We at the NDSPS are thrilled to be hosting the 2026 Western Meadowlark Poetry Competition, our first every poetry contest! The winning poems will be selected by a committee comprised of our five boar members. For more information on the judges, please see our About Us page. We will be accepting submissions from August 1, 2026 through October 1, 2026. Any full-time, part-time, or former resident of North Dakota is eligible to submit one poem for consideration. The prizes are as follows:

• 1st Place – 2026 Western Meadowlark Poet of Distinction Award; $75 cash prize; publication on website; opportunity to read the winning poem at the October 17th North Dakota State Poetry Day celebration in Bismarck (more details to follow)

• 2nd place – $50 cash prize; publication on website

• 3rd place – $25 cash prize; publication on website

Please see below for more detailed instructions on how to submit.

• Each contestant will be allowed to submit one original poem that has not previously been published.

• Each contestant must submit a brief (50-350 word) cover letter that explains their connection to North Dakota and their publication history, if any.

• The contest has no formal theme, so each contestant should select their best unpublished poem to submit.

• The poem must be submitted as a doc., docx, or pdf. The name of the document must be the title of the poem, and the name of the author should not appear anywhere in the document or in the name of the document.

• The poem should be in 12 pt. Times New Roman font and should be formatted how the author would like to see the poem appear on the website, should it be selected as a winner.

• There will be no minimum length for the poem, but the maximum length will be 200 lines.

• We will not accept poems that have been written by or in assistance with AI.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via our contact page.