Announcing the Bellwether Spring 2023 Poetry Contest
The Bellwether is pleased to announce our third writing contest! This time we are inviting you - all Bellevue University students and employees - to join us in celebrating Spring by delving into the dynamic relationship between the changing seasons and human endeavors, including the challenges and triumphs we encounter in our daily lives. How do the cycles of nature connect with our personal or collective experiences, from academic pursuits to personal growth or overcoming obstacles? How do the forces of nature reflect or contrast with our individual and shared journeys?
The prompt and instructions are below - we look forward to reading your expressions of nature's forces and the human spirit. Happy writing!
Prompt: “Nature's Forces: The Interplay of Seasons and Human Endeavors”
Description: April brings with it the shift from Winter to Spring, a time of change, adaptation, and renewal. In this poetry contest, we invite you to explore the dynamic relationship between the changing seasons and human endeavors, including the challenges and triumphs we encounter in our daily lives.
How do the cycles of nature connect with our personal or collective experiences, from academic pursuits to personal growth or overcoming obstacles? How do the forces of nature reflect or contrast with our individual and shared journeys? Consider both the strength and fragility of the natural world as well as our human vulnerabilities and resilience.
We encourage you to use vivid imagery, metaphor, and personal experiences to bring your poem to life, while examining the interplay of nature's forces and human endeavors. We invite you to embrace any poetic form or style, as long as your submission remains within the theme.
Let the power and beauty of nature inspire you as you craft your poem, and may your words resonate with the hearts and minds of our campus community. We look forward to reading your expressions of nature's forces and the human spirit.
Instructions: To ensure that participants have the opportunity to express themselves adequately while still maintaining focus and brevity, the following word count limits apply:
Minimum: 3 lines
Maximum: 36 lines, including title, lines of verse, and lines between stanzas
Submit your entry via email before the end of the day on Sunday, April 30, as an attachment or a link to your OneDrive to bellwether@bellevue.edu. Please use “Bellwether Poetry Contest” as the subject line. Make sure you set any OneDrive link permissions to allow anyone to view.
1st Place: $50
2nd Place: $30
3rd Place: $20
Winning entries will be announced in May and published in the next issue of the Bellwether. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to showcase your creativity, explore the connection between nature and our experiences, and have your work published in our campus magazine.
Contest Rules
1. The writer must be a current University student or employee.
2. The entry must be the submitter's original work, and NOT previously published.
3. Entries cannot contain excessive profanity and/or gratuitous violence and/or be sexually explicit. This is a for a family-friendly publication and kids might be in the audience.
4. Participants are limited to ONE submission.
For questions or additional information, contact Professor Karla Carter, kcarter@bellevue.edu.