The New Hampshire Teen Poetry Prize—funded by the YAS Foundation and managed by the University of New Hampshire’s English Department—was created to promote and honor excellence in writing at the high school level. Each year, students (ages 13-19) across New Hampshire are invited to submit their original poetry for a chance at publication, as well as three significant monetary prizes of $500 each. Grand prize winners will read their winning poems at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival, the evening of April 12, 2024.   

Eligibility:

• Must be a New Hampshire youth, between the ages of 13-19
• Must submit original writing in verse that has not been previously published elsewhere. May include, but is not limited to, free verse, formal poetry, prose poetry, song lyrics, and spoken word.
• Must be willing to have your work appear in the Young Poets Anthology and, if chosen as a grand prize winner, to read your winning poem at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival on April 12, 2024. The honorarium is awarded in exchange for and after the completion of appearance at the Festival. 

Guidelines:

Please be sure you follow all requirements related to your application. Failure to comply with any of the requirements listed below may make your application ineligible for an award.

• Poems may be submitted by the poet, by a parent/legal guardian, or a teacher. Teachers may submit on their students' behalf, with the assurance to us that you will be able to help us get a parent’s signed permission prior to publication.
• Each submission may consist of 1–5 poems, up to a maximum of 10 pages. There should be one poem per page, typed single-spaced (unless the poems are meant to be presented using nonstandard spacing). Poems should be submitted as a single document.
• Do not include the poet’s name on the submission. Submittable will collect all contact information, ensuring an anonymous screening process.
• Poems should be your original work. We reserve the right to disqualify any poems we believe to be plagiarized.
• If accepted for publication, the poets may use their whole name, first name, or a pseudonym. We will not publish any contact information.
• Upon acceptance, a parent/legal guardian must sign a release allowing us to publish the poem. All contributors will receive a copy.  Three grand prize winners will receive $500 each and will read their winning poem at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival on April 12, 2024.

Please note: UNH faculty falls under Title IX mandatory reporting guidelines, which means if you report incidences of sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence, we are required to report it to our UNH Title IX office. (This will not keep your poem from being read for the contest and/or potentially winning a prize)