<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I had a few poems I was hoping to submit to a contest. However, I don't know which contest I should submit to!
Do I have to pay for a prestigious contest, or are there any good free ones I can try?</p>
<p>Are there any specific awards that colleges definitely recognize?
Thanks a lot :)</p>
<p>You should not pay to enter a contest.</p>
<p>Colleges will not recognize any awards.</p>
<p>More than likely, you are a teen who thinks your material is golden. It is not.</p>
<p>I feel that this should be repeated, but please do not pay to enter any poetry or other literary contest for any reason. Every single one of those are scams and all they will do is rip you off in exchange for sticking your work in some shoddy little magazine that anyone can get into; it won’t be a contest, they’ll just be ripping off your money.</p>
<p>As far as any awards that colleges definitely recognize; I don’t really know of any. Basically, if you want your poetry to be an important part of your application, you should mention in it in your college essays and use awards to illustrate that point. No award will get you into college but they can be great in demonstrating your passion for your work. You should also seriously consider looking for colleges that accept poetry or other literature as supplements to your application. Colleges that do that will often be more interested in any material you send them than a college that doesn’t solicit anything like that. Kenyon College is one that I know has some sort of poetry competition that includes a scholarship. </p>
<p>You might also be able to find scholarship opportunities for poets that are sponsored locally by community organizations.</p>
<p>There are poetry competitions with no fees (or low fees). The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are worth looking at. Another thing you can do is submit your poetry for publication to literary magazines–they won’t charge you to submit (and they won’t pay you for publication, either, except possibly with some copies).</p>