Bays at baysc@clarkstate.edu.
