Poetry Contests That Don't Charge Poets a Fee to Enter

As I have mentioned in my Poetry Markets Article, most publications just do not pay you for your work. Those that do pay, pay little. There are only a rare few that will pay you anything decent. Another way for a poet to earn money is to enter poetry contests. A lot of the contest that I have found want you to pay a fee. As we are all trying to make money and not spend it, I have only put contests/fellowship listings that do not ask for fees.

Binghamton University Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award(for poets over 40)
Binghamton University Creative Writing Program
P.O. Box 6000
Binghamton, NY 13902
(607)777-2713
Fax: (607)777-2408
E-Mail: cwpro@binghamton.edu
http://www.english.binghamton.edu/cwpro
Contact: Maria Mazziotti Gillan, award director
Award: $1,000 annual and a reading at the University for a book of poetry published by the best poet over the age of 40. Guidelines and entry form can be obtained by a SASE, e-mail or on the website.
Submit: Three copies of your book
Deadline: March 1

Guggenheim Fellowships
Jim Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
90 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10016
(212) 687-4470
Fax: (212) 697-3248
E-Mail: fellowships@gf.org
http://www.gf.org
These fellowships are awarded every year to people who have demonstrated exceptional artistic ability. The monetary amounts vary. The average given in 2004 was $37,362. In 2004, 185 United State and Canadian fellowships were given out of 3, 268 applications.
Deadline: October 1, further information is on the website.

Poets Club Of Chicago, Helen Schaible Shakespearean/Petrarchan Sonnet Contest(form/sonnet)
1212 S. Michigan Ave. Apt. 2702 Chicago, IL 60605
Contact: Tony Roby, president.
This contest is open to anyone who writes sonnets. First prize: $50; 2^nd prize: $35; 3^rd prize: $15; three honorable mentions and three special recognitions(no cash reward) Submit one entry(two copies) of a Shakespearean or Petrarchan sonnet. It must be original and unpublished. Type on 8x 11 paper double-spaced. Put your name and address on the upper right-hand corner on one copy.
Deadline: September 1
Winners will be notified by mail October 31^st. You can request a list of the winners by SASE, send with your entry.

NFSPS College/University Level Poetry Awards(student writing)
P.O. Box Salt Lake City, UT 84152-0698
(801) 606-3444
E-Mail: SBSenior@juno.com
http://www.nfsps.org
Contact: N. Colwell Snell, chairman
Two annual awards of $500. One is the Edna Meudt Memorial Award, the other is the Florence Kahn Memorial Award. The manuscript will be published with 75 copies given to the winning poet. Winners will be able to read at NFSPS(the National Federation of State Poetry Societies) convention. NFSPS will also provide a partial travel stipend to attend when they are presented. This is for seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshman of an accredited college/university.
Submit: a manuscript of 10 poems, one poem a page, single spaced with a title. Must not be longer than 46 lines for each poem.(including spaces between the stanzas) no more than 50 characters per line. All manuscripts have to be titled with a cover page, name, address, your phone number in the upper left-hand corner, manuscript title centered on the page. You can also include a dedication page if you'd like. No e-mail submissions. Send by First Class mail. You can obtain guidelines and other information with a SASE or on the website.
Deadline: On or before February 1