I'm hosting a poetry contest with cash prizes

Submit your original work and share it with the world

I’m excited to announce that I’m hosting the First Ever Poetry Contest for Things I Wrote Down.

The content is open to all my subscribers and there are cash prizes totalling $600!

• First place - $300

• Second place - $200

• Third place - $100

The theme of this year's contest is Build Up.

I’ve been ruminating on this concept for awhile. What does it mean to build others up? I think this is an interesting theme that poets can take in a hundred different directions.

In times when public discourse is so focused on shame and taking people down (or knocking them out), I thought it’d be meaningful to do something different.

That’s why I'm seeking poems that touch upon the concept of building up. The Greek word oikodomé intrigues me.

οἰκοδομή - to build up

The term oikodomé primarily refers to the act of building or constructing a physical structure. It is often used metaphorically to describe the spiritual edification or building up of the church and individual believers. It emphasizes growth, strengthening, and development in faith and character.

Submissions for the contest don’t need to use the words specifically, or address the concept literally, but should touch on the spirit of the concept and what it means. I hope you’ll submit and I invite you to be creative, be curious. Surprise.

Andrew, who do you think you are to host a poetry contest?

It’s pretty simple. I’m just a guy who loves poetry and who writes it. When I had the opportunity in the past to submit, win prizes, and share my work, it meant the world!

Contests have opened doors for me, and served as important catalysts for creativity. This isn’t Booker Prize or Giller Prize kind of money, but I hope it will inspire and encourage readers to create and share their work.

I’m excited to, in this small way, help nurture and provide opportunity for others to explore creating and sharing original verse.

So, the invitation is yours to take up!

The contest is officially open and it will close on May 31, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

You can get all the rules and submit your poem here.

And, there are judges

I’m so excited to share the three incredibly talented judges who will be selecting the prize-winning poems. They are:

• Prolific and profound, Canadian writer

  Marcia Lee Laycock

• Poet and humanitarian, the Australian writer

  Ella Grace

• Best-selling author and filmmaker, my sweet brother

  Daniel Kooman

• Liturgist and ecologist, the British poet

  Gideon Heugh

I can’t wait to share more about these phenomenal talents in the weeks ahead. Please click their names, check out their newsletters and subscribe to their work: your life will be enriched by their words.

And I know mine will be enriched if you submit a poem !