The Worcester Country Poetry Association runs two poetry contests each year.
The WCPA Annual Poetry Contest: The Frank O’Hara Prize is open to all members, Worcester County residents and students, and employees of Worcester County businesses. Winning poems are published in The Worcester Review, and the poets are honored with a winners’ reading. The contest opens for submissions in February each year and closes on April 1st. Winners are normally notified by the end of June. A winner’s reading is held in September.
Learn more about the WCPA Annual Poetry Contest: The Frank O’Hara Prize.
Recent past winners
- Announcing the 2023 Dan Lewis Fellow: Laura DiCaronimo
- Announcing the Frank O’Hara Prize Contest Launch
- O’Hara Prize Reading Brings Poetry to Downtown
- FINAL WEEK for the Frank O’Hara Prize Submissions and FINAL WEEK for Kunitz Medal Nominations
- Announcing the Winners of the 2021 WCPA Poetry Contest: The Frank O’Hara Prize
The WCPA Annual College Poetry Contest: the Elizabeth Bishop Manuscript Prize and the Etheridge Knight Performance Prize was established to encourage and recognize the next generation of poets. The finalists, nominated by faculty and administrators at colleges in Worcester County, compete for two available awards: the Poetry Manuscript Prize and the Poetry Performance Prize. The finalists reading is usually held in April each year.
Learn more about the WCPA Annual College Poetry Contest: the Elizabeth Bishop Manuscript Prize and the Etheridge Knight Performance Prize.